November 2020

Capcom has is continuing to release new concept artwork and assets of its upcoming Monster Hunter game Monster Hunter Rise.

This time around we get to take a look at artwork showcasing the Kamura armor for the hunters and their friends Palamute and Palico.

Speaking of Palamute, we also get a video showcasing some of the armor designs that the faithful buddy will be able to wear in the game.

You can check out all the assets below.

Today MiHoYo released a new video about its popular action RPG Genshin Impact focusing on another of its sources of inspiration.

This time around we get another behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the gorgeous environments of Liyue, and more specifically of the Luha Pool, which is inspired by Huanglong in China.

Speaking of Liyue, recently we got another behind-the-scene video showcasing the creation of its music alongside the whole soundtrack, which was released alongside the music created for Mondstadt.

One more video explained how the Jueyun Karst was inspired by China’s Zhangjiajie’s karst.

You can check the new video out below. Incidentally, make sure that subtitles are active since the audio is in Chinese.

The Last of Us Part 2 looks set to dominate awards season and many end of year lists, having already sweeped this week's Golden Joystick Awards including Ultimate Game of the Year. If you've yet to play this essential, albeit controversial and divisive, masterpiece then the good news is it's down to its lowest price yet as part of this year's PS4 Black Friday deals.

For Black Friday, multiple stores are selling The Last of Us Part 2 for £24.99. You can find it at Amazon UK, Argos and Currys PC World - just to name a few.

It's, without doubt, one of the best-looking games on PS4, though if you're playing on PS5, it also has additional enhancements including use of the DualSense's adaptive triggers, adding new haptics when pulling back the string of a bow, firing a gun or even when using a motorboat.

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A fan-made enhanced edition of Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya’s seminal indie platformer Cave Story has been slapped with a DMCA takedown. Publishers Nicalis have accused Cave Story Engine 2 of using code stolen from the original game’s source – code that they, as developers of Cave Story +, own. But while fears that the publisher planned to wipe all free versions of the game off the internet for good seem to have been misplaced, contention remains over whether Nicalis actually owns the rights to code used by the now-shutted fan game.

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Esports match fixing has been on the rise lately, so much so that we’ve seen charges, arrests and direct accusations of links to organised crime. And in perhaps the clearest signal of how rife things are getting locally, one player has spoken up about how much they’ve been offered to fix CSGO games.

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2020 is a weird year to give gifts and expect anything in return. With the COVID-19 pandemic still in full force—evidently fuller force than before—many businesses have closed either temporarily or for good, and as a result, unemployment has skyrocketed and the economy has taken a turn for the worse. This holiday, I…

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Thursday’s Best Deals | Kinja Deals

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Imagine for a moment a precision platformer that is not only amazing-looking and smartly designed, but also accessible to regular human beings. Dizzy? It’s possible! I found it! It’s Super Cable Boy.

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Koei Tecmo has announced a brand new entry in its long-running horse-racing franchise, Winning Post. The ninth entry in the steeplechase simulator will launch in Japan in March 2021.

Debuting way back in 1993 on the Sharp X68000, the Winning Post franchise has won over a small army of Japanese fans with its furious furlong action. Despite the series ongoing success over the past three decades, to date only one entry was officially localized for the west: 1995's Winning Post EX, an enhanced Sega Saturn port of the original title.

Winning Post 9 2021 will launch in Japan March 18, 2021 on PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Winning Post 9 2021 announced for PS4, Switch, and PC [Gematsu / Official]

In 2019, Disney debuted four remakes of beloved cartoon classics: Aladdin, Dumbo, The Lion King, and Lady and The Tramp. Reviews for all four films were mixed, but largely ranged from “Meh, it’s okay” to “Why was this necessary?” That same year, Capcom remade one of the most beloved entries in its long-running survival horror series and got the opposite response. Resident Evil 2 reviews were effusive, and fans declared it one of the standout titles of the year. It's a fascinating tale of two cities, but the remakes of 2019 are just a microcosm of a larger trend: Video game remakes are better than film remakes.

The movie industry loves to remake old properties. The video game industry (increasingly) does too. But there is a big difference between how the two entertainment fields manage their properties, because every time the movie industry announces a remake we collectively groan. When a video game developer announces a remake of a beloved classic, we’re ready to party.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes Hollywood gets it right, but for every Invisible Man (2020), I feel like we get several films like Total Recall (2012), Point Break (2015), Ben-Hur (2016), and The Mummy (2017) which completely fall flat and fail to capture the magic that made their original films special. Why does this happen? What makes video game remakes so exciting and film remakes so excruciating?

Whether it’s the cutting-edge graphics, continually evolving gameplay, or always-contentious microtransactions, the NBA 2K series fosters plenty of passionate (and heated) discussions. That’s to be expected when you’re at the top of the sports genre, helping set standards and drive innovation. That’s why it’s important for fans and critics to voice concerns over missteps, but it’s also just as important to celebrate the victories (which I do in my full NBA 2K21 review here). One thing I’m sad more people aren’t talking about is a new feature for the new-gen versions called “The W,” which allows you to can create your own WNBA MyPlayer for the first time and build your own path to stardom by playing for one of the league’s 12 teams. Playing WNBA games isn’t new for the series, but centering an entire experience around it is the biggest push and commitment we’ve seen from a mainstream team sports game to represent female athletes and their experience. And that’s a pretty big deal.

Both the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 are incredibly powerful systems, but that doesn't mean what's out now is what all there is to experience. As more and more games continue to be prepped for this new generation of gaming, some players have noticed notable differences with certain titles and how they perform on the Xbox Series X versus the PS5. 

A few reports about the performance differences between the platforms centers around optimization hiccups resulting from dev kit arrival times. As reported by The Verge, developers were giving PS5 dev kits much sooner than they received Xbox Series X ones, which resulted in a differentiation between the two offered new-gen systems. 

Responding to the growing feedback from players, a Microsoft representative did take a moment to remind Xbox owners that both platforms are still very much in early evolution stages post-launch, and that improvements are always being worked on and looked into. 

Flight Simulator has only just released its latest World Update, this one giving the USA's most iconic landscapes some much-needed attention, but already developer Asobo is talking about its next round of planetary enhancements, confirming it'll be upgrading the UK in January.

In a similar fashion to earlier geographical spruce-ups for the USA and Japan, Asobo's third World Update will aim to create a more accurate rendition of the UK using "awesome" new data and aerial images for England, Scotland and Wales, and with a host of new landmarks.

In total, as revealed in Asobo's latest livestream, the studio is aiming to introduce 50-60 new points of interest, new procedural buildings (including churches), and improvements for a range of existing airports, such as Land's End, Liverpool EGGP, and Manchester Barton. Additionally, players can expect to see new landing challenges and a new flight.

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Back when Aldi surprised us all by announcing what is surely guaranteed to be the best Nintendo Switch deal this Black Friday we expected demand would be high. Well, a few minutes after going on sale, the Switch was gone.

At one point, over 100,000 people were in the queue to view the Black Friday sale page at Aldi. At this point, the majority of the offers are now sold out. You're still able to get some of the less in-demand items such as a mediocre desktop PC or robot vacuum cleaner, but the big ones are off the menu.

That said, it doesn't mean your hopes of securing a cheap Switch are gone for the year. Right now, there are a handful of decent deals still out there - and with Black Friday now upon us, we are bound to see more flash deals pop up over the next 24 hours.

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• 00:00:00 Welcome!
• 00:01:57 Super quick news
• 00:03:03 Mega Question Block!
• 00:48:50 Out this week
• 00:53:03 What we're playing
• 00:59:06 What we're thankful for

NVC is available on your preferred platform!

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You can listen to NVC on your preferred platform every Thursday at 3pm PT/6pm ET. Have a question for Question Block? Write to us at nvc@ign.com and we may pick your question! Also, make sure to join the Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast Forums on Facebook. We're all pretty active there and often pull Question Block questions and comments straight from the community.

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The Samsung Odyssey G7 was one of the standout Prime Day deals in the UK last month, but this incredible 2560×1440, 240Hz gaming screen has returned for another round of [cms-block] deals goodness. Now down to just £430 for the 27in model and £500 for its larger 32in sibling, these savings of £120 and £130 apiece aren’t to be missed if you’re after one of the best [cms-block] of the year.

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Crusader Kings III got a free update this week, introducing a new “ruler designer” that lets you completely customise the leader you begin the game with. From their beards to their sexuality to their statistics.

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If you haven't noticed...we've been busy!

These past few weeks we've all been working on various projects, from (now) current-to-previous-gen, and it's time to celebrate the fruits of our labor...with a big list! Below, you'll find all of our coverage so far, including hardware rundowns and individual reviews or impressions pieces. As more games are covered in the coming weeks, we'll add them to this list.

I know the world is crazy right now, but I hope that through the comments section and our quickposts/community blogs, we can continue to connect and make sense of it all, together. Whether you've picked up a console already...or you're waiting for yours to ship...or you aren't getting one until 2021...or you're waiting for me to stop talking about new consoles...be safe out there!

_{[The platforms in parenthesis in the below lists denote the platform we tested/covered.]}

For decades now, Harmonix has brought a very particular set of skills to the gaming audience – finding ways to share the joy of music-making with players, even if those players have never picked up the instrument(s) in question. Time and again, the studio manages to find the thrill and wonder inherent to a particular corner of the musical world, and translate that into something approachable and fun. With Fuser, the developers behind Amplitude, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Central have zeroed in on the festival dance music scene. I’ve never spun records as a DJ. I’ve never even attended a big outdoor music festival. And yet Fuser is everything I want as an escape from the doldrum and frustration of 2020, offering one of the most creative and technically remarkable opportunities for musical expression I’ve encountered in a game.

As Brian Shea writes about in his enthusiastic review for Fuser, this new music game offers a number of different ways to interact with the music, from a tutorial-focused campaign that shows you the ropes, to freestyle mix creation, to social tools for sharing and enjoying music with others. Any way you choose to approach it, the takeaway is the same – Fuser is a music-mixing and creation tool masquerading as a video game. And its ability to sweep me away into the fun of toe-tapping tunes remixed in new ways is especially invigorating.

In today's contest you can win a physical Switch copy of Ghost of a Tale from Super Rare Games!

Happy Thanksgiving, America! I know for most of the rest of the world it's just another Thursday, but here in America it's time to gorge ourselves, watch football, and silently seethe while our families embarrass the shit out of us in front of our new girlfriend, Karen. So I guess it's pretty normal for us, too.

If you're not too full to win something, you're in luck! Super Rare Games just launched Ghost of a Tale in physical form on Switch, and as always, we're giving out a copy!

A gaming headset is one of the first accessories you should grab when you get a new console. Headsets are practically a must for multiplayer games, but they're also great for every type of game, since they typically pinpoint sounds better than TVs. With the PS5 and Xbox Series X now available, it's the perfect time to pick up a new gaming headset. Luckily, there are a bunch of solid options on sale for Black Friday 2020. We've rounded up a handful of the best Black Friday gaming headset deals below. If you're interested in any of these headset deals, you'll probably want to grab it as soon as possible, as we've been seeing headsets sell out at multiple retailers already. Plus, see our guide to the best PS5 gaming headsets for 2020 for more options if you're shopping for that platform.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history earlier this year with a record-breaking stream of Among Us, and now she's gearing up for another round. This time, AOC will play in a stream organized by Jagmeet Singh, leader of the Canadian New Democratic Party.

Singh tweeted out news of the stream, which is set to happen on Friday, November 27 at 4PM PT (7PM ET). Streamers Ryan Letourneau and Hasanabi will also be taking part.

You can digitally RSVP for the stream through the New Democratic Party's site, and receive a notification when the stream is set to begin. It hasn't yet been announced whether the stream will be raising funds or raising awareness for any organization or cause, but it seems likely.

Greedfall has been a big success, and now developer Spiders is looking to upgrade the game for the next generation of consoles. Greedfall will receive an update for PS5 and Xbox Series X, complete with new content.

In a tweet, the official Greedfall account announced that the game is coming to next-gen after selling over 1 million copies. This is a major milestone for the game, which has been so successful that it greatly boosted publisher Focus Interactive's profits.

The game, a pirate-centric action RPG, is currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The developer previously made The Technomancer.

Black Friday 2020 has brought plenty of deals on games that released within the past month or so, including Watch Dogs: Legion, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Gears Tactics. But the latest Black Friday deal we've stumbled across is on a game that launched just last week. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is available at Ebay for $50, which is a nice $10 savings off the price of the brand-new Nintendo Switch exclusive.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a spinoff prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It tells the story 100 years prior to the events of Breath of the Wild, chronicling the Great Calamity that leads to the prolonged period of darkness and ruin across Hyrule.

David S. Goyer has been attached to some major films over the last 20 years--including the Dark Knight trilogy, Batman v Superman, and Terminator: Dark Fate--but in games, he's best known for his work on the Call of Duty: Black Ops series. Goyer has story credits on Black Ops and Black Ops II, and he was brought back for Black Ops Cold War, the latest game in the series. Now, in an interview on the official Call of Duty blog, Goyer has explained some of the philosophy behind his work on the series.

Reflecting on the first two Black Ops games, Goyer said that he had been excited to move into games when he was invited to do a script polish for the original. "I think the game was about two thirds of the way finished at that point, and I punched up the script and I made some other suggestions," he recalls. "It was fascinating for me--it was just a different medium in the way that you convey exposition is entirely different."

After that, he was asked to be involved in Black Ops II "from the ground up," and he was able to get some interesting storytelling choices through. "I love the idea that there are multiple endings that can be achieved, depending on the moral choices that I make throughout the game," "he says. It was something that I was really pleased to see that Treyarch and Raven were continuing on with this new game. I liked the idea that actions have consequences."

Black Friday 2020 has brought an onslaught of game deals across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC, and while we spend a ton of time talking about the discounts on AAA titles, Black Friday is a great opportunity to pick up some lesser-known games for your winter backlog. One such game is 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, which launched in Japan last year but released worldwide this past September. If you're a fan of narrative-driven games, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a must-play, and it's on sale for 50% off during Black Friday.

Black Friday has no shortage of current-gen game deals, but if you're craving a retro gaming experience, the Sega Genesis Mini is a great option. Loaded with 42 games, it's currently available for $50 at Amazon during the store's Black Friday sale. This isn't the lowest price we've ever seen it at, but it's still a solid purchase if you want to relive the classic Sega games of your childhood. The Sega Genesis Mini comes preloaded with 42 iconic games, such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Castlevania: Bloodlines, and it also includes two wired controllers--everything you need comes in the box.

On the plug 'n play console, you'll find an impressive greatest hits collection from the Genesis library. Sonic the Hedgehog, Earthworm Jim, Contra: Hard Corps, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Golden Axe, and Ecco the Dolphin still hold up quite well, and if you feel like something different you can try the underrated Eternal Warriors fighting game, the fast-paced action of Gunstar Heroes, or the classic RPG Shining Force.

Fortnite and esports team 100 Thieves have come together to create an in-game version of the 100 Thieves Cash App Compound.

Located in Fortnite Creative's Welcome Hub, the Compound offers players four themed quests tied to 100 Thieves' members, including Nadeshot, CouRage, Valkyrae, and BrookeAB. Upon completion, players can explore new areas of the Compound and find other surprises.

With new consoles out this fall, it's the perfect time to pick up an external hard drive to store your games on. Black Friday 2020 has a selection of excellent SSD and HDD deals on some of the best ones, too, making it easy to save some money on extra storage. Amazon and Best Buy have some particularly great Black Friday deals, including discounts on Samsung's popular T5 and T7 portable SSDs as well as the ultra-fast Seagate FireCuda gaming SSD. While SSDs are fast, they don't have as much storage, so there are also several great HDD options, including the 5TB WD Black game drive and an assortment of Seagate external drives.

The latest update for Grand Theft Auto V Online is out now, adding triple rewards in Deadline and King of the Hill. There are also double rewards to earn in Open Wheel Races and a variety of Black Friday deals available if you want to snag a bargain vehicle.

Deadline, the Tron-inspired battle royale, is paying out triple the usual GTA$ and RP through December 9, while all King of the Hill game modes are paying out three-times the GTA$ and RP to all players whether you win or lose. Meanwhile, all Rockstar created Open Wheel Races are paying out double the rewards through December 9, and logging in before that date will also net you a free white and red Nagasaki Tee.

If you head to The Diamond Casino and Resort this week, you can take a free spin on The Lucky Wheel to try and win this week's top prize: the Benefactor BR8 open wheel racecar. You also have the chance to win GTA$, RP, clothing, mystery prizes, and more.

Today Good Smile Company revealed a new figma figures dedicated to Sucker Punch’s popular open-world adventure game Ghost of Tsushima.

You can find it available for pre-orders at Good Smile’s American shop $104.99 or at the Japanese shop for 11,000 yen.

The release window is August 2021 in Japan and September 2021 in the west.

Pre-orders get a special stand and you can find a gallery of pictures and an official description below.

“I am samurai. But I will sacrifice everything for my home.

From the popular game “Ghost of Tsushima” comes a figma of the samurai known as “The Ghost,” Jin Sakai.”

The Pokemon 25th anniversary logo was revealed and it involves Pikachu's face... just like the 20th anniversary one!

The post Pokemon 25th Anniversary Logo Is a Pikachu Face Again appeared first on Siliconera.

Pokemon Masters EX is adding Gloria to the roster alongside her partner, Zacian, and you can really tell she's from the UK-inspired Galar region.

The post Pokemon Masters Gloria Speaks With a British Accent appeared first on Siliconera.

Today MiHoYo released a new video about its popular action RPG Genshin Impact introducing a new character.

The new character is Xinyan, and she’s basically a rockstar. I mean it literally.

The trailer introduces her fiery personality and then moves on to showcase some of her gameplay.

You can check her out below and see if it gets you excited about the arrival of Xinyan.

Today South Korean game developer Shift Up released a few new screenshots and a gameplay trailer of its upcoming game code-named “Project EVE.”

The game was announced over a year ago as an AAA single-player action RPG for PS4, Xbox One, and PC aimed at the global market.

Now the new reveal simply mentions “PC and consoles” so it’s very possible that we may see it on next-gen (or should I say “current-gen” at this point?) platforms as well.

This time around we get to see fast and furious battle gameplay against one of the creatures named “NA-Tives,” which infest the ruined Earth.

One thing is for sure: it looks really, really good.

You can check out all the assets of Project EVE below.

Genshin Impact's Xinyan is about to take the stage, and her introductory trailer shows she shreds when it comes to playing guitars or fighting foes.

The post Genshin Impact’s Xinyan Introduction Really Rocks appeared first on Siliconera.