August 2020

Frog Fractions has finally made its way to Steam after all these years, by way of its Game of the Decade Edition, and it’s wonderful that it’ll now live on past the imminent retirement of Flash support across web browsers. One thing that might have slipped by some of you, however, is that there’s a new DLC for the game called Hop’s Iconic Hat.

If you’re already a fan of the original, I’d recommend going in completely blind for this new bit of DLC. I’ll even go so far as to say I had a good time with it, in case you aren’t sure about taking the plunge and just want a brief opinion. Everything I write after this paragraph will contain some mild spoilers. It’s pretty much unavoidable when attempting to write about it, so consider yourself warned.

Street Fighter V has seriously grown in scope and scale since its somewhat bland launch back in February 2016, and with another season of content on the horizon, Capcom's flagship fighter isn't ready to go down for the count just yet. If you fancied seeing the state of play with Ryu and co. then the next fortnight will provide you with just such an opportunity.

Street Fighter V: Champion Edition will be receiving a two-week free trial from August 5, allowing all players access to the entire roster of all 40 fighters. No details have been revealed as to what modes will be available in the trial, but it stands to reason that practice and online play will be available. Full details will be revealed by Capcom during a special Street Fighter V live stream on August 5, wherein the developer/publisher will be announcing some of the new content headed to SFV's fifth - and seemingly final - season.

UPDATE: 4/8/20: In another burst of news that's sure to vex Xbox and PC players, Sony has shared details of yet more Marvel's Avengers PlayStation exclusives, including special in-game events, rewards, and 30-days early access to certain cosmetics for all heroes.

Following yesterday's news that Spider-Man will be a PlayStation exclusive when he joins the Avengers roster next year, Square Enix has revealed that PlayStation owners will also get 30-days exclusive access to a Legendary Outfit, Legendary Emote, Epic Takedown, and nameplate for every new hero upon their release. This includes all six launch day heroes.

Additionally, as outlined in a new blog post introducing the game's Community Challenges - essentially, events that require players to work together on a large scale to accomplish a goal and earn rewards - developer Crystal Dynamics has confirmed it's prepping a series of Community Challenges that will only be available to PlayStation players.

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On August 25, Warfame players can begin exploring the Heart of Deimos expansion on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC. There's a lot going on in this open-world expansion, but perhaps the most significant update coming with this big patch doesn't even involve the terrifying fleshworld and its chilling inhabitants - a major overhaul to the new player experience.

If you don't already have hundreds of hours invested into the world of Warframe, jumping in can be intimidating, which the new user experience will be instrumental in addressing. Then, you can take your journey to Deimos, a place full of horrors both above and below the moon's surface as you take on infested aberrations. You won't face these challenges without some new gear, like new pilotable "necramechs" and infested K-Drives. There's a lot of scary stuff out there. There will be new gear and a new warframe to help as well!

Want to know more? You can watch a MASSIVE demo featuring 30+ minutes of Deimos action right here.

Fae Tactics, the latest from Valdis Story developer EndlessFluff Games, is for players who love delving into the systems of a tactical RPG.

The post Fae Tactics’ Many Systems Give SRPG Players a Lot to Learn (and Love) appeared first on Siliconera.

Now that the Kickstarter passed the $2.6 million mark, three new stretch goals were added.

The post Eiyuden Chronicles Stretch Goals Now Include Party Conversations and a 105th Hero appeared first on Siliconera.

Magic: The Gathering’s new format Jumpstart is the only way I want to play Magic for the rest of my life. I love playing Magic, both paper and online with Arena. I love opening new cards. I love the art. I love beating dudes who are much better than me, like I did this weekend in my casual Magic League group (shout…

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Ghost of Tsushima almost has it all. It’s freakin’ beautiful. The quests and characters are endlessly entertaining. The combat’s a blast—a deft blend of skill mastery and power fantasy. You can even pet foxes (aww). But there’s one big quality-of-life feature missing from this action-packed, samurai-themed…

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I woke up early today to make sure I could snag an Analogue Pocket when preorders for the long-awaited handheld went live at 8 a.m. PST. Eight minutes past 8, Analogue’s online shop informed me it had completely sold out. I didn’t even get to enter payment information, and I clearly wasn’t the only one disappointed.

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NHL 20 (Xbox One Digital Download) | $12 | Amazon

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Take-Two is reporting record revenue at the close of its first quarter, a milestone no doubt driven by rising consumer recurrent spending and play habits influenced by ongoing pandemic. ...

In this GDC 2018 talk trailer editor Derek Lieu shares tricks and techniques to get the best game capture for your trailers. ...

Today Take-Two Interactive Software hosted its quarterly financial conference call for investors and analysts and chief executive officer Strauss Zelnick was asked to comment on the $70 price point for the next-gen versions of NBA 2K21.

Interestingly, Zelnick clarified that the price is being announced on a “title-by-title basis,” possibly meaning that the next-gen tax might not apply to all future games by the publisher.

“We’re definitely announcing pricing on a title-by-title basis. I just observe there hasn’t been a frontline price increase for a very long time although costs have increased significantly.

But most importantly, we believe we’re delivering the highest quality titles in the business and consumers are staying more engaged than ever. Games have extraordinary playability and replayability and they offer many many hours of entertainment. We think it’s a great value.

It does rely on us continuing to deliver amazing experiences and that’s our strategy and our goal.”

Later in the call, Zelnick argued that the price point increase is “very modest.” He also doesn’t expect any issues with the higher price possibly causing a slip in demand.

“In terms of the price point, this is a very modest price increase. You know, pricing has been going down on a real dollar basis for the better part of 15 years, and we’re applying this price point in a case where we think the quality not only supports it but demands it.

Today Take-Two Interactive Software is hosting its quarterly financial conference call for investors and analysts and chief executive officer Strauss Zelnick and president Karl Slatoff talked about the publisher’s next-gen plans.

While we know that Grand Theft Auto V will come to PS5 and Xbox Series X in the second half of the calendar year 2021, it appears that it won’t be the only older title brought to next-gen consoles.

Zelnick was asked whether there is a chance for more and the answer was quite positive.

“In terms of your question about other older titles being brought to next-gen consoles, we always leave those announcements to our labels, but I’m sure there’ll be more in the future.”

Speaking of the next-gen release of Grand Theft Auto V, Zelnick offered a comment about it.

“Of course GTA5 was created for the last console generation, it’s the standard-bearer this generation, and now we’ve announced that it’ll be available for the next-generation of consoles which is just amazing.

Historically Rockstar always delivers a great new experience with new content, and new opportunities to excite, engage, and surprise players. That’s true of everything that Rockstar games releases.

Any more details I think will come from the label in due time, but we couldn’t be more excited for the title to be available for the next-generation of consoles.”

Earlier in the call, we heard that the next-generation versions of the game will “feature a range of technical improvements, visual upgrades, and performance enhancements to take full advantage of the latest hardware. “

Yikes! Another glitch or “bug” has been found by a Paper Mario: The Origami King player. Spotted by Sergiomonty (via GoNintendo), this glitch can ruin your chance at getting 100% completion by messing with your enemy compendium.

We won’t go into spoiler territory or anything since Paper Mario: The Origami King is such a narrative-heavy gameplay experience (not), but essentially, there will come a point in the story when you’re asked to defeat two black-colored Shy Guys.

Today Take-Two Interactive Software is hosting its quarterly financial conference call for investors and analysts and its executives provided updated shipment numbers for its major franchises.

We learn that Borderlands 3 has shipped 10.5 million units.

The Outer Worlds has delivered 2.8 million units to the store shelves (including digital sales, of course).

NBA 2K20 has shipped 14 million units. Engagement also increased with recurrent consumer spending increasing 123% year-on-year.

The previous update dates back to May and had NBA 2K20 at 12 million units, Borderlands 3 at 10 million units, and The Outer Worlds at 2.5 million units.

If you’re interested in the games, you can read our reviews of Borderlands 3 and The Outer Worlds.

If you’re interested in Take-Two Interactive Software’s financial performance, you can read our dedicated article from earlier today.

The post The Outer Worlds Has Shipped 2.8 Million Units, Borderlands 3 at 10.5 Million, NBA 2K20 at 14 Million appeared first on Twinfinite.

Today Take-Two Interactive Software announced new shipments figures for Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto V during its quarterly financial conference call for investors and analysts.

We learn that Rockstar’s latest western game has now shipped over 32 million units.

On the other hand, the apparently unstoppable Grand Theft Auto V, ever-supported by the popular and still-growing Grand Theft Auto Online has now shipped nearly 135 million units.

Recurrent consumer spending In Gran Theft Auto Online grew 155% year-on-year.

The previous update was three months ago when the two games were respectively at 31 and 130 million units shipped.

CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed once again that both Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online will be supported throughout the fiscal year.

Grand Theft Auto V’s spike was helped by the period in which it was free on the Epic Games Store. Considering that Epic Games’ storefront basically imploded at the beginning of the promotion, it’s obvious this was rather successful, likely also creating a lot of new customers for Grand Theft Auto Online’s microtransactions.

We also hear that the free release did not hurt paid sales, as the game still sold more during the quarter than it did in any previous first-quarter since launch.

Incidentally, we know that the game will be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X next year, which means that no one is stopping this train.

The Razer Wolverine Ultimate controller is $30 off

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You might finish all of the Tengu's Disciple DLC missions in one go, but Nioh 2's newly-added Dream of the Demon mode is going to be a weeks-long time-sink for many of us. After hearing about the reward for clearing the base game on New Game++ difficulty, I'm committed: I've gotta see this through.

As posted by Reddit user Zippygup, the reward for clearing every main mission in Nioh 2 on Dream of the Demon difficulty (minus Online Missions) is the Smithing Text needed to craft the Scampuss Hat.

It's exactly what it sounds like: a cat hat!

Ladies and Gentlemen... the best piece of armor in the game: from r/Nioh

Another player, rileykard, says they got a Scampuss Hat from a Demon Parade Picture Scroll mission "where you get three Scampuss right at the start. After I completed the mission I could refashion into it."

Cosmetic appeal aside, the Scampuss Hat's special effect is Untouched Clay Bell of Reckoning. I love the idea of showing up to a boss fight with a cat on my head and a few more rolling behind me.

NBA 2K21 will be priced at $70 on PS5 and Xbox Series X instead of the current $60 price tag that games have carried for 15 years. When that was revealed last month, it wasn't necessarily welcomed with open arms. Many saw it as the first domino to fall before the industry eventually embraces the $10 price hike. In other words, the hobby just got more expensive.

Whether or not that's true -- Ubisoft has already said it's not raising the price of its games (for now) -- Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick believes the quality of Rockstar and 2K's titles justify the extra $10. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Zelnick says "The pricing has to reflect the quality of the experience, and we aim to provide the best experiences in the business. And from our point of view, it's an extremely modest price change given that prices haven't changed for a very long time."

Zelnick goes on to cite costlier development and the caliber of experience on next-generation consoles as two factors that informed Take-Two's decision to charge an extra $10. Judging by the language Zelnick uses during the interview, you get the impression that the $70 price tag isn't a one-off for NBA 2K21. Sales will have to really slump to keep this from becoming permanent for Take-Two.

There's no getting around it: Grounded is a hit. More than a million people have downloaded the game that is definitely-not-but-totally-is Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and according to Podtoid's Dan Roemer, it's one damn-fine survival game.

That's just one of the topics covered on this episode of Podtoid. Charlotte, Occams, CJ, Dan, and Chris break down why we need more playable spiders in games, dangerous toys for kids, Atelier Ryza, The Thing, Thing, and the Rambo film saga. All that, plus we answer listener questions, on Podtoid Episode 453.

One of the persistent items on Microsoft's to-do list over the entire lifespan of the Xbox One is to change the perception that the interface is slow and laggy. For the past seven years, the Xbox One dashboard and store have been constantly tweaked to incrementally improve performance.

That's why it's no surprise that Microsoft's unveiling of yet another Xbox Store leads with the revelation that it's twice as fast as the current store. The next iteration will launch in under two seconds and Microsoft says it's "faster than ever to load pages and find what you need."

It's not all about speed, though. There are a ton of other touches that make the store better. Among them: Inline trailers a la Netflix, better filters, a revamped wish list, a new shopping cart, functionality for buying Xbox 360 and original Xbox games without leaving the store, and new content filters that align with family safety settings.

This Xbox Store glow-up isn't quite yet ready for everybody. It's rolling out as part of the Xbox Insider program to some participants as early as Wednesday. It'll be publicly released this fall, and it's presumably the storefront that the Xbox Series X will launch with.

A New Microsoft Store Experience is Coming to Xbox Insiders [Xbox Wire]

Pre-order the Neon Genesis Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Asuka and Evangelion Unit-02 Desktop Army figurines now.

The post People Can Pre-Order the Asuka and Eva Unit-02 Evangelion Desktop Army Figures Now appeared first on Siliconera.

Following the reveal of what's new to Madden NFL 21, fans of the series' franchise mode were quick to point out that the minimal updates made for Madden NFL 21 felt more like patch notes than upgrades you would expect in the next iteration of a long-running and successful franchise like Madden. Today, EA Sports released a blog post detailing the roadmap not only for Madden NFL 21's post-launch lifespan, but also what improvements the team is exploring for Madden NFL 22.

Following Madden NFL 21's reveal, a social-media movement called #FixMaddenFranchise, as well as other prominent community feedback led to the team rethinking how it approaches franchise mode. As a result, the development team is devoting a higher percentage of team bandwidth to provide updates to Madden NFL 21's franchise mode post-launch, and make even bigger changes for Madden NFL 22's franchise. The plan right now is to operate Madden NFL 21 as a platform, delivering significant content updates through two or three releases over the next few months.

If you are interested in joining the Game Informer family, we have four full-time positions available: one video editor and three associate editors. Relocation is not necessary for either role, but we would love it if you joined us at our headquarters in Minnesota. Before sending your résumé, please be aware of a few things:

• Both positions require extensive video game knowledge.
• For the video editor position, we are looking for someone with a background in video and studio tech. In your application, please include a cover letter highlighting your specialties in video and links to your demo reel or several videos (not necessarily game-related) with an explanation of your role in their creation.
• For the associate editor position, please include a cover letter and writing samples. If you have published work on other sites, you can use those links. Otherwise, please include writing samples as .pdf attachments.

We generally receive an overwhelming amount of résumés, so this process may take time. Keep this in mind if you don’t hear back from us right away.

Read the qualifications for each position below.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

JOB DESCRIPTION

A Wonderful 101 Remastered patch will have you earning higher scores in some stages and seeing minigames in a new way.

The post The Wonderful 101 Remastered Patch Will Let People Earn Higher Scores appeared first on Siliconera.

A Great Deal for Sony

Yesterday, Frog Fractions, the notorious 2012 browser game that is much more than it appears, came to Steam with a new Game of the Decade edition. There is also a new $8 DLC pack that is, purportedly, just a hat. You will not be shocked to learn that it is more than just a hat.

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We are looking for a Programmer to help unify our digital character creation workflows. We have recently started from scratch to unify our character creation pipeline, presenting an unique opportunity. ...

The Outer Worlds co-director Tim Cain tells Gamasutra about the thinking behind the game's unique "flaw" system, and how its design entices players to develop their characters in an organic, non-linear manner. ...

GDC Summer starts tomorrow, and since this will be the first all-digital Game Developers Conference organizers want to quickly remind you what to expect when you log on to attend! ...

Suzaku just released an update about its upcoming game Sense – 不祥的预感: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story, including much-awaited release details.

We learn that the game is content complete and has been submitted to the rating boards and certified by them.

Next week it will be submitted to Steam, Sony, and Nintendo for approval by the various platform holders.

The game’s launch on PC via Steam has been confirmed for August and the same should go for the Switch launch on the e-shop.

The PS Vita release (yes, it’s still coming for PS Vita) will follow shortly after either this month or the next depending on how long Sony takes to approve the game’s PlayStation Store page.

The PS4 version will be unfortunately be delayed due to issues on Sony’s side (which Suzaku clarified aren’t related to censorship). The game should come to the platform in late September, likely at the same time as the Xbox One release.

According to the developer, the game runs well on consoles even if the PS Vita version runs expectedly slower, but it’s still fully playable and “looks great” on Sony’s portable.

The ratings are M for Mature for the ESRB and 16+ for both PEGI and CERO, which was the expected result.

Production for physical copies and bonuses will begin soon and more details about that will come as soon as possible.

In today's contest you can win Crysis Remastered for Switch!

I've never had a high-end PC, so Crysis was always something of a myth to me. Funny how far we've come, eh? Our handheld consoles can now play something that was highly known for its technical side!

Crysis Remastered seems to be a good fit for Switch, so if you're keen on checking it out, we've got copies to give away!

I don't know why I keep doing this to myself. I don't know why I keep doing this to you. I wish I could see something as massively stupid as Pee War and ignore it like everyone else on the internet.

...but I just can't. I can't sit here and not present Pee War to you. It is my sworn duty to find dumb games and make you pay attention to them. I'm so sorry, everyone.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout has devious trophies, but one, in particular, will always be elusive.

It's one thing to win – there are trophies for your first, seventh, and twentieth victories in Fall Guys – but winning "five episodes in a row" for the Infallible trophy? 0.1% completion rate, here we come!

One small tip: don't forget to grab the floating crown – literally. You have to grab it with your hands.

The developers previously talked about a trophy that's "so insanely hard I don't think anyone will ever unlock it" during a Reddit AMA. Today, in a follow-up tweet, Mediatonic joked that "Every time someone says 'five wins in a row are too much for the platinum trophy' we increase the number of wins by one."

After spending around four hours with the Fall Guys beta last week, I only came close to the crown once, and even then I was the third-best player during the final round. There's relief knowing that I'll never earn the platinum trophy and shouldn't get my hopes up. That said, a few of 'em sound pretty fun:

Super Mario 64 is arguably one of the best games of all time, not only due to how fun it is but also because of the technological leap it represented for the platforming genre. According to a document included in the recent “Gigaleak,” however, this monumental project took less than two years of actual development.

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The next generation of video game consoles are coming—is your entertainment center prepared? Mine sure as hell isn’t, which means it’s time to begin considering what to do with my current-gen consoles. I’m not too keen on selling them, at least not quite yet, as there are plenty of PlayStation 4 titles I want to play,…

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When people hail the pioneering classics of the RTS genre, they go through a list of usual suspects. Games like Cytron Masters, Dune II, Command & Conquer, Sega’s Herzog Zwei...but there’s one I don’t think ever gets its due, and that’s Spectrum Holobyte’s Fields of Glory.

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