September 2022

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, special guest Brenden Groom from the Pass The Controller Podcast joins us to chat about our Shovel Knight Dig review impressions, E3 returning next June as a segmented business and consumer show, and finally, whether or not HBO's The Last Of Us needs to differentiate itself from the games. 

Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Wesley LeBlanc (@LeBlancWes), Brenden Groom (@BeGroom)

The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join host Alex Van Aken every Thursday for a chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

While there have been first looks and a tease, today we got the full actual trailer for the upcoming Netflix anthology series Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. That’s right, this anthology comes from the mind of famed writer/director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, The Shape of Water, Pacific Rim). Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is set to release on the streaming service on Oct. 25, just in time for Halloween viewings.

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities will be made up of eight different short films/stories with Guillermo del Toro performing some Rod Serling-esque presenting/hosting of the series. The trailer mentions this will all be happening over four nights, so the entire series likely won’t release at one time on Oct. 25.

You can find the trailer below before we continue to break down this new horror anthology.

The eight titles given are:

If you’re into magic, then FromSoftware’s latest RPG has a lot to offer, but if you’re wanting to become a spell caster then you’ll want to know where to find the best Astrologer gear early on. Here’s the Elden Ring Meteorite Staff location, and where to find the Rock Sling gravity spell, a combination that makes for an extremely powerful early-game build.

The Meteorite Staff is powerful because it scales S with Intelligence, meaning that Astrologer builds benefit from huge damage buffs for every level of Intelligence they pour into their build. Unfortunately, the staff isn’t actually upgradable with Smithing Stones, but that doesn’t really matter because S scaling more than makes up for that — at least in the early to mid-game. 

If you have already got or have considered getting the Demi-Human Queen Staff, which is superior to the standard Astrologer Staff, then our advice is not to waste your Smithing Stones upgrading it. Instead, get the Meteorite Staff as it’s much better — especially so because it increases the damage output of Gravity spells, one of which can be found nearby to its location as we’ll also show you below.

With Marvel Snap‘s global launch quickly approaching, developers Second Dinner have released a roadmap detailing future plans for the game, and the official Steam page has also just gone live. It’s worth noting that the Steam release will be in early access, as it appears that there are still a few kinks to work out.

For instance, as confirmed in the roadmap, the developers are currently working on widescreen UI and views for the PC client. This means that we’ll likely still get the vertical view on the PC client that we’ve had on the mobile version for the past few months. Definitely a bummer, but at least PC players won’t have to resort to using emulators anymore.

Aside from that, players will also have plenty of other features to look forward to, including a new variant rarity system, which will incorporate different price points for various variants in the game.

Marvel Snap is set to launch globally on Oct. 18 for PC and mobile devices.

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is a wickedly addicting visual novel with beautiful art, charming characters, fantastic music, and an intriguing plot. As a narrative RPG with dozens of endings and ten romanceable characters, it naturally has a lot of replay value. But its time loop mechanic means that you get to avoid repeating certain quest chains or dialogue lines. You can also save characters who die, if you can figure out how to in time. The initial mad rush to save everyone, and the way they reacted when I told them about my past lives, gave me the rare experience of feeling like Rintaro Okabe from Steins;Gate.

You gain stats and relationship points with monthly activities. In order to succeed at monthly activities, you use cards collected throughout the game to match the goal number. These cards are your memories, with more "major" memories having a bigger number.

[gallery columns="2" ids="936342,936343" link="file"]

While the game mechanics itself are extremely fun, and it never gets old trying to unlock all the endings, it should be said that I Was a Teenage Exocolonist isn't for everyone. I do not mean this in the sense that it has content that's too disturbing. In fact, Northway surfaces a full list of content warnings at the main menu (including spoilers!), so folks who are worried about that sort of thing can stay informed.

On Kickstarter, Studio Wildrose and Wild Bunch Production have shared some information on the setting for Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood. They also reminded backers and people interested in the games that this is the last push before the Kickstarter closes on September 30, 2022.

In Armed Fantasia, non-native organisms that people call Anomalies are roaming the land and causing devastation on the natural ecosystem. They are also very dangerous, so the Order and Pathfinders have to destroy them. Some examples of Anomalies are the Xibalba, Pandagruel, and Vouivreguivre.

[gallery ids="936526,936525,936524" link="file"]

There is also an anti-Order group called the Iconocluster who hope to free Londenium from the Order, which they perceive as evil. Their members are Setsuna Carpediem, Arcain Wharen, Knight Gungnir, and Kimquis Mycalmel. It is unclear if they will be fight alongside Ingram and his friends, or against them.

[gallery columns="1" ids="936527" link="file"]

In the field test video for Armed Fantasia, it shows how you explore the map. It seems that you can switch who your avatar is on the fly. Since each character has their own Gadget for exploration, this is perhaps to make it easier to shuffle through Gadgets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYL3jYEezBs

Developers working on games for Stadia have expressed surprise and frustration that Google still haven't made contact with them, almost 24 hours after the search giant announced they were shutting down their cloud gaming service yesterday afternoon. Many of the devs I spoke with have had no communication from Google at all since the announcement, with only one saying the company had been in touch. It's not just devs who have been left in the dark, though. Through a leaked internal email sent to Google’s Stadia team, even Google's own staff weren’t briefed until around the same time the public were made aware of the forthcoming shutdown.

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This week on the Eurogamer Newscast we're discussing the failure of Stadia, and why Google's cloud gaming gamble struggled from the start.

The announcement of Stadia's demise came as a shock to some - including many developers with titles only weeks from launch - yet still feels like it was on the cards for some time. After a rocky launch and the closure of Google's internal game development studios, what future did Stadia have left? Eurogamer editor-in-chief Martin Robinson weighed in earlier today with his thoughts.

Could Stadia have been a success? What does this all mean for game preservation? And if Google failed, with all of its billions, what future does cloud gaming have elsewhere? Tom Phillips, Ed Nightingale, and Liv Ngan share their thoughts.

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A lifelong Nintendo fan has decided to make a realistic Super Mario Bros remake, and posted a movie-style trailer on YouTube to document their most recent update.

The YouTuber, who has uploaded their videos to the channel Re-Imagined Games, started work on the remake over two months ago.

In order to create the game, they've had to learn Unreal Engine 5 with zero experience in video game development.

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Racing game OnRush will lose its online features on 30th November.

EA's Online Services Shutdown page has been updated with the addition.

"Thanks to everyone who has supported our game - it's been a RUSH," it reads. "With player numbers in online modes dropping to low levels, we will be shutting down the servers from 30th November 2022. For OnRush fans who want to continue playing, offline modes will continue to be available."

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Google reportedly turned down a Stadia exclusive follow-up to Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding.

According to a new report from 9to5google, the project received initial approval but as it was intended to be a strictly single-player experience (instead of the asynchronous multiplayer in Death Stranding), the Kojima collaboration was cancelled as Google believed there was no longer a market for solo games.

Despite reaching the early stages of development, the project was reportedly cancelled by Stadia's general manager Phil Harrison in mid 2020 following the first mockups.

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In the latest example of not letting your memes be dreams, McDonald’s announced that adults can get back in touch with their inner child by opening up a Happy Meal and discovering a toy of their own. Yes, Happy Meal toys for adults are gonna be a thing, at least for a limited time.

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“Is there anything you want to pre-order?” Almost nobody walks in and out of a GameStop without hearing those words. Employees are measured against how many pre-orders they can rack up while GameStop rakes in the cash months ahead of a game’s actual release. But lately, the strategy has been sabotaged by a system…

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Over the years, the Pokémon Trading Card Game has seen a huge number of artists come and go. Approximately 175 different people have contributed art to the cards, some only ever designing one, others contributing hundreds. Heck, Ken Sugimori has created 966 of them, beginning with the very first set of Pokémon cards,…

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My Nintendo Switch largely sat unplayed for the duration of the pandemic. I purchased it in the Before Times thinking it’d make for a great subway companion. But between the short battery life and it being uncomfortable to hold for long periods, I just didn’t ever want to play it much. But there might finally be some…

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Overwatch 2 is almost here, arriving as a free-to-play game on October 4 that will totally supplant the OG hero shooter. While it isn’t playable to the general public yet, a handful of gaming outlets got early access to Blizzard’s upcoming sequel, publishing prereviews just in time for launch day. We here at Kotaku…

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Today Microsoft released a new trailer of the upcoming action strategy game Minecraft Legends.

This time around, the trailer is all about the mobs that will fight by your side in Minecraft Legends, including classic Vanillla Minecraft fare and plenty of new ones as well, including some really cute golems.

One of the most unique aspects of Minecraft Legends is that mobs who would usually be hostile to the player they’re now friends.

This means that ranks upon ranks of skeletons and zombies will form the backbone of our armies (wearing cute hats to avoid bursting into flames during the day), while the infamous Creepers will be our crack units ready to demolish enemy fortifications.

We also hear how the development team applied small twists to their design to make them cuter and more relatable, while still respecting their original looks.

You can watch the video below.

Minecraft Legends was announced back in June and will come to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 in 2023.

Creativity isn’t hard to find in the Animal Crossing community. Since the game was first released, players have stunned us with their 5-star islands, amazing custom designs, and loads of creative ways to make entire buildings using panels and other items.

User-generated content has been keeping Animal Crossing New Horizons going since updates to the game ended after the final 2.0 update. While players would love to see Nintendo drop more content into the game, it’s clear that new content is not coming to New Horizons.

With the final version of the game, a big pain point for the community is the lack of minigames and things to do online together. Luckily, players have taken this issue into their own hands and have been making their own games to play with others.

I previously wrote about how content creators are using terraforming tools in Animal Crossing New Horizons to transform the multiplayer scene, but that only took me deeper into the rabbit hole of online gaming and the communities built around Animal Crossing.

Animal Crossing New Horizons Giving Tree is a group on Facebook dedicated to all things free and all things fun. As much as Animal Crossing’s popularity has dipped since its height during the early days of the pandemic, members of this group still post in-game giveaways on a daily basis.

This is where I met Dee, creator of two islands dedicated completely to minigames where players can compete for tons, and I mean TONS, of prizes. Everybody who visits her islands can expect to fill their pockets with goodies and their hearts with pure joy from the variety of games she’s designed.

Netflix has had mixed success with its anime adaptations, but there’s no doubt that Edgerunners is among the best it’s ever done. The show has received so much acclaim that it’s brought Cyberpunk 2077’s universe back into the spotlight, and with it waves of new and returning players to the game. If you’re one of the many interested in building one of the characters from the show in the actual game, here’s how to build Kiwi from Edgerunners in Cyberpunk 2077.

The days of Google Stadia are officially numbered. A new blog post by Google Vice-President and Stadia General Manager Phil Harrison said that "while Stadia's approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn't gained the traction with users that we expected," prompting Google's decision to begin winding down the service. Stadia's end comes on January 18, 2023, less than four years after its public launch on November 19, 2019.

Harrison thanked players that supported Google Stadia, and promised that it would refund customers that purchased hardware through the Google Store and content through the Stadia Store. Though Stadia was a game streaming service that was largely independent of device selection, players could purchase a special Stadia controller and a Chromecast Ultra for an optimized experience. Players will still have access to their game library until January 18th, and Google expects to complete the refunds by mid-January 2023. According to an FAQ, The only purchases not eligible for a refund are Stadia Pro subscriptions. Stadia Pro is a paid tier of the service that unlocked a "free" game library similar to Xbox Game Pass or PS Plus Game Catalog.

Petrol stations might not be the most natural setting for pondering life's biggest questions, but the ones in Flat Eye, the next game from the makers of detective taxi-me-do Night Call, aren't your ordinary rest stops. As well as a convenient place to relieve yourself and top up on snacks, these futuristic service stations also house cosmetic surgery bots, operation tables, teleportation booths and more - and they're all overseen by a powerful AI trying to find the best possible future for the human race. As the station's head clerk, you'll debate the ethics of eternal youth and end of life care, while also making sure your station has enough power, stocked shelves and a happy customer base. It's certainly an intriguing combo compared to other management games out there right now, so I sat down with director Laurent Victorino and writer Antony Jauneaud to find out more.

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On this week's episode of the Ultimate Audio Bang, we dig deep into Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's recent multiplayer beta weekends and discuss whether Warzone needs a total revamp, how Warzone impacts the multiplayer side of things, and whether Warzone's upcoming DMZ mode may be Call Of Duty's big gambit.

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A mysterious new session-based co-operative shooter has been announced by Ubisoft, codenamed Project U. There aren’t many details to go on just yet, but the game is in the early stages of development and will hold closed playtests on PC in Western Europe. If you’re of an inquiring mind, and like hanging out with mates in shooter lobbies, then all you can do for the moment is register your interest.

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Outside of the 2019 Game Developers Conference, before anyone had ever heard the phrase “Google Stadia,” sat a small display outlining the history of gaming. Dates and bullet points marked some of the major events, and on three pedestals sat a few of the industry’s most notorious flops: Atari’s E.T., Mattel’s NES…

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This week, after years of failing to gain traction, Google announced that it will discontinue its game streaming service, Google Stadia, in January 2023. The company revealed that all purchases on Stadia will be refunded. However, Ubisoft will take things a step further by giving users a free PC version of any Ubisoft game bought on Stadia.

In a report from The Verge,  Ubisoft senior corporate communications manager Jessica Roache released the following statement to the website:

While Stadia will shut down on January 18th, 2023, we’re happy to share that we’re currently working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect…

Roache added that they’ll share more information regarding transfers at a later date. Furthermore, despite Google shutting down Stadia, Ubisoft will continue to invest in cloud gaming, with Roach saying, “We believe in the power of streaming and cloud gaming and will continue to push the boundaries on bringing amazing experiences to our players, wherever they are.”

Roache did not confirm if your save files and progress from each game will carry over. Some of the games Ubisoft made available on Stadia include Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Rainbow Six: Siege, and Far Cry 6.

Wild Bunch Productions and Yukikaze just completed their successful joint Kickstarter campaign for Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood.

Fans have pledged a total of 379,328,385 yen to the two games, which equates to approximately $2.6 million.

All the stretch goals announced by the developers have been achieved, including the latest ones at $1.66 million for Armed Fantasia and $899,000 for Penny Blood.

The success of the Kickstarter campaign should not surprise, due to their pedigree.

Armed Fantasia is a“western punk” JRPG developed by Wild Bunch Production. At the helm will be Wild Arms creator Akifumi Kaneko, alongside Wild Arms 5 and XF character designer Tomomi Sasaki, and composers Michiko Naruke (who created the music for Wild Arms) and Noriyasu Uematsu.

Penny Blood is a noir JRPG set in the 1920s developed by Yukikaze and Studio Wildrose. Shadow Hearts creator Matsuzo Machida, character designer Miyako Kato, and composer Yoshitaka Hirota will also return together.

They’re coming for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and tentatively for a possible next-generation Nintendo console.

Bellow, you can check out a summary of all stretch goals achieved directly from Kickstarter.

Today Spike Chunsoft announced that it has decided not to go forward with the previously-announced Steam release of the Science Adventure visual novel Chaos;Head Noah.

According to the announcement, Valve’s storefront’s guidelines required changes to the game’s content and the publisher believes these changes would not allow the release to be in line with its standards.

Not all hope is lost, as Spike Chunsoft is looking into releasing the game via alternate storefronts and will make a formal announcement as soon as something is decided. On top of that, the Nintendo Switch version will release s scheduled on October 7.

Chaos;Head Noah was highly anticipated by fans of the Science Adventure franchise of visual novels, as it completes the duology with Chaos;Child, which has been available on Steam for quite some time.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Science Adventure franchise, it includes series like Steins;Gate, Chaos;Head Noah, Chaos;Child and Robotics;Notes. Basically, if it comes from Mages and has a semicolon in the middle of the title, it’s a Science Adventure visual novel.

Sea of Stars developer Sabotage Studio released another of its usual clips of its upcoming pixel-art RPG.

The video is very brief as is usual with this kind of reveal, but it showcases another of the areas that we’ll be able to explore in the game, the Mines

Despite the name, it still manages to look colorful and interesting thanks to crystals that provide both light and decoration.

You can watch the clip below.

The charming and highly-anticipated RPG inspired by JRPGs is coming to PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The game was supposed to be released this year during the Holiday season, but will instead launch in 2023 following a recent delay. At the moment, a firm release date has not been announced.

This week on All Things Nintendo, we go light on news and heavy on impressions and reviews. First, Wesley LeBlanc joins the show to chat about some quick news items and give his review of Shovel Knight Dig. Following that, Marcus Stewart joins Brian as the two cover a ton of games, including Overwatch 2, Nier: Automata, Railgrade, Dorfromantik, Tinykin, Let's Build a Zoo, Tunic, and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion.

If you'd like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter, hit the following links: Brian Shea (@brianpshea), Wesley LeBlanc (@LeBlancWes), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7)

The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we can celebrate, discuss, and break down all the latest games, news, and announcements from the industry's most recognizable name. Each week, Brian is joined by different guests to talk about what's happening in the world of Nintendo. Along the way, they'll share personal stories, uncover hidden gems in the eShop, and even look back on the classics we all grew up with. A new episode hits every Friday!

Switch owners can now spend some time in the Underworld. Bandai Namco has announced that Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris is now available on the Switch. It was first released in 2020 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Check out the launch trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIa1snSGSUg

Like other Sword Art Online game adaptations Alicization Lycoris remixes the events of the anime and novels to suit its unique timeline. As in the original, Lycoris begins when Kirito wakes up to find himself trapped in the Underworld, a virtual world populated by intelligent AI - that don't realize they live in a computer construct. Kirito meets friends on his way to make contact with the outside world, forming a quick friendship with Underworld natives like Alice, an "Integrity Knight", and Eugeo, who help him fight against the tyrannical Administrator. Lycoris diverges from the "canon" at the end of that battle, with Kirito, Alice, and Eugeo left facing a new set of crisis for the Underworld. To solve it, they'll need to call in some of their real world friends like Asuna, Sinon, Leafa, and more, as well as explore different parts of the Underworld. In a key role is Medina, a young Integrity Knight and a new game-original character.

MultiVersus has been getting tons of new characters, with drunk scientist Rick Sanchez from the time-hopping adult cartoon Rick & Morty being the latest addition to the Warner Bros. crossover fighter. The roster’s expansion won’t stop there, though, as datamining has suggested for some time that characters including…

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It feels like it was only yesterday when Shigeru Miyamoto pulled the goomba rug out from under our collective gamer asses with the surprise announcement of the bizarre Hollywood cast of the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie. While the casting of Chris Pratt in the starring role horrified many, it served as the…

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Chess can be sexy. Anya Taylor-Joy in the hit Netflix show The Queen’s Gambit taught me that. Chess can also be evil and stupid. A viral (and unfounded) claim that a 19-year-old chess champion beat the best chess player in the world, Norwegian pro Magnus Carlsen, by using smart tech anal beads to help him cheat, as…

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Want to know how to fix the “ESP Buimet 003” error code on Fortnite. Well, you aren’t alone, as this error has frustrated many players, preventing them from hopping on and playing their favorite battle royale. No worries, though, as we’ve got everything you need to know about the error right here.

This error has occurred for several Xbox and PlayStation Fortnite players, preventing them from playing the game by not being able to access the login box. PC players don’t seem to have this issue.

How to Fix ESP Buimet 003 Error Code on Fortnite

The developers were aware of the issue plaguing many players and were working on an all-around fix. Apparently, the ESP Buimet 003 error code is related to a network issue and the second official tweet in that thread above states that the log-in issue has now been resolved.

Rowing Blazers, a New York-based clothing brand, has announced a new line of Sonic the Hedgehog apparel. The collection draws inspiration from Sonic's aesthetic from the 1990s, with graphics inspired by art from the time. 

Those who are interested in the collection can look forward to clothing items like a cotton sweater with Sonic's image, a zip-up polar fleece, heavyweight rugby jerseys, a French terry loopback hoodie, cotton tees, and mesh shorts. The line also includes baseball caps, canvas tote bags, a necktie, and a hand-embroidered Sonic patch for blazers and other clothing items.

You can see a gallery of some of the items in the collection below.