May 2021

Merle Dandridge will reprise her role as Marlene in the TV show based on Naughty Dog's The Last of Us. The Hollywood Reporter revealed the casting.

Marlene is the boss of the Fireflies, the resistance movement who fights for freedom against the military. She appeared in both The Last of Us games.

Dandridge joins Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie) on the cast of HBO's upcoming show. Gabriel Luna plays Tommy, Joel's younger brother. As already announced, Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann are writing the script for the series.

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Despite being a self-professed wimp when it comes to horror games, it takes a fair amount to properly rattle me when I'm actually playing them. I tend to get more stressed than frightened when playing games like Resident Evil, and the only time I've ever been properly scared and actually screamed in my seat was when I was playing P.T, Kojima's short teaser game on PS4 for the now cancelled Silent Hills. I had the lights on, Matthew by my side, and yet when we turned a corner in that creepy, looping corridor house, a ghost suddenly rushed us out of nowhere. Both of us yelled in terror at the sight of it, and it took ages for us to calm down and work up the courage to carry on.

It's not like I've been chasing that feeling in the intervening years (I am, after all, an officially certified wimp), but playing Resident Evil Village's House Beneviento section this week put me right back in that tiny London flat where we both screamed ourselves silly. It's proper nightmare fuel that place, and of course I had the good foresight to play it just before I was about to go to bed. Well done, Katharine, bravo.

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A lot can happen in six years (I’d list stuff that has happened, but I don’t want to start crying), but one of the things that didn’t happen was any sort of follow-up to Samurai Warriors 4-II. The 2015 action adventure game, where a single sword swing can take down a sizable chunk of an army and a kick is basically a mini nuke, has been begging for a proper successor for a while now. And hark at what’s coming our way, bashing lines and lines of NPCs into the air and screaming! It’s Samurai Warriors 5.

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Microsoft are giving away a custom PC inspired by Microsoft Flight Simulator this weekend over on their Xbox UK Twitter account, and they really aren't kidding on where they've taken their design inspirations from. Yep, that's an actual turbine engine they've used for the case here - and you thought your PC fans kicked up a fuss...

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Wonder Boy is a bit of a wonderful mess. The series never seems to stick to one style, developer, or nomenclature. Here we have a remake of Monster World IV, which is a sequel to Wonder Boy in Monster World, or, as it’s known in Japan — and I’m not kidding here — Wonder Boy V: Monster Land III.

Recently, we’ve received a bit of a revival recently: Wonder Boy Returns, an upgrade of the original, developed by CFK; Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, a remake of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap (not to be confused with Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair) by Lizardcube; Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, a completely new entry by Game Atelier; and this title, Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World, which is perplexing, because boy isn’t even in it.

Confused? Perfect. That’s how I like you.

The super dev squad of Guard Crush Games, Lizardcube, and Dotemu have revealed the third character headed to their fantastic scrolling brawler Streets of Rage 4. In what is unlikely to come as a surprise to the fanbase, it is the high-kicking martial arts expert Shiva, who will arrive as part of the upcoming Mr. X Nightmare DLC expansion.

Did you catch the Sonic stream yesterday? No worries, we recapped the whole thing.

Of note, we got confirmation of the Sonic Colors remaster under the "Ultimate" moniker, as well as a tease for what is likely a new Sonic game due in 2022. Now, thanks to information from the game's teaser and Sega itself, we know a little more about the project.

According to Eurogamer, an early version of Sega's press release called the game "Sonic Rangers." Destructoid did not get the same press release, as there is no mention of "Rangers" anywhere. It's entirely possible that Sega's UK arm got some wires crossed, and the US one was able to keep it under wraps.

This also lines up with datamined info from the teaser, which also confirms the "Rangers" name. Folks are also bringing up old rumors from January regarding an "open world Sonic game" that allegedly has elements of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Ubisoft titles. Take that last bit with a grain of salt, but given that Rangers came from an official source, the moniker at least seems accurate.

Sega mentions Sonic Rangers in its own press release [Eurogamer]

At the end of June 2021, people using Amazon Luna can find Yakuza 0 on the service. It and three other games will debut next month.

The post Yakuza 0 Will Come to Amazon Luna in June 2021 appeared first on Siliconera.

Players can coordinate their gestures to hold each other's hands or play rock-paper-scissors.

The post Blue Protocol Will Add Joint Gestures and Heavy Smasher Class appeared first on Siliconera.

The physical balance board stages will test your figure-placing skills.

The post Super Mario Balance World Game Will Add More Stages This July appeared first on Siliconera.

Dotemu revealed that the third playable character added in the new Streets of Rage 4 DLC will be Shiva. Previously, he appeared as a boss.

The post Streets of Rage 4 DLC Will Make Shiva Playable appeared first on Siliconera.

The Genshin Impact 1.6 release date will fall in the beginning of June and bring with it Klee, Kazuha, and costumes for Barbara and Jean.

The post Genshin Impact 1.6 Release Date Set for Early June appeared first on Siliconera.

Monster Hunter Rise has shipped over 7 million copies since launching on the Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021. ...

How to thrive when no one wants to listen to you

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Tim Schafer owns a lot of Rubik's Cubes. This is something eagle-eyed viewers of Double Fine's many documentaries might've noticed throughout the years. Any scene with Schafer sitting in his office – of which there are a lot – is usually accompanied by many Rubik's Cubes covering his desk. Or they're found in his hands, as he quickly works through the Cube's puzzles in various meetings or work calls.

Take, for example, this scene from Double Fine Adventure episode three. Schafer, sitting next to Double Fine principal artist Lee Petty, is on a Skype call with artist Nathan "Bagel" Stapley as they work out various art directions for the then-in development Broken Age. Based on our frame-by-frame analysis of the scene, three different Rubik's Cubes can be seen: one in Schafer's hands, one on his desk between him and Petty, and one atop the couch near the window in the background. While there has been some debate here at Game Informer over whether or not the final Rubik's Cube counts, as it appears to actually be a small pillow, for the sake of comprehensiveness, we've chosen to include it.

Cyberpunk 2077 has found a new game director in Gabriel Amatangelo following former quest director, Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, stepping down from his role and leaving CD Projekt Red entirely.

The new game director joined up with the studio back in January of 2020. He joined the team as creative director for Cyberpunk 2077. Prior to that, he has worked on several major RPG experiences, including Dragon Age Inquisition's expansions (which did much to tie the base game together) and Star Wars: The Old Republic. With his RPG background and ability to tie into an ongoing story flawlessly, his leadership could mean amazing things for Cyberpunk 2077's future following its chaotic launch.

Amatangelo will be leading the development charge as Cyberpunk 2077 continues to get into the shape it was promised to be in at launch, as well as the promised DLC for this open-world adventure. 

Adam Badowski, the former Cyberpunk 2077 game director, has stepped down from his role to focus on other aspects of game development under the CDPR umbrella in a different leadership position. With more Cyberpunk experiences on the way and a return to the Witcher franchise, there is plenty of work to be done for the Polish studio.

The Last of Us TV series from HBO continues to find its cast, with the show's lasting addition being someone that is already intimately familiar with her role. Merle Dandridge is reprising her role from the game, playing Marlene in the upcoming The Last of Us TV series. 

The latest casting news came from an unusual source with Geoff Keighley. He took to Twitter to relay the good news, sharing yet another confirmation of the expanding cast members. 

It's official: @MerleDandridge will star as Marlene in THE LAST OF US for HBO, reprising her role from the game. pic.twitter.com/dyXIO0vO19

Fortnite’s gotten a crossover with Mistborn, a fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson. Following a Twitter teaser, players can now get a skin of character Kelsier along with a themed back bling, pickaxe, and load screen. It’s the game’s first book tie-in.

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The weekend is for transforming from a high school kid into a demonic demi-fiend after an evil cult forces the world into an apocalyptic rebirth known as Conception. Ooo, and maybe we’ll get some Wendy’s.

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Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the acclaimed 2019 Castlevania spiritual successor from Koji Igarashi and developer ArtPlay, is getting a sequel.

That's according to a single, and only mildly informative, slide found within publisher 505 Games' latest fiscal year financial results presentation (as spotted by Gematsu) - which, as well as noting that Bloodstained has now sold more than 1m copies, amassing over €30m in sales, confirms a "second version" is currently in development.

As Gematsu points out, "second version", although a somewhat unusual turn of phrase in this context, appears throughout the presentation in conjunction with other properties that have confirmed sequels, such as One More Level's action-parkour game Ghostrunner.

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UK chain GAME has launched an eye-catching offer to get Xbox Series S for less than £100 when you trade-in a Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.

But, tellingly, GAME's terms and conditions for this offer make it clear that this is only open to the public - and not to "trade" resellers looking for a quick profit.

"GAME reserves the right to refuse any offer to anyone believed to be representing a trade buyer/customer," the chain states. In other words, if you manage a CEX, no telling your staff to go upgrade dozens of knackered Xbox Ones for Series S to just resell the newer consoles for profit. This may well apply if you're an organised scalper, too.

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It's hardly the biggest discount of all time - Among Us is currently £3.99 on Steam and completely free on iOS and Android - but if you've been thinking about dipping a toe into Among Us on PC, you can now do so for free via the Epic Games Store.

The social deduction game, which originally released in 2018 but became enormously popular during the lockdowns of 2020, is free as part of Epic's ongoing Mega Sale (which lasts until 17th June). Those who have an Epic Games Store account can grab Among Us for free until 3rd June.

Once you've claimed the free game, you'll have access to new map The Airship, and be able to play with friends on other platforms like Switch, Android and iOS. The game is due to arrive on PlayStation later this year, too, so hopefully there won't be any problems with cross-play there.

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With E3 fast approaching, video game news is cranking into gear. This week, we reported on Nintendo's plan to announce the Switch Pro ahead of June's show, with an autumn release date in the schedule. If the Nintendo Switch Pro launches in time for Christmas, does that mean Breath of the Wild 2 is out then, too? And what about Metroid Prime 4?

Join Eurogamer reporter Emma Kent, news editor Tom Phillips and me in the latest Eurogamer News Cast, below, where we discuss all this and more.

Elsewhere, we look at Valve's apparent plan to take on Nintendo with a Switch-style handheld device of its own. Can Gabe Newell beat the big N at its own game?

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Sonic turns 30 this year, so Sega are showering their favorite little blue dude with what everyone wants when they turn 30: game cameos, remasters, an animated show, and a cryptic teaser trailer. During their Sonic celebration yesterday, Sega announced the remaster Sonic Colors: Ultimate for September, which is coming to us PC folks. They've also teased some new, unknown Sonic game coming next year, also on PC. We don't know much about it yet but don't worry, at this rate the rest of 2021 has gotta go fast.

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These past few weeks, I've felt myself to be in a bit of a creative funk, dear readers, but thankfully this doesn't seem to be the case for today's game developers. It seems they're still in full flow, as it were, and this week I've got a trio of nice things to play that'll hopefully kickstart your heart and get you in the mood to make something. They did for me, anyway.

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In Strangeland you, a man in a half-undone, old-timey straightjacket, wake up with no memory of who, what or where you are. The "where", it soon appears, is the titular land, a sort of grimdark carnival floating in a terrible void. It is rendered in lovely pixels that make everything look fleshy, even if the colours are all muted. As soon as you arrive, you see a woman throw herself down a well inside the welcome tent.

It is explained to you - by a raven, a head-in-a-box fortune teller, and a payphone caller who hates you - that she does this repeatedly, because death doesn't work the same here. You immediately fixate on saving this woman, and set about doing so in a point 'n' click puzzle fashion. And if you've seen any prestige horror films in the last few years, or even just engaged with any horror tropes before, you'll figure out what Strangeland's deal is in about 30 seconds.

Its whole vibe is like an episode of Twilight Zone via an episode of American Horror Story via if Tim Burton got trapped in a secret vore nightmare, and every second inhabitant tells the protagonist he's an idiot loser who makes everything he touches worse. Many conversations and visual metaphors end up being about the self, and self-image, and how to change oneself. Eyes and mirrors both come up a lot. There are several references to a black dog. Need I elaborate further?

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Monster Hunter Rise has been doing well for itself, with steady gains since launch.

Now it just hit a new milestone: seven million shipped. While "shipped" is often a point of contention, it's the only number that matters to Capcom, and they're celebrating it with another free item pack. If you log on now and head to the mailman you can snag "Kamura Pack 3," which nets you 30 Mega Potions, 20 Well-done Steaks, 10 Large Barrel Bombs, five Mega Demondrugs and five Mega Armorskins.

So where does that put Rise in regards to the all-time seller conversation? Well, Capcom's "Platinum Title" list has just six games ahead of it. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is the next milestone to beat with 7.7 million, followed by Resident Evil 6 at 7.8m, then RE5 at 7.8m.

Rise still has a ways to go until it bests that cluster, but if it keeps the momentum, it could easily end up in the top five. That's not including any sales from the PC version that's due in 2022. In other words, this is going to happen at some point.

"Borderlands 3 supports cross-play" is now a statement that will need a major asterisk next to it, seemingly through no fault of the game's publisher.

Speaking publicly on Twitter, Gearbox box Randy Pitchford openly sheds some light on Borderlands 3's cross-play feature, giving us "good and bad news." The good news is that an update is being prepped now that will "allow cross-play." The bad news is that cross-play will not include any PlayStation consoles.

In a move that isn't replicated by many industry players, Pitchford notes that "for certification, we have been required by the publisher to remove cross-play support for PlayStation consoles." This mirrors rare cases where studios openly spar with Sony on the issue. Note, however, that this could be a classic publisher dispute, and 2K and Sony didn't come to terms (though Sony requiring caveats for cross-play doesn't help). We've reached out to both parties for clarification.

We do have a little insight, though. As Forbes points out, this was former PlayStation's head of global second-party games Gio Corsi's response to cross-play, which came to light during the Epic v Apple trial: "As you know, many companies are exploring this idea and not a single one can explain how cross-console play improves the PlayStation business."

Yikes! That same trial also brought to light a Sony policy that requires "compensation" for allowing cross-play, as a sort of "hazard pay" for theoretically removing money from Sony's pockets. This is why some games have PlayStation cross-play and some don't.

Publisher Finji has announced that Greg Lobanov's cheerful Chicory: A Colorful Tale is finally ready to open its big box o' paints. The watercolor-based fantasy adventure will launch on PC and PlayStation platforms on June 10, a mere fortnight away.

Both the Jean and Barbara summer costumes will be sold in the Character Outfit Shop after the event ends.

The post See the Barbara and Jean Summer Costumes in Genshin Impact appeared first on Siliconera.

PlatinumGames released an eight-track World of Demons soundtrack on multiple services. There are also videos looking at its creation.

The post World of Demons Soundtrack Released appeared first on Siliconera.

The Genshin Impact 1.6 preview stream confirmed the Klee rerun and Kazuha banners, and it also announced two upcoming weapons.

The post Klee Rerun Banner and Kazuha Banner Confirmed for Genshin Impact 1.6 appeared first on Siliconera.

See how furniture seller IKEA manages its 3D processes in this upcoming GDC 2021 session. ...

The news comes after Cyberpunk's former game director Adam Badowski stepped down to focus on other leadership duties at the Polish company. ...

When a game and its nine expansions all ship on the same day, how does anything get fixed?

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A major Hollywood acquisition is all about IP

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The story of The Golem and The Jinni resumes on June 8

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Today’s Far Cry 6 gameplay reel showcased high-stakes gunfights, zany explosions, guerrilla commandos, and...a cute weiner dog that kills enemies with kindness. Far Cry 5’s “Guns For Hire” is back, but this time your companions are fittingly called “Amigos For Hire.” You see, the Cuban island of Yara is expansive and beautiful; brimming with dense metropolitan centers, sparkling beaches, and lush forests. Over the course of the many intense skirmishes that you’ll be catalyzing, you might find yourself in need of some company. Luckily for you, two such allies were revealed in the Far Cry 6 footage: an adorable pup and a man-eating crocodile.