March 2021

[Update: Insomniac moves quick! The 60fps update for Ratchet & Clank on PS5 is live ahead of schedule. Just update your PS4 game to 1.08, and enjoy – there's "no setting to change" in a menu.]

In a move that PS5-owning Ratchet & Clank fans had been calling for, Insomniac Games is going to update 2016's PlayStation 4 title Ratchet & Clank to hit 60 frames per second when played on a PlayStation 5. The free update is planned to go out in April, which, oh shit, is already almost here.

Ratchet & Clank (2016) will be playable in 60 FPS on PS5 after a new update in April! As part of the Play at Home campaign, download the game for free now through 3/31. #RatchetPS4https://t.co/Iw6CMNByFU pic.twitter.com/VEFiW3IMWK

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) March 29, 2021

Asked if there would be any extra DualSense integration, Insomniac simply pointed to the upcoming Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Between the free giveaway for Play At Home 2021 and now this update, it's clear that they're looking to refresh everyone and roll right into the new PS5 game in June.

The first iteration of Loop Hero didn't come together on time. The latest game from the Four Quarters team started out as a game jam entry in Ludum Dare; the only problem was, by jam's end, it didn't really work.

On the page for what was called "LooPatHero" at the time, the team says they ran out of time for the 45th Ludum Dare, whose theme was "Start with nothing." And you really did start with nothing, starting a loop as an ambitious hero questing to take down the evil Lich.

Two weeks later, Four Quarters updated the page with a working build, including new sprites and a modified combat system. And on March 4, 2021, the team would launch a full version of Loop Hero that would become fairly successful on Steam, selling 500,000 copies in its first week on the platform.

Loop Hero is a continuously looping game, best described as the mash-up of idle games and management sims with the constant progression of a roguelite. The hero wakes up at camp and starts walking in a circle around the loop, and you can play various cards onto the field as tiles that will morph the world and place new challenges in the hero's path.

Electronic Arts has announced that it is currently developing a new PGA Tour golf title for release on next-gen platforms. The new game is being developed at EA Tiburon, who are the team behind the million-dollar Madden franchise.

Speaking in a lengthy blog post on the PGA Tour website, it was revealed that EA Sports PGA Tour will become the "home of championship golf" and will allow fairway friends to build a custom career and experience the thrills of the entire PGA season including the PGA Tour, The Players Championship, and the FedExCup Playoffs. The new title promises multiple real-life courses and a selection of world-renowned professional players.

"We've partnered with EA Sports to bring immersive golf video game experiences to fans of all ages for years," said PGA Tour Chief Legal Officer Len Brown. "We are thrilled to continue working with EA Sports on its golf franchise to authentically represent the PGA Tour for the next generation. The newest game will give golf fans another way to experience their favorite sport, or to discover their passion for it."

More information, including platforms and a release date, will be revealed "in the coming weeks."

Narita Boy left me conflicted like few other games have before. Its jaw-dropping neo-retro 2D aesthetic constantly treats your eyes to beautiful ‘80s themed backdrops, wildly imaginative character designs, and wonderfully fluid animations while a truly excellent synth-wave soundtrack perfectly underscores not only the action, and the emotional moments of its story are surprisingly poignant as well. But as far as actually playing it is concerned, Narita Boy is at best serviceable, with hollow exploration filled with constant backtracking, simple puzzles, and combat that never really evolves in ways that make tougher enemies any more fun to fight. And at its worst moments… well, let’s just say that thankfully it’s only at its worst for a fraction of its six or seven-hour length, because otherwise I’d need a whole lot more aspirin.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/24/narita-boy-release-date-trailer"]

You play as a young boy who suddenly gets dragged into a digital world after its creator, a genius hardware and software developer named Lionel Pearl, gets his memories stolen by a malicious program known as HIM. The boy assumes the role of the titular hero, “Narita Boy,” and sets out on an adventure to restore Lionel’s memories, defeat HIM, and save the digital world. However, that is a huge oversimplification of Narita Boy’s hard-to-follow overarching plot, which is bogged down with technical jargon and boring exposition dumps.

Bye, haters

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The patch also includes the new Miami Strike map and and update to Zombies’ Outbreak mode

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New to League? Skeptical veteran? No problem.

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The Xbox Wireless headset mixes potential and problems

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Some slice-of-life goodness

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Vostok Inc. developer Nosebleed Interactive is trading space-capitalism for retro-tinged arcade management in its newly unveiled Arcade Paradise, coming to PC and consoles later this year.

In Arcade Paradise, players are cast as Ashley, a teenager trying to transform the family's small-town laundromat into a bustling retro arcade, somewhere in the 1990s.

What follows is a game of two halves; on the one side, Ashley will need to complete dull chores - washing clothes, clearing out the rubbish, cleaning toilets (all given a suitably entertaining mini-game twist) - in order to raise the money needed to turn the King Wash laundromat into a booming arcade hangout, managing the business and investing profits along the way.

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The Falconeer, developer Tomas Sala's bird-based open-world air combat game, is getting a free new piracy themed DLC update today on PC and Xbox.

Atun's Folly, as the update is known, aims to enrich The Falconeer's entertaining core - which plops players atop giant falcons to explore and dogfight their way across a visually sumptuous map - by introducing expanded piracy options into the world.

Players can visit the titular Atun's Folly - a pirate settlement situated on the back of a turtle - to embark on missions that specifically boost their pirate infamy: taking down trading vessels, stealing loot, and attacking Imperial and Mancer forts.

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You know how it is with kids. You leave on vacation and next thing you know they've turned your failing small business into a nightlife enterprise. Classic 80s teen movie stuff, that. In Arcade Paradise, you'll help Ashley do just that while her dad Gerald is off in the Riviera, who's voiced by none other than Doug Cockle of Geralt of Rivia fame. More than just a collection of cabinet classics, Nosebleed Interactive say, Arcade Paradise will have you manage the laundry's transition from old hole in the wall to booming hotspot.

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Call Of Duty: Warzone and Cold War are heating up tomorrow with a mid season update. New maps are coming to multiplayer. New operators are dropping in to both Cold War and Warzone. Oh, and Warzone's install size is shrinking. After a biggo download tomorrow, that is. Don't be surprised when your main game drive suddenly feels just a little bit roomier afterwards.

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Sony Interactive Entertainment announced today that the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation Portable will be shut down this summer.

The stores for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable will end on July 2, and for PlayStation Vita on Aug. 27. After those dates, players will not be able to buy digital games, in-game purchases through games, and videos on the specific platforms.

Owners will still be able to re-download and play any digital titles purchased, access purchased videos, redeem game and PlayStation Plus vouchers, and re-download and play claimed game titles through PlayStation Plus as long as still subscribed to the service.

Sony said that cross-buy content is still possible, so any PlayStation 4 game that gave access to a PS3. PS Vita, or PSP version will still be available. The store’s closure will also not affect a PlayStation Now subscription, though any PlayStation Network funds left over can only be used for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 products.

The confirmation comes a week after The Gamer reported the announcement would be coming. The company has been trimming its online storefront after it had announced earlier this month it will be discontinuing video purchases and rentals from the PlayStation Store across all hardware on Aug. 31.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and its battle royale counterpart Warzone will receive an update on Tuesday, March 30 that significantly reduces the file size of both games.

According to the Season 2 Reloaded announcement post, the update will reduce Warzone’s file size by 11-14 GB by itself and between 30-34 GB with both Warzone and Modern Warfare installed depending on the platform:

• PlayStation 5: 10.9 GB (Warzone Only) / 30.6 GB (Warzone and Modern Warfare)
• PlayStation 4: 10.9 GB (Warzone Only) / 30.6 GB (Warzone and Modern Warfare)
• Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S: 14.2 GB (Warzone Only) / 33.6 GB (Warzone and Modern Warfare)
• Xbox One: 14.2 GB (Warzone Only) / 33.6 GB (Warzone and Modern Warfare)
• PC: 11.8 GB (Warzone Only) / 30.6 GB (Warzone and Modern Warfare)

While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has allowed players to remove individual modes like Campaign and Special Ops to decrease file size, Warzone itself has pushed to almost 100 GB and would reach 150 GB with just Modern Warfare multiplayer also installed.

Activision said the optimizations will lead to smaller update sizes in the future, though the March 30 update will be larger than usual. Warzone players on PlayStation consoles can expect a 52 GB download, 57.2 download on Xbox consoles, 52.4 GB for Warzone on PC, and 133.6 GB for having both Warzone and Modern Warfare for PC.

EA has pulled the curtain back on it’s new golf title, EA Sports PGA Tour. The game is billed as a next-gen golf experience and is the result of a new, long-term deal between the publisher and the PGA Tour. 

There isn't a ton of info about the title as of yet. The press release does mention features such as building a virtual career and that players will compete on several of the “world’s most famous courses”. Events include The Players Championship and the FedExCup Playoffs. 

EA’s Tibruron studio in Orlando, FL is developing EA Sports PGA Tour. The game is being made using the Frostbite engine which will, in EA’s words, offer “stunning fidelity, breathtaking immersive environments, and approachable, dynamic gameplay.”

“EA Sports and the PGA Tour have created some of the most memorable golf video game experiences together, and we couldn’t be more excited to expand our sports portfolio with a new golf title on next-gen hardware,” said Cam Weber, EVP & GM, EA Sports in the press release. “Our team of passionate golf fans is meticulously recreating the world’s top courses such as Pebble Beach, and we can’t wait to give fans the opportunity to compete on some of the most iconic PGA Tour courses and win the FedExCup."

EA promises to share more news, such as a release date, in the coming months.

Tomorrow, 135 new cards enter Hearthstone from the new set, Forged in the Barrens. This Barrens-centric jaunt focuses on the titular World of Warcraft zone, full of animals, raptors, and of course, Mankrik’s wife. Yes, players can now live the meme in Hearthstone by actually finding Mankrik’s wife in the Barrens. At long last!

The Barrens is just the beginning for this year of Hearthstone as the next few sets will sort of follow the leveling experience from World of Warcraft as players and characters “level up” from the Barrens to a mid-level zone and then to a high-tier one. I do hope the final path takes us somewhere cool with some raid stuff in it. You never know! I’m also really, really interested in the Mercenaries game mode that’s hitting later this year. But for now, let’s focus on the Barrens. There are some new key mechanics in play, and some of them you can even try out before tomorrow if you go play a few rounds in the Duels mode now.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone Season Two Reloaded is on the horizon and brings with it not only smaller file sizes, but a whole host of new content for players to enjoy. From new multiplayer maps to a brand new sniper, here is what you can expect with Season Two Reloaded in the upcoming update. 

Full Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War And Warzone Season Two Reloaded Update 

The upcoming update brings with it new maps, new modes, new Zombies content, and so much more. Let's break it down by feature to see what's on the horizon for the online shooter. 

When does it start?

The new update goes live today, March 29, at 9 p.m. Pacific for Black Ops Cold War. The new season arrives in Warzone on March 30 at 11 p.m. Pacific the next day. 

New multiplayer maps

Miami Strike 6v6

Miami Strike will feature a much tighter map layout that will be played in the light of day. Unlike its nighttime counterpart, there are a few new additions with the Paramour Hotel being blocked and the area more controlled. For those that just want to take in the sights, there will be a new waterside path also available within this particular map. 

To go along with the release of his new video for Montero—in which he gives Satan a lap dance—Lil Nas X has also teamed up with a customs company for the release of a range of Hell-themed Nike Air Max sneakers. Only problem being that now Nike is suing.

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In an interview with VGC, Hironobu Sakaguchi, founder of the Mistwalker Corporation, said he’s not interested in remastering any of Mistwalker’s earlier titles like Blue Dragon, The Last Story, or my personal favorite Lost Odyssey.

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You’ve probably owned a lot of video game consoles in your day. I mean, at this point, you can probably measure out your age in console generations. Something like “I’m seven generations old.” While I leave you to stew over that existential crisis, I have a bit of a nostalgic question for our readers today: what’s the…

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Call of Duty’s Season Two Reloaded mid-season update is bringing some much-needed changes to Black Ops Cold War. Season Two started on February 25 with a focus on zombies-themed content, including the fun addition of the Zombies “Outbreak” mode. Now we’re already at the halfway point, and the latest update will bring…

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Ever Given, the massive container ship that captivated the world after blocking Egypt’s Suez Canal for more than a week, is free as of 3:05 p.m. local time, but the ridiculous incident will live on forever in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

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Life is hard. Sometimes games are hard, and that just reminds me that life is hard, and then everything feels too damn hard. Not early access city-builder Dorfromantik, though. That game is just the right amount of chill.

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Brass Lion Entertainment is looking for a Senior Combat Designer. Is it you? ...

Fanbyte's Imran Khan shares insights from multiple developers about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their professional lives. ...

Stray Fawn Studio was kind enough to provide us with an annotated version of The Wandering Village's impressive daily Steam wishlist numbers to date - let's analyze. ...

The clock is now ticking for any players or developers who want to purchase games from Sony's digital stores for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, or PSP. ...

The launch date for Outriders is fast approaching, but before a host of new players descend on the servers, Square Enix and People Can Fly are laying down the law for any would-be cheaters.

In a post on the Outriders Steam page, the team lays out its plans for launch, including a day-one patch, bug fixes for issues noted during the game's demo period, and a "Quick Mark" utility for your inventory, addressing concerns and requests brought forth by players. Unfortunately for cheaters, Square Enix has also taken notice of you.

"At the time when we reached around 2 million players, we identified 200 players who had clearly cheated," the team writes. "In percentage terms, that's 0.01%." They even call out one person who gave themselves 600 Legendary Weapons, and while the team says it doesn't expect the percentage to grow by much past launch, there will be steps taken against cheaters.

According to the blog, if you're caught cheating, you will not be able to matchmake with non-cheaters, and so matchmaking will likely take longer, though you can still play solo. Most notably, in the future, cheaters' heads-up displays will have a "discreet but visible watermark" on it, so any footage created using the account can be readily identified.

"Any account logs found to have evidence of cheating on them on or after launch day will be permanently branded," the blog says. 

This weekend saw the UK put the clocks forward one hour, and hoo-boy am I feeling it. It's times like these I wish I had the power of characters such as Crisbell, the protagonist of Modus Games' Cris Tales. Crisbell is a Time Mage, y'see, and for her putting the clock forward, or backward, is as simple as a blink. That's the superpower I'd like the most. At least I'd get some dang sleep.

But Crisbell isn't the only magical, mystical individual living in CrisTales' fantasy kingdom of Crystalis. And while on her quest to confront the villainous Empress of the Ages, Crisbell will meet a huge cast of characters, offering assistance or impeding progress as our hero pushes ever closer to a destiny that will affect each and every one of them.

One of the best things I can say about Dota: Dragon's Blood, the latest animated video game adaptation to hit Netflix, is that it's completely watchable for newcomers. In just eight episodes, it manages to cover a breadth of lore and overcome other adaptations' stumbling blocks, largely thanks to its characters.

Dota's impermeability can be a boon, as its mechanical complexity has kept players—myself included—playing for literal decades. The lore, on the other hand, isn't as tightly woven into the game's framework. It's largely relegated to item descriptions and hero bios, and over the course of thousands of hours of Dota 2, I don't know that I've ever stopped during a match to read about how the Heaven's Halberd I just bought from the shop got its name.

It's refreshing, then, that Dota: Dragon's Blood makes very few assumptions. Yes, there are plenty of callbacks and cameos that will appeal specifically to people who have spent hours upon hours in the Dota 2 client. But at its core, it's also a solid fantasy setting that, most importantly, has room to grow.

Dragon's Blood starts out with the basics of Dota 2. There is the primordial mind, split into Dire and Radiant, that will eventually involve the cosmos in its battle. There are fundamental elements, ancient dragons, and literal gods that roam the land. Most of this early table setting is to inform you that yes, the world of Dota is magical, but there are also a lot of normal humans who get caught up in it.

Exciting to see the progress we’re making to enable new kinds of devices that leverage our platform... pic.twitter.com/yYglk4q89G

It isn’t easy to come up with a simple and convenient label to describe what Nier Replicant Ver. 1.22474487139 actually is, which is appropriate considering the fact that the Nier series itself is anything but simple.

Is it a remaster? Is it a remake? Well, the answer is that it’s somewhere in between. Replicant Ver. 1.bunchofrandomnumbers takes Nier Replicant – a version of 2010’s Nier that never released outside of Japan and features a younger protagonist – dramatically improves its visuals, brings its combat up to the literal Platinum standard set by Nier Automata, and provides voice acting for every character to bring its world to life, which is certainly going above and beyond your average remaster. That said, this is still largely the same cult classic that was released more than ten years ago.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/10/nier-replicant-ver-122474487139-world-premiere-trailer"]

I’ve spent about 16 hours with Ver. 1.yourdoordashverificationcode, and while I’m limited in what I’m allowed to talk specifically about, my general impression so far is that if you’re a fan of Nier, whether the original or Automata, there’s a lot to like about what this new version has to offer. And if you’re not, well Nier Replicant is the best opportunity there’s ever been to get in on the ground floor.

Combat was a high point of the original Nier, but in comparison to Automata’s graceful dance of swords and bullets, it’s pretty dated. This new version of Replicant does a really good job of smoothing out the animations and making Nier’s combat feel very close to Automata’s. It still has the same basic combat system of having two attack buttons that can be repeatedly pressed for lengthy combo strings, or held down for special attacks that may have guard breaking properties, or are more adept at hitting multiple enemies at once.

Call of Duty fans have had a rough time managing their hard drives thanks to Modern Warfare and Black Ops: Cold War’s ridiculous, astonishing, positively gobsmacking file sizes. If you wanted both games on your 500 GB PS4, you might have to get tricky and delete your other games. Thankfully, a new upcoming update will reduce the file size of both Modern Warfare and Warzone.

Starting March 30 at 11 PM EST, when Call of Duty’s Season Two Reloaded update goes live, thanks to “data optimization and streamlining content packs needed for individual game modes.”

“This will come after a larger than usual, one-time update for Season Two Reloaded, which will include these optimizations and is necessary in order to reduce the overall footprint,” the Call of Duty blog states. “Future patch sizes for Modern Warfare and Warzone are expected to be smaller than the one set to release on March 30 at 11PM PST.”

How much of a difference is the update making? The Call of Duty blog states that, depending on your platform of choice, the update will reduce your Warzone file size between 10.9 GB and 14.2 GB, while the Modern Warfare file size will be reduced between 30.6 GB and 33.6 GB. A full readout can be found near the end of Call of Duty’s blog post.

If you still want to play any of Modern Warfare’s modes, you’ll also need to reinstall the optimized content packs, which are set to release “shortly after the Season Two Reloaded update.”

Hands on with an early demo of the game

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Last Week for March 2021’s PlayStation Plus Titles Read More »

Square-Enix reminds fans to only buy official products and warns of counterfeit Play Arts Kai Aeriths on the market.

The post Square Enix Issues Fake Play Arts Kai Aerith Figure Warning appeared first on Siliconera.

There are lawyers somewhere out there working for Sega HQ in Japan who have been tasked with hunting down the people responsible for pirating Yakuza: Like a Dragon. And they are not doing a good job.

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Josef Fares’ new game, It Takes Two, apparently includes audio from the director’s infamous “fuck the Oscars” rant in all its incoherent glory.

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