September 2020

You might have noticed of late that the humble racing game is having something of a resurgence - the next few weeks are packed with new and diverse releases in the genre, while the past few months have been full of exciting new developments in the world of virtual racing - which seemed like a good excuse to get some experts to talk about it all. Oh, and I'll be there to nod along too.

Lucky Mountain Games' Trevor Ley and Sumo Digital's Joe Binks - both working on the forthcoming Hotshot Racing - are joined by Codemasters' Lee Mather and Robert Karp, who work respectively on the F1 series and the soon-to-be-released Dirt 5. The panel is set to go live on 3pm, Saturday September 19th as part of PAX Online X EGX Digital (and - disclaimer time - PAX and EGX are events run by Eurogamer parent company Reedpop UK).

With the disclaimer out of the way, I may as well get straight to the shilling - PAX Online X EGX Digital is an online event that's running from September 12th to September 20th, where there'll be streaming parties, online panels, game jams and a lot more besides. It's going to be awesome - and though I would of course say that, I'm looking forward to us being able to reveal more over the days leading up to the event.

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The second week of challenges sends you to check in on Ant-Man’s best friend

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The remake of the 1998 animated film is mixed at best

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The biggest Xbox Game Pass for PC launch ever

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In the first four decades of the Super Mario series, Mario and his friends appeared in hundreds of titles, but in the core "Super Mario" series, the plumber was present in just 22 titles (if you include Lost Levels, Bowser's Fury, and Super Mario Run). While the series has some entries that are stronger than others, the Super Mario series doesn’t have a bad entry to date, so this list proved difficult to put together in an order we all felt comfortable with.

In 2018, we ranked the top 300 games of all time in our 300th issue. While that list was more about ranking games in terms of quality, importance to the industry, and cultural relevance, this list is just about our favorite games. So check out our rankings of the 22 core Super Mario games below!

Our Top 300 Games of All Time

In our  April 2018 issue, we ranked the top 300 games of all time. As you may have guessed, Mario’s core series made several appearances on that list. That list may have had different criteria than this one, but now you can check out where Mario fell on our list of the top 300 games of all time in 2018.

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show we talk about a handful of the games we've been playing recently, including: Avengers, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, Wasteland 3, and The Last Campfire. It's a massive Playlist segment, so we don't have time for much else. Fortunately, we make time for another fantastic round of community emails and Meaningless Character Rankings. So please join Brian Shea, Dan Tack, Alex Stadnik, and myself for another wild and ever-entertaining episode!

Do you have any toys or figurines that keep you on the straight and narrow? I not only have an Isabelle amiibo on my desk, but I also have great figures of Persona 5's jailers, Justine and Caroline, all of whose stern faces and working spirit keep me from wandering away from the PC to take my 19th lunch break of the morning.

But perhaps the most inspiring figurine on the market is this delightful example, fresh from merchandising giants Good Smile. "The Traveler" is the nameless protagonist of thatgamecompany's 2012 classic Journey, and is ready to trek their way onto a bookshelf near you soon, where they will no doubt inspire you as you continue on your own life-quest.

Free-to-play is in such a weird spot.

Given that there are practically no regulations on it, "free" could actually mean "we gate your progress if you don't gamble on gacha party members." But some games actually are indeed free-to-play, and are completely supported by cosmetic purchases. When Rocket League goes free-to-play very soon, it's coming with a few more perks: it will not require Switch Online or PlayStation Plus memberships to play.

Announced by way of Rocket League's official blog in a very quick and nonchalant line, "PlayStation Plus on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch Online will no longer be required for online play on those platforms." That's good news! Unfortunately Xbox Live is not mentioned here, as Microsoft is still fairly stringent with how it enforces membership requirements, even for free-to-play games.

The blog also goes over some new advancements for the next build, including the merging of Rocket IDs and the Epic Games friends list, new quick chats, another bot difficulty (it will be "under rookie," as now is the time to cater to the new player experience!), a new tutorial, a revamp of competitive rankings and streamlined seasons.

As for when this will all arrive, Psyonix is mum on giving people an actual date. Smart! They know that when a date is given everyone will expect it to arrive at that exact time, Hell or highwater. "Mid-September" is the vague target they're going with for now for the update, with "the launch of free-to-play following shortly after."

Rocket League free-to-play [Rocket League]

Atlus has released a new trailer for its upcoming remaster Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD. The Japanese preview shines a light on some of the locations, characters, and demons that await our protagonist on their dramatic and spiritual adventure.

Three years after the release of The Division, the sequel came through town and cleaned up a lot of the grime that the original had left behind.

But that classic edition still exists, and through September 8, you can grab it for free (to keep) directly from Ubisoft. All you have to do is head here before September 8 at 4:00AM (local) and you can grab it on PC.

The modern gaming era is wild, isn't it? If you've been keeping up with sales and giveaways in this content-heavy era, you probably have hundreds of games in your backlog you haven't even looked at yet. "Wait, I own five copies of every Sonic game ever released on PC?" Yes, you do.

So it's not a matter of should when it comes to this The Division giveaway. Go ahead and get this freebie for a rainy day. It's a matter of when you'll play it.

The Division [Ubisoft]

Does the eShop look... different... to you? Oh, right, it's because there's a Super Mario eShop theme in effect at the moment.

The post Super Mario eShop Theme Celebrates the Series’ 35th Anniversary appeared first on Siliconera.

Harmonix revealed the Fuser release date will be November 10, 2020. Get ready to make some mixes this fall.

The post Fuser Release Date Is November 10, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

Kadokawa Game Linkage will reveal a lot of new information on Japanese games by holding Game Live Japan 2020 on September 25-27, 2020.

The post Game Live Japan 2020 Will Reveal More Games on September 25-27 appeared first on Siliconera.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Ring Fit Adventure, and Capcom's RE Engine also won the rest of the awards.

The post Final Fantasy VII Remake and Hideo Kojima Win at CEDEC Awards 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

Nintendo's next retro system is... a handheld. It's Game & Watch Super Mario Bros, which will include the original game and launch in November.

The post Game & Watch Super Mario Bros Will Launch on November 13, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned schools into a very different place, with numerous countries closing schools or adding new safety measures and rules for children and teachers. These changes are a part of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2’s reimagined School level.

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Once, a friend texted me, What is your story with eggplant?

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No one does things more strangely than Nintendo. In an ambush Mario Direct this morning, the 35th birthday of the world’s worst plumber was celebrated with all manner of surprise announcements. The most surprising feature of all being that two of the products would be time limited.

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Wargaming UK has rebranded as DPS Games to reflect the studio's "distinctive" direction and international growth. ...

There is no end to the amount of creativity in the Animal Crossing community. The release of New Horizons has lead to some amazing creators and fans sharing their work in the game, whether it be an outfit design, a house interior, or their island as a whole. One of the greatest aspects of the game is the ability to decorate your house– so many options! We’ve gathered some of our favorite Animal Crossing houses for you to have a look at. Get ready for some inspiration.

Here are 10 of the best interior Animal Crossing house designs we’ve come across so far!

10. Indoor Water Garden

Final Fantasy XIV will soon get updated to version 5.31, and today Square Enix released new screenshots of the goodies it’ll bring.

The main feature of the update will be the next stage of the Ishgardian Restoration that will provide us with a chance to take another step toward the much-teased opening of the housing wards in Ishgard.

That being said, there will be more immediate rewards in helping out with your crafting and gathering skills.

The screenshots showcase some of such rewards including a new outfit and adorable checkered umbrellas.

The update releases on September 8 and will be followed by another numbered 5.35, likely toward the end of the month, which will be even more sizable in terms of features.

Wart

Wart made his gaming debut as Mamu in Doki Doki Panic, which was eventually released in the West as Super Mario Bros. 2. This toad (think jumpy, not mushroomy) big, bad, green, and has a gaudy sense of style. This forgotten Mario villain would at least match Bowser’s color scheme.

Even though his ego might clash with Bowser’s, there’s no getting around the fact that Wart would be a dangerous foe if he came back to join King Koopa. The only problem is that Wart may not technically exist in their world since Super Mario Bros. 2 was just a dream.

Still, Wart’s deadly bubble belches and the Dream Machine would be an asset to Bowser’s army. And maybe he could even use the Frog Song of Soul that he teaches to Link in Link’s Awakening. Wart would be able to restore Dry Bowser back to his full green self.

Do you remember Too Kyo Games’ Death March Club? It was suddenly renamed to World’s End Club and it’s coming to Apple Arcade tomorrow. Yet, there’s good news for Nintendo Switch fans.

Today publisher Izanagi Games released a new teaser trailer with the announcement that a Nintendo Switch version is coming in spring 2021. 

This is a rather relevant game if you love games like Danganronpa and Zero Escape, as it was co-directed by Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi.

Below you can check out the trailer. Do keep in mind that you can switch the subtitles to English. 

It certainly appears that things have changed quite a bit compared to the original premise.

Here’s a list of the staff. You may recognize quite a few well-known names.

Epic Games is giving out another game from its PC launcher and marketplace for free this week with Into The Breach.

Into the Breach is a turn-based strategy game where the player controls multiple mech units to subdue aliens on a grid-based field. Each mission is randomly generated and the game has roguelike elements such as the player starting over from the beginning after being defeated.

The game was developed by Subset Games, who created other turn-based roguelike strategy game FTL: Faster Than Light. Into the Breach can be claimed for free on the Epic Games Store beginning today until Thursday, Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. 

Epic Games also announced two games that will be available next week for free:

• Railway Empire – “Create an elaborate and wide-ranging rail network, purchase over 40 different trains modelled in extraordinary detail, and buy or build railway stations, factories and attractions to keep your network ahead of the competition.”
• Where the Water Tastes Like Wine – “A Narrative-Adventure game about traveling, sharing stories, and surviving manifest destiny. Players wander across a folkloric Depression era United States at their own pace, meeting strangers with their own stories to tell.”

The post Into The Breach Free on Epic Games Store; Two More Games Next Week appeared first on Twinfinite.

It’s been a crazy morning full of Super Mario Bros. 35th anniversary announcements, even some including cross-overs with other games. Splatoon 2 is collaborating with Super Mario Bros. to bring a brand new, Mario-themed Splatfest.

Yes, we thought Splatfests were over. Yes, they keep telling us that the bonus “one-off Splatfests” were really the final ones. No, they are not over.

In the upcoming Jan. 2021 Splatfest, you must pick which Mario power-up you would prefer: super size from a super mushroom, or invincibility from a super star.

More details will be shared at a later date about the Splatfest, but Nintendo also revealed some extra goodies to look forward to.

The official Japanese Splatoon Twitter account announced that 300 participants in this Splatfest will receive a special Mario x Splatoon medal. The top 200 participants will receive one, as well as 100 other random participants.

343 are finally getting weird with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and that’s great. But they were never going to hold a candle against the game’s modders, who’ve lately decided what Halo 3 really needs is to turn everyone into a rat. That’s exactly the premise behind Rat Slayer, an upcoming mod that – daft as it is – never dared to consider whether John Halo isn’t already just two-dozen rodents wearing a man-shaped suit of power armour.

Now there’s a thought to keep you up at night.

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Old movies are new movies during a pandemic

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Dominic Greene was ahead of his time in the 007 movie canon

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The Witcher: A Look Inside the Episodes gives a behind-the-scenes look at each episode

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Rock Band and Dance Central developer Harmonix's intriguing music mixing game Fuser will be coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC on 10th November.

Fuser, which styles itself as a "non-stop digital music festival", delivers an evolution of the mixing mechanics introduced in Harmonix's 2017 card game DropMix, giving players access to over 100 songs - from artists including Sia, Imagine Dragons, 50 Cent, The Clash, Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, and Billie Eilish - that can be mixed and matched from different set lists in order to complete their musical creations.

Songs are broken down into drum, bass, lead instrument, and vocal parts, and these elements can be placed into four available slots, with players able to create their own loops, and tweak the likes of key and tempo along the way. It's even possible to share creations online.

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Today brought an onslaught of news surrounding the Super Mario series. While the biggest news was Super Mario 3D All-Stars for Switch, fans were delighted to see the announcement of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. In addition to that announcement, Nintendo revealed the first new Amiibo figures in a long time: Cat Mario and Cat Peach from Super Mario 3D World.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is set to launch for Switch on February 12. The Amiibo figures will release at the same time.

In almost no time at all, Rocket League has established itself as a prominent Esport and casual arcade experience. A free-to-play update was announced for the game, meaning that Rocket League will eventually become more accessible and just about anyone will be able hop into the car-soccer arena and score their way to victory. Just about.

The Rocket League blog briefly announced that when the free-to-play model is implemented, PlayStation and Switch owners will not need online subscriptions to access and play the game. However, Xbox owners will still need an Xbox live subscription. In addition to these changes, the blog post also highlighted quality-of-life changes coming to Rocket League seasons, new high-tier competitive ranks,  and some quick chat call-outs.  

The free-to-play update will be arriving this month. Are you excited that it will soon reach a wider audience? Even in unprecedented times like these, we think that Rocket League is the perfect game to commit your free time to. 

To say that 2020 hasn't gone as any of us expected would be an understatement. With the COVID-19 global pandemic serving as a backdrop, everyone has been asked to change their way of life over the course of this year. Perhaps the place most impacted is how we work on a day-to-day basis. Businesses have been severely affected by the pandemic, and the recommended safety measures by experts and state officials have led to a major shift to working from home where possible. In a survey published by GDC in July, 70 percent of responding video game developers said they moved from an in-office setting to a work-from-home setting due to the pandemic, with only 3 percent saying they continued working in an office at the time of response.

Today is a big day for Mario, with Nintendo announcing a 35th-anniversary celebration, along with games like Super Mario 3D All-Stars. That's all fun stuff, but the reminiscing doesn't stop there. Nintendo also released a video medley that shows footage from (almost) all of Mario's signature adventures, boiling 35 years of history down to about four minutes.

See classic moments, memorable enemies, and more by watching the video above. It runs through the Mario games chronologically, even though it misses a few steps along the way (Like Super Mario Land 2 and Super Mario Galaxy 2). Regardless, it's a neat little tribute and showcases the series' evolution over the years.

For more about Nintendo's iconic hero, read our ranking of all the Super Mario games.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is the latest vehicle-sim to take the world by storm. With an immense sandbox modeled after prominent airports and landmarks around the globe as well as realistic flight controls, Microsoft Flight Simulator offers impressively detailed and immersive flying experiences. In light of all this, it comes as no surprise that the game has amassed over 1 million players who have flown around its vibrant open world for almost 1.2 billion miles!

And to think, this is just the beginning. ✈️https://t.co/00c10hTPkF

Thank you so much. #MSFSCommunity #MicrosoftFlightSimulator pic.twitter.com/MgIJlE4niq

A 100-floor tower. A long, arduous climb that gets tougher the higher you go. Sound familiar?

The Division 2 is getting a new mode that's reminiscent of Final Fantasy XIV's Heaven-on-High or maybe even Grasshopper Manufacture's Let It Die. It's a PvE experience called "The Summit" where solo players or teams ascend a 100-story skyscraper. A cleaner analog for seasoned Division players would be the Underground expansion from the original game.

It's structured so that 10 floors are grouped together in terms of difficulty and every tenth floor has a boss. Ubisoft says it takes about as long to clear 10 levels as it would to clear one of the strongholds. However, Summit is a roguelike in a sense, as the floors don't have set factions or objectives. They change every time you come back.

It's a challenge that Ubisoft doesn't expect you to knock out in one go. Progress is retained every 10 floors, so that's where you'll start if you decide to shut the game off. There are also elevators every three floors, and that's your checkpoint in case your squad wipes. You'll probably need the lift because Summit works through Division 2's difficulty levels as it progresses, all the way up to Legendary.

Construction's done on this high-rise pretty soon. Summit is being added as part of Title Update 11, which launches sometime this month. It'll be free for everyone who owns the Warlords of New York expansion.

If you're still playing Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled and have been thinking "I wonder when the next update is," you should probably get your expectations in check.

That update this past March? That was seemingly the end for our little Bandicoot racer. Taking to Twitter, developer Beenox just clarified that "the march update with the Beenox Pack was our final update to the game." They state that "there is no additional content in the works," due to "being hard at work on some other incredible projects."

Apparently, Beenox was scooped up to help with the N.Verted challenge mode in Crash Bandicoot 4. This is the case with a lot of Activision studios, who are tapped to help out on cross-projects all the time: Call of Duty being a major franchise to utilize that strategy (alongside of Destiny, when Activision had control of it).

They've also been tapped for "some other things they can't quite mention yet," which are hopefully Crash Bandicoot related. Keep the revival going!