April 2021

Developer Oddworld Inhabitants’ latest iteration of the longstanding and popular Oddworld series, Soulstorm, makes its debut today. Naturally, there’s a trailer to celebrate the occasion, and if you haven’t yet got yourself up to speed with the latest game then it does an excellent job spotlighting just how far the series has come.

Of course, it’s likely to prove familiar territory for anybody who knows the series well, but Oddworld: Soulstorm really does look as though it’s been made to a far higher standard of production than anything before it. The cutscene animation, voice acting, and the scale and scope of everything going on in the various gameplay sequences we see during the montage really do showcase an impressive spectacle.

As a recap, Oddworld: SoulStorm is the first game in the series since 2014, continuing the story of Abe: a Mudokon who attempts to free his people from tyrannical rule. It picks up right after the events of the last installment, New ‘N’ Tasty, where the Mudokon find themselves on the run from Molluck.

If you’re interested in checking out Oddworld: Soulstorm and own both a PS Plus membership and a PS5 then there’s good news as it’s this month’s freebie throughout April.

The Mass Effect series has always been great about letting players go wild when customizing their Shepard’s looks, making for some interesting-looking Spectres as a result. Yet, despite its varied customization options, the hair section was always a bit lacking, especially for MaleShep.

MaleShep’s hair and beard options are all pretty generic, providing a few different short-haired looks and the choice between adding a mustache, goatee, or full beard. As such, it isn’t surprising that most players simply chose the military cut and five o’clock shadow look for their characters when push came to shove. 

Thankfully, Mass Effect’s modding community decided to take matters into their own hands with the Hairy Sheploo Nexus Mod. This mod adds a range of new styles for the male version of Shepard, including longer hair and much thicker beards. 

The ESA has today announced that the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) will return once again this year after a year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will, however, do so as a digital-only event. Confirmed participants include industry giants Nintendo, Microsoft, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games and Koch Media, “and more.”

E3 2021 will take place from June 12 through to June 15, with the showcase an entirely free-to-view experience via various streaming channels.

“For more than two decades, E3 has been the premier venue to showcase the best that the video game industry has to offer, while uniting the world through games,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, President & CEO of the ESA. “We are evolving this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable center stage for video games.”

The cancelation of E3 2021 as a physical event is not entirely unexpected; reports surfaced earlier this year that the ESA had a digital event in the works as a replacement.

The ESA explains in today’s press release that it will be working with media partners globally to help amplify and make the digital event available to everyone for free.

The past two years have been difficult for the ESA and E3 as a showcase; once the premier annual event to showcase video game products on a global stage, major and longstanding participants increasingly opted to run their own events rather than take part. While it’s promising to see the return of some of those major names, the likes of Sony and EA still remain committed to their new, separate strategy.

Ever since Baron Zemo debuted as the antagonist of Captain America: Civil War, he’s been a fan favorite villain in the MCU. His character was not only smart and interesting, but he also had one of the coolest storylines and payoffs in the entire franchise. 

Thanks to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, though, this sociopath has somehow become even more awesome. Below we’ve made a list of three reasons that Baron Zemo is still the coolest villain in the MCU. 

Spoiler Warning: The following goes into heavy detail about the plot of Captain America: Civil War and up to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 3. If you want to avoid these spoilers, we recommend you don’t read any further.

Following Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn since 2013 has been a trip.

I saw it launch on PS4 for the first time nearly a year after it arrived on PC and PS3, and I saw it die on PS3 for the last day when Square Enix decided to sunset support for it in 2017. It'll be interesting to see if or when Square Enix decides to similarly sunset the PS4 edition, but for now, Final Fantasy XIV is officially on three platforms again. Well, sorta!

The PS5 version actually isn't out yet, but it will be available via beta form on April 13, which is also the launch date of patch 5.5. If you can't wait that long, the game's producer, Naoki "Yoshi P" Yoshida just put out a new episode of Letter from the Producer Live, which showcases the PS5 port in action.

Note that this is basically the first time the PS5 version has been shown in real-time, following the marketing trailer in the recent XIV press conference. Yoshi-P adorably crawls through what the port entails, including the more detailed skill icons, as well as the smoother framerate and crisper visuals.

The PS5 bit starts at roughly 1:20:00 in, if you're interested in watching the entire thing. It's fairly lengthy, and runs through around 1:35:00, at which point the team runs through a slideshow (with English) that re-iterates all of the enhancements. That slideshow also confirms a "high-resolution UI" option for PC players.

Yep, this is looking real good. XIV is still one of the most gorgeous games in existence, so being able to see a livelier version is a plus, as is a more stable framerate for higher octane bouts.

[Update: As expected the rollout seems to be a mess. The official Twitter account didn't update anyone when the process began, leaving many fans in the lurch as to how they should actually buy the new Animal Crossing line. After many requests, it provided a link to the waiting room.

In addition, after a lot of hype, they are reportedly only selling Isabelle and Tom Nook SKUs at this time (which might be the entire "line" altogether). Many folks on Twitter are reporting that they couldn't get in the waiting room, or never got the email explaining anything regarding the process. If you try and join the waiting room now the time listed is "over an hour."]

Ah, another day, another Nintendo-merchandise-related fiasco in the making.

Fresh off of the insane demand for Animal Crossing Sanrio crossover amiibo cards is the newest promotion on the block: Animal Crossing Build-A-Bear. You laugh, but this promo is so crazily hyped that the Build-A-Bear corporation is actually taking this very seriously, and has provided exact go-times for the online frenzy.

Today at 10:30AM ET, you'll be allowed the privilege of stepping into a virtual waiting room for an 11:00AM ET sale time. If you're curious, you're probably going to want to sign up for the newsletter to get the go-ahead and the link for said online room.

Phenomenally popular franchise The Walking Dead is making another foray into the world of video games. Coming to iOS and Android devices on April 12, The Walking Dead: Survivors sees an all-star cast of monster mashers reunite for more bloody, siege-management action.

A collaboration of Elex and Skybound Entertainment, TWD: Survivors is a free-to-play game that will see players build a custom team taken from 80+ famous faces from the Image Comics series and its TV adaptation. Set your squad to fortifying your territory against waves of Walkers, as well as vicious attacks from clans of other players. Keep your team alive and your walls standing while managing your resources and increasing growth across the region. Team with other players to solidify your presence, lead attacks against other clans, and maybe you and yours will live to see tomorrow.

Big news today for Xbox Game Pass: it's getting one of the biggest games in recent memory.

Yep! It's none other than Grand Theft Auto V, which hits the Game Pass service on April 8, on mobile devices and consoles. Also on that same date you'll find Disneyland Adventures, as well as Rush: A DisneyPixar Adventure, and Zombie Army 4.

It's a good spread! I mean you have two ultraviolent games and two things for kids to play. And GTAV is kind of the perfect Game Pass game at this point, because it's so old that anyone who really wanted it already bought it, and folks who were on the fence might get sucked in and pay for GTA Online goodies. It's a win-win for Rockstar.

On April 12 NHL 21 is still arriving, with Rain on Your Parade and Pathway on April 15. Then there's MLB The Show on April 20. You can find the full list of April offerings below.

Game Pass continues to be worth the price of entry.

Monster Hunter Rise is having a pretty good go of it right now.

It's shipped five million copies and is instantly one of Capcom's top-10 most successful games. It's riding high with positive critical and fan reception, and for the most part, there are only a few bugs. Although the parameters for triggering them are obscure you should be aware of them; though a few of which were squashed today.

Just this morning Capcom pushed a new update for Monster Hunter Rise, which shored up some lingering problems since launch. The vast majority of them have to deal with uncommon menu and emote bugs, most of which can be fixed by restarting the game. It's not ideal! But thankfully there was only one major save-threatening bug found so far.

The really good news is that if you were impacted by this one, Capcom has been able to fix it without ruining your save. Here's the snippet from the patch notes: "Fixed a bug causing save data to be corrupted when you try to continue the game from the Title Menu after quitting the game while having the Attack Pose Set and Hurt Pose Set equipped to the Action Bar or the radial menu. You will now be able to resume your game with the save data in question."

Bolded for emphasis! You can find the full patch notes for version 1.1.2 below.

If you somehow haven't tried out Grand Theft Auto 5 yet, another opportunity to take it for a spin has arrived, as the game is once again joining Xbox Game Pass.

As announced on Xbox Wire, GTA 5 is coming to the cloud and console versions of Game Pass on 8th April. This isn't the first time the game has joined the subscription service: it was available between January and May last year, before it was replaced by Red Dead Redemption 2. You may recall that GTA 5 was also given away for free on the Epic Games Store in May 2020, and was so popular that it caused Epic Games' services to go a bit wobbly.

Joining GTA 5 on 8th April, you can also expect to find Zombie Army 4: Dead War (for cloud, console and PC), along with Disneyland Adventures and Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure on the cloud. On 12th April, you can access NHL 21 on console, while on 15th April indie game Rain on Your Parade (about a cardboard cloud that rains on people) will become available on cloud, console and PC. 12th April will also see turn-based tactics game Pathway come to Game Pass on PC.

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Following reports that E3 would be returning this year as a digital event, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has now officially confirmed that E3 2021 will be an online-only affair: and it will be free to watch.

Taking place between 12th to 15th June, E3 will return as a "reimagined, all-virtual" event allowing developers to showcase their latest games and news. "The ESA will be working with media partners globally to help amplify and make this content available to everyone for free," the ESA said.

"We are evolving this year's E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable centre stage for video games," said ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis.

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Ever since Jordan Peele gave us Get Out, there’s been a trend in pop culture entertainment that upsets the shit outta me—everything (and oh my Lord, do I mean everything) is centered on Black Pain. It feels like the only shows or movies that prominently feature Black people involved in fantastical or heroic shit has…

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Xbox Game Pass started April strong with the day-one launch of Outriders, but that’s not the only major addition to Microsoft’s games-on-demand service this month. Here’s everything coming to Xbox Game Pass in the next few weeks:

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Build-A-Bear’s eagerly-anticipated line of official Animal Crossing: New Horizons plushies go on sale this morning at 11 am Eastern. In order to handle what’s sure to be massive demand, Build-A-Bear has set up a virtual queue for customers to gather in to await their chance to purchase items that haven’t even been…

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E3 will be making a virtual return in 2021 after taking a year out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ...

A new preview went over details about Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu and her three daughters, Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela.

The post Lady Dimitrescu’s 3 Daughters Are Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela appeared first on Siliconera.

In the 5th Developer Backyard, ASW also revealed feedback from the first open beta test survey.

The post Guilty Gear Strive Second Open Beta Test Is Planned appeared first on Siliconera.

Build-a-Bear Animal Crossing collection orders are about to open, and people will be able to get Isabelle and Tom Nook bundles.

The post Build-a-Bear Isabelle and Tom Nook Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.

A cold reception for enemies of Mondstadt.

The post Genshin Impact Rosaria Trailer Profiles the Aloof Priestess appeared first on Siliconera.

E3 2021 will be online and free this year, and both Nintendo and Microsoft are among the first companies to commit to an appearance at it.

The post Nintendo and Microsoft Will Be at E3 2021 appeared first on Siliconera.

Outriders is available now, and with the servers now infinitely more stable than they were at launch, more players are hopping in to explore the dangers of Enoch. The looter shooter has an impressive story that builds up at an enjoyable pace, but you guys know how obsessed with Dragon Age I am, so naturally, I have to talk about an Easter egg I found. 

When progressing through the story, you'll eventually head to an area called Deadrock Pass, where a side quest can be picked up called "A Free Market." You'll pick up this quest by heading into a communal area in this location, where you'll meet Alastair Cullen as he snorts up something to help him get through these trying times. There are a few ways that this ties into Dragon Age, with the most obvious being the name itself. Though the spelling is different, both Alistair and Cullen are Templars in the BioWare RPG universe. Alistair left the Templar order to become a Grey Warden (and eventually the King of Fereldan, if you played your cards right), whereas Cullen didn't leave the order until it was almost too late.

Each time I play weird and wonderful amnesiac detective RPG Disco Elysium, I fall in love with language all over again, and get properly jazzed up to spill some fancy words. In this case, I've played the new Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, an updated version of the game that has loads of new voice acting and even some new quests. So I’ll pop a cork in my impulse to use words like 'ekphrastic', at least a bit, because I imagine you’ve come here with one of two questions.

Those are: "should I finally get around to playing The Large RPG?" or, if you’ve already played it loads, "is the Final Cut reason enough to do so again?" Please, enter the slide in front of you, and glide, like a graceful brick, into the answer pool below.

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The clumsy little Mukodon Abe returns today in Oddworld: Soulstorm, a reimagining of the 1998 side-scrolling platformer Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus. Soulstorm is an action-adventure game where Abe's new goal is to save his pals from being slaves. It's got crafting, molotov cocktails, and will let you complete the game without killing any sligs (evil aliens). Watch out though, because it also has a launch bug that can make Abe fall indefinitely.

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Performing SUNDAYYYYY ... at L.A.’s Greek Theater

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An endless saga, told through games

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This isn’t a cover shooter, so don’t play it like one

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Some Star Wars characters really do prefer blasters

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This deal is getting worse all the time!

Remember weeks ago when Sakurai confirmed that Pyra and Mythra were joining the Super Smash Bros. squad? Although the amiibo figures for the duo are far away, the larger, more detailed Good Smile statues were confirmed for another round of pre-orders following the broadcast.

Well, they're up now for the "second round," and they're about on par with a lot of other Good Smile offerings in terms of price: Pyra and Mythra will run you $192.99 each. Here's the kicker though, they aren't slated to ship until March 2023. Note that this second round will run until April 28.

Previously, you could have gotten in on this racket in 2018 for Pyra and 2019 for Mythra. The company did another run that's coming in June, with another round in late 2022. But this official "second round" (the one you can get today) is going to be even more elusive.

Consider this a PSA!

Pyra | Mythra [Good Smile]

One of the key features that made WayForward's high-school brawler River City Girls so utterly appealing was its wicked cast of characters. Led by the dynamic duo of Misako and Kyoko, RCG was absolutely bursting fun enemies, shopkeepers, bystanders and boss characters. So many neat characters, in fact, that sadly not everyone got a turn getting their nose broken.

Apropos of nothing, WayForward has released an image of one such boss character that didn't make the cut for the bone-breaking punch-up. According to the publisher, "Noroi" was a kind-hearted schoolkid possessed by a malicious Yokai demon, turning him into a meat-cleaver wielding maniac with a ghostly visage. The River City Girls cast was already pretty much packed-out, and our boy never made it off the page.

River City Girls has an amazing array of Big Bads, from franchise favorites such as Misuzu and Abobo, to the amazing arachnid fashionista Hibari, the hard-rockin' but troubled megastar Noize, and the sexy, sword-swinging, crime lord Sabuko. There isn't a dud among them, which just leaves one wondering what other awesome design ideas hit the cutting room floor alongside the demonic Noroi. So knuckle up, ladies, it looks like there still might be further evil lurking in the avenues and alleyways of your burned-out 'burg.

The hits for Balan Wonderworld keep coming.

Following a poor critical reception, the Square Enix-published mascot platformer allegedly has only sold roughly 2,000 copies in Japan. Evidently, the game did not even chart (with any SKUs), missing the top 30 at retail. Though we don't have the digital sales figures from Square Enix, it's increasingly likely that they will ignore that this game exists eventually.

Following through, I checked the eShop to see if the game was ranked in North America, and it's still not in the top 30. Nintendo Life reports that the game did not crack the top 40 UK charts on any platform as well. Low-end word of mouth also tracks with the Steam listing, which still only has 68 total reviews: an extremely low turnout for a game from a major publisher.

It's heartbreaking in a way, as famed former Sega developer Yuji Naka has made it known in no uncertain terms that Balan Wonderworld might be his last shot to make a genre game like this. But if the market isn't responding well, and the game is fundamentally flawed, this might realistically be the end of the road.

Mascot platformers as a whole in 2021 are a very tough sell as it is, because "flawed but fun" is becoming increasingly less cute in a sea of polished genre staples. It was an uphill climb from the start, no matter how wide-eyed Naka may have been.

NetEase and ArtPlay continue in their efforts to bring all of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night's console content to the mobile edition of Igarashi's great gothic platformer. Today sees the arrival of a new playable character, Zangetsu, who joins the Bloodstained roster on iOS and Android as a free download.

Create a world of your own alongside our Animal Crossing™: New Horizons friends! Available online now and arriving in stores soon!

Sorry, Ash. It looks like Mass Effect Legendary Edition touched the Mako. Touched it a lot, in fact.

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GDC General Manager Katie Stern shares lessons learned from a year of adapting the conference to an online format. ...