April 2021

While several superhero movies enjoyed success before Marvel’s Connected Universe properly got into its stride, few would have predicted that their immense popularity would spawn an epic saga of interconnected blockbuster films that utterly dominated the film industry for over a decade. But that’s exactly what happened, and now in the void of their absence, we find ourselves treading water, eagerly awaiting a next-generation MCU saga to finally kick-off after the apocalyptic (read traumatic) events of Endgame.

However, the MCU’s Phase 4, as it’s called, isn’t set to arrive for quite some time yet, and so if you’re Marvel super-fans like us then you’re probably in a routine of rewatching the original saga to keep yourself satiated. A spot of MCU trivia should be a breeze, then, right? Well, let’s find out.

Here we’ve prepared a Marvel quiz with questions that span the entirety of the MCU saga, across film and television.

Today Xseed Games and Marvelous Europe detailed the DLC coming to its popular farming game Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town.

The first DLC is already available and includes the Animal Attire package, on top of new story content.

• Animal Attire’ costumes for the protagonists
• ‘Animal Attire’ costumes for the 10 marriage candidates
• New Sub-Scenario ‘Olive Town Mystery Files’

The second DLC will include new ‘School Uniform’ costumes and the ‘Windswept Falls Expansion Pack’, which is a new area home to four characters from a previous Story of Seasons title.

You can check out a trailer below.

f you’re unfamiliar with the Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, you can read an official description below and read our review.

Welcome to Olive Town, a peaceful community established by your trailblazing grandfather and his friends. Now that you’ve taken over his farm, it’s your job to carry on his legacy.

Valkyrie is the new character coming in Apex Legends Legacy, and Respawn has just released the usual breakdown of abilities that comes with new Legends. This new trailer shows us how her high-flying skills can give her plenty of advantages over enemy squads.

The Apex Legends Legacy update goes live on May 4, so before you hop into more battle royale matches or the new 3v3 Arenas mode, make sure you know what Valkyrie is capable of.

Her Passive Ability allows her to hover for short bursts while spending fuel that refills over time. Her Tactical unleashes mini rockets on an area of her choosing, raining down fire from above.

And finally, her Ultimate launches both her and her teammates into the air so that they can perform a skydive, allowing her squad to reposition themselves in sticky situations.

Check out the trailer below see all of Valkyrie’s abilities that’ll be coming in Apex Legends Legacy:

Outer Wilds DLC may be on the way in the near future, following a number of teases from Annapurna Interactive and one of the game’s writers Kelsey Beachum after a Steam database record for ‘Echoes of the Eye’ was spotted.

The news first broke last night when Simon Carless, founder of Game Discover Co spotted a Steam record for ‘Outer Wilds – Echoes of the Eye.’

Shortly after, publisher Annapurna Interactive retweeted Carless’ tweet with an eye emoji, a possible reference to the title of the DLC as well as a general emoji reaction to keep your eyes peeled.

Speedrunning takes a tremendous amount of skill, but there are still many moments in even the most well-understood games that boil down to luck. A hapless Grand Theft Auto player known as English Ben was recently reminded of the fickle whims of the universe firsthand.

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Microsoft have announced plans to decrease the cut they take from sales of PC games on the Microsoft Store, with devs soon to get 88% instead of the industry standard 70%. That will bring them exactly in line with the Epic Games Store. While the Microsoft Store is undeniably rubbish as a store, this can only increase pressure on Valve to offer devs a bigger share of sales through Steam.

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Scott Cawthon eyes late 2021 launch, provides fans with nice parting gift

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And discusses Sam’s controversial new costume, the show’s take on racism, and more

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He did shave though, so that’s nice

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Livestream will showcase Rift Apart and two mystery titles

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On your marks, get set ...

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In this 2019 GDC session, Undead Labs' Matt Heiniger shares lessons learned from 2 years and over 200 faces scanned in implementing photogrammetry in State of Decay 2. ...

Ryoya Sakabe and Koji Tanaka broke down the design ethos behind PlatinumGames' World of Demons.

The post Interview: PlatinumGames Breaks Down the World of Demons Design Ethos appeared first on Siliconera.

Limited Run Games finally revealed its four Castlevania Anniversary Collection Switch and PS4 physical editions.

The post There Will Be 4 Castlevania Anniversary Collection Physical Editions appeared first on Siliconera.

A walking tour with Chief Livia!

The post New Rune Factory 5 Trailer Strolls Through Rigbarth appeared first on Siliconera.

The 2021 Square Enix Golden Week sale kicked off on multiple storefronts and includes Final Fantasy games, SaGa games, and Balan Wonderworld.

The post Square Enix Golden Week Sale Reduces Final Fantasy, SaGa, and Balan Wonderworld appeared first on Siliconera.

Frictional Games' desert horror Amnesia: Rebirth can now be played in a relatively terror-free fashion on PlayStation thanks to the arrival of its 'Indiana Jones like' Adventure Mode.

Amnesia: Rebirth, in both its original and Adventure Mode guise, takes players on an unsettling 1930s adventure across the Algerian desert, charting the journey of protagonist Tasi Trianon as she attempts to piece together fragments of her past.

It's another strong outing for Frictional, and its story has come in for particular praise (Eurogamer contributor Vikki Blake said it "gripped me right up until the credits rolled" in her review). The only potential problem is that getting through it all requires a certain tolerance for the horrible, given the tense, claustrophobic gameplay that surrounds it - and that's where Rebirth's Adventure Mode comes in.

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Picking just one story to sit down with can be a bit of a task. So rather than one, Deconstructeam is launching an anthology of 10 short narrative works, under the name Essays on Empathy.

Published by Devolver Digital, Essays on Empathy is a collection of 10 unique stories coming to Steam on May 18, each an experiment in narrative storytelling from the team behind games like The Red Strings Club and Gods Will Be Watching.

The Essays include several former Ludum Dare entries from the team, like Zen and the Art of Transhumanism, Eternal Home Floristry, and Dear Substance of Kin. There's also a brand-new short experience exclusive to the compilation called De Tres al Cuarto, about a couple of comedians trying to make it. Check out the trailer, though heads-up for folks at work, there is some mature content:

I dug the tough choices of Gods Will Be Watching, and while The Red Strings Club is still on my backlog, Deconstructeam also made one of my biggest surprises of 2020, a short game called Interview with the Whisperer. It's a free Chatbot-fueled game where you play a journalist interviewing a man who says he can commune with God through his radio, and it's absolutely worth your time.

If this collection has some of the same inventiveness behind it, it'll be one to look out for. 

Publisher Koei Tecmo, alongside developer Team Ninja, announced that its yokai-hunting RPG series Nioh has hit an impressive double milestone. 2020 release Nioh 2 has recently achieved a total of two million shipments and digital sales, which brings Nioh's overall franchise sales to the stately five million mark.

It's time for another rare week with a first-party Nintendo release.

New Pokemon Snap is ready to open up its doors on April 30, alongside of R-Type Final 2. Folks have been waiting a long while for the former, as the Switch once again welcomes the return of an age-old franchise. In this case, it's been dormant since the Nintendo 64 era for over 20 years!

As a result, we're "only" getting 17 other games on the eShop this week, including Angels with Scaly Wings, which probably isn't in the same universe as Angels with Filthy Souls. Nintendo really doesn't have a lot of competition for their first-party release to put up with!

How to Watch the IGN x Stop AAPI Hate Charity Stream

@Kainosaurus

We’re obsessed with cosplay as much as everyone else is, and we’ve seen our fair share of incredible takes on Final Fantasy VII’s endearing cast. Last year, Briana White’s magical photo shoot of Aerith (she also voiced the character!) stunned the jrpg community. And with Remake Intergrade slated for a summer release, we’ve all been appropriately blessed with an awesome Yuffie cosplay too. 

Yuffie Kisaragi Advent Children cosplay by me (shoes made by @ChameLeahnCos ) photog by @photosNXS
-#yuffie #yuffiekisaragi #finalfantasycosplay #yuffiecosplay pic.twitter.com/Q9vfckVpGP

TikTok is trying its best to wipe the memory of Vine forever (but never from our hearts), and this video platform has grown exceptionally in recent times. Official marketing tools, funny videos with friends, gaming clips – it's everywhere. Because of that growth in the entertainment world, the brand is teaming up with Enthusiast Gaming and e.l.f. Cosmetics for TikTok Gamers Got Talent. Who is going to be the next gaming superstar? I dunno, but shoot that shot. 

TikTok Gamers Got Talent is exactly what you'd think: a competition with a direct focus on the gaming community. It's a seven-week live series that will center around a certain amount of contestants in an effort to find the crème de la crème of gamer talent. The series is poised to air on May 9, 2021, at 7 p.m. Eastern. In a search for "hidden talent" in the gaming community, this initiative aims to aid in a fresh wave of new talent. What better way to put gamers through their paces than by putting them on the spot in front of millions? 

There is a $25,000 prize pool on the line and prizes that include e.l.f. Cosmetics. 

"TikTok continues to be a platform where culture starts and through TikTok's Gamers Got Talent, a North American first, our gaming community will have an opportunity to reach new audiences, be discovered and entertained," said Nadia Niccoli, Director of Marketing at TikTok Canada, in a press release. "We're excited to have two industry giants in their respective areas, e.l.f. Cosmetics and Enthusiast Gaming, onboard to support and show gamers the power of TikTok."

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a Respawn Entertainment title that allows fans of a galaxy far, far away to partake in an exciting, action-packed adventure with an ever-evolving narrative. For those itching to jump back into the boots of Cal Kestis once more with the power of PS5 and Xbox Series X, or for those that may be dipping those toes in for the first time, a free next-gen upgrade is on the horizon. 

The next-gen upgrade will be kicking off sometime this summer, as confirmed by an official StarWars.com blog post. While an exact date hasn't been given at this time, the free PS4 to PS5 and Xbox One to Xbox Series X/S upgrade will deliver "a number of technical improvements" to a new generation of gaming consoles. This cross-generational update will be completely free for those who already own the game.

This is an additional upgrade from the one back in January that boosted framerates to 60 fps and enhanced resolution for all platforms. 

The baby geese have just started showing up at CritterVision, making things a bit tricky for the squirrels. On HootHouseLivestream, mother Hootie has her wings full with rapidly-growing babies Dax, Jin, San, and Fiz. Speaking of babies, a new litter just arrived at Adorable_Kittens. I’ve become a Twitch nature stream…

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Dinosaurs are rad. Sadly, they rarely appear in video games. So I was excited to play Second Extinction, a new shooter featuring dinosaurs, both big and small. What I wasn’t expecting was how much this early access game would remind me of Destiny, or how much fun I would have playing it.

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A big part of Evil Genius 2's design revolves around Super Agents. These dangerous do-gooders infiltrate your lair with the aim of wiping you out, and you need to balance the risks of leaving them be with the costs of taking them out.

If you've already mastered those decisions for the stock selection of heroes, here comes Evil Genius 2's first DLC to mess again with your perfect crimes. The Cabal Pack, out now, adds Espectro, who has a dome-head filled with red mist and the ability to make clones of himself.

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Steam's Golden Week sale is live now, offering discounts on thousands of games from Japan. A quick glance shows plenty of great games in the mix, including Death Stranding at 60% reduced and Ace Combat 7 at 75% off.

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Next week, Apex Legends' ninth season arrives, and with it comes new jetpacking character Valkyrie and the 3v3 Arenas game mode. I gushed about both of these excellent upcoming additions in my preview earlier this week, but today I can show you a video from my time with Arenas so you can get an idea of just how much fun it is. And, like many skirmishes I seem to have in Respawn's FPS, one of my best rounds ended with fisticuffs.

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A leaked Discord conversation done in ‘good faith’ just looks bad

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It’s time for Apex Legends archery

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Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has taken a voluntary salary reduction, lowering his base salary by 50 percent for 2021 and 2022, which also trims a couple million from his bonuses for those years. ...

TikTok, Enthusiast Gaming, and e.l.f. Cosmetics will hold a TikTok Gamers Got Talent competition. Auditions are open ahead of the first on May 9, 2021.

The post TikTok Gamers Got Talent Submissions Open appeared first on Siliconera.

Apex Legends' ninth season, Legacy, is a bit of a big 'un; alongside map changes to Olympus and a new 3v3 arenas mode, it introduces a brand-new hero in the form of "winged avenger" Valkyrie, who's now been detailed more thoroughly ahead of Legacy's launch on 4th May.

As revealed in developer Respawn's recent Stories from the Outlands video, Kairi "Valkyrie" Imahara is the daughter of Titanfall 2 antagonist Viper. By the time we meet her in Apex Legends, Valkyrie has fashioned herself a fancy jetpack using the flight core from her father's Titan, Northstar, to honour his memory - and it's this that informs most of her unique abilities.

Valkyrie's passive ability, for instance, comes in the form of VTOL Jets, which give her the power of flight for as long as the fuel tank holds out (although, luckily, it'll refill over time). That's accompanied by Valkyrie's Missile Swarm tactical ability, which can target a specific area and fire off a barrage of mini-rockets capable of damaging and disorientating opponents.

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I've just gone from barely keeping tabs on New Pokémon Snap to seeing the entire list of featured Pokémon in a single image. Talk about whiplash! I hadn't really thought about the potential for this photo-hunt adventure to be datamined, but that was so naive. It's still Pokémon — we gotta see 'em all.

This is just the latest effort from dataminer @SciresM, whose Nintendo-related findings we've reported on several times over the years. They've shared other New Pokémon Snap info today as well, but for most of us — the folks who can't resist peeking — the game's full launch roster is the focal point.

You're going to want to bounce off this post right now if you're averse to spoilers.

Here's your full pokemon snap roster!

Blank spaces are reserved pokemon IDs with empty data (could change in a future update, maybe).

Expect the usual datamining tools release from @Kaphotics and I later today :) pic.twitter.com/faAiaXet3k

If you've poked around Destructoid's original features section lately, you might've noticed something new — a curious little embedded audio clip at the top of certain articles where there wasn't one before.

Wait, when did that happen? Just recently! It's a still-fresh experiment.

For this test run, we tapped Dan Vincent and Josh Picard to lend their voices to ten long-form Destructoid articles — some that you likely read when they were originally published, and some that you might've missed. We're talking Zelda's musical legacy, Rule of Rose's rat-on-a-stick, Diablo II: Resurrected's magic trick, and a glowing Portal 2 anniversary retrospective, among other recent topics.

For future narrations, we'll strive to have the recording available day-and-date when a new article first hits the site so that those who prefer to listen aren't left waiting around wondering what's up.

Although plenty of Destructoid readers still prefer to go through articles at their own pace — what's your WPM?! — we're considering these audio versions to be another option if and when you need it.

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is the latest example of an increasingly popular genre, marking the 25th anniversary of the long-running Story of Seasons series.

To learn more about the game and to catch a glimpse of what the future may bring for the franchise, Twinfinite interviewed director Hikaru Nakano, who has been with the series for a long time and is now at the helm.

Giuseppe: With such a long-running franchise, how do you go about keeping things fresh with a new installment?

Hikaru Nakano: I’m so grateful that we’ve managed to continue making STORY OF SEASONS games for this long. When planning a new title, you must avoid making the game seem too much like a previous one. However, it’s even more important to implement features that we wanted to add to previous titles but couldn’t at the time.

Back in the day, we struggled to add both male and female protagonists to the games, so when we finally did that, I remember feeling like we’d really taken a big step forward. We’ve also succeeded in adding same-sex marriage to recent titles, which is another example of something that we’ve wanted to do for a long time.

Giuseppe: What would you say are the most exciting new features in Pioneers of Olive Town?

Hikaru Nakano: I’d say the most exciting new feature is the pioneering aspect of the game. This title’s farm area is a large forest where you can fish, mine, collect wild plants, and even discover animals and crops, among other things. You can clear the land extensively or just carve out the space you need. I hope players enjoy living life in the forest in whatever way they like best.

Giuseppe: The title of the game conveys a sense of adventure. How does this reflect in the gameplay? Also, is there a reason behind the name “Olive Town?”

Today Aerosoft released new screenshots of two of its upcoming aircraft-addons for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

First comes the CRJ 900, which will be offered as a further add-on to the excellent CRJ 550/700 package alongside the CRJ 1000 variant.

Today we get to see three liveries. Air Nostrum, SAS, and Lufthansa.

Earlier this week, Sony confirmed that its next State of Play digital showcase event would be taking place tonight, April 29, at 5pm EST time. Alongside the time, it was also revealed that the event would focus on the upcoming action-platformer Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, as well as two upcoming indie titles.

While the names of those two indie titles weren’t specifically mentioned, there are a few that we’d love to see. These are the five indie games we’d love to hear from in tonight’s State of Play event. 

Waking up this morning, Nintendo decided to be very chaotic by adding new online features to Super Mario Party, a game that came out over two years ago. While it does feel a little late on that front, Super Mario Party has other grievances that need to be fixed and not take another two years to apply such fixes.

Here are six things that also need to be fixed/updated with Super Mario Party.

Having the option to play with anyone allows you to play the game anytime you have an urge, not just when your friends are available. Just imagine all of the friends (and enemies) you could make playing with random players online.