Thought you’d seen just about all that chess had to offer? Following last year’s Chesses, experimental game developer and Chess menace Pippin Barr is back with kingly sequel Chesses 2, offering eight more variations on the time-worn strategy puzzle – a checkmate challenge that defies dimensions, predictability, and the structural integrity of your computer monitor.
Industry giant Sony has announced plans to set up a relief fund of $100 million USD to aid people and businesses impacted by the ongoing COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic.
In an address on the company website, Sony stated that the money is to be used in a variety of efforts to support three key areas: healthcare, education, and entertainment. $10 million of Sony's relief money has already been designated for the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund - and will be used to help frontline healthcare workers and first responders in organizations such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF), UNICEF, and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
"Sony extends its condolences to the families of those who have passed away as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, and extends its sympathies to all those who have been impacted, " said Sony President and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida. "In order to overcome the unprecedented challenges that as a society we now face around the world, we will do all we can as a global company to support the individuals on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19, the children who are our future, and those who have been impacted in the creative community."
Sony is also looking into ways to leverage its network and technology in order to help children and educators who have been affected by quarantining and self-isolation measures. In regards to entertainment, Sony says that it wants to reach out to smaller companies in the industry that have been forced to close their doors, cancel live events, or abandon projects.
To date, there have been over 950,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The pandemic continues to have an unprecedented impact on individuals, families, and businesses worldwide.
Animal Crossing requires a lot of dedication to unlock its many mechanics: sometimes forcing players to wait multiple days before major features are available. But if you keep pushing (and use time travel) they will come, as Reddit user VaynMaanen has found out.
After having a revelation, VaynMaanen decided to turn their island into the map from Zelda: A Link to the Past. Pretty much every major aspect is there, including Kakariko Village on the left, the Desert of Mystery in the south and the Eastern Palace in the...east. As a reminder, you can't move the resident services building, so while they considered restarting to make it the main center feature (Hyrule Castle), they settled on the museum instead (which, really, is the highlight of the island anyway).
As VaynMaanen points out, now that all the work is done, "[they] can actually play the game!" If only they could sell this layout.
After 4 grueling days of terraforming I've modeled my island after Hyrule from Link to the Past! [Reddit]
WayForward Games, in collaboration with publisher Humble, has surprise-released goofy shmup Cat Girl Without Salad: Amuse Bouche on Nintendo Switch. The colourful, tongue-in-cheek title is available to download from the Nintendo eShop right now.
Cat Girl Without Salad is one of those titles that initially began life as an April Fools' Day joke, when WayForward debuted its trailer on April 1, 2016. After fans really took to its wild stylings, weird concept, and fun characters, WayForward eventually reworked the jokey idea into a full game, which was released on PC later that year.
When Wizards of the Coast said that the next Magic: The Gathering set, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, would center around giant monsters, this isn't what I had in mind.
Announced this morning, Wizards has struck a deal with Toho Ltd to use Godzilla in Magic. That means the King of Monsters is heading to all forms of Magic, including paper, Magic Online and Magic Arena. The set is still due for a spring 2020 premiere (the physical paper release is moved back in some countries due to COVID-19, but it will hit Arena on April 16), and you can find the titular king in the gallery below in card form.
Godzilla is a 5-cost 7/3 legendary creature (dinosaur) that has trample, and the text "lethal damage dealt to creatures you control is determined by their power rather than their toughness." Wizards also shared a bit of story for the set to go along with the tie-in craziness: "Ikoria introduces players to Lukka, a proud member of the Coppercoats, the military unit that protects the city of Drannith from Ikoria’s savage monsters. Lukka’s world is forever changed when he forms a mystical connection with a ferocious, winged cat. Such bonds are treasonous in Drannith, forcing Lukka to flee from the very home he was sworn to protect. Now an outcast monster 'bonder,' Lukka must survive the wilds of Ikoria with the help of planeswaker Vivien Reid." Always nice to see Vivien back in the fold, especially after Nissa is so dominant in standard right now, cramping her green planeswalker style.
Unity has launched a new digital programming series of talks, how-tos, demos, Q& As, and stories under the 'Unite Now' banner to help developers learn more about its tech during the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
The action strategy game John Wick Hex, which first launched on PC in October 2019, is officially making its way to PlayStation 4 early next month, director Mike Bithell announced.
Bithell took to the PlayStation Blog to deliver the news, confirming that John Wick Hex will hit the PS4 on May 5. He spoke a bit about designing the game in the PS4 release date announcement post, where Bithell also mentioned that the editor of the last John Wick film, 2019's Chapter 3: Parabellum, provided feedback on Hex's gameplay mechanics. You can check out John Wick Hex's PS4 trailer below.
While the game is headed to PS4 and currently available on PC via the Epic Games Store, an ESRB listing claims John Wick Hex will supposedly launch at some point on Nintendo Switch and Xbox One as well. Neither Bithell nor the game's publisher, Good Shepherd Entertainment, have confirmed whether Hex will appear on other consoles.
Continue Reading at GameSpotGamevice, the company behind a variety of controller solutions for iPhones, iPads, and other mobile devices, is attempting to sue Nintendo over the Nintendo Switch for a second time.
According to GoNintendo, Gamevice cites similarities between the Nintendo Switch and its own mobile controllers, many of which are also designed around the idea of split controller that connect to your phone or tablet on either side. The Switch's design is similar, and Gamevice claims it infringes on their own patents in the US. It's seeking a legal order to prevent the import of Switch consoles from Japan.
This is familiar territory for Nintendo. Gamevice has previously attempted to sue the company for a similar cause, citing infringement on 19 of its patents. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled in favor of Nintendo in that case (a ruling which Gamevice is still appealing), but will now need to preside over a separate case with similar circumstances. If successful, Gamevice could prevent the sale of Nintendo Switch consoles in the US.
Continue Reading at GameSpotRare's jaunty pirate game Sea of Thieves will make its way to Steam. The game was previously available only through the Microsoft Store on PC, or through Xbox Game Pass. According to the announcement, the high seas game will feature cross-play between Xbox One and all PC users. However, there is no set release date as of yet, though the announcement says one will be announced "soon."
Upon its initial release back in 2018, Sea of Thieves garnered a less-than-enthusiastic reception from critics, who questioned whether or not its laid-back atmosphere and simple gameplay were worth full-price at the till. However, since the inauguration of Xbox Game Pass, the game's community has grown substantially, augmented in no small part due to Rare's steady schedule of fresh content every month. According to Rare, it is now Microsoft's most successful IP of this console generation, with more than 10 million total players.
The game's latest update added nasty firetraps and an explosive called the Blunderbomb to the game, as well as banana outfits for your ship's beloved pets. The one prior to that featured cosmetic items from the beloved Rare game Viva Pinata and very angry treasure chests that vomit lava everywhere.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 includes a lot of moments that stick in the memory, for a variety of reasons. The 2009 game's campaign features a Russian invasion of the U.S., sees your player characters killed not once, but twice, and heralds the return of fan-favorite hero Captain Price. It also puts you in a position to gun down an airport full of civilians and police in the infamous mission, "No Russian."
The newly released Modern Warfare 2 Remastered campaign updates the game's visuals and sound, but the gameplay and story are identical to what was originally released. Revisiting the game demonstrates that Modern Warfare 2's intense first-person shooter moments still stand up to more recent games and remain as powerful as they were more than a decade ago. But the whole game resonates a bit differently when considered in the light of what has happened in the last 11 years. That's never more apparent than with "No Russian."
I went into a replay of Modern Warfare 2 with the expectation that "No Russian" and the rest of the game's story had been misunderstood over the years. After all, if there's a subversive Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare 2 is probably it. The bad guy is an American general and the mission in which you have a hand in a massacre puts you in the role of an American CIA operative. I had come to think that Modern Warfare 2 was making a comment about United States foreign policy and militarization, rather than just being shocking for shocking's sake. Especially after years of rising mass shootings, though, "No Russian" just comes off as callous. There might be interesting underlying ideas in Modern Warfare 2, but the game either fails to commit to them, or tells its story so poorly that they don't come across.
A new set of patch notes for Borderlands 3 makes some big adjustments to the Vault Hunter Moze, the Gunner. Gearbox said it has been observing Moze's stats for a few weeks and made these buffs to focus largely on boosting her survivability. The studio also noted that it's not done tweaking the character and other buffs to "trouble spots" will be coming in the future.
In particular, the hotfix patch notes make some big changes to the Iron Bear, her mech suit, by reducing the cooldown time and increasing its fuel. The update also increases the bonus to three of her abilities: Behind the Iron Curtain, Security Bear, and Experimental Munitions.
The update also makes several changes to weapon balance, including the entire suite of Hyperion weapon shields. The weapons appear to be buffed almost across the board, though the adjustment to The Lob comes at the expense of reducing its projectiles.
Continue Reading at GameSpotThis week's freebies at the Epic Games Store just went live, and they are quite the pair. From now until April 9, you can pick up Gone Home and Hob free of charge. As usual, Epic also revealed next week's freebie, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments, a seriously underappreciated adventure game starring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's ubiquitous detective. Crimes and Punishments will be free starting April 9 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET. You simply need a free Epic Games account to claim any Epic freebie, and it'll be yours to keep forever.
Originally released in 2014, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is one of the many Sherlock games developed by Frogwares. While games that capitalize off of huge properties like Sherlock Holmes don't always inspire a ton of confidence, Crimes and Punishments is a genuinely great adventure game.
Crimes and Punishments features six separate investigations that you must solve alongside your trusted sidekick Dr. Watson. One of the main gameplay mechanics is the deduction board, which lets you piece together clues from each case to come to your own conclusion. This allows for more than a handful of endings for each crime, and moral choices you can make after finding the culprit add even more layers to the story.
Continue Reading at GameSpotOwn Fallout 76 on PC already but wish you could play the game through Steam? You'll be able to do so starting on April 14, the same day that the new Wastelanders expansion launches
Anyone who purchases Fallout 76 through Bethesda.net before April 13 and links their Steam and Bethesda accounts will get the game for free on Steam. Atoms and Fallout 1st memberships will not transfer between the platforms, but any items purchased through the shop will be available across both Bethesda.net and Steam.
This offer only applies to the PC version. Xbox One and PS4 players will have to purchase the Steam version separately in order to access it, and the game doesn’t support cross-platform play.
Continue Reading at GameSpotA new update for Borderlands 3 will introduce not one but two new events, as the legendary vending machine limited-time event rotates out of play. That event, which made legendary loot available in vending machines, will end and be replaced by Slot Machine Mania and Trials Take-All.
According to hotfix notes, Slot Machine Mania will increase your chance to win legendaries from slot machines, but also increases the chances for grenades to spawn instead. Less valuable loot still might appear, but those odds have been greatly reduced. The other event, Trials Take-All, boosts the chances of rewards during Proving Ground trials, and bosses will always drop loot from their pools. Both events start today and will last until April 9 at 9 AM PT.
This follows closely after the release of Guns, Love, and Tentacles, the second major expansion for the game. That introduces a Lovecraftian threat in the midst of a happy wedding ceremony, though it doesn't really explore some of Lovecraft's problematic aspects. The patch that introduced the DLC also raised the level cap to 57, which Gearbox says will greatly increase the end-game power level by allowing players to use two capstone skills instead of just one.
Hello, all you weekend pheromone discharges, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only doctor you need more than Doctor Mario.
A free three-month subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited, a discount on Soulcalibur VI, a stainless steel kettle, Sonos speakers, and more light the fire for Thursday’s best deals of the day across the weird wide web.
This was not supposed to be the end and you can tell. Syfy’s announcement that they wouldn’t renew The Magicians after five seasons seems to have left the showrunners scrambling to complete season-long and series-long arcs in one 45-minute episode. The result is a series trying to make the best of a bad situation,…
Good things may come in threes, but now they'll come in twos, too - as Apex Legends is adding a permanent duos mode. Along with permanent rotation between maps and a new Bloodhound-themed town takeover. There's a lot happening.
From 7th to 21st April, players will be able to take part in an event called The Old Ways, focused on hunter legend Bloodhound. As a town takeover event similar to Octane's, Bloodhound is getting a themed takeover on World's Edge - and players will need to "battle ferocious prowlers for their chance at high-tier loot". I believe that's the lion-snake creature from Titanfall, by the way, not the guns. Players can scoop up goodies as a reward for venturing into this area, but I imagine it will also become a bit of a hot drop. Bringing a Bloodhound with your squad will help, apparently.
As part of the event, there will be an Old Ways prize track, in which players can earn up to 1000 points per challenge set, with challenges refreshing on a daily basis. You can also just directly purchase event-exclusive legendary skins from the shop. There's also a nice digital short about Bloodhound's "path from small village to Apex Arena", should you want to deepen your understanding of Apex lore.
Bethesda has made the upcoming Steam version of Fallout 76 free to those who own the game on Bethesda's launcher.
If you own Fallout 76 on Bethesda.net and you link your Steam account by 13th April, you get a Steam copy free.
The promotion comes ahead of the launch of Fallout 76's long-awaited and free Wastelanders expansion, which adds NPCs and story content to the MMO. Wastelanders and Fallout 76 launch on Steam on 14th April.
Given it's one of gaming's biggest franchises, the news Borderlands 3 was a major success came as little surprise. Within its first five days, it sold over five million copies - making it 2K's fastest-selling game of all time.
Something that probably did come as a surprise to Borderlands 3's developers, however, is that their hefty bonuses designed to make up for lower initial pay were no longer happening. These will be replaced by an amount "significantly lower" than previously promised.
That's according to a report by Kotaku, whose sources say Gearbox employees will no longer receive the high royalty bonuses promised throughout development. The news was apparently broken yesterday by CEO Randy Pitchford, who said developers would now receive much smaller bonus checks than the ones expected (which in some cases were supposed to go into the tens or hundreds of thousands). The reason given was that the game had been more expensive than anticipated, combined with significant company growth and off-base sales projections. The increased expense was likely caused by a technology swap between Unreal Engine 3 and Unreal Engine 4 mid-way through development, along with a 2K deal which meant Gearbox needed to first recoup both Borderlands 3's $95m (£76.6m) budget and the DLC budget (for a combined total of nearly $145m or £112m) before the studio could receive royalties.
Image: Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Coronavirus pandemic is leading to more delays
Here we go! | Photo: Dimension Films
Some of the wildest, most discussable streaming content on Netflix, Amazon, and more
On April 7, a new lore event hits Apex Legends along with some big changes, the biggest of which being the permanent addition of duos to the game. During the event. players can take on dangerous monsters for a shot at high tier loot during matches, but of course other players and teams are going to be looking for a slice of that action, so the risk/reward element is high as you attempt to take down deadly prowlers in Bloodhound's Trials.
Check out more in the lore video below:
Click here to watch embedded mediaAs always, the new event comes with a smattering of new cosmetic rewards players can earn. You can learn more on the official site here. The event runs until April 21, so get tracking!
The Animal Crossing franchise is known for letting players take things day by day at a slower pace compared to other video games. The series is meant to be a chill and relaxing experience that doesn’t require you to play for hours on end to get something accomplished.
In New Horizons though, things can take quite some time before you get access to game-changing features like terraforming and creating pavements, which has led a lot of folks to “time travel” so that they can get everything they want without having to wait for that in-game clock to pass.
Some people in the Animal Crossing community view this method to be exploitative and some may even go as far as to call it cheating and unfair to other players.
Animal Crossing is a mostly single-player experience that’s all about customizing your island how you see fit so should it matter if other people are experiencing New Horizons in a different, more fast-paced manner?
That is where you all come in! We want to hear your thoughts and opinions on this debate. Do you think that people who are time-traveling are cheaters? Do you think it’s all fine as long as they aren’t posting about it online for all to see? Or, does it not bother you how other people choose to play their game?
We want to hear what you have to say so we’ve created a survey down below for all of you to fill out (click here if you happen to be on mobile).
Chucklefish, the UK based studio behind hit games like Wargroove and Starbound (they also helped develop and publish Stardew Valley), has changed the art style for its new game Witchbrook. If you didn’t know about Witchbrook, that’s because Chucklefish has been rather tight-lipped about it ever since its reveal.
From the reveal of Witchbrook, the game had a top-down, 2D art style that was reminiscent of previous games like Stardew Valley and Wargroove but with less pixelation and more smoothed-out textures. Now, the game has switched to an isometric view which produces a 3D-like visual.
On their new website for Witchbrook, Chucklefish says in the game you will follow-
“A witch-in-training on the road to graduation. Build relationships with fellow students and townsfolk, develop your magical abilities by attending classes and completing assignments. Participate in extracurricular activities such as fishing, growing magical crops and foraging strange mushrooms. Master secret spells, make friends for life and unravel the mysteries of the school…”
The FPS genre has become so saturated over the years that innovation is hard to come by, but developer Surgical Scalpels has something interesting brewing. Boundary is a deep space, zero-g combat experience that adds a completely new dimension into the mix. Today, a new trailer showcases exactly why it should have your attention.
It spotlights a map called Solar Farm, which sees players duke it out aboard an enormous space station complete with enormous light reflectors. You’ll also get a glimpse at two new weapons that have been added to the game’s armory since its last demonstration: the tactical shield, and re-forged AK rifle.
Highlighting the various different ranges of combat, you’ll also see players engage with long-distance sniper rifles and up-close-and-personal melee weaponry.
An accompanying press release with today’s new trailer explains that Boundary features a range of customization options for players to set up their gear according to preference. There are options for weapons, tactical assets and astronaut classes in the game, 5v5, 3v3 and 2v2 player teams will also be available.
You can check out the gameplay for yourself in the below trailer.
A Last of Us Part 2 delay has been announced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, along with Iron Man VR. This is due to logistical issues surrounding the global pandemic crisis.
The post The Last of Us Part II and Iron Man VR Delayed ‘Until Further Notice’ appeared first on Siliconera.
An Osaka-based Capcom employee tested positive for COVID-19, and the company issued a statement going over the situation.
The post A Capcom Staff Member in Osaka Has COVID-19 appeared first on Siliconera.
New Witchbrook screenshots take people to a town, a classroom, and a garden.
The post New Witchbrook Screenshots Reveal a Better Look at the Game appeared first on Siliconera.
Apex Legends has some neat characters, sure. But a masked, non-binary big game hunter who’s crawled outta Old Norse mythology by way of Chernobyl backed by a pack of crows? I think Bloodhound might take the top spot. This month, Respawn are finally giving Blothhundr their due with The Old Ways, a two-week lore event that finally gives the hunter some worthy prey – and some cosmetics too, I guess.
Rockstar Games has announced that, from today until the end of May, it will donate 5% of all in-game purchases made in both Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online to COVID-19/coronavirus relief efforts.
In an official statement, Rockstar noted that the revenue raised will be used to "help local communities and businesses struggling with the impact of COVID-19, both directly and by supporting some of the amazing organizations who are on the ground helping those who are affected by this crisis." The use of "local" is expected to denote businesses in North America, the U.K., and India, where Rockstar houses its development studios.
While obviously no specific figure can be referenced in regards to how much money this will entail, GTA: Online is currently Rockstar's "cash cow" - so to speak - with its microtransaction sales being further bolstered by 54% in the winter quarter. Grand Theft Auto V is one of the best-selling video games of all time, having shifted around 120 million copies since its 2013 launch. So hopefully this points to an impressive final donation.
Rockstar Games joins a list of publishers raising money for the people and organisations affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For example, publisher Humble is currently offering a great package of 45 games for $30, the entire proceeds of which will be donated to a selection of global healthcare charities. Just this morning, Sony announced the creation of a $100 million COVID-19 relief fund to help support workers in healthcare, education, and entertainment.
Things are constantly in flux right now. Some countries are just now in the throes of the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, and others are starting to flatten the spread of it. But if things continue as they are right now, Microsoft boss Phil Spencer doesn't expect any delays for the Xbox Series X.
Speaking to IGN, Spencer notes that some factory and supply lines in China are starting to go back to work (4:30), implying that production of the Xbox Series X is back on track. Spencer even confidently states that there is "nothing right now that says we're not going to make the dates we've been planning," but that the situation could change: citing that the pandemic is "real-time stuff." Spencer follows up by saying that he's going to put the safety and security of his team first, should the plan be altered. He also semi shuts down the plan of a staggered regional launch due to a production delay, saying he would be "hesitant" to allow that to go through.
We've seen a few very board-friendly comments on how everything is normal these past few weeks, but Spencer has been strikingly candid ever since he took over as head of the Xbox division. Even in this very interview he admits that the Xbox team is "stretched," and opens up regarding a few past corporate mistakes, including the huge and ill-fated TV push for the Xbox One early in its lifecycle. That said, Spencer says that he "feels good" about the Xbox Series X after watching Sony's Cerny-led PS5 presentation.
Vincere is a competitive chariot racing game, where players must lean in their chariot and pull on the reins to overcome the opponent beside them. ...
A new Bloodhound-themed event is coming to Apex Legends next week, following the premiere of a new animated short (embedded below) and in-game map changes that teased a new town takeover. The limited-time event, The Old Ways, begins on April 7 and continues through to April 21.
The Old Ways introduces Bloodhound's Trials as a town takeover on World's Edge, which will be placed in the northwestern portion of the map. Drop into the new location and you and your squad will find yourselves facing off against a hoard of prowlers. Braving the enclosure will allow you to find high-tier loot though. In a blog post, Respawn advises that players should take the opportunity to "explore the enclosure, especially with a certain hunter at your side" once the fighting is over, implying there may be some lore implications to discover.
Like Grand Soiree and System Override, The Old Ways introduces a new prize track that allows you to unlock exclusive cosmetic rewards by completing event challenges. The event will also see an assortment of rare and legendary cosmetics rotated into Apex Legends' in-game store, including a brand-new skin for Bloodhound, Young Blood, that dresses the technological tracker as they appeared in The Old Ways animated short.
Continue Reading at GameSpotSony has announced it is delaying the launch of The Last of Us 2 indefinitely, saying in a tweet that the global crisis caused by the coronavirus is "preventing us from providing the launch experience our players deserve."
Developer Naughty Dog issued its own statement on Twitter as well. In it, the studio said that while it's in the final stretches of development, there are logistical issues that will prevent it from ensuring the best experience, including a simultaneous global launch.
"We were bummed about this decision but ultimately understood it's what's best and fair to all of our players," the statement reads. "We're hoping that this won't be a long delay and we'll update you as soon as we have new information to share."
Continue Reading at GameSpotSince its launch last year, Apex Legends has been experimenting with limited-time modes that introduced varying squad numbers, with playlists for both duo and solo play. The standard three-player squad mode has persisted, but on April 7 Apex Legends will let you play duos forever.
The new mode is part of the larger The Old Ways event, which has fleshed some of Bloodhound's backstory while making substantial changes to the game moving forward. Duos is one such change--now you can decide on your squad size before launching into a match, as well as what map you want to drop into. Apex Legends is introducing map-rotation permanently too, letting you switch between King's Canyon and Worlds Edge.
Unlike most of the event's content, these changes are here to stay. The Old Ways will also introduce a new Town Takeover called Bloodhound's Trials, feature an exclusive rewards track with daily and weekly challenges on top of those included in the battle pass, and more items in the direct to purchase store pertaining to the event and the short story that started it all.
Continue Reading at GameSpot