In today’s contest, UK residents can win a Twin Mirror custom Xbox controller, along with a free copy of the game!
Are all you chaps in the UK sad that you can never win physical prizes because most of the contests are US-based? Well, let’s change that up a little bit!
We’ve got this really awesome custom-made Twin Mirror Xbox controller to give away to one lucky UK resident. In addition to the gamepad, you’ll also get a digital copy of the game to test out that new bad boy!
It feels super strange to pick a Capcom title as one of my favorite overlooked games of 2020 when there are far more obscure gems to suggest, but I'm doing it. I'm going with Shinsekai anyway.
Shinsekai: Into the Depths originally launched in 2019 as an Apple Arcade exclusive before coming to Nintendo Switch in March 2020. That less-than-ideal rollout caused the game to slip through the cracks on multiple fronts – for many metroidvania fans, it was the right game on the wrong platform. By the time it came to Switch, it wasn't necessarily "too little, too late," but many of us were busy elsewhere.
Whenever or wherever you play it, though, Shinsekai is a cool game. It's a more survival-oriented underwater metroidvania rather than the usual combat-heavy power fantasy. There's this exciting sense of danger to its propulsion-based movement, and the thought of recklessly busting your explorer's extra oxygen tanks can even make routine item-nabbing expeditions feel threatening.
On paper, that might sound overbearing, but Capcom mostly strikes the right balance. I also love the context the setting brings. Rather than use video-game-y doors (which I'm fine with!), certain areas are "gated off" simply because the pressure is too intense for your suit to handle. Nothing feels phoned in.
I should probably stop volunteering to review fitness games. Not because I don’t need them or I don’t enjoy them, but because every time I sit down to write the lede, I have to face the fact that I ultimately failed at getting the most out of the last game I played. Every time I start one of these things, I tend to be in the same place I was the last time I reviewed one: overweight and out of shape.
But I imagine most people feel that way around the holidays. With all the cookies, candy canes, and prime ribs, it can be easy to let yourself go before making that big New Year’s resolution to lose weight. With COVID-19 lockdowns still a reality for much of the world, now is as good a time as any to start an at-home exercise routine. Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise is a fine way to get started toward your fitness goals, provided you don't already have another game at your disposal.
Dinosaurs are on the short list of good things. They go, in order: Back massages, dinosaurs, astronauts. That's it. That's comprehensive.
You have a fine opportunity to close 2020 with dinosaurs, to begin the new year with dinosaurs, or to bridge the two with (you guessed it) dinosaurs. Epic is back to its weekly free games and Jurassic World Evolution is first up. Life finds a way (to escape from its cage and ruin your park).
Although Epic hasn't come out and said it's doing another year of weekly free games, that trend certainly looks set to continue. After Jurassic World Evolution expires on January 7, Crying Suns takes its place. Free video games almost makes the cut of life's good things. Almost.
Jurassic World Evolution [Epic Games Store]
It's going to be a weird year with 2020 in our rear view mirror, I'll tell you that much.
But for now: Switch games! There isn't a whole lot here today, as Nintendo isn't featuring anything in particular outside of the Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled trial that's running from now until January 5.
There's a few notable releases in here like Deemo Reborn, as well as Monster Prom: XXL. There's also an interesting release called The Innsmouth Case, which is based on the popular Shadow over Innsmouth novella from author H.P. Lovecraft. This one actually came out earlier this year, and lines up nicely with another spooky fish-person-flavored release: Fantasy Flight Games' Arkham Horror: The Card Game's current Innsmouth cycle.
There's a few options this week on Switch! But mainly Nintendo is banking on your buying Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity if you haven't already. The Switch has a powerful enough library as it is to be able to coast for a few months.
So I have this thing where I constantly want to "check in" on people who are forgotten.
Take Hajime Tabata for example. When he was working on Final Fantasy XV, people knew who he was. And when the game came out; people knew for sure! Tabata's development style, particularly his approach to endless DLC, was controversial, so it was the subject of many heated conversations.
Then in late 2018, he just kind of...left the company. It was a whole to-do at the time, as he left three of the final four DLC projects in the lurch, effectively ending development on Final Fantasy XV before its time. In its stead, Tabata created a new company called JP Games, which was already up and running mere months later in early 2019.
So what's happened since then? Not much, actually. Tabata laid out his plans for JP games over two years ago and we haven't really heard much from him to date. It looks like we're going to have to wait a little longer, too, based on comments to 4Gamer from a recent end of year developer check-in.
Speaking to the outlet, Tabata says that the current pandemic has "significantly altered" their plans, and urges readers to "wait until 2022" until more info is given. So there you have it! It's a stark contrast to XV, which was perhaps revealed far too early by its publisher: now Tabata is in control of his own destiny.
End of Year Creator Interviews [4Gamer via Gematsu]
Nintendo has won its ongoing lawsuit with Japanese company Mari Mobility over the latter's enterprise "MariCar," which offered tours of the streets of Tokyo in go-karts and costumes themed after the former's popular racing franchise Mario Kart.
The MariCar franchise first fell afoul of Nintendo's legal team in 2017, with the street-touring crew eventually ordered to pay Nintendo compensation to the tune of ¥10 million (roughly $97,000 USD) for the unauthorized use of its IP and concerns that safety issues could bring the Nintendo brand into disrepute.
Undaunted, the newly-retitled "Street Kart" simply slapped "Unrelated to Nintendo" stickers onto its go-karts before hitting the road once again, much to The Big N's chagrin. Appeals from both parties to the Supreme Court of Japan have now been settled in Nintendo's favor, resulting in Street Kart being hit with an even larger fine of ¥50 million (or a staggering $480,000 USD).
These legal troubles couldn't have come at a worse time for Street Kart, who have been struggling to stay afloat in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite launching a crowdfunding campaign earlier this year to build capital, it would seem a forgone conclusion that these recent events could run the attraction off-road permanently.
Nintendo's victory over MariCar finalized [Japan Today / Japanese Nintendo]
Koei Tecmo has big plans next year for what is effectively the 40th anniversary of the company (their first game debuted in 1982 under Koei).
Speaking to Famitsu, several Koei Tecmo developers laid out their vague plans for 2021 without spoiling much. Junzo Hosoi of Atelier producer (and artist) fame says that the Gust brand will "take on various challenges" next year, including a "cross-media project." They also plan to announce more games that they couldn't this year.
Fumihiko Yasuda, who works on the Nioh series, implies that Nioh is done for now: "At Team Ninja, the seven years-long development of Nioh series will reach a resting point." Kenichi Ogasawara says that there will be a "title suitable for [the milestone of the 40th anniversary]" coming in 2021, which is a pretty big tease.
But the juiciest comment of them all had to come from Keisuke Kikuchi, who has worked on many games at Koei Tecmo; among them, Fatal Frame. Kikuchi notes, "2021 is...the 20th anniversary of the Fatal Frame series, so I’d like to celebrate it in some way if possible."
Well that was unexpected! Kikuchi says that there are some games that will be announced by spring, but Fatal Frame was not mentioned. "In some way" is key here folks: don't get your hopes up for a full game. At least it's something!
End of Year Creator Interviews [Famitsu via Gematsu]
Ukrainian developer GSC Game World has released the first in-engine video for its grim-looking adventure sequel S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, which is currently in development for Xbox Series X and PC.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is the official sequel to the '00s story arc, which began with 2007's Shadow of Chernobyl and ended with 2009's Call of Pripyat. The games are loosely adapted from Boris and Arkady Strugatsky's 1972 sci-fi novel, Roadside Picnic, telling the story of a fictional second explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear facility and its effects on the surrounding cities. Cheery stuff, I'm sure you'll agree.
The new trailer - which you can check out below courtesy of IGN - doesn't give too much away, but fans can rest assured that they will be thrust once again into an irradiated world of misery and mutants, as they explore a dystopia of destruction, meet their fellow wastelanders, and do battle against the horrifying creatures that have spawned out of this nuclear nightmare.
When Inti Creates speaks, I listen.
They've proven themselves time and time again; not just with their own company, but with their work on countless Capcom classics, like the Mega Man Zero and ZX series. They're a force to be reckoned with in the platforming space, and they're still pumping out hits like the Blaster Master revival and two Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon games.
Speaking to 4Gamer, company president Takuya Aizu explains that in addition to Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 (which looks enticing in its own right) there are "three new titles in development." It's entirely possible that we'll see the announcement of these three in 2021.
So what's next for the company? Well, they could sequelize a lot of their games until the cows come home. I'd take another Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, as well as another Blaster Master Zero. Gunvolt seems to be their bread and butter though so a spinoff could be tucked away in one of those three reveals; and they're also perfectly capable of making an original title.
I also want to see them collaborate directly with Capcom again on Mega Man. Now that the franchise is back from the dead, I'm sure they can work something out.
End of Year Creator Interviews [4Gamer via Gematsu]
Developers Yoko Taro and Yosuke Saito, best known for their work on the dramatic adventure franchise NieR, have announced that they are currently in the process of creating two brand new titles, one of which Saito appears to have serious regret about adding to his resume.
Speaking during Famitsu's "Games Industry Chit-Chat 2020 Year-End Party" live stream, the pair told a tale of how the two mystery projects came about, with Taro forcing Saito to sit through an hour-long presentation in order to agree to making one of the titles in particular. While Saito eventually came on board, he still displays open reluctance, suggesting during the stream that he'd rather just bail on the project and leave it entirely to Taro. Curious.
No specific details were revealed about either game, with no clues offered to titles, branding, genre, platforms, or release date. But it must be said that convincing a colleague to work on something they adamantly don't want to work on sure makes for a teasing and interesting way to announce your new wares. Should these two titles come to fruition, we'll no doubt be hearing more about them soon. For now, it's all over bar the guesswork.
Yoko Taro and Yosuke Saito working on two new titles [Gematsu / Games Talk]
There is a lot about 2020 that I can't wait to forget. The stupidity of it all, the never-ending election, Artemis Fowl, that thing on Twitter where everything was a cake, it can all go from my mind the minute the clock strikes midnight on December 31.
But one thing I hope I won't forget from this year are all the great new characters video games gave us. Because despite all the crap mankind has been through in 2020, it was a phenomenal year for games and the NPCs and playable characters who populate them. Here now are the best new characters of 2020 according to the Destructoid staff.
In today's contest you can win classic beat 'em up 9 Monkeys of Shaolin for PS4 or Steam!
It's almost the New Year! In most of the world, anyway. I think Chinese New Year is still a few months away, so there goes my good segue for this one. Oh well, just pretend my idea was clever and timely.
We've got some copies of classic beat 'em up title 9 Monkeys of Shaolin to give away, just in time for the [not] Chinese New Year!
With the most matter-of-fact teases, Devolver has told us that it has a lot up its sleeve next year. That's it. That's the post, there's not really any more information.
Okay, there's a bit more. Devolver plans to launch five games in 2021 that aren't yet announced:
The time has come to check in with Japanese studios at the end of the year, via Famitsu's annual interview series. So far we've learned vague plans for both Platinum and Square Enix, but the Atlus portion of the check-in is fascinating in its own right.
Famitsu caught up with three of Atlus' main developers, all of whom have different goals. Shinjirou Takata, producer on the Shin Megami Tensei series, is very much head to the ground on the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei V. Their keyword for 2021 is "think outside the box" (this series, and Persona, usually do), and he and his team are "working hard on development," though we'll have to "wait a little while longer" for it to materialize. Take your time!
As for Katsura Hashino (who dabbles in just about everything at Atlus, including both of the aforementioned franchises) is going to focus on "silence" in 2021, and implies that the impact of the current pandemic on game development has caused he and his team to be more focused. Even so, he would like to "announce the title [they're] developing as soon as possible," which is a "fantasy RPG" project.
Kazuhisa Wada (chief designer and occasionally director/producer for Persona games) is fully focused on Persona it seems, and their project has been "steadily in the works." Wada gets the last word though and manages to tease "exciting plans" for the 25th anniversary of Persona. Vague! But promising.
End of Year Creator Interviews [Famitsu via Gematsu]
You've already heard from the Destructoid staff regarding our favorite games that came out of the hellscape year 2020, but now it's time for your voice to be heard, Dtoid readers. That's right, it's time for the annual Community Game of the Year vote, and this year we're switching things up a bit.
For 2020, we're implementing a preferential voting mechanic so that you can pick not just one but three nominees for the Game of the Year. The vote is simple: select your top three games in the form provided here, and then when all is said and done on January 4, I'll tally up the votes in a weighted vote.
Your first pick will receive three points, second choice two points, and third choice one point. The game that receives the most cumulative points by the Destructoid community will then be declared the winner. Because of this, any vote that has a single game listed more than once will be invalidated. It's a long list of eligible games in the dropdown menu so I've provided a cumulative list here.
Additionally, for fun, you can tell us what your favorite game from a previous year that you played for the first time in 2020.
Voting will remain open until next Monday, January 4, 2021 at 18:00 Eastern time, with the results to follow sometime that week.
As disappointing as it was to see Sony stop giving out PS3 and Vita games as a PlayStation Plus perk last year, I have to say, I'm liking the recent "two PS4 games and a PS5 bonus" push. It helps a lot.
The January 2021 PlayStation Plus lineup follows that trio format again with Shadow of the Tomb Raider (the third title in Square Enix's modern Lara Croft trilogy), GreedFall (a flawed RPG gem from Spiders), and the PS5 version of Maneater (a silly fish-, gator-, and human-chomping action game). Not bad.
You'll be able to redeem these games on the PlayStation Store beginning January 5. Reminder: you can (and should!) claim PS5-only PS Plus games even if you don't own a PlayStation 5. Stockpile away!
Maneater is also available on PS4 – there's even a free PS5 upgrade for owners – but this particular PlayStation Plus giveaway only covers the PS5 copy, so that's all you can play. No funny business.
Did any of you just buy any of these in a sale? Always happens to someone.
I'm trying to think of the last time I've been this excited for a Monster Hunter game.
Don't get me wrong! It was a blast waiting for World, to see how Capcom brought the series into the current generation. But Rise feels different. It feels like an evolution in some ways, especially with the varied terrain and the addition of the Palamute dog companion; but it's also the simplicity of it being on one platform (which makes it super easy to team up with people, since everyone is on the same page).
That feeling is probably best portrayed in this quick 30-second commercial clip. You get the gist of the expansive new setting (with hunters literally looking down on the world at the start of the video, as well as the thrill of grappling around and running up a mountain), the cuteness of the dogs, a brief tease of new formidable foes; it's all there.
Oh, it has amiibo too. That might help shoot it up on the list of my most anticipated games of 2021 list! I can't escape the hold of those little things.
[Update: Skunkape has since reached out to provide a tease of season two (the Ice Station Santa episode). They've also pointed out that the 2007 original is available on GOG as a free bonus for Remastered owners. They are "in the process of setting up the original episodes as free DLC on Steam" if you have the remaster.]
Itching for more Sam & Max remastered seasons? Well, developer Skunkape Games has you covered.
Revealed in a very low key AMA earlier this month, the studio is already working on future seasons. Two and three are outright confirmed in the following statement: "We started work on remastering Season Two before the Save The World remaster even came out! Surprise! How well Save the World sells will help us determine the scope for the remasters of seasons 2 and 3." That's confidence!
As a reminder, Beyond Time and Space (S2) debuted its first episode in 2007, and The Devil's Playhouse (S3) arrived in 2010. All of the seasons have their own charm to them, thanks in part due to the great performances and characterizations of the titular duo.
Skunkape Games also shed some light on a few other tidbits of the development process, like the fact that they don't plan on making old voices available in the remasters, and are "working on a way to make the old games playable again," in spite of their delisting. It is confirmed that each season will be "separate games," as well.
When the discussion of beautiful video games is raised, very rarely does the conversation go long without someone mentioning Square Enix's iconic RPG franchise Final Fantasy. And with good cause, as the decades-long adventure franchise has offered fans some of the most beautiful and memorable characters and vistas in the artistic media of video games.
Among the many people responsible for these indelible heroes, villains, and worlds is artist Isamu Kamikokuryo, who plied his tried at Square Enix for almost 20 years. In this time, Kamikokuryo worked as a lead artist and artistic director in a slew of Final Fantasy titles, beginning with 2001's Final Fantasy X, through 2017's Final Fantasy XV. Kamikokuryo would then leave Square Enix in 2017 to go freelance, and has since worked with Nintendo on titles such as this year's Paper Mario: The Origami King.
[Update: CD Projekt Red has "fixed" the save issue, but not really; because that's just how this game rolls.
According to hotfix 1.06's notes, they have "removed the 8MB save file size limit, but it will "not fix save files corrupted before the update. Welp, goodnight everybody! Good luck if you were impacted.]
In my review of Cyberpunk 2077, I was able to test the game on PC; which was devoid of many game-breaking bugs that are present on the console editions. But naturally, a few are popping up.
This one actually impacts all platforms (even Stadia!), but should be very familiar for anyone who has played Elder Scrolls titles, from Morrowind to Skyrim. It's none other than the bloated save file bug, which makes saved games unusable after certain parameters are met (it rises above 8MB). The actual in-game text is "saved data is damaged and cannot be loaded."
This isn't an isolated issue, as it seemingly was just a ticking time bomb. Doing things like crafting and acquiring more items/gear triggers the bug, which pushes save files over the 8MB edge: it was only a matter of time until it happened.
Mind, this bug was officially acknowledged over on the CDPR forums, where the current fix on PC is to back up all your saves, repair the game, then erase the corrupted saves and replace them. As a forum moderator recommends, "keep doing this" as you troubleshoot, as "it can often be the loading process, not the save process" that corrupts the save. "Keep doing it" eh?
Not content with a slew of recent festive updates, the endless adventures of Nintendo's mobile battler Fire Emblem Heroes is getting set to ring changes, (and heads), with the arrival of its New Year's event. The new update offers a quartet of returning characters, bedecked in finery fitting the occasion.
The "New Year: Special Heroes" event sees the return of Fire Emblem Heroes' dream-master Plumeria, along with grumpy wolf-gal Velouria and narcissistic fox-boy Kaden from Fire Emblem Fates. Rounding out the quartet is a new Dual-Hero in the form of Ljósálfar Peony and Dökkálfar Triandra - the latter of whom seems a little uncomfortable stripped of her typically Gothic attire.
In today's contest you can win a copy of Wingspan for Nintendo Switch!
Apparently, Wingspan was a pretty big hit in the realm of board games. Who'da thunk that a game about collecting birds would wind up as such a banger? It's wild.
Anyway, enough stallin' -- we've got some Switch copies of the official video game adaptation to give away!
Nintendo highlighted the best-selling indie games of 2020 on Nintendo Switch, and not to guilt-trip you or anything, but I'm curious: how many of these did you manage to play? Anything slip by? Any to-dos?
Here's the list of games, in order of appearance:
We could get into which of these games are truly "indie" in spirit, but they're all keepers.
I left Spiritfarer hanging somewhere in the middle of the story, and I still feel bad about it. (Don't worry, I'm planning to return.) Of the stuff I haven't checked out yet but am open to playing, the mind-bending puzzles of Superliminal and the soothing ARPG vibes of CrossCode are speaking to me the most.
Otherwise, there's a little bit of everything on this list – Castlevania-style platforming, calm rice farming, party-game hijinks, a goofy sports game and a comparatively serious one, and the untouchable Hades.
Respawn Entertainment is keeping busy as of late. As it should be! This is a studio that has proven itself time and time again in recent years, cementing itself as one of EA's most valuable development teams thanks to the success of games like Titanfall 2, Apex Legends, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Thanks to a job listing, we know that one of Respawn's newest projects won't be something we're already familiar with. A role for a software engineer mentions that Respawn is looking for someone to "join a small new team being formed to develop a brand new IP." That could mean absolutely anything. The sky's the limit.
As for Respawn's current affairs, Apex Legends became so successful that EA opened a Canadian branch specifically to focus on that battle royale. Also, it seems as though more Star Wars Jedi titles are in the works, and that a new Titanfall isn't an imminent priority. This new IP will be, at a minimum, the third thing that Respawn is tackling all at once.
Generalist Software Engineer -- New IP Incubation Team [Respawn Entertainment]
We're at the point in 2020 where we're celebrating the best of the best (or the worst of the worst!). It's an interesting time for takes, and that includes this recent, and interesting, "Best of 2020" award from Famitsu.
The outlet, using their influence, managed to corral 132 game developers, as well as gaming celebrities ("voice actors" is a descriptor used, but a few illustrators and entertainers voted) to choose the best titles of 2020. As they point out, Death Stranding took 2019's top honors, with Marvel's Spider-Man nabbing the award in 2018: so the winner doesn't have to be a Japanese studio.
This year, interestingly enough, a game about Japan by a western studio took it: Ghost of Tsushima. In second place was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, followed by Final Fantasy VII Remake, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
You can check out the full rundown here, which publicly lists the folks involved with the process (with studios from Arc System Works to Square Enix participating).
Famitsu Game Awards 2020 [Famitsu]
The final UK Charts of 2020 have been released, and see Electronic Arts' football sim FIFA 21 sitting pretty at number one, just missing out on the coveted Christmas Number One position by a mere week. That title belongs to Ubisoft's viking adventure Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
Understandably, much of the Top Ten is occupied by December's big sellers, such as Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Sony's Spider-Man Miles Morales, CDPR's Cyberpunk 2077, and Ubisoft's perennial Holiday success Just Dance 2021. Nintendo is represented by Switch releases Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars, with the Switch port of the iconic Minecraft rounding out the Top Ten.
2020 has seen physical sales down on all major releases, even from some of the most reputable and reliable franchises. As the industry prepares for another year of uncertainty - along with a brand new generation of gaming consoles - it's an inarguable inevitability that video game buyers will continue to push toward digital purchases into 2021 and beyond.
I'm not sure I would've crossed paths with Solitairica were it not for this whole 15 Days of Free Games promo over on the Epic Games Store, but yeah, I'll take it – a roguelike RPG riff on Solitaire sounds fun.
If you're of a similar mind – or you just like to claim free stuff – the deadline is tomorrow morning.
Solitairica is a spell-casting turn-based strategy game with offensive and defensive maneuvering on top of a familiar card-game foundation, and there are extra progression hooks, including unlockable decks and card upgrades, to lessen the sting of promising runs that just fall apart. We meet again, RNG.
There are only two more PC games left to go in the Epic Store's 2020 holiday giveaway: Torchlight II on December 30, and Jurassic World Evolution on December 31. I hope you got everything you wanted.
Remember Blood & Truth? Well, I don't blame you if you're confused. It came out in the before times, and was a PSVR exclusive: I bet a lot of people missed it. Well, the gist is that it's a British gangster homage with VR gunplay and an action focus.
It was fun, but ultimately held back by the limitations of PSVR and the Move remotes: I felt like it would be better served on a more unchained platform like the Valve Index or the Oculus Rift/Quest. While we likely won't see the Sony studio branch out beyond PSVR, we could get a more advanced VR game on PS5, if their VFX lead's LinkedIn page is anything to go by.
While the listing for the PS5 game is vague (we don't know if it's VR, even though it likely could be), we now know that they're working on a new title. Hiring seems to be a go, for what they are calling the "next big title" from the studio.
I say bring it on. With new tech, VR could push the PSVR further. I just hope Sony does something about the outdated Move remotes at some point if they really want to keep selling VR experiences.
David Skilton [LinkedIn via DualShockers]
Make sure you're sitting down for this news: The PlayStation 5 is off to a tremendous start. This probably won't take you by surprise; it was nearly impossible to find a PS5 (or Xbox Series X for that matter) anytime around launch. Demand was definitely greater than supply.
According to a Digitimes report (which is behind a paywall but was reported on by Gematsu), Sony will be able to significantly up its manufacturing to meet the PS5's considerable demand. It expects to reach upwards of 18 million sales by the end of 2021. A big lift in the manufacturing numbers comes from AMD who will be able to nab additional resources for producing the custom CPU.
Thus far, Sony has managed 3.4 million sales in the first four weeks that the PS5 was on the market. That is certainly the entirety of the available stock, with the lion's share of the sales going to North America and Europe. That's already enough to be deemed "the highest [launch window sales] ever for a PlayStation console," but it would've been a whole lot more without supply chain logistics bottlenecking everything.
PS5 shipments to reach 16.8-18 million units in 2021 [Digitimes via Gematsu]
Three years on from its initial release, NieR: Automata is still shifting units. Publisher Square Enix announced that its emotional tale of robo-dystopia has successfully passed the milestone of a recorded five million shipments and digital sales since its launch back in February 2017.
Available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, (though the latter did require a variety of fan fixes to achieve a stable state), NieR: Automata is a spin-off from the Drakengard series and tells the story of a miserable proxy war between alien forces and the dwindling army of human-created androids left defending what remains of the planet. NieR: Automata blends deep RPG mechanics with developer Platinum Games' trademark hack 'n' slash action.
In case you missed it, Famitsu checked in with a ton of high-profile Japanese game developers on what they have planned for the new year (and beyond), and a few of them have a few interesting things to say.
One of the responses that really caught my eye was from Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki "Yoshi P" Yoshida, who is going into 2021 with an "open mind" and a busy schedule. According to Yoshida, "2021 will be the busiest year of [his] career." Yoshida notes, "I'd like to make it a year in which I can deliver surprise and excitement to gamers and players, while also paying attention to my health."
Given how tirelessly he works on Final Fantasy XIV, I'd say that's a good idea. But it's not just XIV that's going to have announcements, as he's also working on Final Fantasy XVI. We can likely expect the new XIV expansion announcement in February, as well as more news about XVI.
So what else is happening at Square? Well, Bravely Default producer Tomoya Asano hopes that Bravely Default II is a success, at which point they can "prepare for the next one," which could be Bravely Default Third/III or something else. FFVII Remake co-lead Yoshinori Kitase says that "developments are in preparation" for the follow-up, but we need to wait a little longer for those details.
Arc System Works has announced that it will release the trailer for Anji Mito - the latest character to join the roster of upcoming fighter Guilty Gear Strive - late on December 31. There's nothing quite like making a timely entrance.
The handsome and hot-blooded fan-fighter debuted within the Guilty Gear franchise in 2000 entry Guilty Gear X, one of the few remaining humans of Japanese descent, Anji travels the globe in a dogged quest to find "That Man," keeping one step ahead of his opponents via his artistic and flamboyant fighting style, which combines acrobatic dancing with vicious attacks from his enchanted fans, a mythical artifact known as "Zessen."
Anji Mito's trailer will premiere December 31 at 16:00 PT / 19:00 ET / 01:00 BST. Guilty Gear Strive launches on PS4, PS5, and PC in April 2021.
Just recently, Nintendo shared more info on Super Nintendo World via a physical walking tour with the father of Mario: Shigeru Miyamoto. It was amazing! Go watch it.
Back? Well you may have noticed that at some point in the video, Nintendo teased the Power-Up Bands (which are basically a form of Magic Bands from Disney parks), and some form of Switch functionality. Well, thanks to a new landing site, we now know a bit more on how that will all work.
According to the site, amiibo will correspond to the character on the band itself. So the above red band with the red "M" for Mario will become a "Mario amiibo." Other bands match up to Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Toad, and Yoshi. The bands are used directly with the Switch NFC point on the Joy-Con or the Pro Controller, but "are not compatible with the 3DS or Wii U."
Of course, the bands will also work in the park as a scorekeeping mechanism of sorts, which interacts with various "activities." I wonder how they'll play out in the US version of the park with long lines.
Power-Up Band [Nintendo]
In a surprising but wholly welcome piece of news, fighting game maestro Arc System Works will team with fellow developers Eighting and Neople to create a one-on-one fighter set within the universe of Dungeon Fighter Online.
The tentatively titled DNF Duel was revealed just a few days ago at the Dungeon & Fighter Universe Festival, held in Korea by DFO publisher Nexon. While details are extremely short, DNF Duel will be a 2D anime affair much akin to titles such as Guilty Gear and Granblue Fantasy: Versus, and will no doubt feature warriors pulled from DFO's huge roster of heroes and villains.
While no platforms nor a release date were revealed, having the pedigree of Arc System Works and Eighting in its corner certainly sets DNF Duel in good stead. A short teaser trailer, which you can check out below, already shows a ton of promise.
One of the things I look forward to the most during each holiday season is Famitsu's massive "end of year interview" initiative.
Typically, Famitsu taps nearly every major Japanese publisher for brief comments on their 2021 goals; some of which dish up huge direct or indirect teases. This year, we got a ton of that. Platinum Games is checking in to tell us a bunch of stuff we already know, but it's generally good news nonetheless.
Speaking for Platinum, famed producer Hideki Kamiya noted that although "many people are worried about Bayonetta 3," "verifications of new systems have been going great and development is going very well." Kamiya admits that this is a "copy" of prior comments, but the point still stands.
But what about their future endeavors? Well, Project G.G. (working title) is actually happening in earnest, and has moved on from just an idea. Kamiya says that work has "finally started moving, so please look forward to it." Remember, Platinum is also developing Babylon's Fall, and possibly some secret projects we don't know about yet.
Kamiya's "keyword" for 2021? "Do my best." He always does!
End of Year Creator Interviews [Famitsu via Gematsu]
The PlayStation Vita will always be one of the more fascinating gaming devices to come out of Sony. It was powerful, beautiful, and produced some of the most inventive games on the market. And yet, it didn't really go anywhere. It kind of just hit and then slowly fizzled away over the next several years, surviving on niche JRPGs and celebrated visual novels. For some, it was their Persona machine and nothing more.
My first brush with the Vita ecosystem came a few years down the road. Sony, in some sort of attempt to salvage the brand, released the PlayStation TV in 2013. There was much anticipation for it until everyone realized many of their Vita games wouldn't work with it. The PS TV launched in the US for $100 in October 2014. Ten months later, you could get it brand new for $35 or less, which is exactly when I picked it up, along with a copy of Persona 4 Golden and a far-too-small 16 GB memory card.
I was reminded of all this on Sunday when my post on the Xbox Series S went live, and some commenters noticed the device sitting on my TV stand. Despite picking up an OLED PlayStation Vita in 2017, I never got rid of my PS TV. Sure, it hasn't been hooked up in years, but I can't stand to part with the little guy just yet. Too many happy memories of me playing Muramasa Rebirth on it.
There is a very good chance I'd still play it today if I could just get my hands on a larger memory card. The Vita line-up has so many gems that I'd buy in a heartbeat if I didn't have to keep downloading and deleting them from my tiny 16 GB card. I curse myself for being so cheap back then, though Sony's utter reluctance to drop the price of its cards is more to blame.
Full game trials are something I'd like to see more of in general and also specifically for multiplatform games. Sometimes you want to see – and feel – how a particular game runs on Switch, y'know?
This week, Nintendo is hosting another one of its infrequent Nintendo Switch Online game trials. If you have a membership and you're in a kart-racing mood, you can play the full version of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled from Wednesday, December 30 at 11:00 a.m. PT until Tuesday, January 5 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
By "full version," they mean you play CTR Nitro-Fueled alone, locally, or online – the latter is a bloodbath! This is one of those games that a lot of folks are bewilderingly good at. They're monsters. Trust no one.
If you're wondering if this limited-time promo is worth the trouble, I'd say so. The file size is 9.3 GB.
Crash Team Racing isn't currently on sale on Switch, but it's down to $14 on PS4 and Xbox One.
@NintendoAmerica [Twitter]
Granzella appears to be gearing up for a fifth entry in its destructive adventure series, Disaster Report. In a recent blog post by the Japanese developer, Granzella reflected on the 2020 PC release of Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories, whilst hinting that more chaos is already in the works.
"According to information I acquired from sources I am unable to disclose, planning and partial prototyping for Disaster Report 5 seems to have already begun," reads the article in its final, teasing statement. "As for whether or not 'Stiver Island' (Capital Island) is involved in the story this time… I’ll leave it at that for now as I’d rather not lose my job."
Beyond the official Granzella blog referencing "unknown sources", this tease will no doubt come as a happy confirmation for franchise fans. Originally launching on PS2 back in 2002, the Disaster Report series sees players pick their way through the aftermath of a city-wide catastrophe, helping fellow citizens and avoiding dangers in an ongoing effort to escape the danger zone alive.
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is available now on PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
Granzella teases Disaster Report 5 already in development [Gematsu]
