September 2020

Enough is enough! There's no one who doubts the existence of the Xbox Series S at this point. There are mountains of evidence. Controller packaging, devkit profiling modes, general insider reports -- it all adds up to an open secret.

Time to throw a cardboard insert onto the already-heaping pile. The Xbox Series S has also been outed by a Game Pass Ultimate trial offer that comes with new accessories:

PolyAmorous has released a cinematic trailer for a grim-looking adventure title, Paradise Lost, which is set in the aftermath of an alternate-reality World War II, one which saw the conflict between allies and The Reich wage for over two decades.

In Paradise Lost, the second world war ended following a volley of nuclear weapons across Europe, leaving most of the continent an irradiated ruin. Players will step into the role of Szymon, a young child living in what remains of Poland. While exploring the post-apocalyptic ruins of his homeland, Szymon comes across an abandoned nuclear bunker, housing strange futuristic technology and daubed in bizarre Pagan iconography.

Tate Multimedia has released the first images of its upcoming remake of '00s platformer Kao the Kangaroo. Alongside a series of environmental screens, we also get our first look at the hoppity hero himself, sporting a somewhat less cartoony look than his original iteration.

Released in 2000, Kao the Kangaroo was one of a number of 3D platformers that flooded the market in the wake of successful releases such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. In the PC and Dreamcast title, Kao bounds his way through a series of oddly juxtaposed worlds, on a mission to recuse his family from a band of hunters. Bafflingly, this quest takes our boy Kao into an underground mine and even outer space. Go figure.

Ubisoft's back with its second Nintendo Direct-like streaming showcase. That's not much of a surprise considering it ended its first Ubisoft Forward by announcing a second. But now we have a hard date and a vague idea of what to expect.

In the teaser video above, Ubisoft tells us that the next Ubisoft Forward takes place on Thursday, September 10 at 1pm Pacific. On a personal note, I don't have to work on a weekend this time. Vast improvement over the first.

As for the games being shown, there's considerable footage dedicated to Watch Dogs: Legion, Hyper Scape, The Division 2 (I think), and Rainbow Six Siege. Here are some other rumors that are floating around though:

In this 2020 GDC Summer session, writer Susan O'Connor breaks down best practices that any team can use to get writers and designers moving in the same direction. ...

Super Bomberman R Online is now available exclusively on Google Stadia. The updated version of the Nintendo Switch launch title includes a new battle royale mode and is one of the six new games that are free for Stadia Pro members this month. Currently only available to premium members, Konami says it will announce "bundle availability for players without Stadia Pro" soon.

The biggest draw to Super Bomberman R Online is the new Battle 64 mode. This has 64 players competing in multiple stages at the same time until only one player survives. The Stadia exclusive supports Crowd Play, so streamers on YouTube will be able to get into matches with their fans.

Stadia Pro users will have indefinite access to the base version of Konami's latest game. The Premium Edition bundle can be claimed for free between September 1 and November 30. This adds in 14 additional characters that have special abilities from a number of Konami franchises including Castlevania, Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid, and Contra. The Premium Pack add-on will cost $9.99 after November 30 and will include all of the same content and the ability to create private online matches.

Mega Evolutions recently arrived in Pokemon Go, but many players have not been entirely happy with their implementation thus far. In order to Mega Evolve a Pokemon, users must first collect that monster's Mega Energy. This, however, is typically locked behind Mega Raid Battles, making it difficult for many players to collect the required amount. Developer Niantic has acknowledged these concerns and promises to address them.

In a post on Pokemon subreddit The Silph Road, a Niantic representative wrote that the studio is keeping a close eye on players' feedback regarding Mega Evolutions and is looking into ways to make the feature more accessible. In particular, the rep noted the studio has heard players "loud and clear" that they want additional ways to harvest Mega Energy outside of Raids, and that the current requirement feels too steep and not worthwhile.

"[P]lease know that we're discussing how we can address these concerns, though we're in the very early stages and it might be some time before you see changes implemented in-game," the representative wrote. "We do have some changes in the pipeline already, but again we don't have a set schedule just yet."

Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 4 isn't all Marvel-themed. Sometimes you have to keep it simple and find some bridges to drive under. This weekly challenge tasks you with riding a motorboat under different colored steel bridges. This guide will show you the location of three different colored bridges and how to best drive under them.

This challenge leaked early so check back on Thursday to try it yourself in Fortnite.

Where Are The Colored Steel Bridges?

There are all sorts of bridges spread out across the Season 4 map--some wood, some concrete, and some steel. Here are the locations of three steel bridges with different colors:

The third title update for Madden NFL 21 is on the way. Ahead of its targeted release on September 10, Electronic Arts detailed the update on its official site. It's set to fix a number of gameplay issues, improve navigation in Madden Ultimate Team, and improve the football game's logic.

Madden NFL 21's third title update will fix several defensive coverage issues, such as defenders in press-alignment not being able to backpedal properly. Tackle animations not triggering against juke moves will also be fixed, and so is an issue that caused receivers to warp into a tackle during a possession catch.

Madden Ultimate Team is also seeing a number of tweaks that mostly improve the speed of navigating menus. Players will be able to upgrade players quicker thanks to an improved user interface. An issue where roles didn't work properly in MUT Squads is also being addressed.

Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 4's Week 2 challenges are coming later this week. One challenge will send you to a specific Marvel location. It asks you to dance on top of different Sentinel Heads at the Sentinel Graveyard. This guide will show you how to find the Sentinel Graveyard and get the challenge done quickly.

This challenge leaked early; check back on Thursday to see it live within Fortnite.

Where Is The Sentinel Graveyard?

The Sentinel Graveyard is located in the E6 tile on the map near Lazy Lake and Misty Meadows. It has multiple giant robots laying around in a clearing. It's easy to land directly there and loot the houses and camps nearby, but there won't be enough for multiple players if you run into someone looking for a fight. Some players, however, will be trying to complete the challenge like you. Be friendly if possible. Check out the map below for an exact location:

After weeks of rumors and leaks, Nvidia finally revealed three new GPUs in its RTX 30 series, all sporting the new Ampere architecture underneath. If there's one thing speculation before the event drove home, it was that these cards were going to be expensive. And while that's certainly true for the flagship, Nvidia uncharacteristically got very aggressive with the pricing for the two cards most people will likely buy.

Nvidia revealed the RTX 3070, the RTX 3080, and the RTX 3090 during its GeForce Special Event, which Nvidia billed as the biggest generational leap forward in the last 20 years of GPUs. On paper, those claims seem sound. The RTX 3070 was described as faster than Turing's flagship card, the RTX 2080 Ti, while the RTX 3080 boasts twice the performance of the RTX 2080. The RTX 3090, this generation's Titan card, is in a league of its own--and with a price point of $1500, it's not for even most enthusiast PC builds.

Nvidia has revealed the latest in its graphics card technology, the RTX 3000 series. Each card in this series is more powerful than the company's current flagship GPU, the RTX 2080 Ti, making this year's line of cards particularly enticing. Pre-orders for the RTX 3090, RTX 3080, and RTX 3070 aren't available yet, but you can sign-up for notifications. This will ensure you're one of the first people to know when pre-orders go live.

All you have to do is head over to Nvidia and click the "Notify Me" button, select which RTX 3000 series products you're interested in, and put in your email and age. Click "Submit," and then you're good to go. You'll get an email when pre-orders become available, though you'll want to act fast because whenever Nvidia releases a new graphics card, it always sells out quickly.

Fortnite players are paying their respects to Chadwick Boseman at an in-game Black Panther statue that was added to the game. The statue came to the battle royale as part of Season 4's ongoing Marvel map updates.

"We need a Wakanda Forever emote," one Redditor wrote. The statue comes days after Chadwick Boseman, the star of Marvel's 2018 Black Panther movie, died of colon cancer at age 43. The world has been mourning the loss.

The point of interest is right outside Misty Meadows, floating above the ground with multiple loot drops and chest spawns. It comes along with other Marvel-themed locations, like Dr. Doom's Domain, in Season 4. There will most likely be challenges associated with it soon.

He is the night, he is vengeance, he is Batman...help you find your way to Taco Bell. Or any other adventurous place. The navigation app Waze announced on their Twitter Monday that until October 31, you can add the voice of Batman (Kevin Conroy) or The Riddler (Wally Wingert) from the Arkham video game series.

In addition to the voice direction, the car on your map can be changed to the Batmobile or Riddler's racer. The app will also show other drivers using the selection as their vehicle will also be one of the new choices. With Batman Day coming up later this month on September 21, you can run your errands as the Dark Knight or Prince of Puzzles to celebrate the occasion.

Conroy and Wingert are just the newest additions to the app after the likes of Arnold Schwartzenegger and Morgan Freeman lent their voices years ago, to promote movie releases. With Freeman, it was London Has Fallen, with Arnold, Terminator: Genysis.

The recent death of actor Chadwick Boseman has left a life-sized crater in the hearts of Marvel fans and general moviegoers alike. While the film industry has been paying tribute to Boseman's immense talent on and off the screen, video game developer Crystal Dynamics (at the beginning of their War Table stream) paid their respects to his memory as well. 

Fortnite, known for its many crossovers with fan-favorite comic book heroes, released a new update that includes a statue of the Black Panther. While the update has been planned for some time, fans have been venturing to the statue to pay respect to Boseman. Perched on a rocky cliff as if watching over and protecting its territory,  a large statue of the titular mammal can be found just west of the Misty Meadows arena. If they approach the statue, players will also be able to hear music inspired by the Black Panther movie. 

Black Panther is a stirring and profound example of diverse storytelling; enhanced by the film's cast with Chadwick Boseman at its center. Here's why we definitely need a Black Panther video game too. 

Are you ready to recruit the ultimate team of rogues and ruffians to break into secret vaults and walk off with a mound of treasure? Sure, that's the plan — but the best plans can go way, way wrong. Even in Path of Exile. Path of Exile: Heist league hits the game on September 18 on PC and September 23 on consoles, so it's not far away at all.

Heist contains a slew of new mechanics and features that have you exploring a rogue hideout, recruiting characters for your crew, equipping them with loot, and plotting out missions. Yep, you'll be doing all manner of thievery from lockpicking, find ways through doors and over chasms, and of course, demolitions. Utilize maps to find the best route to the treasure, and of course be mindful of guards and alarms. Oh, and you have to get away too. No problem right? It's a full-blown Ocean's Eleven scenario with you and your customized crew as you attempt to bust out with a cache of treasure. And in that horde of glistening prizes are rewards you select prior to the mission itself, allowing you to tailor incredibly valuable loot to your character and specialization.

During its War Table stream, Crystal Dynamics announced that the snarky archer Kate Bishop would be Avengers' first post-launch playable hero. Players will experience an additional narrative that showcases new villains as well as the highly-anticipated Avengers mainstay, Hawkeye.  While Hawkeye and Bishop - at first glance - may have similar capabilities and weapons, Crystal Dynamics promises that Bishop will have her own individualized combat moveset and gear. 

The War Table stream also covered upcoming limited-time and seasonal events that include weekly missions. Crystal Dynamics also unveiled the raid-inspired AIM Secret Lab endgame mission which looks to pit high-leveled, four-player parties against challenging objectives and bosses. Players will be happy to know that Avengers will have plenty of post-game content to keep them busy long after they've completed the extensive campaign. 

While you wait for the game's release, check out our New Gameplay Today. 

Zoids Wild: Infinity Blast will Launch November 26, 2020 in Japan with a limited edition Rising Liger kit option.

The post Zoids Wild: Infinity Blast Set to Release in Japan on November 26, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

Magic: The Gathering fans, get ready to get a little bit of Dungeons and Dragons chocolate in your Magic: The Gathering peanut butter. In today’s official Zendikar Rising preview, Wizards of the Coast announced a new card set coming in Q3 2021 that will bring some D&D flavor to the planes of Magic.

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Weeks later, I’m still completely stunned by it.

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Shit sucks. Our government continues to expand the boundaries of its fascist power. The ostensible opposition party lacks the strength or willingness to do anything. Society continues to buckle under the weight of a preventable pandemic. The only “hope” we have is a doddering politician who promises to change nothing…

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Capcom might have something to say about this

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Slow to anger, quick to war, and other aphorisms that actually apply

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Become a thief during Path of Exile’s next big League

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The Sanrio series loses some of its relatability

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The end is nigh for Monster Hunter World Iceborne; as the expansion's first anniversary approaches, Capcom has confirmed that only one free content update, titled The Final Stand, is still to come. Happily, though, Iceborne is ending on a high, ushering in the series' infamous black dragon Fatalis as its final opponent.

Fatalis will be available on all platforms starting at 1am on 1st October in the UK (that's 5pm PDT on 30th September for our transatlantic chums) as part of Iceborne's final update; this also introduces a number of other features, as detailed in Capcom's latest developer video.

Fatalis, sometimes referred to as the Black Dragon, made its Monster Hunter debut all the way back in 2004, as part of the series inaugural outing on PlayStation 2. The creature retains its classic fantasy looks for Iceborne - its towering height, formidable wingspan, and fiery breath - but is even more imposing, thanks to its Monster Hunter World makeover, initially completed as part of the series' 15th anniversary celebrations.

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Today's a big day for games tech, with Nvidia having finally announced - via the medium of a talking man stood in front of a load of spatulas - its new line of RTX 3000 graphics hardware. And in between all the technical chatter, it's confirmed that Fortnite and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will both be getting the RTX treatment.

Cold War, the direct sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops, comes to Xbox One, PS4, and PC on 13th November, and on the latter platform at least, it'll offer ray-tracing fanciness for those with one of Nvidia's RTX cards squirrelled away in their PC. You can get a taste of what that will look in Activision's attractive new Cold War ray-tracing gameplay trailer below.

As for Fortnite, that's set to get ray-traced reflections, shadows, global illumination, ambient occlusion, and DLSS support in a new update Epic says is "coming soon". And while I, sadly not blessed with Digital Foundry levels of technical expertise, don't precisely know those things are, we can at least all enjoy them together, in the new Fortnite trailer accompanying today's news.

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The Biden campaign has brought their official logo designs to Animal Crossing: New Horizons for players to express their pledge to vote for Biden if they so choose by either decking their islands with official Joe Biden yard signs or wearing the logo designs on their T-shirts starting today.

According to The Verge, the Biden campaign has released four logo designs for players to scan and download to the game, including the official Biden-Harris logo, the Team Joe logo, the Joe Pride logo with rainbow colors on the letter “E” and an image of the red, white and blue aviator shades (because that’s how hip Biden is).

Path Of Exile

, Grinding Gear Games’ huge free-to-play action RPG, has a new expansion – Heist – coming on September 18th. The titular Heists are the main pull, in which you charge into various dungeons and strongholds with your team of goons, get as much loot as you can, and escape before you’re caught and killed.

It’s a daunting proposition for new players, but I had a chat with lead designer Chris Wilson about the new expansion and all the new stuff available, as well as where ideas keep coming from almost seven years after launch.

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Oh, we didn’t forget about you, Scourgebringer. After seven months of hacking and slashing and gravity-defying leaps in the bowels of an otherworldly labyrinth, Khyra is aiming her sword straight at a release date later this month. This week’s new trailer may claim “the ordeal is coming to an end”, but I reckon the bloodshed is just waiting to be cranked into full gear.

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Ready to open up a new tale? Tactical Arthurian quest Pendragon, the next game from the creators of 80 Days and Heavens Vault, has finally penned itself a release date. Refill your inkwells, readers, because Inkle’s stabby new strategy story generator is flipping open its first page in three weeks.

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A lot of people here likely have fond memories of their Wii. But older generations can recall some of Nintendo's bygone systems, like the fantastic and time-tested Game Boy Color. This mod from creator GingerOfMods marries both worlds into one impressive system.

They call it the WiiBoy Color. The front of the system is a 480p screen, with inputs Frankensteined from DS Lite buttons and Switch joysticks. GingerOfMods hacks the system to allow GameCube controls to mirror Wiimote controls: which can also simulate waggling. The back has a fan intake and Z buttons, with a headphone jack on the side and a USB-C port on top for charging and data transfer.

GingerOfMods can simply add games via USB when they want. It'll run for "two or three hours," but you can also hook up a portable charging bank to it to keep going. Plus, they can plug the portable directly into a Wii to play on a bigger screen: Switch style!

This is one of the most impressive hardware mods I've seen in recent years. I like the commitment to the form factor of the Game Boy Color the most: it looks incredibly sleek. GingerOfMods says that you can reach out to them via their Instagram or Twitter account if you want to buy it; but it'll cost you a "premium."

The indie game scene blew up during the seventh generation. Whereas AAA developers were stagnating and doubling down on games being made by committee, creators like Polytron and Subset Games were putting out beautiful niche titles that provided a more unique experience than what was previously available. One of the pioneers of the indie revolution was the two-man team at Vlambeer.

Starting with their platformer-shooter Super Crate Box, the duo of Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman gained the attention of publisher Devolver Digital, who approached the team to make a small-scale game set in the Serious Sam universe to promote the then-upcoming Serious Sam 3 release. Serious Sam: The Random Encounter was Vlambeer's introduction to those not embroiled in the PC indie scene. What followed was almost a decade of exceptional games that exemplified gaming's arcade history.

Today, on the 10th anniversary of the formation of the studio, Vlambeer announced that it will be closing its virtual doors after the release of the upcoming game Ultrabugs.

Today marks Vlambeer’s 10th anniversary, which is way longer than we could've ever imagined. We had a beautiful run, made incredible games, and worked with amazing people, but it is time for new things. So we're announcing the end of Vlambeer. pic.twitter.com/jZ4dMGxNV2

Final Fantasy XIV just got a fresh injection of content due to a new emotional main quest culmination in Patch 5.3 as players work through the new extreme trial and continue to enjoy the second NieR: Automata collaboration.

But while we wait for 5.4's new cavalcade of raid content, another free event is here to pass the time: yep, the seasonal festivities of The Rising returns to Eorzea. It's live now and will run all the way through September 14 at 7:59AM PT, which is plenty of time to grab some of the unique items.

Basically all you need to do to start it is head to the Ul'dah - Steps of Nald (X:10.3 Y:8.3) and talk to J'bhen Tia (just make sure you're level 15). From there the event is self-explanatory, and you'll earn a minion and a piece of wall art for your troubles.

Little events like these help add so much character to the world of FFXIV, and break down some of the less digestible stuff like hardcore raiding. It's one of the best MMOs in the business in terms of letting you feel like you're living in a virtual universe.

The Rising [Final Fantasy XIV]

The saga of AT&T shopping around Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment has seemingly come to an anticlimactic end. It'll remain a part of the AT&T family, as it has too much upside to offload in exchange for paying down some debt.

This new information comes via Bloomberg, who has sources that state AT&T decided against the sale because WBIE is too valuable. This feels like confirmation after an August internal staff email had the WarnerMedia CEO say "Warner Bros Interactive remains a part of the Studios and Networks group." 

A sale was an intriguing scenario, as Microsoft was rumored to be interested in buying the whole WBIE portfolio. That includes developers such as Rocksteady, Traveller's Tales, Avalanche Software, NetherRealm, Monolith, and WB Montreal. Collectively, a sale was estimated to be valued around $4 billion.

The impetus for exploring the idea of selling WBIE is because AT&T reportedly has about $154 billion in debt after acquiring WarnerMedia and DirectTV. However, the video game unit is apparently staying put as AT&T opts against some fast cash to pay down a very small percentage of what it owes.

AT&T to Scrap Sale of Warner Bros. Video-Game Unit [Bloomberg]

2019 is a blur. I did not forget just about every facet of my very fun playthrough of Astral Chain, but I totally forgot it came out last August. Platinum seems pretty happy with it thus far, and are even took time out of their schedule to celebrate it in their offices this past week.

As you can see below, Platinum went all-out and created a giant whiteboard mural for the first anniversary, as well as a Lappy cake: based on the game's wholesome mascot that also serves as a mascot of the in-game precinct. Platinum designer Takahisa Taura also shared a few drawings from the game's concept artist and scenario writer to join in on the festivities.

Although people move on very quickly to the next hot thing these days, Astral Chain is a perfect example of why it's important to linger. Last August was a busy season heading into the packed holidays, but this is one action romp that I'm never going to forget. Thankfully, Platinum hasn't either.

Takahisa Taura [Twitter]