September 2021

The DK Rap Was Unfairly Mean To Lanky Kong

2 years 7 months ago
Link
Kotaku

Donkey Kong 64 is a classic and beloved platformer that features a weird rap song and way too many collectibles. While these days, all those pesky collectibles aren’t fondly remembered, the odd rap song found at the start of DK64 is a fan favorite. Sure it’s terrible, but in a loveable sort of way. However, as pointed…

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Author
Zack Zwiezen

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Former PlayStation Boss, Shawn Layden, Reveals He Left the Company to Avoid Burnout

2 years 7 months ago
Link
IGN

Former PlayStation boss, Shawn Layden, has finally revealed why he left the company, almost two years after his departure.

PlayStation abruptly announced on September 30, 2019, that Layden had left the company after 32 years with Sony. The company didn't reveal why Layden had departed — PlayStation simply said he was leaving and that he'll be greatly missed — and Layden himself has remained quiet on the subject.

Now, almost two years after his departure, Layden has revealed in an interview with Bloomberg that he left PlayStation to avoid burnout and to put a good pin in his legacy at the company.

"It's a young person's activity," Layden said. "I felt: This is a good time to put the pin in my legacy."

Layden explained that in the years leading up to his departure, he had helped the company release some of the highest-rated games of the entire PS4 generation — he noted Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War to Bloomberg. He said that leaving PlayStation when he did, which happened to be the year before the start of the PlayStation 5 generation, came down to good timing.

"That seemed like a good time to step off on top and allow another generation to take the PlayStation 5 to market,” Layden said.

Author
Wesley LeBlanc

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Ghost of Tsushima: A New Update Makes the Foxes Even Cuter

2 years 7 months ago
Link
IGN

A new Ghost of Tsushima update has made the already-adorable foxes in the game even cuter.

Throughout Ghost of Tsushima's map, there are fox dens to find. Upon completing a given fox den, Jin Sakai pets his new furry buddy goodbye (ok, you don't have to pet the fox but come on — who's not going to pet them?). The foxes love it, of course, but a new update makes them even more excited for incoming pets.

Famed Twitter account, CanYouPetTheDog, which tracks whether or not you can pet dogs and other animals in games, tweeted about this new update and the new animations foxes in Ghost of Tsushima have, as reported by GameSpot. Sucker Punch Productions' communications person, Andrew Goldfarb, confirmed the new fox-related features on Twitter as well.

As you can see in the video above, foxes will now yap in excitement for the pets they're hoping Jin will give them. They'll also tap on the ground excitedly before rolling over onto their backs to prepare for some belly rubs.

Author
Wesley LeBlanc

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Hoa Wears its Ghibli Inspirations on its Tiny, Sunlight-Dappled Sleeve

2 years 7 months ago
Link
IGN

Games with Ghibli vibes are becoming more prevalent these days, but so far, the closest I've gotten to feeling like a Ghibli protagonist floating in a summery field of grass has been with Hoa, a new platforming game from Vietnamese studio Skrollcat.

Hoa's inspirations are clear the moment the game starts, with a tiny protagonist floating dreamily to an island upon a single leaf before wordlessly beginning to explore. Without exposition, the titular Hoa begins to explore a world of sunlight filtered through green, gentle bug friends, hanging flowers and vines, sparkling cave systems, and soft, natural beauty. It's all done in a hand-painted style clearly nodding to its animated inspirations, and underscored by a tender, fully orchestrated soundtrack that, yes, directly hearkens to the musical vibes of Joe Hisaishi.

Creators Son Tung Cao and Son Tra Le tell me how Hoa was inspired by their own personal experiences together. The two met in 2017 at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, where Son Tung was working in the university's game lab and Son Tra was finishing up her animation studies.

At the time, Son Tung was already passionate about beautiful platforming games. Inspired by the likes of Trine and Limbo, he approached Son Tra with a simple idea: a girl, and a close tie with nature. Son Tra began sketching.

After a number of concepts of girls with little leaves on their heads, they eventually came to the design of the character Hoa, and began expanding their exploration to the world she might live in and the creatures that might inhabit it. Fortunately, inspiration was not far off — the two were surrounded at all times by nature.

Author
Rebekah Valentine

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Battlefield Mobile: Android-Only Play Tests Will Start This Fall in Select Regions

2 years 7 months ago
Link
IGN

Android-only play tests for Battlefield Mobile will begin this Fall in two countries: Indonesia and the Philippines.

EA announced this news on its Battlefield mobile play test FAQ page, adding that as EA continues with testing, more regions will be added to the play tests. EA didn't mention which regions, however.

"We'll be steadily rolling out Battlefield Mobile starting with a series of smaller play tests in Indonesia and the Philippines," the blog post reads. "The first of these begins Autumn 2021, and will only be available on Android devices. As we continue testing, we'll expand the size of these tests [and] add new regions."

EA says that when the play tests grow broader in scope and size, it will launch a page that allows would-be players to pre-register for the game and sign-up for future play tests. According to the FAQ page, players will need to have a device running on Android 7.0 or a later version of Android.

At the start of the play tests, only the Grand Bazaar map will be available and players will only be able to play in the classic Battlefield game mode, Conquest.

Author
Wesley LeBlanc

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Sonic Colours: Ultimate players report graphics glitches and bugs

2 years 7 months ago
Link
Eurogamer

UPDATE 6TH SEP 2021: Sega has said it's looking into Sonic Colours: Ultimate issues for a potential new patch.

"Appreciate all your feedback on Sonic Colors: Ultimate, and the teams are listening and assessing for an upcoming patch," social media manager for the Sonic brand, Katie Chrzanowski, said in a tweet. "Thank you all for your patience as we dig into this!"

Chrzanowski said some of the graphics glitch issues that have emerged on social media were the result of Sonic Colors: Ultimate running on an emulator, which is "unfortunately outside our control".

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Author
Wesley Yin-Poole

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The Legend Of Zelda Is The World's Most Tragic Video Game Series

2 years 7 months ago
Link
Gamespot

Note: This article contains a bunch of story spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the Necrodancer, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Uh...possibly some others, too.

The story of every game of The Legend of Zelda is pretty much the same: Evil monster king tries to claim a godlike wish-granting artifact, the Triforce, in order to dominate the world, and a sword-wielding fairy child and magical princess team up to stop him. There are 27 Zelda games at this point, and the vast majority are remixes of that basic idea in some form or another. And for years, that's all it seemed like the Zelda games were: different takes on the same idea, the same game revisited with interesting tweaks along the way.

With the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, though, Nintendo did a lot to recontextualize the Zelda series. Chronologically, the game is the "first" Zelda title--it marks the beginning of the series, the very first time a monster king was defeated by a sword kid and a magic princess. Casual Zelda fans might not have really thought about it, but that creates some pretty huge implications for the world the Zelda games take place in. It means that each of the adventures in the Zelda series aren't just different takes on the same apocalyptic monster-king war: They're all separate, uniquely horrific apocalyptic monster-king wars.

Author
Phil Hornshaw

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NBA 2K22 Reveals Teams’ PA Announcers With New Trailer

2 years 7 months ago
Link
Twinfinite

Today 2K Games released a new trailer of the upcoming basketball game NBA 2K22.

This time around, the trailer is an extensive look at the NBA team’s Public Address Announcers that have been included in the game to improve immersion.

You can check them out (and hear them) below.

NBA 2K22 releases for PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC on Sept. 10. You can check out the previous video and an official description below.

“A WORLD OF BASKETBALL
NBA 2K22 puts the entire basketball universe in your hands. PLAY NOW in real NBA and WNBA environments against authentic teams and players. Build your own dream team in MyTEAM with today’s stars and yesterday’s legends. Live out your own pro journey in MyCAREER and experience your personal rise to the NBA. Flex your management skills as a powerful Executive in MyGM and MyLEAGUE. Anyone, anywhere can hoop in NBA 2K22.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Kunio-Kun Three Kingdoms Game Teased to Celebrate 35th Anniversary

2 years 7 months ago
Link
Twinfinite

Today Arc System Works shared a rather interesting tease for fans of the Kunio-kun series, often known in the west as “River City.”

The title is “Kunio-kun no Sangokushida Yo Zen’in Shugo!” which translates as “It’s Kunio-kun Three Kingdoms: Everyone Gathered!”

The release window is simply “coming soon” and platforms have not been announced at all.

The game has been teased with a trailer that doesn’t really show much, if anything.

It’s probably a new Kunio-kun game set in the Romance of the Three Kingdom setting, and it wouldn’t be the first time in which the heroes (and thugs) of the franchise are portrayed in a different era in a variety of spinoffs.

Kunio-kun no Sangokushida Yo Zen’in Shugo! is developed by A+ Games, which is known for Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time and Kill la Kill the Game: IF.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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