May 2022

The enduring allure of Rollercoaster Tycoon

2 years 5 months ago

I have no memories of the fateful day in 1999 I bought Rollercoaster Tycoon. I don’t remember what got me interested in the game. I get nauseous as soon as I get on a bus, so it’s safe to say I’m not a theme park fan. I do remember having an obsession with the hypercapitalist, cool America style of Disneyland Paris, forever dangled in front of me by ads that would run at the end of Disney movie VHS tapes. But Rollercoaster Tycoon needed no specific branding to appeal. It just has you, right from its box illustration with the rollercoaster whizzing just out of view, the bright logo with its pleasant rollercoaster-esque bend. Rollercoaster Tycoon screams fun before you’ve even started it (even literally, on the back of the box).

Nowadays, games let you manage just about anything – hospitals, zoos, cafés - but in those management simulations you’re responsible first and foremost for someone’s well-being, or advancing your business. Of course you’re supposed to build a thriving theme park, but Rollercoaster Tycoon is interested in the mechanics of fun. Every aspect of it leads back to fun, and it explains why fun is at the root of your success as a player in terms that are easy to understand.

It is almost a meta look at how game designers try to get people to play their games: the overarching question is always what engages people and makes them stick around. As long as your guests are having fun and feel that they are getting value for their money, they will stay in your park. There, they will continue to spend money until they run out, and hopefully leave satisfied. Depending on the season and weather, they may favour different attractions. New things are always particularly exciting to them.

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Author
Malindy Hetfeld

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Psychonauts 2 is Double Fine's "highest-rated and best-selling game to date"

2 years 5 months ago

Psychonauts 2 is Double Fine's "highest-rated and best-selling game to date".

The news comes via art director Lisette Titre-Montgomery, who revealed the sequel's success in a series of tweets she posted whilst confirming she's now left the studio.

"April Fools Day was my last day at Double Fine. I have learned so much over the past four years+ about who I am as a leader and what it means to be a creative visionary," she said in a recent tweet. "Thank you for trusting me to bring the world of Psychonauts 2 to life."

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Author
Vikki Blake

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Narrative-driven game festival, LudoNarraCon, is back next week

2 years 5 months ago

Fellow Traveller's LudoNarraCon is back on 5th May.

The digital show - which showcases story-driven video games - is back for the fourth consecutive year with "games and their developers across a range of streams, panels, fireside chats, and demos".

Hosted on Steam and running until 9th May, the show features 42 exhibiting games and 56 panellists, including appearances from guests like Lucas Pope, Meg Jayanth, and Greg Lobanov. Viewers can also expect "exclusive reveals", too.

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Author
Vikki Blake

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The joy of Toads, and the fight for East Sussex's World Championships

2 years 5 months ago

Pass by a pub in Lewes, East Sussex's quaint county town, and you'll likely hear the low, rhythmic clunk! of brass hitting lead. Pause for a moment - perhaps peer in a dusty window - and you might catch the glint of metal as heavy brass coins arc hopefully through the air to land, several feet away, on the soft, sloped surface of a small table. Clunk! This is Toad in the Hole, or just toads, a pub game that's a cross between darts and tiddly-winks. As sure as you'll find Harvey's on tap, you'll see a toads table tucked away in most Lewes drinking establishments - as well as in those among its many surrounding villages.

Exactly where toads got started, it's hard to say - a 1950 Pathé newsreel notes its Elizabethan roots, though the table played in that film (then located in Surrey) includes an ornamental toad sculpture on top seen in some European versions. It seems to be played a bit in Spain - where it is named "juego de la rana", game of the frog - and also in South America - where it is "juego del sapo", game of the toad. Here in England, however, its popularity as a pub game is very much Lewes-based.

Author
Tom Phillips

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Get gaming laptops, monitors, and SSDs for less in Very's bank holiday sale

2 years 5 months ago

Although the Easter sales are well in the rear-view mirror, there's still plenty of good deal events to take advantage of in the spring.

With the May bank holiday this weekend, it's a great time to get yourself a new laptop or monitor for less. Very's bank holiday sale is offering lots of discounts on brands including ACER, ASUS, MSI, and Dell.

We've gone through the full range of deals and picked out some products we think are worth snapping up this weekend.

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Author
Mark Harrison

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This new mod lets you play Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus in VR

2 years 5 months ago

Flat screen to VR modder Helifax has just released a new mod that brings full 6DOF VR to Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.

The mod itself is free to download from Helifax's website and you can watch me put it through its paces in traditionally immature, VR Corner style in the video above.

The mod itself features "synced eye (single-frame stereo instanced) full 6DOF VR with Ray Tracing (not AER)" which in layman's terms means it looks very pretty and you can fully move your head and look around in all directions.

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Author
Ian Higton

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The original Forza was briefly available to buy online yesterday

2 years 5 months ago

YouTuber Jamie Moran was even able to play it on their Xbox Series X and share the footage, stating on Twitter: "The First Forza Horizon game popped up again in the store. Such a fun game, it still holds up really well and it’s 4K on Series X & One X."

https://twitter.com/JamieMoranUK/status/1520557268399501312

The game's sudden and unexpected reappearance six years after it was removed from sale has some fans speculating that it may be making a return. Without official word from the developer or Microsoft, however, we can only chalk this up to a mistake for now.

The latest game in the series, Forza Horizon 5, has seen more than 10 million players since launch. The impressive milestone means Playground's racing game has enjoyed the biggest first week in Xbox and Game Pass history.

Forza Horizon 5 looked like a hit even before it came out, when nearly one million people were already playing via early access on PC and Xbox ahead of the 9th November street date.

The original Forza Horizon game was briefly available to buy from the Xbox store yesterday.

While there's no official word on whether or not the game's return to the Xbox store was intentional, the racer has already been removed again, albeit not quite before some gamers managed to buy and download it (thanks, VGC).

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Author
Vikki Blake

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Dead Cells is "tough but fair" but new accessibility features include auto-hit, continue, and assist modes

2 years 5 months ago

Dead Cells co-developer Evil Empire has opened up about new accessibility options coming to the fan-favourite indie.

It includes details about new features such as auto-hit, continue, and assist modes, all of which aim to boost accessibility.

While the team believes "part of the fun" is Dead Cells' "tough but fair experience", Evil Empire says it knows "that it can be complicated for some people".

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Author
Vikki Blake

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Leaked images suggest the next Forza Motorsport is coming to Xbox One after all

2 years 5 months ago

Two leaked screenshots, reportedly of the next Forza Motorsport game, have popped up online.

Posted to r/gamingleaksandrumours over the weekend, the images - reportedly taken in July 2021 - have been deemed authentic by the subreddit's moderating team.

If true, this means the new racing instalment will be coming to Xbox One as well as Xbox Series X and PC (thanks, Dualshockers).

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Author
Vikki Blake

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Dying Light 2's DLC will "surprise people"

2 years 5 months ago

Techland has opened up about what players can expect from Dying Light 2's upcoming story-driven DLC packs.

In an interview with wccftech, Dying Light 2 lead designer Tymon Smektała has confirmed the first "runs parallel to the main story".

"It can be started right after Aiden arrives in The City. Since it’s the first one out the gate, we didn’t want to force players to finish the game before they’d be able to have fun with it," Smektała said. "I went through some of the speculations our community has expressed online, but I haven’t seen any of those theories get it right. So I hope that we’ll positively surprise people with this DLC."

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Author
Vikki Blake

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Ashes of Creation Gets New Video Discussing Progress, Event System, Environment Art, & More

2 years 5 months ago

Ashes of Creation developer Intrepid Studio released a new video about the game, with Creative Director Steven Sharif discussing a variety of points.

We hear about progress made on the design and engineering side, on top of a look at new environmental and character art, including a depiction of the new seasons system.

Interestingly, we also get to see a small video showcasing the event system, accompanied by an extensive explanation of how it works.

You can watch it for yourself below.

Ashes of Creation is a very promising fantasy MMORPG coming to Windows PC. If you want to hear more, you can check out our hands-on preview from last year.

The game is currently being transitioned to Unreal Engine 5.

Below you can read how the developers describe the game:

Experience an MMORPG where everything is permanently impacted
by your actions – explore, trade, build, and let the world take form. From your imagination through your will and into everyone’s reality, what you create will be the cornerstone of the next explorer’s ambition.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Darkstalkers Getting Bishoujo Lilith Figure by Kotobukiya

2 years 5 months ago

While the Darkstalkers series hasn’t been getting much support from Capcom besides re-releases, figure manufacturers haven’t forgotten about the nostalgic fighting series.

Kotobukiya has made a new figure belonging to its popular Bishoujo line portraying Lilith. You can find it on Amiami for 12,900 yen, which translates approximately into $99.

The release window is not excruciatingly far, coming in November 2022.

The prototype is sculpted by Tsubame, inspired by an illustration by Shunya Yamashita as you’d expect from the Bishoujo line. The scale is 1/7, resulting in 225mm in height.

Below you can check out a gallery and an official description.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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DCS World Gets Spectacular Trailer Showing Supercarrier Update

2 years 5 months ago

Eagle Dynamics released a new trailer showing upcoming updates coming for the DCS World‘s popular Supercarrier expansion.

The expansion, which is currently in early access, will soon receive new beta features including “deck crew animations that utilize the new skeletal animation system, new animations that are specific to night operations, and the inclusion of light wands.”

As usual, Eagle Dynamics is extremely good at making trailers, so you can check it out below.

If you’re unfamiliar with DCS World, it’s a gorgeous and extremely realistic free-to-play sandbox combat flight simulator for PC that offers a giant lineup of DLC aircraft for those who want to expand the experience.

Incidentally, Eagle Dynamics recently launched a new free trial program that lets you enjoy modules for 14 days every six months for free while you decide whether to purchase them or not.

Here’s how its developers introduce it.

“Feel the excitement of flying the Su-25T “Frogfoot” attack jet and the TF-51D “Mustang” in the free-to-play Digital Combat Simulator World!

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Microsoft Flight Simulator Embraer EMB-312 Tucano & Hollywood Burbank Airport v2 Announced; Tokushima Gets New Screenshots

2 years 5 months ago

Third-party developers had a few reveals to share about upcoming addons for Microsoft Flight Simulator, including aircraft and airports.

RPSimulations announced that it’s working on the Brazillian military trainer Embraer EMB-312 Tucano.

The reveal was made on the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Developers Worldwide Facebook group and you can see a few images below.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Skywind Developers Release New Video to Celebrate The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind’s 20th Anniversary

2 years 5 months ago

Twenty years ago today, Bethesda released The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and the developers of the upcoming mod Skywind are celebrating.

They released an extensive video in which developers and voice actors reminisce about their memories of the original game, while also showcasing plenty of footage of the highly-anticipated mod.

You can check out the video below, enjoying both the shared memories and the charming visuals of Morrowind, transformed by Skywind.

If you’re not familiar with Skywind, it’s a community-created mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that aims to fully recreate Morrowing in the newer engine included in Bethesda’s latest single-player Elder Scrolls game, which has just celebrated its own tenth anniversary.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Elden Ring: Where To Get Briars Of Punishment

2 years 5 months ago

If you're all about looking cool while firing off your spells in Elden Ring, you'll want to get your hands on Briars of Punishment. This bloody sorcery uses Faith instead of Intelligence, though, so you may have to respec to make the most of it. Either way, we'll tell you where you can get your hands on the spell with this guide.

Briars of Punishment explained

Briars of Punishment is a sorcery that requires 21 Faith to cast. It unleashes bloody thorns in a straight line in front of you and deals damage to enemies, but it also applies a bit of damage to you.

Briars of Punishment's item description reads:

An aberrant sorcery discovered by exiled criminals. Theirs are the sorceries most reviled by the academy. Wounds the caster with thorns of sin, sending a trail of bloodthorns running over the ground to impale enemies from below. This sorcery can be cast repeatedly. The guilty, their eyes gouged by thorns, lived in eternal darkness. There, they discovered the blood star.

Where to find Briars of Punishment

Briars of Punishment can be obtained in the Mountaintops of the Giants. You'll come across this late-game area during the main story path. Luckily, the spell you're seeking is sitting out in the open and can be grabbed by killing some nearby enemies or just riding over on your horse to grab it and then bail out.

Author
Billy Givens

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Minecraft Java Vs. Bedrock: Which Version Is Best For Playing Mojang's Game?

2 years 5 months ago

You can play Minecraft just about anywhere--PC, consoles, and mobile devices all run Mojang's seemingly immortal game. But the truth is that despite being on a dozen platforms, there are really just two versions: Bedrock and Java. If you're looking to get into Minecraft, you'll see people talking about these two versions, but what is the difference--and which one is best?

Java vs. Bedrock: Why are there two versions?

No Caption Provided

When Minecraft just started to become popular in the early 2010s, there was just one platform and one version. Minecraft was built in Java and played on Windows and Linux. Bedrock, meanwhile, began its life as Minecraft Pocket Edition, a version meant to run well on mobile devices, but would eventually form the base for Bedrock Edition.

Author
Eric Frederiksen

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Elden Ring: Where To Get Eternal Darkness

2 years 5 months ago

With so many offensive sorceries in Elden Ring, there's a certain intrigue that comes with one built around defending against other spells. Such is the case, though, with Eternal Darkness, which can be used to suck up and defend yourself from other sorceries and incantations. Read on to find out where you can grab it for your collection.

Eternal Darkness explained

Eternal Darkness is a sorcery that requires 35 Intelligence to cast. It creates a void that draws in sorceries and incantations, making it a solid choice against magic enemies and other spell-users in PVP.

Eternal Darkness' item description reads:

Forbidden sorcery of Sellia, Town of Sorcery. Creates a space of darkness that draws in sorceries and incantations. This sorcery can be cast while in motion. Originally a lost sorcery of the Eternal City; the despair that brought about its ruin made manifest.

Where to find Eternal Darkness

Eternal Darkness can be found on a corpse at the Swamp Lookout Tower in Caelid. To get to this location, complete Sellia, Town of Sorcery as part of the Millicent questline, then make your way to the Church of the Plague to grab the Site of Grace there.

Author
Billy Givens

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Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow Successfully Rebooted An Aging Series, And Its Sequel Ruined It

2 years 5 months ago

When Castlevania is discussed today--at this point far-removed from any new games in the series--we often hear about the same few retro titles. The original game paved the way for other action-platformers. Symphony of the Night influenced decades of non-linear action-RPGs, including a long line of great games on the Game Boy Advance and DS.

However, another game rarely discussed in these conversations, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, was a radical departure from the series' past that drew more from Zelda and God of War than it did from Castlevania. Its departures from the series' conventions only helped make its big twist even more unexpected--and its ending was so badass that it only made Lords of Shadow 2 more disappointing.

Spoilers for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series to follow!

Author
Gabe Gurwin

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Nvidia Says Real-Time Path Tracing Is On the Horizon, But What Is It?

2 years 5 months ago

Real-time path tracing, the next stage of game rendering, is on the horizon, Nvidia says. But wait--didn't RTX just get here? So what is path tracing, how is it different from ray tracing, and why does it matter? It's all about the way light works--both the way developers use it and the way gamers interact with it--and about turning a complex magic trick into simple physics with the quickly-growing graphical horsepower we have in our PCs and consoles.

No Caption Provided

Whether they're in two or three dimensions, games are an illusion. When you're solving puzzles in Outer Wilds or dodging Margit's giant hammer in Elden Ring, there's a complicated tangle of mathematical magic tricks running in the background to make you think you're looking at a natural and organic thing. Behind the scenes, your GPU is doing billions of calculations per second to make it all move and function.

Author
Eric Frederiksen

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What Happens In Elden Ring? The Game's Story, Part 3: Caelid

2 years 5 months ago

Having defeated Godrick the Grafted, traveled through Liurnia of the Lakes, and faced the academy of sorcerers, there are two major options facing players in Elden Ring. You can continue to make their way north to the Altus Plateau, home of the foot of the Erdtree, or they can venture east of Limgrave to the festering lands of Caelid. In fact, one of the paths to the Altus Plateau requires you to head to Caelid and fight your way through a fort infested with giant bats. So before moving farther north, we're going to head east to claim a third Great Rune.

You can access Caelid pretty early, but it can be a tough place for any Tarnished to survive. That's because Caelid is ravaged by something called Scarlet Rot. The creeping disease infects living things and pools in a huge, fetid swamp, resulting in a whole region filled with putrefying, monstrous creatures. It's also the home of Radahn, one of the demigod children of Radagon and Rennala. The Shardbearer waits for you on the eastern coast of Caelid, but unlike the others, Radahn isn't gathering power or planning to try to become Elden Lord. You'll soon see why.

Author
Phil Hornshaw

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Fortnite: Where To Plant Timed Explosives (Covert Ops Challenge)

2 years 5 months ago

In Fortnite, the final Covert Ops mission has finally been assigned to us by The Origin, and while it might seem easy at first, this one is a little bit trickier than it initially lets on--but we will get to that later, as first we need to, as always, establish a device uplink. This time, we have our pick between the river north of Rocky Reels, the western entrance to Tilted Towers, The Fortress, or Command Cavern. Here's where to plant timed explosives in Fortnite.

Pick one of these four locations to hear The Origin's voice again-- er, sorry, to receive your new mission details.

Pick your poison, drop down, establish that uplink, and you'll hear that The Origin's got a new mission for you-- he wants you to blow up a bunch of Imagined Order equipment so that hopefully, they won't be able to do whatever it is they're doing with that doomsday device we've been hearing so much about--and we'll be able to get that sweet, sweet Secret Sledge pickaxe for ourselves.

Author
Hana Kim

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Call Of Duty Devs Discuss Whether Cosmetics Will Transfer To Warzone 2

2 years 5 months ago

Call of Duty: Warzone is currently in its third season of Vanguard integration, but with the recent announcement of Warzone 2 being developed alongside this year's upcoming Modern Warfare 2, players are still waiting to find out if their cosmetic items will transfer to the new game. Unfortunately, The Washington Post's recent interview with Warzone developers didn't provide a definitive answer.

On April 29, a journalist for The Washington Post's Launcher sat down with Warzone developers Josh Bridge, who is the creative lead of Call of Duty live ops, and Ted Timmons, senior creative director at Raven Software. While the discussion was mainly focused on Godzilla and Season 3's big changes, the last portion of the interview touched on the future of Warzone, and the interviewer asked the developers if players' skins and other cosmetics would transfer over to Warzone 2.

Unfortunately, a clear yes or no answer isn't provided. Instead, Bridge explained that this is a new challenge for the developers, as past Call of Duty games usually only have a one-or two-year cycle of content. Warzone is currently "bloated" with content from three separate titles, which developers previously mentioned was a cause of problems for Caldera's initial rocky launch in Vanguard's Season 1.

Author
S.E. Doster

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PUBG Horror Game The Callisto Protocol: Scary New Concept Art Revealed

2 years 5 months ago

One of the more intriguing-looking games of 2022 is The Callisto Protocol, a horror game set in the PUBG universe coming from one of the designers of Dead Space.

Glen Schofield, the studio head at developer Striking Distance, has shared some concept art for The Callisto Protocol--and it looks very spooky. The image appears to show some type of undead humanoid in a derelict setting. As for when Striking Distance will properly show more of The Callisto Protocol, that might be soon, as Schofield said, "It's almost time to show you the real thing. Can't wait."

There is no word yet on when exactly Striking Distance will reveal more details on The Callisto Protocol, but one possibility is Geoff Keighley's Summer Games Fest later this year, though nothing is confirmed yet.

Author
Eddie Makuch

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Sonic Co-Creator Yuji Naka Blasts Square Enix For Balan Wonderworld's Failure

2 years 5 months ago

Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka's most recent game, Balan Wonderworld, didn't exactly impress players. However, according to Naka himself, he was actually removed from his director position six months before the game came out--and he doesn't think publisher Square Enix or developer Arzest care about their games' quality.

Writing in a thread on Twitter, Naka explained that a court case related to his removal recently ended, letting him now speak about what happened during his time working on Balan Wonderworld.

Author
Gabe Gurwin

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Xbox Update For Testers Will Let Users View Secret Achievements

2 years 5 months ago

A new Xbox update is out now for testers that lets users reveal details on secret Achievements, a feature that has been available for PlayStation users for years.

This feature is available today for Alpha and Alpha Skip Ahead members in the Xbox Insider program--this is a free program open to everyone. You can sign up here. Users can now see details on "secret" Achievements from the guide--this also reveals them in the Achievement tracker.

Xbox's Eden Marie shared the news and images, the second of which is altered to avoid a spoiler for the game Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion. Xbox Insider program lead Brad Rossetti shared another image that shows players need only select "reveal details" to show information about the secret Achievement in question.

Author
Eddie Makuch

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Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Summons Rinoa From Final Fantasy 8

2 years 5 months ago

The latest Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius collaboration has been announced, and the featured unit hails from Final Fantasy 8.

Rinoa, the resistance leader turned sorceress, joins the FFBE roster along with her dog Angelo, who acted as her Limit Break in FF8. Players will have a chance to summon her as a playable unit, while also playing through special Final Fantasy 8-themed events for a limited time.

The full details of the collaboration are below:

  • Rinoa & Angelo Step-Up Summon

    • From April 28, 2022, players will have the chance to obtain Rinoa & Angelo (NV) as a featured unit from the Rinoa & Angelo Step-Up Summon.

  • A Girl and Her Dog Login Bonus

    • Players who login every day until May 11 can obtain:

      • Neo Vision Awakenable Five-Star Lone Lion Squall Unit

      • NV EX Ticket x2

      • Guaranteed Ticket x1

  • King Mog Event - Balamb Garden in Crisis

    • Until May 11, players who clear the King Mog Event will earn event currency to exchange for rewards, including the materials to awaken the five-star Lone Lion Squall unit.

  • Knights of Grandshelt Discounted Step-Up Summon

    • Until June 1, a discounted Step-Up Summon which includes one guaranteed NV unit will be available.

  • All’s Well that Rains Well Login Bonus

    • Until May 5, players who log in daily can obtain a NV EX Ticket, Guaranteed Ticket, 100 Lapis, and more.

  • Free Weekly 5 Summon

Author
Jason Fanelli

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Today's Wordle Answer (#314) - April 29, 2022

2 years 5 months ago

The April 29, 2022 Wordle is one of the most humorous in quite a long time. It's a term that gets thrown around a lot these days, sometimes for the wrong reasons. Whether users are proactive on social media or play a good amount of online multiplayer video games, once they see the answer to Wordle #314, they might seem a little silly if they didn't get it correct.

We're here to make sure that users don't have to experience a wrong answer. While any player doesn't want their Wordle streak to end, it's especially important for users to not get today's wrong simply because of the answer itself. Use our best starting words guide for an extra boost. I was able to personally guess the word correctly in three tries thanks to my opening two words containing most of the five necessary letters. However, if users are less fortunate, they might be struggling towards the end of the Wordle.

For players looking for some hints or the full answer to Wordle #314, read below.

Today’s Wordle Answer - April 29

We'll begin with a couple of hints to the Wordle answer for April 29. These hints won't completely give the word away but they will put users on the right track when guessing.

  • Hint 1: This word is commonly used as an insult amongst players in online multiplayer games.
  • Hint 2: This word is what people will call certain things that they believe to be inferior.

Those hints might let some players in on the correct word. However, if users are truly stuck, then they deserve the full answer. The Wordle for April 29 is "trash." It's an enjoyable answer that might garner a laugh or two once players guess the word.

Author
Joey Carr

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Switch Sports Tips For Beginners

2 years 5 months ago

Switch Sports is the successor to Nintendo's massive pack-in game of yesteryear, Wii Sports. While the original was a breakout hit that helped illustrate the Wii's unique strengths to a new global audience, the followup Wii Sports Resort was less successful at setting the world ablaze. Nintendo Switch Sports goes back to basics, with six sports-based minigames to enjoy at launch and Golf already announced to be coming with a free update. The six sports available at launch are Volleyball, Badminton, Bowling, Soccer, Chambara, and Tennis.

Like Wii Sports, the games in Switch Sports rely on motion controls through your JoyCon controllers. That means you'll have to get up and off the couch to play--at least most of the time--and different games will use one or both JoyCons. You'll also set your dominant hand when creating a profile, which will determine which controller you use for most of the games. The solo modes are essentially training against AI competitors, but they each come in three difficulty levels to help prepare you for harder opponents. Here are some tips to get you started in your Switch Sports career.

Volleyball

Volleyball is arguably the most full-fledged sport in the collection, as you'll regularly be alternating with your partner between the flow of bumping, setting, spiking, and blocking. It uses two remotes, one of which is reserved just for positioning. Only the dominant hand remote uses motion tracking, but to really get the full effect of imitating the sport you'll be moving your hands together.

Author
Steve Watts

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Huh, You Can Beat Elden Ring While Overloaded

2 years 5 months ago

Elden Ring can be tough enough as it is, but it’s even tougher when you pick up too much crap and become overloaded. When this happens, as anyone who has played a Bethesda RPG will know, you go from being a nimble killing machine to a near-immovable lump of stone. It’s supposed to be a temporary effect, designed to…

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Author
Luke Plunkett

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Soul Hackers 2 for PS5, PS4, Xbox, & PC Gets New Trailer Revealing Sandman

2 years 5 months ago

Today Atlus released the usual daily trailer for its upcoming JRPG Soul Hackers 2, showing one of its demons.

To be precise, we take a look at Sandman, who debuted in the original Soul Hackers’ predecessor Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, and appeared often in the series, including Shin Megami Tensei V.

As usual, the trailer also includes the daily horoscope, which returned to the ranking layout. Scorpio is the luckiest sign for the day, while cancer is the most unlucky.

Soul Hackers 2 releases for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (Steam and Windows Store) on August 26, just one day after the Japanese launch on August 25.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Soul Hackers 2 Gets New Screenshots & Details Showing Characters & Gameplay Mechanics

2 years 5 months ago

If the daily chain of trailers weren’t enough, today Atlus released a sizable gallery of screenshots and details of its upcoming JRPG Soul Hackers 2.

We meet Iron Mask and R.S. Iron Mask is the leader of Project “C” within Phantom Society. He has a long history with milady and appears to have been her lover. Yet, he’s the one who orders R.S. to kill her. R.S. communicates through freestyle rapper, and while he seems a bit ridiculous, he’s a powerful devil summoner.

We also get to see more of Milady, who fights with a COMP shaped like sai daggers, named Stigma. She has a strong attitude toward the fire element with makes her a powerful attacker. Her high intelligence is also a relevant trait, and she can learn to regain MP as she defeats enemies.

We also take a look at relevant game mechanics.

When you explore dungeons you’ll see red enemy symbols. As soon as they see you, they will pursue. If they catch you, a battle with a group of enemies will ensue and you will be at a disadvantage. If you slash them with Ringo’s sword, they will be in a downed state. At that point, you can attack and you’ll be the one benefiting from an advantageous start to the battle. Otherwise, you can leave them behind and avoid a fight altogether.

If you’re lucky when attacking a downed enemy, you may get a bonus attack. There is a skill that increases the rate of bonus attacks.

When you enter a dungeon, Ringo will use an ability called Demon Recon, sending her demons ahead to explore. As you find them within the dungeon, they can provide you with items they have found, healing, and more.

They can even introduce you to other demons they have met, and you can then negotiate with them and recruit them.

You can check out the screenshots below.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Someone Modded the Fisher-Price Game Controller to Work on PC and Played Elden Ring With It

2 years 5 months ago

Rudeism on Twitter has modded the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Game & Learn Controller to actually work on PC, and they even played Elden Ring with it.

Rudeism shared footage of Elden Ring being played with the Fisher-Price toy, which he effectively turned into an Xbox controller. He also explained a bit about how he modded the controller while leaving many of the toy's original sounds intact.

One of the biggest challenges was the fact that the controller has no right analog stick. To get around this, Rudeism utilized the mode switch on the controller that changes the mode from music to numbers.

When you switch the mode over, it turns the left joystick into a right joystick. It also changes some of the face buttons to do different actions as well. The joystick even pushes in as it would on a normal Xbox controller. There are two bumpers on top - one with a wheel and one that acts as a light switch of sorts - and they account for LB/LT and RB/RT.

Author
Adam Bankhurst

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Embracer to Acquire Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix Montréal & Their IP from Square Enix

2 years 5 months ago

Embracer Group has been acquiring a lot of studios as of late, but today it had a rather groundbreaking acquisition to announce in the form of Square Enix’s main western developers.

The deal involves the acquisition of Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix Montréal, and their IP from Square Enix.

Said IP include classics like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain, and many, many more. The deal will also bring over 50 back-catalog games under Embracer control.

The price of the whole operation is certainly apparently rather inexpensive, especially compared to recent acquisitions, $300 million.

The press release included a comment from Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors:

”We are thrilled to welcome these studios into the Embracer Group. We recognize the fantastic IP, world class creative talent, and track record of excellence that have been demonstrated time and again over the past decades. It has been a great pleasure meeting the leadership teams and discussing future plans for how they can realize their ambitions and become a great part of Embracer.”

We also hear from Phil Rogers, Square Enix America and Europe CEO:

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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BIOTA is another metroidvania I didn't know I wanted.

2 years 5 months ago

BIOTA is an indie metroidvania, and for some reason it's really gotten to me. I really love it. I love the range of colour palettes you can select, at least one of which gives the game's sci-fi horrors a sort of holiday ice cream chic. I love the chunkiness of the art. I love the chugging chiptune soundtrack. I love the fact that the whole thing is set on an asteroid.

More than anything, though, I am a sucker for games in which each screen is its own fixed unit of the world. For whatever reason these are the games that most feel like real places. Run off the edge of the screen in BIOTA and you end up in a new screen. Go back and the enemies have respawned. I love this.

It's particularly useful for a metroidvania, I think, because your brain kind of snapshots each environment, the layout of the platforms and what-have-you, and so it's easier to start building your own internal map - a map that is at least in part a map of exits and entrances, of unseen doors that connect very seen spaces.

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Author
Christian Donlan

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Embracer Completes Acquisition of Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix Montréal, and Eidos-Montréal

2 years 1 month ago

Update: 08/26/2022: Embracer Group has now completed its purchase of Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix Montréal, and Eidos-Montréal following a near-four month acquisition process.

The colossal video games holding company announced the update on its website, saying plainly that "all conditions for the transaction, including regulatory approvals, have now been fulfilled and the transaction may be completed. Embracer has, therefore, today completed the acquisition."

It can now shift its focus to acquiring the several other companies it has since purchased, including the owner of The Lord of the Rings and Chivalry developer Tripwire Interactive.

Original Story: Embracer Group has entered into an agreement to acquire Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix Montréal, and a "catalogue of IPs including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain and more than 50 back-catalogue games from Square Enix Holdings" for $300 million.

Embracer shared the news in a press release, saying this acquisition includes roughly 1,100 employees across three studios and eight global locations. The deal, if it goes through, is expected to close during Q2 of Embracer's financial year 2022/2023.

Author
Adam Bankhurst

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Eidos Montreal Has Several Projects in The Works, All In Unreal Engine 5

2 years 5 months ago

Today, during a conference call hosted by Embracer Group following the news of the acquisition of most of Square Enix’s western studios, we heard some interesting information from Eidos-Montréal studio head David Anfossi.

Anfossi mentioned that the studio has “several” projects in the works, and they’re all using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5.

The studio has previously decided to stop focusing on its own in-game engine and focus instead on where it can make a difference, the content.

Looking at the presentation slides, we also hear that the studio has currently four creative teams, 442 employees at its main location in Montréal, 34 in Sherbrooke, and 5 in Shanghai.

No further information was provided about the nature of the projects in development, but Anfossi did talk at length about the studio’s history with the Deus Ex franchise. That being said, he did not confirm whether one of the projects in the works is a Deus Ex game.

He also defined the studio (sic) as “The home of Thief and Deus Ex franchises.”

He concluded his talk by mentioning that the studio is at its best in 15 years and he’s convinced that “being part of Embracer Group will take Eidos to the next level and make its talents, the gamers, and you very happy.”

The latest Deus Ex game released by Eidos Montreal was Deus Ex: Mankind Divided in 2016, while the latest Thief was launched in 2014.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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