February 2022

Pokémon Scarlet And Violet: All Of The Version Differences And Exclusives So Far

1 year 5 months ago
Link
Game Informer

Pokemon Scarlet Pokemon Violet Version Differences

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet have been officially announced, complete with a reveal trailer that includes a first look at the starters this time around. 

These two games represent the start of Generation 9, which will surely bring its own competitive meta, anime, and even Pokémon card series to the franchise, and we can't wait. However, there's still some time before we actually get to play these games, so for now, we'll be scanning every second of the reveal trailer (and subsequent trailers) for new locales, features, and of course, Pokémon. 

Author
Wesley LeBlanc

Tags

Every Pokémon Confirmed For Pokémon Scarlet And Violet So Far

2 years 2 months ago
Link
Game Informer

Platform: Switch
Publisher: The Pokémon Company
Developer: Game Freak

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet will be ushering in a whole new generation of Pokémon late this year when it releases for Nintendo Switch. With its fresh set of starters, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, a whole host of new and returning monsters will fill the ecosystems throughout the new open world.

Which Pokémon will you be able to find? Look no further, as we've compiled every single Pokémon that's been confirmed for Scarlet and Violet in official screenshots, videos, and trailers from the duo of games.

Starters: 
Sprigatito
Fuecoco
Quaxly

Author
John Carson

Tags

Elden Ring director feels "apologetic toward anyone" who finds FromSoftware games too hard

2 years 2 months ago
Link
Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Elden Ring has revived the familiar talking points around FromSoftware games: are they too hard? Should they have an easy mode?

Hidetaka Miyazaki, the director of all of these games, spoke about the subject in a new interview with Simon Parkin in the New Yorker. "We are always looking to improve, but, in our games specifically, hardship is what gives meaning to the experience," he says. "So it’s not something we’re willing to abandon at the moment. It’s our identity."

Read more

Author
Graham Smith

Tags

Dying Light 1 now on Epic with store and OS crossplay

2 years 2 months ago
Link
Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Dying Light 2 released earlier this month, but that doesn't mean the first game of zombie-parkour-survival no longer has value. Developers Techland don't seem to be abandoning it, either: Dying Light Enhanced Edition is now available via the Epic Games Store, with a sizeable launch discount, and it now has crossplay so owners across Steam, Epic and GOG, whether on Windows, MacOS or Linux, can play co-op together.

Read more

Author
Graham Smith

Tags

Elden Ring's Game of Thrones Easter Egg Can Be Found Surprisingly Early

2 years 2 months ago
Link
IGN

When Elden Ring was announced the developers announced it was a creative collaboration between Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin.

While Elden Ring is much closer to previous From Software RPGs than Martin's Game of Thrones, there is still a nice easter egg reference to Martin's famous series-turned-HBO mega-hit.

Spoilers for Elden Ring boss and weapon below.

George R.R. Martin wrote the lore for Elden Ring which served as the foundation for the game's story. While Elden Ring has no ties to Martin’s other works, the team at From Software did throw in a nice reference to Martin’s most famous work in the form of a weapon called the Grafted Blade Greatsword.

This Greatsword is several smaller swords grafted together, and looking at the design it is a clear nod to the famed Iron Throne from Game of Thrones. Like the sword, the throne is made from different swords welded together.

Credit%3A%20HBO%2C%20IGN

Even better, the sword is available early on in the game, though wielding it is another matter. The weapon requires players to have 40 Strength to use effectively.

Author
Matt Kim

Tags

Why Genshin Impact Dev MiHoYo Is Investing In Fusion Energy

2 years 2 months ago
Link
IGN

MiHoYo is best-known as the studio behind the absurdly successful Genshin Impact, the free-to-play open world RPG that generates billions of dollars each year. But MiHoYo also has another goal: Science.

As reported by Pandaily, MiHoYo is a major investor in Energy Singularity, a startup dedicated to exploring commercialized fusion technology. Founded by a body of experts from the world's top universities, the company was able to raise $63 million in its first round of funding. Other investors include NIO Capital, Sequoia China’s Seed Fund, and BlueRun Ventures.

Energy Singularity is working on a tokamak reactor — a device that uses powerful magnets to confine plasma particles in order to achieve fusion. Tokamak reactors have existed for decades, but recent advancements in fusion technology have sparked hopes that a commercial reactor will soon be viable.

Author
Kat Bailey

Tags

Civilization Creator Sid Meier Says Games Shouldn't Focus on Monetization

2 years 2 months ago
Link
IGN

Sid Meier, the creator of the Civilization franchise, says that video game companies could lose their audiences if they continue to heavily focus on different kinds of monetization tactics such as microtransactions and NFTs.

In an interview with BBC, Meier explained, "People can assume that a game is going to be fun and what it needs for success are more cinematics or monetization or whatever - but if the core just is not there with good gameplay, then it won't work." The point is that games need to be fun, first and foremost. Gameplay is critical in order to keep players happy and engaged with the product.

Over the years, games have shifted business models and now some rely on microtransactions as well as in-app purchases. Recently, some companies, such as Ubisoft, have embraced NFTs as a new way to make more money despite strong backlash from the gaming community.

Meier said that figuring out gameplay is relatively cheap and doesn't require as many cooks in the kitchen compared to all of the aspects that go into creating a game. As a result, the importance of gameplay and game design themselves can be overlooked. He further explained, "I think we need to be sure that our games continue to be high quality and fun to play — there are so many forms of entertainment out there now."

Author
George Yang

Tags

Elden Ring Director Placed Important Restraints on George R.R. Martin's Contributions

2 years 2 months ago
Link
IGN

With Elden Ring finally out in the wild, eager players are undoubtedly combing every inch of FromSoftware's new fantasy world to find the influences of writer George R. R. Martin. Martin, the author of the Game of Thrones series, was famously brought onto Elden Ring to write the backstory for the in-game universe.

But in a new interview with New Yorker, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki revealed that he placed a few key restrictions on what Martin could do.

According to Miyazaki, Martin primarily wrote snippets of text about the world's history, its characters, and mythology, including the destruction of the Elden Ring and the subsequent scattering of shards. While this was something we learned previously, Miyazaki further clarified why this was the case.

“In our games, the story must always serve the player experience,” Miyazaki said. “If [Martin] had written the game’s story, I would have worried that we might have to drift from that. I wanted him to be able to write freely and not to feel restrained by some obscure mechanic that might have to change in development.”

Author
Joseph Knoop

Tags

Shadow Warrior 3 Review

2 years 2 months ago
Link
IGN

Shadow Warrior 3 doesn’t beat around the bush. In an era where games feel like they keep trying to be bigger, this one is happy not to draw itself out with lengthy dialogue or exposition-filled cutscenes. Instead, it throws you into the action right away and rarely lets a moment of ease set in from there. And while that focus on fun is refreshing, Shadow Warrior 3 is almost completely unremarkable in its execution, being about as straightforward as an FPS can get. It might not offer many new ideas, and its protagonist may be unbearable to listen to, but sometimes solid movement and satisfying weapons is all you really need.

Picking up a good while after Shadow Warrior 2, a massive dragon is wreaking havoc across Earth and it’s up to our returning hero, Lo Wang, to destroy the lizard. For Shadow Warrior, world-ending stakes like these aren’t anything new, but it didn’t take long for me to stop paying too much attention to Shadow Warrior 3’s story. Once you start playing it you might do the same, because it's generally a rushed load of nonsense. But you don’t play Shadow Warrior for the story – you play it to shoot demons, and there’s certainly plenty of shooting to do.

Author
Tom Marks

Tags

Microsoft Flight Simulator Sim Update 8 Released; FlyTampa’s Toronto Airport Released; FlyByWire Updates A32NX Airbus A320neo

2 years 2 months ago
Link
Twinfinite

Today Microsoft released a major update for its popular sim Microsoft Flight Simulator, while there is news on the third-party add-on side as well.

The update, dubbed Sim Update 8 and numbered 1.23.12.0, includes tons of changes some of which are listed below.

  • New marketplace interface, including a map displaying available airports with improved discoverability and a better navigation experience
  • New Private Match game mode to Reno air Races is available via the Content manager and allow customization of aircraft performance, number of laps, in-race assists and time of day)
  • New optional propeller simulation system with hundreds of moving surfaces covering the propeller realistically simulated has been implemented on 3 planes Cessna 152, Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan EX and Beechcraft King Air 350i now use the new propeller simulation system. This improves propeller effects such as p-factor as well as feathering, prop drag, etc…
  • A new Spotlight Event landing challenge is available for you to fly, featuring the Cessna Citation CJ4 landing at Reno Stead airport

Further updates include several bug fixes, stability improvements, navaids changes including the display of Tacan channels, weather improvements, and plenty of tweaks to default aircraft.

The full patch notes can be found here, and you can expect a download of about 500 megabytes on the windows store or Steam on PC, followed by a 4.34 gigabytes download within the sim. You’ll also have to download a ton of minor updates to content within the Content Manager (for me it was 11 gigabytes).

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

Tags