May 2020

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I’m absolutely in love with Maneater, the new shark game from Tripwire Interactive. Nothing in video games has ever made me feel as powerful as cruising the Louisiana bayou and wantonly chomping passing barracuda. But one setpiece managed to inject my shark-inspired reverie with a terror made only more potent by the…

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Welcome back to another episode of a Jalopnik-approved workout, with me, Erica, as your tour guide to the town of Swoleville. I am assuming you are here for this advanced version of working out with your car because you did the first one so many times and its too easy now. I get it. But buckle up, because this time I…

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A return of the Nintendo Switch Lite, a $40 Amazon Fire TV Stick, a vibrating foot spa, a discount on Rachell Parcell’s retro-inspired Nordstrom collection, a 30% markdown on Huckberry shorts, and an assortment of

A couple of days ago, I wrote a piece about how hard it is to find a Nintendo Switch. With the covid-19 outbreak temporarily halting production of the console in China, and scalpers seizing the opportunity to buy up and flip the Switch for usurious prices, nary a Switch is to be found on American shelves. Until...I…

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Your phone’s camera is more powerful than ever, but it is far from foolproof. It’s always discouraging to think you’ve lined up the perfect shot, only to check your camera roll and discover you messed up something—your composition, your white balance, or who knows what—and you have captured a less-than-perfect…

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The filmmaker’s meditation on the pandemic includes clips of Hitchcock movies

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Proceeds will support groups helping veterans find high-quality careers

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Gotta go fast

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And he compared it to his wife’s difficulty in childbirth

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Cavia, Feelplus, and Artoon are now part of Marvelous’ First Studio and worked on Monster Hunter Stories, Daemon X Machina, and God Eater 3.

The post The People Who Helped Make NieR and The Last Story Are Mounting a Comeback as First Studio appeared first on Siliconera.

Nintendo shared Paper Mario Metroid moment in Paper Mario: The Origami King right as Metroid Prime Trilogy Switch rumors are floating about.

The post Nintendo’s Teasing People With Its Paper Mario Metroid Moment appeared first on Siliconera.

As revealed by the latest issue of Japanese magazine Weekly Jump, the second DLC character headed to Bandai Namco's brawler One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 will be Charlotte Cracker, joining fellow Sweet Commander Charlotte Smoothie in-game later this year.

As their name denotes, Charlotte Cracker is the (checks notes) Minister of Biscuit, responsible for the governing of (checks again) Biscuit Island. Alongside Charlotte's Smoothie and Katakuri, the three Sweet Commanders wreak havoc in the name of the Big Mom Pirates, wreaking havoc with their armies and weaponry based on delightful snack treats. I'm so old.

There are no images nor in-game footage of Charlotte Cracker in action as of yet, but Weekly Jump does note that he is a speed-type character, able to conjure up an almost-infinite number of biscuit soldiers with which to do his bidding. Charlotte Cracker will be made available as part of Pirate Warriors 4's Character Pack, and surely the unholy trinity will be complete with Charlotte Katakuri at some point down the line.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is available now on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 DLC Charlotte Cracker announced [Gematsu / Ryokutya2089]

Sucker Punch Productions covered a lot of ground in the State of Play event for Ghost of Tsushima, but like any big open-world adventure, fans want to know about the tidbits – the little details that add up.

Do you have to play as either a ghost or a samurai, or can you do both? How difficult is the combat? Can Jin swim around, Assassin's Creed style? And what's up with the little white circles in the HUD? The studio fielded those questions and more in a wide-ranging Q&A posted to the PlayStation Blog.

It's not the most important topic, but my favorite answer relates to the horse. Asked if you can have different horses, creative director Jason Connell replied that the horse is "Jin's partner," and "early in the game, there is an opportunity to choose the horse you want to go on this adventure with."

He also confirmed that you can mix and match armor pieces and hunt animals – but don't worry. The adorable fox from the State of Play is fine. "While there are unique animals in Tsushima that are there to help guide Jin in his adventures, there are also a few predators that will be aggressive," according to Connell. "Upgrade resources can be collected from these specific animals once defeated."

Nate Fox, the director, answered a range of questions. I'll highlight a few that stood out.

Publisher Natsume has confirmed that the next release in the charmin' farmin' Harvest Moon series will arrive on PS4 in North America this fall, alongside the previously announced Nintendo Switch release.

Natsume confirmed the NA localisation on Twitter, while giving us our first look at the new entry's inspiring box art. In an accompanying press release, the publisher spoke of the series' prior appearances on a variety of Sony platforms.

"We are excited to share the first look at the new art for Harvest Moon: One World, which gives you a sneak peek at the vast world filled with mystery, challenges, new friends, and farming fun that awaits players," said Natsume CEO Hiro Maekawa. "We are also excited to officially confirm it is coming to the PlayStation 4 alongside the Switch. The Harvest Moon franchise has a long history on the Sony platforms including releases on the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, 3, and 4 as well as the PS Vita and PSP."

Harvest Moon: One World will once again offer up a challenging-yet-tranquil farming experience, as players build up their land, grow crops, rear stock, ward off predators, and ensure deliveries to the local townsfolk, making friends and perhaps even finding a little romance. Powered by a brand new game engine, One World hopes to be the biggest Harvest Moon release to date, encompassing locations outside of your humble little town for a true country-hopping experience.

Harvest Moon: One World launches this fall on PS4 and Nintendo Switch. The release did not denote a PS4 launch in territories outside of North America, but there is always the possibility that Natsume is just working out the red-tape for global localisation.

The Pokemon Sword and Shield pre-expansion tour continues, as we move out of week one and its special Mr. Mime and into week two with a unique Galarian Ponyta.

Available right now, the Galarian Ponyta has anticipation pre-loaded, meaning it'll detect whether or not an enemy Pokemon has a one-hit KO ability. Alongside of the creature you'll also net the following gifts: Level Ball, Love Ball, Fast Ball, Beast Ball, Friend Ball. To grab it, just head to the "Get via Internet" option in the Mystery Gift menu in Sword and Shield and you're good to go.

After you've done that, you can also partake in the new Gigantamax Meowth raid battles. These have run for three consecutive weeks, with the Meowth event lasting until 21:59 JST on June 2.

As a reminder, you can find the full schedule of free Pokemon Sword and Shield gifts below. The first expansion, Isle of Armor, is due "by the end of June."

Wube Software's much-loved construction and management sim Factorio will be leaving Steam early access a little sooner that expected; its version 1.0 release is now scheduled to arrive on 14th August in a bid to avoid the mad clamour of Cyberpunk 2077's launch window.

Factorio, which originally entered Steam early access back in 2016, casts players as sort of impromptu space industrialists, tasking them with building increasingly elaborate contraptions in a ceaseless grasp for ever-more efficient automation.

The gist is that players, having crash-landed on a distant, untouched planet, must manufacture their eventual means of escape. Initially, natural resources can be used to fashion basic machines which, in turn, open up new construction possibilities, enabling players to creep up the game's dizzying tech tree. Eventually, when the planet has become a smog-shrouded industrial hell-hole, the indigenous creatures are banished, and conveyor belts stretch as far as the eye can see, they might finally be ready to launch back into space.

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With the circumstances surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic causing organizers to cancel major conventions and expos and like E3, Gamescom, and Tokyo Game Show, many publishers, developers, and event organizers have turned to digital events to get the latest video game news out there. Whether you're talking platform-specific showcases, publisher-driven streams, or even third-party-facilitated schedules, the industry has a lot to look forward to in the coming months.

Check out the full digital event schedule for 2020 below, and be sure to bookmark this page and come back as more events are added.

June 9

The Next Chapter Of Destiny 2 - 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET
What It Is: Bungie is hosting a stream to detail what's next for its living shooter. We don't know much about what will be shown, but the tagline says, "Tune in to see the next step in the Destiny 2 universe."
Where To Watch: Bungie on Twitch

RPGs are a hefty investment, requiring time and dedication to delve into their complex intricacies. With a myriad of choices and divergent styles, finding the right one can be overwhelming. We’re here to help. This article breaks down our recommendations into a slew of categories, each for what’s important to you in an RPG. Whether it’s combat, story, or a preferred subgenre, it’s covered. We tried to recommend more recent games where we could, but didn’t want to completely eschew beloved classics in case you were itching for something more nostalgic. Read more...

• Direct Download

• YouTube (Link to come!)

• Apple Podcasts/iTunes

• Spotify

• Stitcher

• PlayerFM

• Podbay

Maybe it was the dragons that clued you in. There sure was a lot of fire breathing in that opening cinematic Larian Studios showed off for Baldur’s Gate 3. Or maybe you’ve played Larian’s last big RPG Divinity: Original Sin 2 in which every single fight has, in my personal experience, a 100% chance to turn into a giant inferno. Larian posted a short and hot new video today to begin the process of sharing BG3 news “throughout the month of June.” Sandwiched between all the other quick clips is, yes, yer girl Shadowheart standing casually at the center of a a sea of flames. (more…)

Guess who’s creepin’ out with a video game spinoff. No guesses? It’s Goosebumps. Remember those spooky books on your primary school shelf with the weird covers where animals transformed into—oh heck that was Animorphs. Sorry, I literally only read fantasy as a kid and still do. Goosebumps are the horror ones, now spawning the “spooky first-person survival horror game” Goosebumps Dead of Night sometime this summer.

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Reshiram just made its way into Pokemon GO this week and we’re already looking to Zekrom’s debut this June. We’re still a couple of weeks away from that though and there are plenty of other events to keep you busy up until then.

We already know about the Throwback Challenge Champion and Celebration special research tasks coming up. But there’s much more than that in store for Pokemon GO trainers.

First, let’s take a look at the upcoming spotlight hours that will take place every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time. The one exception is June 2, which will not have any featured Pokemon or bonuses.

Note: The asterisk (*) identifies potential shiny Pokemon

Another weekly Pokemon GO event that you’ll get to enjoy this June is the Zekrom raid hour. On two Wednesdays in June (17, 24) and on July 1, there will be an increased number of Zekroms appearing in raids from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time.

Microsoft and Asobo released a new update about the upcoming Microsoft Flight Simulator, and it comes with plenty of beautiful screenshots.

The recent addition to the alpha test of the Boeing 747 certainly charmed many, as most of the screenshots portray the beautiful and iconic fuselage of the “Queen of the Sky.”

We also get to see a few other aircraft and some lovely environmental shots.

Incidentally, new alpha invites have been sent yesterday, so if you applied, you may want to check your mail.

Speaking of the alpha, a new update will soon roll out with tweaks to to “Peripherals and Controls, Planes, UI, and Stability.”

You can enjoy the screenshots below.

In yesterday’s TWAB, Bungie revealed that news regarding Year 4 of Destiny 2 is coming very soon. Normally I wouldn’t be getting so antsy, but the pyramid ships are pretty much already here, and I had always assumed that would be the focus of the Year 4 storyline.

The problem with that theory is that there’s a whole season in between now and Year 4. So what’s the deal then?

Well the next season starts on June 12 no one knows except for Bungie, – doesn’t make sense but that’s not going to stop me from trying to piece it together anyway. There’s a lot of different directions Bungie could go here, but here’s what makes the most sense.

Fred Rogers Productions is looking for a Digital Producer to lead digital content development for a new animated series about a young Latina girl growing up in the Bronx. ...

I took Minecraft Dungeons for a spin earlier on our Twitch channel and was joined by my good friend Chase Carter! We broke down how the game works and fought our way through hordes of enemies in various levels. Check out the video to see us play some online co-op.

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EVE Online players are familiar with loss. In fact, one of the first pieces of advice given to new players is “Don’t fly what you can’t afford to lose.” When a spaceship is destroyed in EVE it’s gone forever; the only time a player’s assets are truly safe is when they’re locked inside an NPC-owned space station or a…

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Bob’s Burgers creator Loren Bouchard’s new show has potential

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What How Do You Live? is about and when we might be able to see it

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Gorō Miyazaki’s little-loved movie addresses the right ways to confront fear, regret, and responsibility

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Also, Dead by Daylight is now the Super Smash Bros. of horror

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Organizing is a real life chore, so why is it so fun to do in video games?

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And there was much rejoicing

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Compile Heart's upcoming game VVVtunia includes a new feature that connects to Youtube and spawns items based on number of views.

The post VVVtunia’s Video Battler Feature Spawns Items from Youtube Videos appeared first on Siliconera.

Games Workshop is closing out May with the fourth annual Skulls for the Skull Throne event on Steam. If you're already well-versed in the countless Warhammer PC games, there are new DLC packs and updates to check out. If you're thinking of coming in hot, the event is a chance to score some deals.

Most notably, you can pick up Total War: Warhammer II for $20.39, grab the Black Orc Big Boss in a free update, and save on DLC like Rise of the Tomb Kings ($9.49), Curse of the Vampire Coast ($9.49), and The Shadow & The Blade ($6.74). It's not too late to get into this all-consuming strategy game.

Better yet, you could nab Total War: Warhammer while it's on sale for $14.99 and use the free Mortal Empires expansion to bring the two games together under one massive, bloodthirsty roof.

Ellie's hit list is long and blood-stained. Earlier this week, Naughty Dog treated us to 20 minutes of feel-bad brutalized carnage as Ellie ruthlessly murdered everyone within eyesight -- including a poor Vita owner. Her next victim? Your PlayStation 4's hard drive.

According to a reddit user (as reported by Twisted Voxel), The Last of Us Part II's install size is 78.3GB. That's just the raw download, and any day-one patches will push it higher. The minimum free space required is 100GB, so we've been expecting big and beautiful all along.

That's really big, but Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is like 6TB at this point. On one hand, a lot of people are only working with a 500GB PS4, so The Last of Us Part II will take up about 20 percent of that. On the other hand, it's the end of a console generation and of course game installs have swelled now that we're closer to PS5 than PS4. So, I guess this is a public service announcement. If you're playing The Last of Us Part II in June, make the necessary accommodations to rearrange your hard drive space.

The Last of Us Part II Takes 78GB of HDD space [reddit via Twisted Voxel]

Friday fact: More games could stand to let us play as legion-leading necromancers.

The Unliving, a roguelite action-RPG from RocketBrush Studio and Team17, looks like it could be one of the good ones. You'll raise hordes of skeletons, sacrifice them to cast spells, and gather artifacts until the day you die. Of course, death is only temporary – you're a necromancer. You can be your own boss.

"The world is randomly generated for each run and is richly populated with an array of creatures, artifacts, secret rooms, and deadly traps," according to the developers. "You'll go from raiding quaint villages to even wading through swamps." There's also talk of boss creatures – the Steam page teases a multi-eyed tentacle monster – and a story concerning "the supreme hierarchies of the Church."

If you liked Overlord, you might like The Unliving. Let's keep tabs until... oh. 2021. Hang tight!