April 2021

[Update: Mortal Kombat is now available to stream in the U.K.! The movie is available to rent for £15.99 on Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, and the Sky Store.]

Warner Bros. has finally announced a U.K. release date for its cinematic adaptation of NetherRealm Studios' Mortal Kombat. As spotted by Eurogamer, the critically panned but financially successful fighting flick will hit U.K. streaming services May 6, at a rental price of £15.99.

After facing down several production woes and perpetually shifting dates, Mortal Kombat finally premiered April 23 in U.S. theaters (or at least those that are currently open) and on paid streaming service HBO Max, which will carry all Warner Bros. releases for the duration of 2021. The frenetically edited action-adventure had a hugely successful launch, hitting $22.5 million USD at the physical box office while streaming in around 3.6 million homes.

These wallpapers can be downloaded regardless of region.

The post Monster Hunter Rise Kushala Daora and Teostra Wallpapers Available Through LINE appeared first on Siliconera.

Some users were able to purchase the game early due to an issue with the North American e-Shop.

The post Global Release of Fighting EX Layer Another Dash Delayed Until May appeared first on Siliconera.

Despite a slightly rocky beginning, Persona 5 Strikers finally proves its place in the hearts of the fans.

The post Persona 5 Strikers Sales Surpass 1.3 Million Units Worldwide appeared first on Siliconera.

No Hunter can resist the charm of these little trading figures.

The post Relax in the Manor With Identity V Miniature Figures appeared first on Siliconera.

Failbetter are revamping their gothic space-train RPG Sunless Skies next month with the Sovereign Edition, coming to PC as a free update. They promise better performance and loads of balance tweaks, as well as improved character progression, new interfaces, and a reworked starvation system that'll give you "various new and probably inadvisable choices about what to eat." Yum. All this and more will arrive on May 19th.

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I think everyone breathed a big sigh of relief when Microsoft announced their upcoming DirectStorage tech would work with both PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 SSDs last week, as it means we don't have to necessarily shell out the seriously big bucks to benefit from shorter loading times once it gets released. Indeed, prices for PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs are still eye-wateringly high compared to their PCIe 3.0 counterparts, and you only need to look at the Adata XPG Gammix S70 on test here today to see that difference in action.

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Before Verdansk got nuked into the 1980s, Call Of Duty: Warzone had a subway you could use to fast travel around the map. I used it a total of once, then totally forgot it was there. So it's surprising to see that a new fast travel method might return. Only the trains may be ditched in favour of magical Red Doors, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

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It looks like the time-looping space exploration game Outer Wilds might be getting a DLC, because something named Outer Wilds - Echoes Of The Eye has popped up in Steam's records. This little leak was circulated on Twitter last night, and rather than simply ignoring the rumour, the game's publisher Annapurna Interactive shared the tweet and added a cheeky eye emoji. It's not exactly a confirmation that a DLC is happening, but it's certainly not a denial either.

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It’s time we ask one of the biggest questions about Returnal: Is it worth $70? In my review, I scored the game an extremely high 9.5. Returnal is an excellent game, and also a special experience to explore. For more details on that specifically, you should read the review to get a sense of what you’re in for if you do choose to play Housemarque’s grandiose bullet-hell. If we want to cut to the chase, the answer is yes, I consider it worth $70, as it has experiential value beyond simply existing as a great game.

Obviously, you can get a lot for $70, and the new “standard” price point is intimidating, and concerns have been raised about Returnal’s “roguelike” structure somehow making it less of an experience or a game. You can absolutely get months and months of Game Pass for the same price, but you can’t get Returnal. Entertainment dollars are not 1:1 like objects, and one dollar spent on one entertainment experience isn’t the same as another. You could get a ton of double cheeseburgers instead of a steak dinner too, but the steak can be worth it. It depends on what you’re looking for.

Returnal’s cycles of life and death are challenging, punishing, and sometimes frustrating when you find a run ending due to forces seemingly outside of your control. Like many roguelikes, learning how to operate within the bounds of variance is your best ally. Want to get the edge on the alien lifeforms that dominate Atropos? We have some serious tips for you that should give you the edge when you’re going through Returnal. There’s a lot to take in but absolutely no story spoilers in these tips, though it’s inevitable that some gameplay mechanics and features will be discussed, so be aware of that before you dig in. Let’s go!

Housemarque’s PS5 exclusive elevates the time loop genre

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Sometimes, when you talk about games, it helps to think about their personalities: what do they want from you? How do they behave? What role do you play in the relationship here, and what do they think of you in return? Normally this is quite easy. Think about it and you'll find games will happily fall into their roles - courthouse jester, self-serious actor, cerebral engineer (I'm not going to say which is which). But in this case it's been tricky. Returnal is hard to pin down. But pinned it down I have: Returnal has the personality of a furious cat with a sore tooth, and it's your job to be its vet.

I'm saying this because Returnal is good - it's so good! - but it is incredibly reluctant to let you find that out. It hides its best moments, buries them, beneath repetition and frustration and a byzantine UI, but those moments are just extraordinary. Euphoric, even! It's in its interest and my own for it to just let me play it, but Returnal is a video game that does not want to be played.

Server issues have always been a bit of a hot topic within the Apex Legends community, with players highlighting problems with lag, code:net errors and - more recently - DDoS attacks on ranked servers. To address all these concerns, Respawn has now published a developer deep dive aiming to "demystify" some of the problems, and explain what the team is doing to address them. You might want to put the kettle on, as this one's a long read.

Written by lead engineer Samy "Ricklesauceur" Duc, the blog post notes that Respawn has made some changes to how it tracks server issues. The introduction of a performance display in Season 6 meant players could report their problems more accurately, and Respawn also began tracking key performance metrics for players and servers. In recent seasons, Respawn also used a data science team to systematically analyse performance data. But despite all this, Duc said this approach means Respawn can still be slow to fix problems.

"From the moment you start noticing problems, it may take us up to two weeks to find a fix, and even more to deploy the solution if it requires a server patch," Duc said. "We can do better. We will do better. So let's talk about solutions."

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I’m sure you’ve felt it too. For the past year and some change, life has fallen into a rut more than usual. Life is always cyclical to some degree—humans are, after all, creatures of habit—but the stresses that go hand-in-hand with a certain mismanaged pandemic have made the day-to-day feel more dreary and cyclical…

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Fast and frantic action, a dazzling display of thousands of bullets in a multitude of shapes and sizes, and glorious, glorious particle effects. These hallmarks are what Housemarque games are all about, and Returnal certainly checks all of those boxes. But it’s also their most ambitious effort yet: a PS5-exclusive third-person shooter with an incredible sense of exploration and discovery, rich atmosphere on par with Dead Space or Metroid Prime, and shootouts that remain fresh and rewarding throughout the multiple playthroughs needed to beat its roguelike campaign and unlock the secrets that remain beyond the credits. A good run takes a bit too long for something you have to complete in one sitting, but the reward for making that commitment is more than worthwhile.

Returnal tells the story of Selene Vassos after she crash-lands on an alien planet called Atropos. As she emerges from her ship and tries to locate the origin of a mysterious signal, things start to get very weird and time-loopy very quickly. Of course, this all serves to contextualize the fact that this is a roguelike and built on the idea of repeated runs through the same environments, but it’s also a clever storytelling device. Selene is able to find logs left by her former selves, which slowly starts to peel back the layers of Returnal’s central questions. Housemarque even goes a step further by incorporating a number of surreal and chilling PT-esque first-person segments where Selene must explore her memories and nightmares.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/22/returnal-the-first-17-minutes-of-ps5-gameplay-4k-60fps"]

So, you're about ready to announce your indie game to the world and direct fans towards that all-important Steam page. But have you thought about how to get the most out of your announcement? ...

Epic Games isn't keen on letting Microsoft bring Fortnite to its xCloud game streaming service. ...

Microsoft has released its latest financial results for its most recent quarter, and things are most assuredly looking up in The House of Xbox. Overall gaming revenue has been boosted by 50% year-on-year, driven by the launch of its next-gen hardware, Xbox Series X/S.

The 50% increase translates to an overall draw of $3.53 billion USD, as noted by analyst Daniel Ahmad. While Microsoft did not reveal specific figures regarding the sales of the new console platforms, it has stated that "demand significantly exceeded supply", which makes for a great soundbite from a corporate standpoint, but undeniably sucks for customers.

The huge numbers include revenue gained from the sales of Xbox hardware and first-person software, as well as Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, Xbox Live Gold purchases and, importantly, revenue gained via ZeniMax subsidiaries — such as games developed by Bethesda Softworks. This latter factor alone places a large stake in Xbox Content & Services revenue, which increased 34% on the previous year.

Looking ahead, Xbox hopes to see its good fortunes continue. There's no denying that the brand has started the ninth generation in a stronger position — financially and reputation-wise — than the controversy that plagued the launch of Xbox One in the previous generation. Microsoft warns, however, that it expects Xbox Series X/S availability to be "constrained" for the coming months, as both Xbox and PlayStation struggle to get more stock onto store shelves and, ultimately, into the hands of the players.

Finally, another PS5 game!

Yes folks, you heard that right, Returnal is a bonafide PS5 release. Is it worth (gulp) $70? It really depends on your penchant for roguelikes.

Learn how to raise your Hunter Rank quickly and efficiently with our handy guide.

The post Monster Hunter Rise: How to Quickly Raise Your Hunter Rank appeared first on Siliconera.

New screenshots of the upcoming mobile RPG have been revealed.

The post New Gate of Nightmares Screenshots Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.

Additionally, miHoYo detailed upcoming changes to Elemental Reactions.

The post Genshin Impact Developer Discussion Teases More Quests with Keqing appeared first on Siliconera.

They’re pointing at the way to solve Marvel’s villain problem

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16 years after launch, the third game in the Total War series today returns with a new lick of paint and a few new features as Total War: Rome Remastered. Touched-up models and textures! New user interface bits! Extra factions unlocked! New merchant agents! Other newness! But... it's ultimately still Rome: Total War at heart, a game which seems a bit ropey after newer, better games in the series.

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Sad news: the next Five Nights At Freddy's Game, Security Breach, has been delayed again. Glad news: you can instead hang with Freddy and friends in a surprise new free game - a side-scrolling beat 'em up, of all things! Series creator Scot Cawthon yesterday released Fury's Rage, which gives the gang a rude 'tude 90s makeover and pits them against punk gangs in Streets Of Rage-style violence. I do like all the things Cawhton does for fans.

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It's just like the old song says: If nautical nonsense be something you wish, then put down the phone and pick up a Switch! Nickelodeon and developer Tilting Point have announced their popular mobile and PC title, SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off, is making its console debut by way of the Nintendo Switch. Better yet, you don't have to wait to dive in, as it is available now.

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New Halo Infinite details have been revealed, including that the upcoming shooter from 343 Industries will be crossplay and cross-progression-compatible between PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One. Not only will players be able to play with their friends no matter the generation or platform within the Windows family, but they won't lose any progress should they choose to bounce between PC and Xbox. 

In addition to being more accessible in terms of availability, Microsoft has also confirmed that 343 Industries is working hard to ensure that the PC version of Halo Infinite exceeds expectations. One of the ways that it is doing just that is offering a "premier PC experience" with features like ultrawide and super ultrawide support, triple keybinds, a wider variety of "advanced graphic options," and more. 

There are only 19 games coming to the Nintendo Switch over the next week, but don’t be sad. One of them is New Pokémon Snap, another is R-Type Final 2, and none of them is sexy anime mah-jong.

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Microsoft plans to offer Microsoft Store developers on PC an 88 percent revenue share moving forward, up on the 70 percent share it currently offers. ...

Wintery off-road driving game Snowrunner launches on Nintendo Switch and on PC via Steam and the Windows Store on 18th May.

That's just over a year since its original launch for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on PC via the Epic Games Store.

The Steam and Windows version includes the base game plus the four seasons of stuff which have followed, including all the game's DLC.

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Microsoft will cut in half the amount of money it takes from PC game sales via the Microsoft Store, as of 1st August.

The reduction - from 30 percent down to 12 - means more money in the developer's pocket, and less in Microsoft's.

This 12/88 revenue split brings the Microsoft Store in-line with the Epic Games Store. Steam, the PC game marketplace leader, still takes 30 percent (which shrinks to 25 and then 20 percent for more profitable games).

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Today I'm very excited to re-introduce the Digital Foundry Supporter Program. We're relaunching our crowdfunding drive on Patreon with two new tiers and lots of new rewards. Support the team and you'll get exclusive behind-the-scenes videos plus early access to our weekly discussion show and more. Oh, and if you like DF Retro, we've got something exciting for you. We want to do bigger, we want to do better - and we need your support to do it.

It's time for a change - but first of all, I want to thank our existing Patreon supporters out there for their support. Over the years, it's been a rocky road to actually making Digital Foundry a viable business, and your support has been crucial in getting us to where we are now. We're humbled that, in our surveys and conversations with you, you have told us that supporting our work is the most valuable benefit of our Supporter Program - even more so than the pristine quality video downloads we provide. The concept of support comes up time and time again, along with the idea of getting closer to the DF team and our daily work. So, thank you - it means a lot to us.

Let's talk about the new Patreon tier structure:

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Halo Infinite supports multiplayer cross-play and cross-progression, Microsoft has announced.

It means if you play on PC, you can play with those on Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S - and vice versa.

Your multiplayer customisation and progress follows you across all platforms.

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