June 2020

Anyone with even a passing knowledge of the music gaming genre is familiar with Harmonix, or at least one of the studio’s many games. The developer has been synonymous with music gaming experiences for decades, and consistently reinvents itself with new perspectives on the always-changing world of popular music.

The studio’s latest effort is Fuser, a music mixing game that targets the festival music scene – in particular the music mixing DJ culture that helps define that experience for fans. In its gameplay, Fuser allows players to draw individual parts of a bunch of different songs – including vocals, guitars, drums, and more – and add them into a growing mix. Thanks to some remarkable technology behind the scenes, the music that results manages to sound great, like it was meant to go together, no matter which songs you select.

From there, it’s all about changing up the mix with new parts (often in response to fan demands), hitting the downbeats to create smooth transitions, and even writing in your own riffs on instruments like synths and drums, which then get added into the song as it plays live. And unlike many of Harmonix’s previous projects, Fuser requires no additional peripherals.

The game begins pre-orders today for a planned fall release, and doing so nets you three bonus DLC songs: Dua Lipa “New Rules,” Khalid “Young Dumb & Broke,” and The Killers “Mr. Brightside.”

So how about those Nintendo Directs, eh?

Although we got a "Mini" Direct semi-recently, Nintendo has been mum on when the next real presentation will be, even quietly bowing out of the "E3" season entirely this year. So what's happening with Directs? A recent statement made by the company's president during a shareholder meeting may shed some light on this development.

Speaking to investors (as translated by VGC), president Shintaro Furukawa explained that although Nintendo still feels like Directs are "an incredibly effective way to present information," it might be time for something new. Furukawa is a bit vague here, but states: "Inversely, times change and so does the most effective way to promote products, so there is a chance that a new, better way to present this information comes about. So we always like to examine all of the possible ways to communicate this information to customers."

Reading between the lines a bit here, having watched every single Direct to date (and witnessed several live at E3), I can see what Furukawa is talking about here. The "Direct" format felt like a living breathing entity when the "whole crew" (Satoru Iwata, Reggie Fils-Aimé,  Shigeru Miyamoto) was together. They were a huge part of what made the Directs special, and with Iwata gone and Reggie's departure from Nintendo, they effectively have no presenter.

Monster Hunter: World has been out for over two years. I can't believe it! It feels like I just started that adventure the other day, but we're already knee deep in Iceborne, the late 2019 expansion. The question is, will it ever come to Switch? Probably not. But there might be something else in the works.

Speaking at their latest shareholder meeting, Capcom flat out denies that there is a Monster Hunter: World Switch port in the works. However, when asked whether or not the publisher is working on a Monster Hunter for "junior and senior high school students" (read: a younger audience), we get a bit more info. Capcom explains that they are in fact planning on developing a game that "can be enjoyed" by that age group, and will share developments at a future date. This screams "Monster Hunter Stories" type Switch project to me, but it could mean anything.

In other Capcom news, the company reports that digital sales account for "around 80%" of their business, and they are striving to go for 90%. "Worldwide sales opportunities" are stated as a big reason for the expansion. So, a digital Switch Monster Hunter eh? It's probably going to happen at some point.

41st Annual General Meeting of Shareholders [Capcom via Hachima Kikou]

Capcom has announced that the next major update for Monster Hunter World: Iceborne will go live on all platforms July 9. "Title Update 4" was originally scheduled to arrive back in late May, but was pushed back due to development issues pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, the publisher is keeping the details regarding Title Update 4's cool new quests, features, and events under wraps, but will reveal all in a new developer diary on July 3. You can check out an advert for this reveal below, and you might want to hold on until the very end for a tease of a familiar - and frightening - face. It looks like recent rumours were true...

There’s a slew of changes coming to DeNa’s free-to-play Pokemon Masters in its latest update, which includes all-new eggs to hatch, the introduction of shiny Pokemon, and a new story event for players to enjoy.

A press release sent to Twinfinite breaks down the update’s new content:

New Pokemon Eggs

Players can now hatch more Pokémon from Eggs (beyond Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle), such as Tauros and Meowth. All Pokémon hatched from Eggs can be paired with the game’s Main Character to battle alongside one another.

Shiny Pokemon Introduced

After completing certain battles in the Main Story or Training Area, players will be able to obtain Eggs from a new area in the game—Professor Bellis’s Lab. Eggs placed in incubators in Professor Bellis’s Lab will hatch after players complete a certain number of battles. Pokémon hatched from Eggs can have different battling roles and passive skills, even if they are the same Pokémon.

There is even a chance of hatching rare Shiny Pokemon. In the future, even more Pokémon hatchable from Eggs will be made available via in-game events that focus on a specific Pokémon type. 

GungHo Online Entertainment’s free-to-play action battle game, Ninjala, has been a smashing success thus far. After recording 1 million downloads just 24 hours after its launch, the developer celebrated another milestone today as the game has since doubled its tally.

Just as was the case for the 1 million mark, the team is giving away another 100 Jala to all players as a thank you.

🎊2 Million Downloads!!🎊

Thank you for your tremendous support, ninjas!

In celebration of 2 million downloads of #Ninjala, all players will receive a free gift of 100 Jala! ✨🎁✨

Thank you again, and enjoy!#GungHo #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/quoZsmLfHC

— PlayNinjala (@playninjala) June 30, 2020

Ninjala is a Splatoon-esque action battle PvP game for Nintendo Switch in which players fight it out as ninja avatars. There are multiple game modes, including the 4v4 battle royale mode Twinfinite previewed earlier this year.

Following fantasy RPG The Waylanders’ Early Access launch last week, developer Gato Salvaje has laid out a roadmap of update milestones for players to mark on the calendars.

For those not up to speed, The Waylanders is a party-based experience set in the Celtic and Medieval eras that explores mythology from Celtic Spain and surrounding regions.

It features a real-time combat system with a tactical pause option, allowing the player party to combine into offensive formations allowing for deep combat tactics. There are six basic classes, 30 advanced classes, and nine companion characters to battle beside and romance.

As a project still very much in the early stages of its Early Access period, The Waylanders’ development team has committed to a biweekly cadence of content and gameplay improvement updates moving forward.

A Dex Wii U port never materialized. However, it will appear on one Nintendo platform. Its Switch version will appear in July 2020.

The post A Dex Wii U Release Isn’t Happening, but a Switch One Is appeared first on Siliconera.

The Ageless release date has been revealed for the Nintendo Switch and PC versions of the game. You'll be able to play it on July 28, 2020.

The post The Ageless Release Date Is July 28, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

Ace Combat 7 surpassed two million in worldwide shipments and digital sales, just on time for the series' 25th anniversary today.

The post Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Flies by Two Million in Worldwide Shipments and Digital Sales appeared first on Siliconera.

As outdoors continues to be called off, EGX has become the latest event to be cancelled and replaced with an online alternative. EGX Digital will team up with PAX Online, also organised by our corporate uncles, for nine days of 24-hour streams starting 12th September. Yes, nine days. Yes, all day and all night. That’s a lot. And it’s free. We here at RPS will be joining in to help fill that time, though I couldn’t yet tell you what we’ll be doing. Online things. About video games. If you bought tickets to EGX 2020, the London games show, you’ll get a refund.

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When Samsung launched their 860 Qvo SSD back at the end of 2018, it finally brought high capacity SSDs down to a more affordable price. Why was the 860 Qvo suddenly so much cheaper than the 860 Evo? Well, it was mostly down to the type of storage tech Samsung used inside the Qvo – what’s known as 4-bit MLC (multi-level cell) V-NAND technology, as opposed to the Evo’s 3-bit MLC. Historically, 4-bit has been a bit slower than 3-bit, hence the lower price. But as the 860 Qvo quickly proved, there really wasn’t a huge amount of difference between it and the 860 Evo, making the Qvo the de facto standard for anyone after 1TB or above.

There haven’t been many new additions to our roundup of all the best budget gaming laptop deals this week, but all the laptop deals we have managed to find pack surprisingly beefy components for under £1000 / $1000. The top picks this week both include RTX 2060 chips for under four figures – the MSI GF65 and the Asus TUF Gaming A15 – and there are plenty more great budget gaming laptop deals if you’re looking for something a bit cheaper. Read on for more information on picking the right option, and for details of the best gaming laptop deals available this week.

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The Samsung 860 Evo is still the [cms-block] if you’re looking for a cheap SATA SSD, but Aria have recently slashed the price of the 250GB model down to just £36, making this the cheapest it’s been in, well, forever.

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War, the crafty old bugger, has changed yet again. When you queue up for “quad” mode in Call Of Duty: Warzone, you’ll now have to battle (royale) it out amongst 199 other players. That’s 48 extra, and Warzone’s map certainly seems big enough to accommodate them. The solo, duo and trio modes all still only go up to 150.

The “Season Four Reloaded” update has also chucked in a new contract, a sniper rifle, and a separate spotter’s scope item that lets you peek at distant hills without having to worry about glint giving you away. There’s an upcoming new mode where someone gets to have a go with a mini-gun and put on fancy “Juggernaut” pants, too. I think. These are some very confusing patch notes.

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Hot off of its unofficial reveal of Star Wars: Squadrons earlier this month, the Microsoft St0re’s page for Crysis Remastered is live, showing off screenshots, a new trailer, and a release date of July 23.

Nearly three years after the launch of Fortnite: Save the World—the original survival defense game barely anyone played and not the battle royale afterthought that became a worldwide sensation—Epic Games is ripping off that early access bandaid and declaring Save the World a real, premium game. Battle Royale and…

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Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku’s reader-run community: AniTAY Asks: What Shows Should Toonami Air Next? • PSX Memories: Mickey’s Wild Adventure • Kaiju Crush Dev Diary: The Final Push, Day 6 • TAY Retro: Atari - Atari Lynx [TV Commercial, NA]

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Save up to 20% on SanDisk and Western Digital Storage | Amazon Gold Box

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During a recent financial Q&A, Nintendo finally apologized for issues caused by Joy-Cons but will not comment further due to the current class-action lawsuit.

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EGX, the UK gaming show run by Eurogamer's parent company ReedPop, has sadly had its 2020 edition cancelled due to the global coronavirus pandemic - but the organisers have come up with something rather special to replace it.

EGX Digital will run from 12th to 20th September - and will join forces with ReedPop stablemate PAX Online, running over the same dates, to create a global, three-continent-spanning online event, with round-the-clock, 24-hour content across all nine days. Oh, and it's free to everyone.

The show will boast many features familiar from physical editions of PAX and EGX (except the queues), including developers sessions, panels, playable games, live Let's Plays, live esports, a huge selection of indie games, meet-and-greets and much more. Eurogamer will be closely involved, of course, bringing you coverage of the event as well as taking part in the streams, panels, sessions and more. The same goes for Digital Foundry and our friends at Outside Xbox, Rock Paper Shotgun, Dicebreaker, VG247 and gamesindustry.biz.

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UPDATE 1/7/20 4.05pm UK: Crytek has delayed the gameplay reveal and release date of Crysis Remastered following feedback to yesterday's leaks.

The game's launch (leaked yesterday as 23rd July) will be pushed back several weeks as Crytek polish the game further.

"Your passion for the Crysis franchise deserves an undeniably high-quality game, and we are committed to delivering just that," Crytek wrote in a statement posted to Twitter this afternoon. "To ensure we meet that commitment, we will need to delay the launch date (all platforms) and trailer premiere by a few weeks.

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The fourth game from Niantic, the maker of Ingress, Pokémon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, will be... Catan: World Explorers.

This new themed take on the developer's massively-multiplayer augmented reality formula uses the same library of real-world locations to turn the planet into a giant Catan game board.

As you might expect, you'll be collecting brick, lumber, grain, ore and wool to trade with other players and build settlements into cities.

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Harmonix has developed many games about recreating and performing music. This time around, the Guitar Hero and Dance Central studio wants players to get creative. Fuser is all about creating mashup remixes out of popular songs, either in a campaign, freestyle mode or multiplayer.

After preview events earlier this year, this is the first extended hands-on with Fuser, giving me a full four days with 31 songs, two campaign missions and the freestyle mode.

You manage four channels - each song is divided into drums, a bassline, and a melody instrument such as synths or strings and vocals. Each of these categories is mapped to a fixed button, so you always press the right-hand button for the vocal track, the left hand one for drums and so on. As intuitive as the controls are, Fuser is immediately a lot. Unlike previous Harmonix games, which have you focus on your instrument by relegating the crowd and your avatar to the background, there's a whole music festival virtually standing between you and your table. Initially, I had a good giggle at the idea that attendees at a huge festival like that would dare to shout "I want country!", but it's just one of the ways in which gameplay doesn't really fit the rest of Fuser's ideas. The skill it asks of you lies in dividing your attention between crowd requests, in-game tasks and, oh yeah - making actual music. Fuser is such a departure for Harmonix not only because it ditches the dexterity challenge of classic rhythm gaming, but because the developer is actively trying to reach players who either aren't interested in music gaming as a test of skill, or are unable or unwilling to invest in peripherals by basing everything around your controller only.

Following the announcement of Gran Turismo 7 during the PlayStation 5 showcase in June, Sony has announced a unique and interesting promotion surrounding an earlier entry in the racing franchise.

Developer Polyphony Digital has agreed to a partnership with Getty Images that will see Getty's motorsport photographers take in-game photos of Gran Turismo Sport's online events.

With July just around the corner now, less than a month remains until Ghost of Tsushima hits PS4. The highly anticipated exclusive launches on Friday, July 17, and now we know exactly when reviews for the game will go live.

The review embargo for Ghost of Tsushima is Tuesday, July 14 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET / 3 PM BST. That means that in two weeks you'll begin seeing outlets--including GameSpot--publishing their reviews of the game ahead of its release.

Ghost of Tsushima is an open-world action game developed by Sucker Punch, the studio behind the Sly Cooper and Infamous franchises. The title features only one playable character, Jin Sakai, who is fighting to reclaim his home island from the invading Mongols. Throughout the story, players will have the choice to face their foes as an honorable samurai or become the "Ghost" and use stealth and other deceitful tactics.

It's been about a decade since rhythm games had any major spotlight, but they never really went away. Beat Saber was probably the closest we go to having another resurgence--the VR space now has a bunch of great rhythm-focussed titles if you're willing to splurge on the expensive hardware (a familiar feeling for genre fans, no doubt). Elsewhere, Japan and Korea still exist, and as a result, so do insane beat-matching games for the inhuman among us.

I've noticed a little trend of rhythm games coming out this year that lean on the idea of being a DJ. DJMAX Respect V from Korea got a PC release, which subscribes heavily to the school of Konami's Beatmania series in which DJs are just folks who are really good at smashing out house tunes on a piano. We also have the wonderful Spin Rhythm from Australia, a game that focuses on recreating the analog joys of spinning and scratching a turntable.

Polygon has exclusive first looks at the new pins and T-shirt

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Langford stars as Nimue in this reimagined Arthurian legend

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The newest Modern Warfare patch nerfs some of the game’s best guns

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After years of waiting, CD Projekt is finally offering more details on the long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077. We shared our impressions from playing the game last week, and you can explore written accounts of our full playthrough, as well as our biggest takeways. But there’s much more to discover about this massive new RPG, and we’ve pulled together everything we could learn in this month’s blowout cover story.

We spoke with the developers about the game-creation process, and uncovered the motivations for why the game is built the way it is. We also interviewed franchise creator Mike Pondsmith about the origins of the Cyberpunk tabletop game and what sets this science-fiction world apart from others. Cyberpunk 2077 is such a big game with such a lengthy series history that two of our writers – Kimberley Wallace and Matt Miller – worked together to co-write the article, bringing their distinct perspectives from multiple separate playthroughs of the early hours of the game.

On top of all the information we gathered, our cover story includes new exclusive screenshots and art spread across 14 pages of the issue, as well as a special surprise for print magazine readers when they receive their copies in the coming days. It’s one of our biggest stories this year on one of the games we’re most excited about, so don’t miss it.

I was 19 when the first issue of Game Informer released back in 1991. For me, it was a dream come true. There I was. In print. Official. I had done something I (and my parents) thought was impossible: I turned my love of video games into a job.

By some miracle, I’ve had that job my whole adult life. I worked hard, moved up, and had the pleasure of being part of Game Informer every step of the way. However, this is where that journey ends; after 327 issues, this will be my last one. I’m stepping away from games journalism.

I’ve had the time of my life here. I owe some of my best friends and most memorable experiences to this place. Countless people throughout this industry have inspired me, believed in me, trusted me, and ultimately fought with me to make Game Informer the best we could make it. Things were not always easy; we had a long road to success with plenty of challenges, but I was always proud of the Game Informer team spirit that could fight through anything.

Final Update:

The late Kobe Bryant is the cover star for NBA 2K21's Mamba Forever edition, which includes various extras through the game's modes, including 100,000 VC, 60 MyCareer skill boosts, and more.

This version, which comes out this holiday for $99.99, is available for both the current and next-gen consoles, and buying it is the only way that fans can play on both generations (within the same console family such as PS4 and PS5) with a single purchase.

Microsoft has started its own Smart Delivery system which ensures that you only have to buy a game once no matter which generation you play the game on, but so far the list of third-party titles using this feature is selective.

For more information on this edition, head over to the official site.

Update:

Pelicans' forward Zion Williamson has been added as NBA 2K21's cover star for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions of this year's game.

2K says that more information on the game comes tomorrow when the release date, third and final cover star, and pre-order campaign are announced.

Last week, the first episode of "Night City Wire" offered up a fresh new trailer for the incoming Cyberpunk 2077. One noticeable factor about this preview was that it was very action-oriented, filled with blazing barrels, squealing wheels, drive-by gun fights and even a spot of fisticuffs, emphasising that life in Night City is far from dull, or safe for that matter.

Despite this explosive preview, CD Projekt RED has noted that its tech-noir RPG has far more to offer than an excess of Hollywood action, specifically stating that while wanton mayhem is a viable option, the developer thinks it's more likely that players will find themselves attuning to the exploration, conversation, and interpersonal relationships on offer over the non-stop lock 'n' load of most open-world crime titles.

In true Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fashion: shortly after the new fighter reveal, they're available in-game.

Although Min Min was just confirmed last week, she's now fully available in Ultimate, alongside of the new patch 8.0.0 update that alters a bunch of fighters and adds new Miis and spirits into the mix. In addition to the new Min Min character, stage and music, countless fighters have been altered in subtle or not so subtle ways.

Isabelle for example got buffs across the board with enhanced attack speed and launch distances for several moves, as well as strict buffs for Piranha Plant, Corrin, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, Pit/Dark Pit, Mewtwo, Marth, Falco, Captain Falcon, Kirby and Incineroar. 

You can find the full patch notes below: it's a surprising overall power increase for a lot of fighters!

Version 8.0.0 [Nintendo]

Square Enix opened a brand new and shining online store for its microtransactions related to Final Fantasy XIV.

While the successful MMORPG requires a monthly fee to be played, it still offers plenty of “optional items” for players to purchase, including costumes, mounts, “Fantasia” potions allowing to change the look of an existing character, and boosters that let you skip part of the leveling process or of the story.

Before, those items were purchasable within the Mog Station, which is the password-protected site in which players can access various account-related features.

Now, with this new online store, players won’t be required to log into their accounts in order to browse the goods on offer.

Recently, we learned that Final Fantasy XIV has proved to be extremely successful for Square Enix, even more so after the release of the highly-praised expansion Shadowbringers, which has pushed registered users to over 18 million.

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

We also received a lot of information about the upcoming 5.3 update which should come in late July or early August..