January 2021

New Year’s Gaming Resolutions and 2021 Predictions | Final Checkpoint Podcast Ep. 70 Read More »

Being a Pokemon Master sure is an exhausting endeavor.

The games and merchandise may be marketed to kids, but make no mistake, this is a lifestyle for grown-ass men and women. Between the competitive battling, unexplained in-game mysteries, and Garbodor just being a tool in general, there’s a myriad of stressors that will make you pull your hair out, and/or pull the hair out of an unfortunate passerby.

Of all of the pressure points, however, none stand quite as tall as the concept of completionism. For more than twenty years, we were instructed to ‘catch ‘em all’ — at least up until Sword and Shield jettisoned the unworthy excess, tasking us instead with the far less marketable ‘catch ‘em some, I guess. Just buy the DLC and go away’.

Hundreds of hours sunk into seeking out that elusive Goomy on a rainy day, or gently coaxing your Golbat to evolve through sheer love (to be boxed thereafter for all eternity). Then, just when you think it couldn’t get any tenser, those damned mythical Pokemon resurface and the fandom is whipped into a frenzy.

Ever since the days of the humble Mew, mythical Pokemon have always been a cut above the rest. The fact that they can’t be obtained through conventional means renders them finite, and if you miss out the first go around, you can never be too sure if and when they’ll ever appear again.

Last night, Raven Software confirmed that an update for Warzone is being worked on that will aim to balance the DMR-14, MAC-10, Type-63, and Dual Diamatti Pistols.

Update: The patch is now going live on all platforms. Raven tweeted the following patch notes.

• DMR 14 – Reduced headshot damage, increased recoil
• Type 63 – Reduced headshot damage, increased recoil
• Mac-10 – Decreased headshot multiplier
• Dual pistols – Increased hip fire spread, decreased damage range

For a few weeks now, Warzone players far and wide have been asking for the weapons in question, the DMR more so than any other, to be nerfed after they took over the battle royale’s weapon meta when they were introduced to the game as part of Cold War Season One in mid-December.

The DMR is capable of downing and enemy in a little as two bullets, resulting in the time-to-kill being significantly lower than it is for any other assault rifle. Just check out the video below to see just how unbeatable it is.

Today NIS America released a brand new trailer of its upcoming and colorful game Poison Control.

The trailer focuses on gameplay, and shows how you can alternate control of your body in order to purify hell.

You can check it out below.

Here’s how NIS America itself describes the game:

“The player character and Poisonette, two souls within a single body, take turns controlling the body to purify Belle’s Hells by encircling poison mires, shooting poison bullets at enemies, and earning stickers upon successful purges to receive passage to Heaven. Getting close to Poisonette through bonding moments may even change the outcome of the story.”

The story is about a boy who gets lost in Hell, which is created by strong emotions and desire of humans both living and dead, called delusions. 

He has lost his body and merged with a local creature named “Poisonette.” In order to return to the real world, he has to purify hell.

Poison Control releases for PS4 and Nintendo Switch on April 13, 2021 in North America, April 16 in Europe, and April 20 in Oceania.

Ghost of Tsushima’s Sakai Katana

Gaming’s 6 Most Satisfying Weapons of 2020

Ghost of Tsushima was easily one of the best and most stylish games we had the pleasure of playing in 2020.

Xbox Game Pass for PC is starting off the new year strong by adding the mysterious What Remains Of Edith Finch. It’s a first-person exploration game poking round the strange, sprawling house built by the possibly-cursed Finch family over generations. It’s a bit of an RPS fave, and will arrive on Microsoft’s subscription service on January 14th. This is one I’ve been meaning to get my hands on for ages, so now I truly have no excuse.

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Kieron Gillen brings Jack Kirby creations back from death and obscurity

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AI teams will be more mindful of the QB talent they already have when drafting

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Now do fall colors!

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He said what???

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Union & Scale FlexFit Dexley Mesh Chair | $150 | Staples

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Ketchup on eggs can be a subject of intense debate. Is this a combination you grew up with, or is the idea completely foreign to you? Based off of casual conversation here at The Takeout, it’s clear that for every enthusiast, there’s a hater who despise the very idea of Heinz on the breakfast table. And as a…

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Both the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 are incredible systems, each with something unique to offer gamers depending on what they are looking for. That being said, the PS5 DualSense controller has been something extraordinary, with even more immersive haptics and a design that feels unbelievable. Players aren't the only ones impressed with this addition to new-gen technology, Microsoft is now asking Series X/S players if they would be interested in features like that on their system as well in a new survey. 

Post-launch surveys are nothing new, both Sony and Microsoft are getting a feel for how new players are enjoying their new systems. The recent Xbox survey is pretty standard regarding questions like "what would you like to see improved" "how would you describe your experience," and more. Also asked, however, is if Xbox Series X/S players would be interested in seeing some of DualSense's more advanced features within Team Green's system. 

When asking if the Series X/S "feels next-gen," the topic of possible DualSense-like features was brought up, asking: "Are you aware of features on PlayStation controllers" and if those features are desired on Xbox. 

Super Nintendo World is an immersive themepark that is opening its doors in Japan this February. It's a fun area designed specifically around beloved Nintendo franchises, giving fans a rich, fan service-driven experience that even offers AR enhancements. To celebrate the coming opening, a new commercial just aired in Japan for the Nintendo-themed park in addition to the website now being live. 

Super Nintendo World was initially slated for a 2020 Summer opening, but COVID-19's continued spread and lockdoor orders had other plans. Safety concerns prompted the halting of the grand opening, though the Osaka park seems now ready to harness that Nintendo-loving spirit when it opens on February 4. Take a look at the commercial below to get a small taste of what's to come: 

Interested fans of the Big N can also now go to the website, which offers a virtual tour of the park in both Japanese and English. You can go on that digital ride right here. 

For those that don't feel quite up to making a trip over to Japan, other locations around the world will be opening up at a later date, including a park in the United States. 

After Madden NFL 21 brought minimal updates to franchise mode at launch, the community pounded on the studio's digital door, demanding more meaningful updates to the popular mode. The studio promised to "fix franchise" as its community requested, with the first update hitting last November. That initial update added things like X-Factor and Superstar ability customization, revamped player card stats, more balanced progression, and an easier way to get a glimpse of the playoff picture. The next update continues down the path of righting the franchise ship by improving CPU draft logic and adding more commissioner tools

SNK announced that the KOF XV and Samurai Shodown announcement stream, which was supposed to appear today, won't air as planned.

The post KOF XV and Samurai Shodown Announcements Delayed appeared first on Siliconera.

New SSBU Spirits are on the way to kick off 2021, and they'll add three characters from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity to the game.

The post SSBU Age of Calamity Spirits Will Join the Roster appeared first on Siliconera.

Hell is full of mire and monsters! Find out what it's like to take charge and try to help the Hell's Belles in a new Poison Control gameplay trailer.

The post Find Out Exactly How Poison Control Has You Clean Up Hell appeared first on Siliconera.

People Can Fly’s upcoming looter-shooter Outriders looks like one of 2021’s early stars, but those looking forward to it will have to wait a little longer for its release. In a social media post today, the developer announced Outriders’ launch date is moving by two months, from its original Feb. 2 to April 1.

Thankfully, as you’ll read in the full message below, there’s a free demo available from late February. Best of all, the demo features save migration, meaning that any progress you make will carry over to the final product — a mechanic we see precious few games implementing these days.

An important update regarding Outriders. pic.twitter.com/HHZrq5GIik

— Outriders (@Outriders) January 6, 2021

For those not up to speed, Outriders is a 1-3 player co-op shooter set in a dark sci-fi universe. Its story tells the tale of making struggling to survive on the hostile planet Enoch, with players tasked with creating their own “Outrider” to conquer the obstacles standing in their way.

Twinfinite has already played a couple of hours of Outriders during a hands-on preview event last year, and we were thoroughly impressed with the early build.

In fact, our editor in chief, Ed McGlone, concluded:

Third-party add-on developer Imaginesim recently released Atlanta airport (KATL) for Microsoft Flight Simulator, but they aren’t stopping there.

A representative of the studio responded today to an inquiry from Twinfinite, confirming that Singapore (WSSS) is already in the works and tentatively slated for a February release.

More airports that Imaginesim has already released for older simulators are also planned, including Barbados (TBPB), Austin (KAUS), New York LaGuardia (KLGA) and Shanghai (ZSPD).

“We are currently working on bringing WSSS Singapore to MSFS, probably for release in February. We’ll also be releasing MSFS versions of our other popular airports – TBPB Barbados, KAUS Austin, KLGA LaGuardia and ZSPD Shanghai.”

Incidentally, keep in mind that the picture above is from the real airport, as no images of the Microsoft Flight Simulator version have been shared yet.

That being said, considering the quality of Atlanta, there are good reasons to be excited about future releases.

Fire Emblem Heroes is getting set for its next update, despite still being currently wallowing in festive heroes and its steampunky new story content. The latest update for Nintendo mobile battle title sees the coming of several characters from one of the series' rarest entries, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776.

The third and final Fire Emblem release for the Super Famicom, Thracia 776 was purchasable in Japan via the fabled "Nintendo Power" service, which offered subscribers various titles that could be downloaded onto special rewriteable Super Famicom carts. Pretty neat, huh? Thracia 776 would eventually find its way onto Nintendo Wii via the eShop in the summer of 2008, but remains one of the lesser-played series entries.

Joining the Fire Emblem Heroes gacha sack are young hero mage Asbel, Fiana Freeblade hunter Ronan, Miranda, the hot-blooded princess of Ulster, and finally Sara, a mysterious young girl with otherworldly powers and an extremely cloudy past. You can check out these old-school warriors in action in the trailer below. The new update will go live in-game on January 7 at 23:00 PT, and January 8 at 02:00 ET and 08:00 BST.

This one has been making the rounds again on social media and I just had to share it. Somehow, I had never seen this before today!

Easy Allies managed to bring this amazing moment back into the collective consciousness of the Final Fantasy XIV community on Twitter, which mostly focuses on one moment: a fan inquiry for "classic" Final Fantasy XIV servers.

So there's one main thing to keep in mind here: Final Fantasy XIV 1.0 was a disaster. I was there! It was so amazingly underwhelming that I remember previewing it at E3 over a decade ago and thinking "wow, they're going to ship this."

Since then, thanks to the tireless efforts of Naoki "Yoshi P" Yoshida and his crew, Square Enix managed to turn the ship around. 2.0, also known as "A Realm Reborn" was a success, to the point where it's commonplace for the gaming community to refer to a successful full rework as "The Realm Reborn Treatment."

So when Yoshi P was asked (most likely in jest) about "classic" 1.0 servers at E3 2019 (remember E3?), he understandably lost it. His main takeaway is one phrase: "nightmare." I think he perfectly summed it up!

So, Cyberpunk 2077! I hear crickets and groans. Sorry folks.

A lot of people are still digging it (particularly on the less-glitch-ridden PC), but a lot of folks are exasperated by it. It turns out that feeling is spilling over on Steam, and is quantifiable, according to the folks over at GitHyp.

Based on new data scraped from Steam, GitHyp suggests that the "one million concurrent Steam player" number has dropped significantly. That makes sense! It's been a little while, and it's a single-player game. But GitHyp notes that this 79% drop isn't as typical for CD Projekt Red, who usually has a strong long-term playerbase.

According to the data, The Witcher 3 retained over 50% of its (lower) player base within the same time period, and it took three full months to get to the numbers that Cyberpunk 2077 is at. Okay, so having exhausted most of the content Cyberpunk 2077 has to offer, there's a few logical explanations for this.

One, Cyberpunk 2077, to a lot of people, just isn't as good as Witcher 3: even without all of the bug baggage. It's also significantly shorter if you opt for the critical path (something a lot of casual players often do), and with the current global situation, people have more time to blaze through single-player games.

That said, anecdotally, Witcher 3 did have much more staying power in my household.

Cyberpunk 2077's player base [GitHyp]

All of game development is magical, truly, but there is a very special kind of excitement when environment artists unveil their work. A senior game designer over at Respawn Entertainment has done just that, showing off what some Medal Of Honor: Above And Beyond levels looked like before and after she turned them over to environment artists. It is, without exaggeration, wonderful.

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Games about destruction tend not to do the whole destruction thing very well. Put it this way: for years Red Faction has been the banner for destruction in games, despite its most recent instalment releasing nine years ago and its core being rather more about shooting than destruction. While you can destroy lots of things in Red Faction, there’s not much of a game in it.

Thankfully, we now have a new banner destruction game: Teardown, a game in which you can destroy pretty much everything. But Teardown’s serendipitous and difficult journey from tech tinkering to release taught lead developer Dennis Gustafsson something important about the whole idea of letting players demolish stuff. “There’s this expectation that more destruction in games is always a good thing. But actually, it’s really, really hard to design something around a fully destructible world.” (more…)

Loved-up modders have managed to let Cyberpunk 2077‘s male V get sweaty with Judy, who in the game only becomes pals with gals. Their romance even has voice lines from male V. But while this has some players crowing about ‘cut content’ (a deeply cursed phrase, that), it’s all just noise distracting from the real hole in Cyberpunk 2077’s roster of eligible bachelors: why can’t I date Brendan, the vending machine?

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If you fancy some new space flight shenanigans to kick off your 2021, then you might be pleased to learn Everspace 2 comes out in early access soon. Moving away from the roguelike style of the first Everspace, the sequel is a single-player looter shooter that plonks players into a big open-world campaign. It hits early access on Steam and GOG on January 18th.

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The game was removed from a number of platforms in August 2020 due to a dispute between developer Frogwares and publisher Nacon. ...

Following the successful port of Warface to the Switch, MY.GAMES†™ studio Allods Team tried its hand at porting the MMO Skyforge. Some things went really well, and others were more difficult. ...

What if Microsoft bought Nintendo in the run up to the original Xbox? The last 20 years of video games would look pretty different, I imagine. Well, it turns out Microsoft actually tried to make it happen.

In an oral history on the creation of the original Xbox published by Bloomberg (paywall), those involved with the console reveal they tried to use Microsoft's millions to secure Xbox exclusives, and actually met Nintendo to see if they would consider being acquired.

But, according to Kevin Bachus, former director of third-party relations, that meeting didn't go so well.

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Outriders, the next game from Bulletstorm studio People Can Fly, has been delayed until 1st April 2021 (no joke).

The sci-fi looter-shooter had been due to arrive in just under a month, on 2nd February.

Now, publisher Square Enix has announced a demo of Outriders will arrive first, on 25th February, which will let you try the game's initial few hours and test out all of its classes. You'll also be able to play in co-op, and carry over your character and progress to the full game.

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The website was updated with an interactive map

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In the early 20th century, the writer saw a lot of shit

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VFX developer Matt Wilde spills the beer

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After two generations at the centre of Nintendo’s consoles, Miis seemingly took a back seat for Switch. You can still design a Nintendo-themed avatar on the handheld hybrid system, but Nintendo games support them far less frequently, with token appearances in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate their most notable appearances. It led many to believe the age of the Mii was over, but a new discovery seems to show that Miis are secretly at the heart of one of Nintendo’s most beloved Switch games – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You just wouldn’t necessarily know that at first glance.

On January 4, Mii modder HEYimHeroic posted a discovery that seemed to confirm that Mii-like parameters had been used to create NPCs in Breath of the Wild, by using modding to inject custom Miis’ details into the game and seeing their familiar cartoon faces rendered as Hylians in Breath of the Wild’s art style. Those results seem to prove that Breath of the Wild’s NPCs are a form of advanced Mii - a point the game’s code helps support by referring to them as ‘UMiis’.

Hi, Mii expert here. Turns out, the NPCs in TLoZ:BotW use an advanced version of the Mii format. This means that with modding, you can inject Miis into the game. :)

An important update regarding Outriders. pic.twitter.com/HHZrq5GIik

From the shiny hardwood floor of a basketball court to the far reaches of space, this year’s best comics took readers to all sorts of distant lands. Granted, “distant” gained a new meaning when people were expected to stay in their homes as much as possible. Like the entire entertainment and publishing industries, the…

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32“ LG 4K LED Monitor | $400 | BuyDig | Use Code KHY27

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Moody cosmic horror game The Sinking City is now back up on Steam and other digital storefronts following the latest developments in an ongoing legal fight between developer Frogwares and the game’s publishing partner, Nacon, taking place in the Paris Court of Appeal.

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Last night, I stumbled upon a puzzle in Immortals Fenyx Rising that can only be described as “pinball, but Ancient Greek.” It’s cool as Hades, and I love it. I also hate it with the fire of the Phlegethon. You should definitely check it out.

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