February 2021

RAVPower 30W Two-Port USB Charger | $14 | Amazon | Use On-Page Coupon

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The Mass Effect Legendary Edition will be out May 14th, and amid the myriad of emotions I am feeling right now, one tidbit of information gives me pause. According to reports on Eurogamer and VentureBeat, in addition to all the fancy graphical bells and whistles BioWare is adding to the eldest of the trilogy, the…

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Folks, I’m gonna be honest with you. Over my (short) tenure covering digital privacy, I’ve seen my fair share of deeply shitty tech companies pulling deeply shitty stunts in attempts to profit off our personal data. Facebook is one of the names that comes up most frequently here, and that’s partially because their…

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In case you were wondering what the next Xbox Game Pass Final Fantasy game will be, it's FFXII: The Zodiac Age. Return to Ivalice this month.

The post FFXII Is the Next Final Fantasy Game on Xbox Game Pass appeared first on Siliconera.

The next Build-a-Bear Pokemon Plush is Mew! And fortunately, you won't have to attend an event or search under a truck for it.

The post The Build-a-Bear Mew Is Now in Stores (and Not Under Any Trucks) appeared first on Siliconera.

The final Cryamore Kickstarter update, and first one since February 2019, says all backers will receive refunds.

The post Cryamore Kickstarter Refunds Will Begin Being Sent Out in March appeared first on Siliconera.

Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the biggest stories in the gaming industry last year was Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media, which saw the former dole out a staggering $7.5 billion for the umbrella group and its subsidiary companies, including publisher Bethesda Softworks.

But despite the initial sale declaration made back in September 2020, Microsoft still has to settle several matters of red tape before the purchase can be completed, the latest of which sees Microsoft appealing to the European Union for its approval of the industry-shaking transaction.

The regulators of the EU must investigate Microsoft's purchase regarding matters of Antitrust - essentially checking to make sure that the purchase does not break any of the EU's laws designed to prevent the formation of monopolies. This is a standard stage of legality in mergers of this nature, and was also applied to Tencent's 2016 purchase of mobile developer King, as well as the 2008 merger that spawned the company we know today as Activision Blizzard.

Shortly after the purchase was announced, Microsoft officials were quick to note that the deal did not necessarily mean future Bethesda products would be Xbox exclusive, noting that game platforms would be decided on a "case-by-case" basis. In fact, out of the gate, Sony will retain its PlayStation exclusivity deal on Bethesda's Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo.

The EU has until March 5 to complete its investigations and come to a decision, but it remains likely that the commission will offer Microsoft its approval of the ZeniMax purchase, which will then enter its completion stages later in 2021.

The viking-themed Kaldheim set is out now in Magic: Arena, and people seem to be taking to it.

A few new archetypes have already sprung up to combat the popular Dimir Rogues theme, and I love seeing all new lovely card art. But before you dive in, you probably want to grab some free packs. Just like in the past, you can enter a code in the storefront to get free stuff. Right at the top, enter the code "PLAYKALDHEIM" without the quotes and you're good to go with three packs.

So how is Kaldheim going in general?  Goldspan Dragon is a really fun and interactive card that I'm seeing a lot more of now, as well as new hotness like Magda, Brazen Outlaw. As usual, new cards from previous packs are also now seeing more life in the competitive circuit.

As a reminder, you can check what sets are in standard here: it's quite a bit until later this year! Next up is Strixhaven: School of Mages in the spring, followed by the D&D set in July, then Innistrad (which is two sets) in September and November respectively.

Today sees the start of a surprising crossover between two popular franchises, as Capcom's Resident Evil tips its decayed hat to Ubisoft's team-shooter The Division 2. Strange bedfellows indeed... and this isn't even the weirdest Division crossover you'll read about this week...

GTA Online and Red Dead Online have a problem

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I would skip Paimon’s lines too

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Take down Rocket members for rewards

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Not even Gene Kelly could save Turner Animation’s musical

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The anime hub announces the new series as subscriber base grows to 4 million

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If you want to be accurate, you’ll have to stand still

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As fun as it is to masquerade as Mando from The Mandalorian in Fortnite, how fun (or terrifying) would it be to be on the opposite end of his rifle barrel? And by that, I mean “actual” Mando and not some pre-teen rocking his skin. That’s the premise for Mando’s Bounty, Fortnite’s exciting new limited-time mode.

The Star-Wars-flavored mode tasks players with earning galactic credits by hunting down designated targets (displayed on bounty pucks) or other players in general. The catch is that whoever takes the lead becomes the bounty of the Mandalorian himself, meaning the top player will have to face-off against one of the galaxy’s greatest hunters. If you can best Mando and achieve a Victory Royale, you'll be rewarded with the Beskar Umbrella, a spiffy cosmetic that can presumably withstand lightsaber beams, laser bolts, and giant monster teeth. Or maybe it just makes you look a bit cooler. Mando’s Bounty also introduces a new location, Kit’s Cantina. 

The Pinnacle Station DLC in Mass Effect was actually developed by Demiurge Studios and allowed players to hone combat skills in an exciting way on top of a top-secret Alliance space station. With 13 competitive combat scenarios and a new location to discover, Pinnacle was an enjoyable add-on for fans of the space-faring action/RPG. But will it be included in the Mass Effect Legendary Edition remaster? Unfortunately, we've got some bad news. 

While the Legendary Edition offers over 40 DLC, including all of the additional storylines like Citadel and Leviathan, the Pinnacle Station DLC is not among the added content to enjoy. The training facility was the second DLC to be added to the game, though PS3 players were not able to partake due to the source code being lost. While the team would have liked to include Pinnacle in the upcoming remaster, the reason behind its exclusion was honestly beyond their control.

When speaking with game director Mac Walters, he confirmed that the entire ordeal of trying to get the code was "an emotional roller coaster." The team tried to contact everyone and anyone that had any connection to this DLC. When BioWare and EA contacted Demiurge, the studio responsible for this DLC, hope surged only to come crashing down once more when the backups for the code sent over contained almost all corrupted data – even vital links were missing. 

It’s been seven years since EA Sports’ last NCAA Football game. Following a 2014 ruling that prohibited college athletes from getting compensated for their likenesses, EA’s popular college football franchise was halted indefinitely. A new announcement, however, has unveiled some exciting news for fans who have been waiting to take to the collegiate gridiron once again. NCAA Football is coming back, except under a new name: EA Sports College Football. 

For those who never stopped believing...#EASPORTSCollegeFootball pic.twitter.com/2vDUYnbXEJ

Digital subscribers of Game Informer can now read our Mass Effect Legendary Edition cover story, as well as our massive feature about 50 exciting games we're looking forward to. Following today's cover reveal, our digital issue is now live to subscribers on web browsers, iPad/iPhone, and Android devices. Individual issues will be available for purchase later today. You can download the apps to view the issue by following this link. All of these digital options are included in a standard subscription.

The issue launches later this week on our third-party subscription apps including Kindle and Nook.

Not a digital subscriber yet? Star a new subscription here!

To this day, the Mass Effect trilogy still sparks passionate discussions and heated debates, showcasing how beloved its characters and worlds still are. The sci-fi RPG's impact on gamers and the industry cannot be denied, especially in how it experimented with player choice and its place in an authored story. As Commander Shepard, we all created our own stories while also being treated to an intense narrative packed with touching and tragic moments spanning three games. Whether you worked to gain each character’s loyalty, created your own romantic love triangles, or used paragon and renegade interrupts to showcase your leadership style, you have your own Shepard tale to tell. BioWare truly achieved something wonderful by making people care deeply about Shepard’s fight to save the galaxy. 

A new month means a new batch of games coming to Xbox Game Pass. Beginning this week, subscribers can look forward to playing a JRPG classic, engage in some social deception, or play as a mouse across console, PC, and Android via cloud gaming. You can also check out January's Game Pass additions here.

A new month means a fresh roster of additions to PlayStation Now, and February's a busy one for Sony's subscription service, ushering in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Detroit: Become Human, Darksiders Genesis, Little Nightmares, and more.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 joined Activision's ceaseless procession of franchise instalments in 2015, sending the series' reliably solid FPS action to the far-flung future of 2065. The high-tech-tinged end result earned itself a Eurogamer Recommended award back in the day, with contributor Edwin Evans-Thirlwell writing, "Where Treyarch's single-player struggles, the deftly tuned multiplayer soars, delivering a Call of Duty that's rich with options."

As for Detroit: Become Human, it's another heavily cinematic narrative adventure from the minds at Quantic Dream. This time, the studio serves up a sci-fi thriller focussed on the plight of a group of androids - and while its attempts to draw parallels with the likes of the civil rights movement are clumsy, it's by far the developer's most disciplined, engaging outing yet. "With this glib, rabble-rousing and admittedly enjoyable thriller," wrote Oli Welsh in his review, "Quantic Dream has finally delivered on the promise of its interactive storytelling format".

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Game artists, check out three (free!) GDC Showcase Discussion Sessions you won't want to miss out on next month. ...

In this 2018 GDC talk, Hybrid Architects' Sarah Bonser discusses ways that you can build your game's world through architecture. ...

Sign up for Susan O'Connor's GDC Masterclass to improve your narrative design skills! ...

Today multiple add-on developers revealed new screenshots of upcoming airports for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

First of all, we take a look at Chania Airport (LGSA) in Greece by Aerosoft, which is “getting closer to release.”

Westinghouse 58" 4K Roku TV | $300 | Best Buy

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After soaring for more than a week, GameStop’s stock has plummeted back down to earth, sinking below $100 a share several times today, a drop-off of more than $200 from last week.

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The latest official Fire Emblem Heroes popularity poll wasn’t won by Marth or Chrom or any of the other pretty-boy main characters from the franchise’s history. No, fans overwhelmingly voted for the unnamed Gatekeeper that guards the entrance to Garreg Mach Monastery in 2019’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

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In 2015 The Wall Street Journal reported that Nintendo and Netflix had joined forces for a live-action The Legend of Zelda TV series. What happened with that? According to comedian Adam Conover, Nintendo canceled both the live-action Zelda and an unannounced claymation Star Fox show because someone at Netflix spilled…

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Blazing Rangers, the new NES game from Karu_gamo and First Press Games, is a nostalgic old-school release. We’ve spent some time with it!

The post Preview: Blazing Rangers Rekindles the Fires of 8-Bit Nostalgia appeared first on Siliconera.

Fall Guys pushed out its Season 3.5 update today with a chaotic Snowball Survival round, an on-screen Fall Feed to keep you up to date as the competition progresses, and 40 variations for the old stages.

New levels are a highlight whenever they pop up – well, assuming the Fall Guys community takes to them – and Snowball Survival looks like a potential favorite for team-haters. Players have to dodge boulder-sized snowballs on a cracked floor until the timer runs out. Every bean for themself!

To get a leg up before you run into this level in a live match, here's a clip from Reddit user ThinkFree:

New final from r/FallGuysGame

If you've held off with Season 3 until now, this mid-season content will be even sweeter.

Heck, I'm less interested in figuring out precisely what's been tweaked in the existing levels than I am just revisiting all of this stuff in general. I enjoyed what I've seen of Season 3 but I haven't kept up as much as I'd like. I'm considering this a gentle nudge in that direction. We'll see if I can find the time.

If nothing else, I gotta pop into the store for the Godzilla costume and try my hand at Snowball Survival.

Well la-de-dah, check out you, the rich kid with the next-gen console and the fancy iPhone. You're the equivalent of that one kid at school in the 1990s who had a Neo Geo. But if you can tear yourself away from your vinyl collection long enough, Scrooge McDuck, I have some news for you concerning your shiny new hardware.

Apple has released the beta version of iOS 14.5, adding support for the PS5's snazzy DualSense and the Xbox Series X's own slick controller. This will allow next-gen players the opportunity to enjoy their iPhone/iPad games with the latest handheld tech. It should be reiterated iOS 14.5 is currently only in beta, but full compatibility with both next-gen controllers will be cleanly implemented once the software launches in the near future.

In addition to the controller support, iOS 14.5 will also allow for emergency contact calling via Siri, dual-SIM 5G support, and the ability to unlock your Apple Watch - which you also own, Ted DiBiase - while wearing a mask. A mask probably made of solid gold.

iOS 14.5 will support PS5 Dual Sense and Xbox Series X controllers [The Verge]

The Dark Aether storyline may be a product of its predecessors, but in a new look at the upcoming Firebase Z map for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the Zombies team explained how this part of the Call of Duty universe will be coming into its own.

Firebase Z, the map announced last year, is set in Vietnam, and players will be able to explore two separate areas. One is, of course, the firebase where scientists and soldiers carried out experiments and mined dark aether. The other is a village where the scientists slept and did their research. Because of all the scientific equipment lying around, players will be able to interact with some things mechanically, though we'll have to wait until the map drops to see what all is possible.

The way you played the game's previous Die Machine mode might not translate into how you take on Firebase Z. Lead level designer Anthony Saunders described the flow and level design of Firebase Z as similar to the Moon, in that you start in the village and eventually take a teleporter over to the firebase itself. Once you arrive at the outpost, there will be a hub of sorts with different paths you can choose from to navigate the area.

EA Sports has rolled out a new Instagram effect that allows fans to get involved with the drama and excitement of predicting a winner for this year's Super Bowl.

The Madden Prediction effect created by EA Sports cycles through a series of scores for the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before settling on a final score, with confetti raining down to cap it off. On my first try, I got a score of 56-3 in favor of the Chiefs. I think they have a good chance of winning the game, but that margin seems excessive. It's just a silly game, after all, and you'll probably get something different and potentially more believable.

The whole idea, anyway, is to get people to share their results and convince their friends to do the same to drum up interest for EA's eventual official Madden Super Bowl LV prediction. That has yet to be released, but with the Super Bowl coming up very soon, it should happen any day.

We've finally gotten a look at Destiny 2's next story development, kicking off on February 9 with the release of the Season of the Chosen. The story is going to bring in Caiatl, the new Cabal empress, and reinvigorates the Cabal threat after Vanguard leader Zavala refuses to ally with Caiatl and bow to the Cabal.

The trailer shows off a lot of new stuff, including a new matchmade seasonal activity, new armor and weapons, and new Strikes--well, new to some players, but refashioned for those of us who spent a lot of time in the Cosmodrome in the original Destiny. But the trailer ends on an interesting, spooky note, with the shot of a drifting Cabal ship, voice-over from Osiris that says "There's no Light here," and a brief flash of some creepy-looking creature.

The creature only appears in a couple of frames, but slow down the video and you can get a good look at it:

The PlayStation 5 continues to be in very short supply in 2021, with consoles selling out near-instantly every time they appear online. However, if you're someone who lives in the Midwest region of the United States, you may have a chance to get your hands on a PS5 in person soon. Supermarket chain Meijer announced on Twitter that PS5 consoles will soon be available in stores only. It urged hopeful buyers to check with their local Meijer store for availability and confirm it has PS5 stock.

According to Meijer, stores should have signs up indicating whether PS5 consoles are available in stores, but you may want to ask a store manager as well in case they know when stock will be available. The PS5 will be available at Meijer while supplies last, with "no rainchecks or substitutions."

Cheating is an issue that has plagued Call of Duty: Warzone since its launch. Just last month players were banned from a Twitch Rivals event over cheating accusations that were later recanted. Now, the issue has gotten so bad that several prominent players are calling it quits.

YouTuber Vikkstar (aka Vikram Singh Barn) was one of these content creators. In a video on his channel--which boasts over seven million followers--posted at the end of January, Vikkstar explained that while he still occasionally streams Warzone, he won't be making or posting videos about it anymore because the game is in "the worst state it has ever been" due to hackers.

"Activision isn't addressing how many hackers there are in the game," Vikkstar said in his video. According to the YouTuber, when he was playing before filing this video he ran into a hacker who was live-streaming themselves hacking on Facebook Gaming, and apparently had been for hours with hundreds of viewers. "The playerbase of the game is now so saturated with hackers, you tend to find them in every single lobby."