October 2020

Gamers – they aren’t just basement dwellers any more. Shocking, I know, but such is the premise of a bizarre 3D browser gallery opened by Activision Blizzard earlier this week. A free, tiny shrine to corporate art, the publishing giant’s demographic-driven collection of prints have “levelled up” historical forms to create one of the strangest browser spaces I’ve ever attended.

Yes, even stranger than that cyberspace Oregon Country Fair.

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Looking back, I reckon Kentucky Route Zero‘s third act might’ve been the best of the lot. That it was the act to introduce wandering musicians Johnny and Junebug playing no small part in that impression. This week, the fictional duo took their music out of the supernatural road trip with an EP full of sad robot love songs – a perfect soundtrack for getting lonely with on these rainy October afternoons.

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In a world devastated by contagion, most of us have been forced to put our international travel plans on hold. While this year alone I’d planned to visit Japan, Korea, France, and Italy for the first time, those plans—along with my wedding and just about everything else—were postponed until further notice about 6…

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We're finally getting to see more of the launch wave of PlayStation 5 titles, with Insomniac revealing a first look at hardware accelerated ray tracing effects in Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. A huge improvement is clearly evident in reflections from the tallest skyscraper to the smallest puddle, but bafflingly, the reveal was met with some vitriol on social media. Artefacts and compromises were highlighted, with some even suggesting that we weren't seeing ray tracing at all. The reality is clear though: hardware RT is an emerging feature on brand new consoles developers are just getting to know, it's computationally expensive so compromises are inevitable - and what we're seeing here is very impressive stacked up against similar hybrid RT implementations seen in the PC space.

In terms of Marvel's Spider-Man on PS5, there are two rendering modes - a 4K quality mode pegged at 30fps, alongside a 60fps performance mode. The former shows obvious RT reflections but ray traced ambient occlusion is also mooted for inclusion. This is harder to identify in screenshots or in videos, but in general, ambient occlusion adds shadows into scenes to simulate the darker effect in nooks and crannies where light bounce is more muted. From what we can tell from the released footage, the 60fps performance mode sticks with the screen-space reflections seen in Spider-Man on PS4 - the key limitation being that only detail in the camera view can be reflected, leading to many visual discontinuities. Skyscraper reflections drop back to much rougher approximations based on captured cube maps that change according to height.

Fall is finally here and the Podtoid crew is ready for the cooler weather to come and settle in. They're also ready to answer more of your questions on next week's show. What do you want to know as we head into the haunting season? Ask away in the comments. Trust me when I say we feed off your questions. We can't live without them. I can't live without them. Daddy needs his medicine so ask us something below so he can ride those question rails.

Out of all the -tober suffix trends, I think Blocktober might be my favourite. The now-annual level design hashtag has become a fascinating insight into the grey, blocky roots of all sorts of games. As a bonus, this year sees Hades developers Supergiant jumping onto the bandwagon with a distressingly art-free look at the mythological roguelike’s level design process.

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The mechanic saps the fun out of any game it’s in

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This week we learn more about what’s been going at Ubisoft, meet a demon version of Baby Yoda, expose a Spelunky 2 scammer, question why Comic-Con is still going to happen, find out what free games Xbox Live and PS Plus users are getting and say hello to October and Vampire Kermit.

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During the SSBU Minecraft Steve DLC presentation, we saw the Banjo & Kazooie, Byleth, and Terry amiibo for the first time.

The post Banjo & Kazooie, Byleth, and Terry amiibo Will Arrive in 2021 appeared first on Siliconera.

Bomberman and No More Heroes' Travis Touchdown are headed to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! ... As Mii Fighter costumes.

The post Bomberman and No More Heroes Mii Fighter Costumes Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

People will be able to add Steve, Alex, Enderman, and Zombie this month.

The post Super Smash Bros Ultimate Minecraft Steve DLC Will Arrive on October 13, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

Genshin Impact has enjoyed the "biggest global launch of a Chinese game ever", according to analysts.

The South China Morning Post reports the free-to-download anime-style adventure, which came out on mobile, PC and PlayStation 4 this week, exploded on Twitch with more than 110,000 concurrent viewers, and has already made millions on app stores.

It's a big project, too. Liu Wei, co-founder of Shanghai-based developer miHoYo, is quoted as saying Genshin Impact had a development and marketing budget of more than $100m.

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Two members of video game piracy group Team Xecuter are now in custody facing charges in a US court.

Max Louarn, a 48-year old French national from Avignon, Yuanning Chen, 35, from Shenzhen, China, and Gary Bowser, a 51-year old Canadian from the Dominican Republic, were charged in a federal indictment unsealed on Friday.

The indictment alleges the defendants were leaders in an enterprise that developed and sold illegal devices that hacked video game consoles so they could play pirate games. Consoles hacked by the group include the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS.

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As I understand, every single person over the age of 25 took up baking the second lockdown went into effect. Granted, I did not, and that’s probably because the process of baking seems about as complicated as its representation in upcycling puzzler Traption Bakery. Released this week, Jon Prestidge’s lovingly-drawn construct ’em up asks you to turn piles of garbage into a self-sufficient baking monstrosity.

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For every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. As such, it is only natural that Microsoft Flight Simulator‘s massive hole in the ground be countered by two spear-like pillars of earth on the other side of the globe. Despite last week’s World Update re-jigging the nation’s terrain, pilots this week discovered these colossal spikes bursting out of the Japanese countryside.

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Today Square Enix announced a new game dedicated to Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei, also known as The Irregular at Magic High School.

The game is titled The Irregular at Magic High School Reloaded Memory and it’s coming for iOS and Android.

It’s described as a “Magic Battle JRPG” and pre-registrations for Japan already started. Of course, it’ll be free to play with optional in-app purchases.

We also get a trailer, which you can watch below. It includes the theme song “Shinsei Reloaded” performed by the voice actresses of Miyuki Shiba (Saori Hayami) and Angelina Kudou Shields (Youko Hikasa).

If you’re unfamiliar with The Irregular at Magic High School, it’s an extremely popular series of web novels and light novels written by Tsutomu Satou and illustrated by Kana Ishida.

It’s extremely popular in Japan, meaning that a ton of volumes has been published since its debut on the web in 2008 and on paper in 2011.

The series is still ongoing, and it spawned manga and anime, with the second anime season that debuted today on Japanese television.

Today Electronic Arts opened a new teaser site for the Need for Speed franchise.

The website can be found here and it includes a countdown that will expire on October 5.

It also comes with the following message:

“5:10. How did he go so fast? Five ten. “Call Big Joe’s Pizzeria on 0800-510-510-510.” There’s got to be a way to fix this.”

At the moment, there is no clear indication about what this is all about, but it’s pretty safe to assume that we can expect a Need for Speed game to be announced on Monday, October 5.

Several cryptic posts on Twitter also highlights the number “510” and the account icon has been changed to the hashtag “#Beat510”

Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Sandygast!

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A WD easystore 4TB external hard drive and a rainfall handheld shower head combo lead Saturday’s best deals.

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Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s daily hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today we return to the adventurous world and epic soundtrack of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

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Steve and Alex from Minecraft are coming to Smash Bros. Ulitmate on October 13. The news was announced today during a video presentation going into great detail about Smash’s newest upcoming character.

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Thrillers, rom-coms, and Cats, oh my

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I haven’t seen a horror film since I was 9 years old. I blame Steven Spielberg.

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Key staff from the game teased upcoming plans during a Live A Live stream.

The post Live A Live Stream Teased Future Game Plans appeared first on Siliconera.

It looks like Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered will be announced on Monday.

A countdown on the official Need for Speed website is set to end early UK time on Monday, 5th October.

The Need for Speed Twitter page is having fun with the announcement, too:

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate gets Steve and Alex from Minecraft on 14th October.

The announcement was made during a video deep-dive into the new DLC characters, below.

In the video, Smash chief Masahiro Sakurai reveals how Steve and Alex can mine, craft and create blocks in Smash, just as they can in Minecraft. They can use their tools to dig into the ground or walls to mine dirt, wood, stone, iron, gold and diamond - depending on the type of surface. Expect plenty of wood from the Kongo Jungle stage, for example, and iron from the Corneria stage.

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Saturday's "Steve & Alex" presentation on the next DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate certainly had a lot of interesting moments in it. I personally think the way Sakurai incorporated the Minecraft bunch into the game is outstanding. Of course, my favorite moment was seeing Travis Touchdown finding his way into the game, even if he is just a Mii Fighter costume with no music.

Now, if you're still collecting those amiibo -- *cough* Chris Carter *cough* -- another highlight for you came at the tail end of the presentation. Sakurai brought out the next set of Smash Bros. amiibo, showcasing Banjo-Kazooie, Byleth, and Terry. The three figures will hit store shelves in 2021, bringing the amiibo line up to date with the first fighters pass. Unfortunately, it does not look like we're getting an alternate version of Byleth as has been done in the past for fighters like Corrin.

These fighters will join a few other amiibo already announced for 2021, including those for Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and Monster Hunter Rise. Fun fact: Did you know Nintendo refers to the Super Mario Cereal as "Delicious amiibo?"

Nintendo of Europe [Twitter]

As part of this morning's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentation, producer Masahiro Sakurai revealed the next incoming run of Mii Fighter costumes, which will arrive in the Switch brawler on October 13.

The new selection of fun cosplay outfits are based on popular characters from cutesy party classic Bomberman, old-school RPG Tower of Druaga and - in keeping with Smash Bros. Ultimate's newest DLC character - a trio of characters from the best-selling video game of all-time, Minecraft, including the terrifying Creeper. Spooky.

Also appearing in the set is a skin for Travis Touchdown, hero of irreverent adventure series No More Heroes. This latter reveal has understandably disappointed some fans, who had been hoping that Mr. Touchdown would be joining the Smash Bros. Ultimate roster proper. No More Heroes creator Suda51 has taken to Twitter to celebrate the reveal.

You can check out the six new Mii Fighter costumes in the video below, ahead of their October 13 launch. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo has announced that the next DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Steve from Minecraft, will be available to purchase on October 13. Smash fans can pick up Steve as part of the $30 Fighter's Pass or can pick him up individually for around $6.

Steve's landing date was announced as part of a special weekend broadcast by Nintendo, where Smash Bros. producer Masahiro Sakurai gave us our first in-depth look at the dig-happy boy in axe-tion. Steve will come bundled with a new stage, seven music tracks, and alternate forms that let him transform into fellow Minecraft alumni Alex, Zombie, and Enderman.

If you missed the presentation, then it available to watch in its entirety below.

Today Nintendo released a couple of videos dedicated to upcoming content for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

The first video is introduced by director Masahiro Sakurai himself and showcases gameplay of the newly-announced character Minecraft Steve and his alt Alex.

We also get a list of the track that will come with the DLC, which will be released on October 13 for $5.99.

At the end of the video, we also get a reveal of new amiibo portraying Banjo & Kazooie, Byleth from Fire Emblem Three Houses (only the male version), and Terry Bogart from Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters. All three will come in 2021.

The second video showcases six upcoming Mii Fighter costumes coming as DLC. We get Creeper, Pig, and Diamond Armor from Minecraft, Gil from The Tower of Druaga, Bomberman, and Travis Touchdown from the No More Heroes series.

They will be available from October 13 for $0.75 each and they’re not included in the Ultimate Fighter Pass Vol. 2.

You can watch both videos below.

Star Wars: Squadrons is here and it’s pretty damn good, especially if you enjoy space combat and yelling out Star Wars references in the middle of battles. But it can also be a hard or frustrating game to wrap your head around at first, so here are some tips I’ve picked up after playing and reviewing the game.

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Underground biomes aren’t all terrifying lava lakes and skeleton-infested mines; instead – if you follow the roots – you’ll find the lush caves are a stunning oasis of calm and tranquillity.

↣ https://t.co/CPC2Hy82Fe ↢ pic.twitter.com/r9RiTwPPdJ — Minecraft (@Minecraft) October 3, 2020

Tumble absent-mindedly down a hole, sail your trusty vessel into the deep, watery unknown or carefully descend that ancient ravine: whatever your underground exploration method – get ready for improved cave generation!

Super #SmashBrosUltimate #amiibo for DLC fighters Banjo & Kazooie, Terry, and Byleth will be available starting March 26th! pic.twitter.com/IrjvmByp4o

Get ready to go cave diving and cliff climbing

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Here’s the first look at Paul W.S. Anderson’s take on the Capcom franchise

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Girl Utena: After the Revolution explores former student council members' lives, growth, and relationships.

The post Revolutionary Girl Utena: After the Revolution Gives the Student Council Their Moments appeared first on Siliconera.

It was surprising to learn that Smash Bros was getting Minecraft DLC. It was even more surprising to learn how perfectly the two franchises might fit together.

The post Steve Shines in Super Smash Bros Ultimate Minecraft DLC Presentation appeared first on Siliconera.

Every week, I drop a short article letting you beautiful people know what Hamster has pulled out of its retro sack for the Arcade Archives range. Very rarely is it a game I haven't played, but today it's a game that has never even entered my frame of reference: Taito's Ben Bero Beh.

Released in arcades in 1984, this early single-screen platformer sees players guide Ben - a self-styled superhero - through a burning building in a frantic effort to rescue his girlfriend Beh, who is trapped within the apartment complex. Armed with only a fire extinguisher and a goofy costume, Ben must bob-and-weave his way from floor to floor, putting out the flames and dodging other hazards such as rotting floorboards, loose electrical cables and... a giant face that attempts to eat Ben. Of course.

Check out the obscure title below, courtesy of YouTuber Old Classic Retro Gaming.

This year brought a big update to Minecraft's Nether regions. Next year, it's the turn of its Caves & Cliffs.

Announced today during Minecraft Live for release in the summer of 2021, Microsoft acknowledged the update would take a little longer than usual, and there would be no update to Minecraft this Christmas as has become the norm.

"This is a massive update with a large variety of features to truly have something for all players, and we're excited to release it for all supported platforms next summer," Mojang said. "Due to the massive size of the update, the team needs more time to work on it than usual, which is why there will not be a traditional game update this holiday."

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