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Halo Infinite, thankfully, is getting more time in the oven.

It must have been an excruciating decision to delay it beyond the launch of a new console, but 343 seems to be using this time to make the game better, based on numerous updates just this year.

So what's the latest? An expectation check. 343 confirms that there will be no playable Elites in the game ("we're not currently planning on adding playable Elites"), and no dual wielding ("currently no, that's not in the cards right now"). Yet, the open world will focus around a night/day cycle, as well as a weather system. Ups and downs!

This comes straight from the Halo Infinite "Ask 343" stream presented by community manager John Junyszek, lead world designer John Mulkey, gameplay director Troy Mashburn, and lead sandbox designer Quinn Delhoyo.

You can find the bulk of the presentation distilled at roughly the 38:00 mark. This is where the development team really digs into the nitty gritty of some mechanics, and delves into a few fan questions.

This weekend saw the planned Genshin Impact x KFC crossover event turn into something of a small disaster, as several restaurants in China were forced to close their doors after legions upon legions of GI fans turned up to bag exclusive in-game and physical items for the mega-successful gacha title.

If you weren't able to make it out to the Hangzhou district this weekend, don't sweat it, as developer miHoYo has announced that players logging into Genshin Impact 1.4 will be able to get hold of some new in-game recipes, inspired by the fast-food joint's famous Original Recipe Chicken featuring Seven Herbs and Spices - which is fully warranting of those capital letters.

Each day of the "Outland Gastronomy" login event - a feature of the highly anticipated Update 1.4 - will offer rewards ranging from Hero's Wit bonuses, to extra Primogems, Mora, and brand new Recipes. Siliconera additionally reports that any player logging into GI two days in a row will automatically receive the "Exotic Gourmet" recipe book, which will seemingly feature meals inspired by the KFC menu...

...Exotic Gourmet. It's called a "Zinger Tower".

Pokemon Go has been around since mid-2016, and it's been aggressively selling a number of microtransactions ever since.

One of the most contentious elements is the egg system, which is like a pseudo loot box; and has managed to evade legislation or mass scrutiny since launch. The gist is that players have to incubate eggs with in-game items (a process that can be quickened by paying), walk around, hatch them, and then pray they get the creatures they want.

This might be changing soon, as Niantic has confirmed that you could be able to see which creatures hatch from which eggs. Here's the rub from the tweets:

"Trainers, we're excited to share that we're starting testing where a limited number of Trainers will be able to see which Pokémon may hatch from Eggs in their Inventory! Trainers included in the test will be able to tap an Egg to see a list of possible Pokémon and their rarity level. Please note this will not show if the Pokémon may be Shiny."

So uh, it's about time? This sort of transparency has been commonplace for many loot box games for several years, but not by choice. After the global stage got wind of the gambling/gacha elements, also known as "surprise mechanics," many organizations added percentage and rarity clarity to boxes to sidestep legislation or hefty fines.

Given how slow Niantic and The Pokemon Company are to adapt anything in Pokemon Go, doing it largely after the fact fits with their modus operandi. Especially if there's more trouble brewing for microtransaction schemes behind the scenes.

Niantic Support [Twitter]

[Update: Confirmed! Microsoft announced it this morning. It will be added to the service on April 1 for consoles and android phones/tablets.]

Seeing big newer and newish games hit Xbox Game Pass is pretty exciting.

For a lot of folks, it's a way to economically enjoy stuff while it's relevant, but it also helps contribute to a healthy online scene for multiplayer romps. Outriders, a new IP, could benefit from both of these perks.

That's why people are so excited that it might hit the Xbox Game Pass line, based on a cryptic tweet that shares a jokey, PR-centric "email." Here's the email in full, from the faux Melissa McGamePass account:

"So much news today! Hope you don't mind if I add some more! (Although it's completely unrelated to the other announcements. That new game has been confirmed and is officially coming to the service! As always, keep this confidential. Before I go, I did have something I wanted to ask. Has anyone else noticed a mysterious signal appearing in the distance lately or am I the anomaly in this situation? Weird question, I know."

This lines up with events that take place in the Outriders demo. Whether it'll be there at launch is anyone's guess, but it's something to be aware of as you eye the game before, during, or after the review period.

Xbox Game Pass [Twitter]

Tekken 7 is still trucking after a 2017 PC and console release, and at six million units sold by the end of last year, Bandai Namco isn't interested in abandoning it. That includes more and more DLC fighters as the months go by, including the new Polish Prime Minister tease.

About that!

Sony Japan Studio, currently in the midst of a reorganization process, is losing another long-time producer in the form of Masami Yamamoto, previously responsible for producing the stealth ninja franchise Tenchu, and has also worked on franchises such as Soul Sacrifice and Bloodborne. Yamamoto has worked with Sony Japan since 1996, beginning in the industry giant's music division before transitioning into game development.

Speaking on Twitter, Yamamoto spoke of their 25 happy years with the company, before noting their excitement of not being tied to developing games on a specific platform. "from now on I can make games for any platform," wrote Yamamoto (as translated by Kotaku). "What a strange sensation!"

Electronic Arts has confirmed that "one or more" EA accounts have been used in an illicit trading scheme within soccer sim FIFA 21. Dubbed "EAGate" by the player community, the scandal alleges that EA employees have been involved in the selling of rare FIFA Ultimate Team cards directly to individual players - in some cases for thousands of Euros.

After screengrabs of the alleged transactions leaked onto social media, EA announced that it would be launching a "thorough investigation" into the affair. Speaking in a new blog post this past weekend, the publisher confirmed that EA accounts have been used to activate specific FUT items in individual players' accounts.

"We learned that FUT items were granted to individual accounts that did not earn them through gameplay," said EA in the statement. "It appears that one or more EA accounts, which were either compromised or being used inappropriately by someone within EA, directly entitled items to these individual accounts."

"The alleged behavior is unacceptable and in no way do we condone granting or purchasing player items in exchange for money. This practice runs counter to the game's competitive integrity, is a violation of EA’s User Agreement, and is not something we tolerate. We do not allow the trade or sale of items outside our game for many reasons, including that it would create an unequal playing field for our community."

In 1991, Street Fighter II radically altered the video game landscape. It opened a portal through which all sorts of pretenders started flowing out. Some of them were good! Most of them were bad. The one I present to you this Famicom Friday has mostly been forgotten.

That’s right, Famicom. And not Super Famicom, either. This one was entirely 8-Bit and was a pretty incredible effort to replicate the 1v1 experience on the aging console. By 1993, most arcade kids were arguing about whether Mortal Kombat’s blood and fatalities were better than Street Fighter II’s actually good gameplay, but on the Famicom, you were hard-pressed to find anything close.

It may only be March, but I'd wager the cast of Gnosia is the most infatuating group of eclectic weirdos we'll see in gaming this year.

The 14 characters that make up the passengers of this wayward spaceship are a diverse bunch, with captivating stories to tell and styles that will undoubtedly inspire professional and amateur cosplayers alike. Throughout the game, you'll get to know each one of them, learn their often devastating histories, and figure out their tells for when it comes time to eliminate them.

Because one or more of these passengers is not who they say they are. They may look human, but in reality, they've been replaced by a Gnosia, an alien entity hellbent on the destruction of the human race. If any survive this galactic voyage, humanity is most assuredly doomed. But with no way to easily identify a Gnosia, the only thing you can do is hold a vote for who you think is most likely to be the enemy and hope to God you are right.

Content Warning: This game, and thus the review, contains depictions and descriptions of depression, anxiety, and suicide.

Having been Kickstarted in 2014, Omori seems to have gone under many people's radar, myself included. While at a glance, it may be easy to write this off as something chasing the popularity of Undertale. But that does this game an incredible disservice. Sure, plenty of similarities exist, and I do think that fans of Undertale will enjoy Omori, but man is Omori in its own category here, for better or worse.

Cblogs of 3/6 to 3/12/2021

-RedHeadPeak is enjoying his first "Family Game" experience through playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

-Exber responds to this month's Band of Bloggers prompt about video game mysteries.

-Kerrik52 reviews Thief (2014) as part of his Traveler in Playtime review blogs.

-Eggs&Brewsterjr discusses five games he didn't quite lay as intended.

-Necrowondo shares his thoughts on Moon, the famously weird JRPG game.

-Eggs&Brewsterjr thinks that Valkyria Chronicles is an exceptional experience.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Final Fantasy IX and some traditional folk music.

-Black Red Gaming shares their gaming collection.

-The Baked Potato is being subjected to poor service from Blizzard and isn't going to take it.

-TaviaM introduces herself and her hopes to blog to our community.

-BrwnC0at will start a fantasy journal project that focuses on surviving with a bunch of nerdy activities for entertainment.

It's Saturday, so it's time to take a gander at the newest entry in the Arcade Archives range, courtesy of the retro fans over at Hamster. This week sees the publisher fall back on the tried-and-tested shmup genre, with the release of NMK's sky-high battler Thunder Dragon.

Released in arcades in 1991, Thunder Dragon puts players in the pilot seat of a highly advanced helicopter, fending off an almighty invasion by what appears to be an alien force but - according to the game's flyer - is actually a terrorist organization piloting stolen military technology. Huh. Thunder Dragon offers fast-paced, vertically scrolling action in efforts to capture the gameplay style of the then mega-popular Raiden series, but with a super patriotic U.S. aesthetic. Amusingly, the bootleg version of the Thunder Dragon JAMMA board actually went as far as to rip-off the Raiden's actual OST. 

Despite being packed with explosive effects, flashy weapons, and a head-bangin' soundtrack, the forgotten shmup did not receive a home conversion and, as such, is a very welcome addition to the Arcade Archives range. Thunder Dragon is available to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, priced at around $8. Check out the action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuber Urien84.

Licensed games are sort of a low-hanging fruit in terms of kusoge, and I have no shame in picking them. They have always, always been hit or miss. You either get a developer that loves the property and tries to do it justice, or you get someone that’s just cranking games out of contractual obligation. That’s why, on one hand, we have Batman on the NES, which is awesome, while on the other hand, we have Predator on the NES, which is the video game equivalent of drinking a warm glass of garbage water.

Then there are these games that are in between. They’re not horrible, someone on the team obviously had some affection for the license, but somewhere along the line, something was lacking. Maybe it was talent, maybe it was vision, or maybe it was corporate meddling. The Tick on SNES and Genesis is one such game. It’s not completely bad at first glean, but dig too far beneath the frosting on top, and you wind up eating sand.

Last year, one of Path of Exile's three-month-long leagues was titled Harvest, allowing players to grow gardens of seeds to spawn monsters and ultimately use "deterministic crafting" on their items. This meant that if players had some sweet loot that was just missing one special statistic (say, additional life), they could put in the work to get just that. Most players weren't big fans of the gardening aspect of the league, but just about everyone loved the ability to improve their gear with specific mods.

This mechanic, like many before, has since made its way into the core game. The current league, Ritual, allows players to come across the Harvest zone while playing the endgame and get a small selection of randomly selected crafts to use on gear. Not everyone is crazy about how it is implemented, but in general, many are happy to have "Harvest crafting" back in some capacity as it allows for some great build diversity and plenty of strong gear.

Naturally, developer Grinding Gear Games (GGG) is nerfing the system for players moving forward.

KFC was forced to shut down several restaurants in China this weekend after masses of Genshin Impact players turned up to take part in the fast-food outlet's crossover event.

KFC announced that it would be offering exclusive Genshin Impact pins and in-game items to customers who turned up and shouted the phrase "Meet in another world, enjoy delicious food!" at the restaurant's employees. However, as reported by Kotaku, KFC outlets in the Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou district were overrun with fans. Despite authorities' best efforts to maintain crowd control, it was deemed that the gatherings violated China's particularly strict COVID-19 regulations, forcing the partial-abandonment of the event.

As noted by industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, COVID-19 figures are currently relatively low in China, making the country safer than several other major international communities. Regardless, holding an in-store promotion for one of the zeitgeist's biggest video games while a worldwide pandemic is still in effect is somewhat irresponsible. I feel sorry for the poor saps who were in-costume portraying Genshin Impact characters Diluc and Noelle. I hope they got out of there before being swarmed by fans, huggers, and selfie-takers.

The in-game items from the event are expected to be made available to all players later this summer, while the physical pins have very limited availability. As such, these are highly sought-after items in the Genshin Impact community, which is currently estimated to rank in the region of 30-35 million players.

Time might be a man-made construct, but that doesn't necessarily mean I, a man (I think), am either its master or have any control over it. This was proven to me earlier this week when I spent the whole of Tuesday completely convinced it was Wednesday. Then, at midnight, I was setting my alarm and it was NOW Wednesday. Essentially, I added an entire working day onto my week. What fun. Is a good thing I love all y'all and they dropped that TMNT trailer to help push me through to the weekend. Because now it is finally Saturday. OR IS IT?

This week has seen me mostly squinting into my Nintendo Switch, while my medically prescribed glasses stare at me from the sidetable like "What the Fuck?" I've been elbow-deep in cutesy platformers, having spent time with the Switch port of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, and retro-painted styling of Kaze and The Wild Masks. Who doesn't love rabbit gals? Apart from all those people who got salty about Space Jam: A New Legacy, obviously. Anywhoo, you'll be hearing about both those titles from me soon. Stay Tooned!

But let's hear about some video games from you, the Destructoid community. Hoppity-hop into the comments below and let us all know what you've been playing this week/weekend. It blows my mind the way y'all gobble through video games with reckless abandon, but I'm very happy that you still find so much love and joy in the happy medium. Whether you're playing something new, replaying a classic, or abandoning a disappointment, join in the discourse below, before time runs out for ALL OF US.

Have a safe and pleasant weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.

In today's contest you can win a Gioteck Premium Wireless Controller for Switch or PS4!

I'm not wasting any time today -- we're giving away a freakin' purple controller! Also a camo one. Sorry, I don't mean to diminish camo, but up against purple there's no contest. It's just how it is.

Even if you don't like purple or camo, it's a free controller! Stop complaining, and let's give away some free stuff!

When's the last time you genuinely struggled to get a rare drop in a game and put in hour after hour only for your unlucky streak to persist well beyond reason? What stopped you from calling it quits?

I'm trying to hatch an ostrich egg in Stardew Valley – my first and only – but I can't, and I'm not alone.

You see, I'm on this island, and each day, I bomb the hell out of hundreds of rocks in a volcano while kinda-sorta-but-not-really dodging lava beasts. I'm trying to get a particular fossil to pop out that I can donate to a professor in exchange for a specific incubator that will let me hatch my new animal buddy. But there's a problem, at least for some of us: the item we need – a Mummified Bat – just won't drop.

Am I one of the unlucky few? How unlucky is too unlucky? Let me back up for a minute.

_{This could be me! [Image Credit: Lord_Evanshire]}

I've been playing an unholy amount of Stardew Valley lately, and despite owning it on a few different platforms, only now – with the 1.5 update that added split-screen co-op – have I gone this overboard.

You know that Jack Nicholson nodding gif? That's how I feel whenever I hear the phrase Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis.

I mean, I love playing PSO 2 on the Xbox One. I've been waiting for it for years! But there's something special about the idea of playing a Phantasy Star offshoot at the same time with everyone else; sans a giant years-long Japan region lead. It's glorious, and reminds me of when my whole group dove into Phantasy Star Online together on Dreamcast and the OG Xbox.

We've already gleaned a bit of info from various Sega goings-on these past few months, but now we're diving even more headfirst into it really soon. How soon? March 18 at 7AM ET, otherwise known as 21:00 JST. You can watch it right here at that time.

As the listing reminds us, New Genesis is scheduled to be released "sometime in 2021" on PC, PS4, and Switch (via cloud version) in Japan. In the US, it'll also arrive on the Xbox One and Series X/S.

PSO 2 [Sega]

So as of...give or take a week and a half or so, the Switch is officially four years old. Which also means that Zelda: Breath of the Wild is four.

It's been a long time coming to see Nintendo at the top of their game again (as I continue to pour out numerous beverages for the Wii U, which never got its due - no, I won't let it go), but this infographic from Redditor GreenDonuts88 (great name) shows us how far they've come.

Note the parameters for this image here. It's "all the Nintendo Switch games with physical releases that were published by Nintendo." It's several qualifiers in one, but it gets the job done and shows you just how far Nintendo has gone to personally ensure the Switch is a hit.

It also really reminded me of the early days of the Switch: the wild wild west where 1-2 Switch was a thing, and we were milking cow udders as a minigame. Also, Arms! The list takes me back in a big way, mostly with positive fuzzy feelings.

I think I own like...95% of this list?

Here's All the Nintendo Switch Games With Physical Releases That Were Published by Nintendo [Reddit]

Well, here's a weird one to see the week out. Konami has announced that its adorable baseball franchise Powerful Pro Baseball - previously known as Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū and Power Pros - is to receive a web-based anime adaptation.

The show, which is currently in development at anime studio CloverWorks, will tell the story of two childhood friends and their efforts to achieve their dream of playing ball at the  Koshien Stadium. The series is expected to run for a mere four episodes at the scant runtime of 10 minutes per episode, as short as its totes-adorbs cast members, I suppose.

You can check out some super-cute concept artworks over at PR Times.

One of the absolute highlights of getting a PlayStation 5 – even now, as more high-profile games are about to roll out – is digging into Astro's Playroom. This has got to be one of the most pleasurable games I've played in recent memory. Everything about it, from the inviting art style to the care-free platforming to the memorable way it feels to physically use the DualSense controller is spot-on.

Astro's Playroom makes me happy, plain and simple. It makes me happy in a way that pretty much only Nintendo can routinely pull off these days. The soundtrack is a big part of the relentlessly feel-good vibe. It's best paired with the cheerful world of Astro, but even without context, it's smile-inducing.

Starting today, Kenneth C. M. Young's high-energy soundtrack for Astro's Playroom can be streamed on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and YouTube Music – and you can buy it from Amazon or Apple.

"CPU Plaza" and all of its variations are going to stick with me for a long, long time. It's the best!

Xbox has announced that it will be retiring its Xbox OneGuide app. The TV listings service, which has stuck around since the Xbox One's initial release in 2013, will be removed from the Xbox dashboard in May, bringing an end to many years of... knowing what's on TV right now.

"Based on customer usage and feedback, we’re constantly evolving the Xbox experience," said Xbox in a recent blog update. "To that end, beginning this May we’ll be sunsetting live TV listings for OneGuide on Xbox One. You can continue to use OneGuide to view your connected HDMI devices or USB TV tuner. You can also keep using OneGuide for HDMI-passthrough and to watch TV via USB TV tuners, but you won’t be able to access the on-screen TV Listings guide."

Xbox is not the only platform to start re-evaluating its multimedia usage. A fortnight ago, PlayStation announced that it was calling time on the ability to purchase movies and TV shows via the PlayStation Store, pulling the shutters down on its online catalogue August 31.

[Via Eurogamer]

Activision, in association with developer Toys 4 Bob, has announced that wacky platformer Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time will finally make its debut on PC (via Battle.net) March 26.

Already available on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms, the long-time-coming sequel sees Crash, Coco, and Tawna reunited on a dimension-hopping adventure to stop the nefarious Dr. Cortex and the arrogant Dr. N. Tropy - both of whom are attempting to wreak havoc through the very fabric of time and space itself.

Stuffed with unlockable skins, hidden surprises, bonus stages, time trials, challenges and more, all dressed up in Crash Bandicoot's colorful, recognizable style and laced with the franchise's very silly sense of humor. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is a great return to form for the much-loved franchise. Fans of 3D platformers would do well to give it a whirl.

It's back!

Bethesda just announced that the Fallout 76 PTS (public test server) is ready for business again, which will allow players to try out all of the upcoming major additions to the game. Those additions, mind, have a date: April 27.

So what's coming? As Bethesda has been hinting for a while now, you'll be able to further customize your loadouts and your CAMPs, which is going to please a lot of hardcore and casual players alike. Fallout 76 is heavily based around role-playing for a ton of folks, so more CAMP options are great. When the update hits, it'll be called "Locked and Loaded."

If you want to get a quick look at the big new features (again, SPECIAL loadouts, CAMP slots), you can watch the dev gameplay video below. Four Fallout 76 developers walk us through how the new mechanics work in roughly 10 minutes. Daily Ops (dailies) are being expanded too.

The gist? CAMP slots let you "place a new CAMP on top of the one you already have," which also increases your fast travel points and building capabilities. SPECIAL loadouts are more self-explanatory, as you can now swap between specs like a lot of popular RPGs and experiment more quickly with new builds.

Win/win! Especially if the host of bugs get reported before the still-a-month-and-a-half-out update launch.

Inside the Vault [Bethesda.net]

Tobias Fünke really needs to listen to himself when he talks. But he did come up with a hell of a catchphrase, so we'll let it slide.

You guessed it: the new speedrunning craze in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (which is still a wildly successful game with over 33 million sales under its belt) is called "Blue Yourself." It involves trying to hit yourself with a blue shell as quickly as possible, and there is a fierce competition going on right now in the Mario Kart community.

To achieve this task, you'll acquire boost items, strategically hang back so your odds of getting a blue shell are high, then boost ahead quickly and "blue yourself" with the blue shell. There's chance involved, but given how quickly runs are, it's not maddening. The whole process takes roughly 40 seconds or less.

Just recently, YouTuber Skilloz (below) beat out the world record of GsFlint, which was set at 39.56 seconds. Skilloz managed to sneak under with a decent chunk of extra time, clocking in at 37.89 seconds with Baby Peach.

I think one of the most virtuous aspects of the speedrunning community is when folks make up new parameters and stick with them as a group. The "All Dog Treasures" runs in Breath of the Wild are proof of that.

Vanillaware has proudly announced that 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim has hit 400,000 sales. The story-driven action strategy title launched on PS4 in Japan back in 2019, before heading west in the fall of 2020.

Written and directed by George Kamitani of Dragon's Crown fame, 13 Sentinels sees players take control of 13 individual characters, whose stories and fates intertwine against the backdrop of an alternate history 1985 - occasionally bouncing back to the past and forward to the future. The epic tale consists of dialogue-heavy story sequences, complex RTS battles, and side-scrolling action, all decorated in Vanillaware inimitable visual style.

Wait what? And it's gone!

In case you missed it, Bandai Namco's Latin America Instagram account (what a wild world we live in with global brands on social) had a little snafu recently. In a new ad for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (which came out last year but is getting new DLC soon), a conspicuous "Switch" logo was spotted at the bottom.

Now, as we know, Kakarot is only out on PC/PlayStation/Xbox. But is there a Switch version in the cards, perhaps for a Game of the Year-like release bundled with that DLC? Not anytime soon, at least. Bandai Namco acknowledged the mistake, and noted that the logo was added in error.

It is strange, because Kakarot on Switch is entirely believable. It's not the most graphically intensive game, plus, Bandai Namco has made an effort to bring a ton of games to Switch these past few years; even from third-party developer partners.

Although it was a "mistake" to have the logo on this particular ad campaign, I wouldn't be surprised to learn about a port down the line.

Bandai Namco [Instagram via Twitter] Thanks Rick!

Earlier this week, Double Eleven put the word out to the wastelands that its survival epic Rust would be making its way to PS4 and Xbox One in the coming months. Following on from the port's first trailer, the publisher has released two "uncut" gameplay videos showcasing Rust: Console Edition in action on both platforms.

The first video runs a lengthy 17 minutes and spotlights Facepunch Studios' multiplayer adventure as it appears on PS4 Pro. The video features a raid on an isolated village, followed by a spot of scavenging and scrounging for food, weaponry, and other resources. After all, the local 7-11 is hard to come by in Rust's brutal wilderness. At this stage, gameplay looks relatively smooth, with the PS4 Pro handling Rust's action with comparative ease.

Capcom just put out a new Monster Hunter Rise demo, which you can download now on the eShop.

As announced, this demo is practically identical to the first one, but with one major difference; it adds a Magnamalo hunt. It's described as a "seasoned hunter" challenge, but it'll also have the other four quests available if you're not up for it.

To accompany this new big bad, Capcom has posted a new clip that showcases Magnamalo firsthand, with a few of their abilities in tow. I gotta say, the neon purple aesthetic and the Akuma-like fireballs really make it stand out. That huge amiibo is going to look nice in the collection case.

As a reminder, this is the last demo planned for Monster Hunter Rise. The game is launching at the end of the month after all!

Monster Hunter [Twitter]

With each and every passing statement, Xbox continues to lean in harder on the exclusivity benefits the green brand has earned thanks to its mighty pricey purchase of ZeniMax Media and its subsidiary studios, most notably the AAA developer/publisher Bethesda Softworks.

During yesterday's "roundtable discussion" video, where Xbox and Bethesda converged on stream to discuss the multi-billion dollar buyout, Xbox VP of Gaming Phil Spencer stressed the exclusivity potential of Bethesda's wares, particularly as it pertains to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

"We have games that exist on other platforms, and we're going to support those games on the platforms they're on," said Spencer on the subject of console exclusivity. "There are communities of players. We love those communities and will continue to invest in them."

"Even in the future, there might be things that have either contractual things, or legacy on different platforms, that we'll still do [...] But, if you're an Xbox customer, the thing I want you to know is this is about delivering great exclusive games for you that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists."

During the stream Xbox and Bethesda also revealed a slew of the latter's titles that are being added to the Xbox Game Pass service. You can check the full list out right here.

Movies on PSP UMDs. Motion pictures on the Game Boy Camera. 3D movies on the 3DS.

Plucky young filmmakers have been messing with the medium for ages now under the lens of video games, but this YouTuber has taken it to a new level. Putting Christopher Nolan's film Tenet on a Game Boy Advance.

Wulff Den decided to riff on the idea that Nolan "really wanted people to see Tenet in theaters" during a global pandemic last year. Amazingly, it also dunks on the notion that some of Tenet's dialogue was hard to hear in theaters: an ongoing debate that has come up in several Nolan features.

The full film actually spans five Game Boy Advance carts, and uses "a legally obtained copy of Tenet," and a bunch of GBA carts to "cannibalize." As expected, the framerate tanks, it's hard to hear, and clocking in at two hours and 30 minutes, it needs to span all those carts to account for the 30 minute maximum per cart. They are .avi files and need to be scrunched down far below 480p.

The amazing thing about all this is how it reminds me of David Lynch's (NSFW) "playing the movie on a telephone" rant. Lynch is able to just say what Nolan takes multiple paragraphs to spit out in an instant.

Madden on Switch? Wait, Madden wasn't already on Switch?! Nope!

It's crazy isn't it? I mean, I thought at some point in the last eight years or so that Madden had graced the Wii, Wii U, or Switch. For a while everything still got Wii ports: just ask Ubisoft.

But nope, there hasn't been a Madden game on any Nintendo console since Madden NFL 13 in 2012. That's almost a decade ago. But that could change, based on the verbiage in this new job listing for a Madden developer.

According to YouTuber Doctre81, not only does the listing mention "Nintendo game consoles" by name, but it's not typically wording found in specific software engineer postings for franchises: indicating that this could be proof of a Madden Switch port. As Doctre81 points out, EA is finally making an effort to port games on the Switch and get in on that money train. It's possible! Even if it's a stripped-down or spinoff version.

Even if it's not for Madden 21 this year, it could very well be proof of the next Madden hitting Switch. EA would be crazy to leave all that money on the table now that the Switch has proven it can hang.

Online Software Engineer - (C++) - Madden [EA via YouTube]

PlayStation Japan has announced a special live stream discussion to showcase some of the most exciting titles headed to PlayStation in 2021. "Play! Play! Play!", as well as sounding vaguely threatening, is described as "a talk show that makes you want to play" and will be broadcast March 21 at 20:00 JST and will run for around an hour.

Scheduled to make an appearance on the stream are Capcom's sepia-tinged horror Resident Evil Village as well as Square Enix's upcoming PS5 release Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. A selection of hosts will be on hand to discuss their respective titles, including Capcom director Morimasa Sato, and Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase. It is unclear whether the presentation will include English subtitles, but hopefully there'll be lots of juicy new video for our eyeballs.

If you want to watch the Play! Play! Play! presentation, then you can check out the action on the PlayStation Japan YouTube channel. In the west, the stream will broadcast on March 21 at 03:00 PT / 06:00 / 11:00 GMT... Maybe just wait for the highlight reel on this one.

Netflix has released new details regarding its upcoming CGI animation series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, which will premiere on the TV/movie streaming service later in 2021.

The series will see two of Resident Evil's most likable heroes, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, cross paths once again when their individual investigations converge, pointing toward more shady conspiracies, reanimated horrors, and a zombie raid on The White House itself. In a very fan-pleasing piece of news, Netflix has confirmed that actors Nick Apostolides and Stephanie Panisello will be reprising their roles from 2019's excellent Resident Evil 2 Remake, adding some immersive familiarity to the show's protagonists.

Behind the scenes, the production of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness will be supervised by Capcom's Hiroyuki Kobayashi, who has worked in close proximity on many Resident Evil games and anime adaptations. The animation is being produced by the legendary TMS Entertainment, a long-running anime studio most recently renown for their great work on CGI movie Lupin III: The First.

While no specific date has been announced for Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness' premiere, the show will feature at the Anime Japan 2021 festival on March 27. Hopefully we'll receive further details, and perhaps even a new trailer, during the course of that weekend.

In today's contest you can win Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 4!

Look, I just refuse to put the "The Official Videogame" part in this title. It's just too long. Monster Energy Supercross 4 is a perfectly fine title without having to complicate things by noting that's it's the official videogame of the brand. Are there imposters? Is there an unofficial version? We can just assume it's official at this point.

Anyway, we've got some copies of Monster Energy Supercross 4 to give away! Just remember that it's the official videogame.

The creepy horror-adventure game Little Nightmares II has cleared one million sales in its first month. After recently getting into the original game in preparation for the sequel and ending up loving them both, it's nice to hear. If you enjoyed the panicked intensity and dread of Inside, add 'em to your list.

In a press release today, publisher Bandai Namco also confirmed that the "Little Nightmares franchise has now reached over five million players, a very important milestone for this western-lead franchise."

What's on deck for the series? We're for sure getting PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Little Nightmares II this year, and if you're upgrading, you won't have to pay again. I also have to believe there will be DLC sooner than later – like the original game, there's great potential for side-stories here.

"We can't wait to share with you what's next in the Little Nightmares universe," the publisher said.

We can't talk about the future of Little Nightmares without acknowledging that the developer, Tarsier Studios, was added to Embracer Group's staggering lineup. That said, Bandai Namco owns this brand. Based on the early sales for Little Nightmares II, I have a feeling there will be a third game.

It can be dodgy whenever a series is handed off to a new team, but I'd be down for more.

Celebrating a whole decade of Metro – oh my gosh, it's really been that long? – developer 4A Games has decided to give out free PC copies of Metro 2033 on Steam this week. It's free to keep for good.

All you need to do is claim the game by Monday, March 15 at 10:00 am Pacific.

In a fun twist, 4A Games is giving out the original version of Metro 2033 from 2010, not the Metro 2033 Redux release that showed up four years later – so if you ever wanted to go back, now's the time to act. Some fans prefer the distinct look and feel of the original over the glossed-up, optimized remaster.

Meanwhile, the rest of the series is on sale right now, including the most recent game, Metro Exodus. With the anniversary discounts, you can get the Redux titles for $3.99 each and Exodus for $13.59.

Ten years ago, I wouldn't have expected Metro to be where it's at. 4A Games has done well for itself.

With a little over two weeks to go until the release of Monster Hunter Rise on Nintendo Switch, Capcom continues to release videos in order to give fans new and old some insight into the mechanics of the iconic adventure series newest entry.

One such video features a breakdown of an entire hunt, from its planning stages, through tracking, and finally a titanic showdown with the fearsome Goss Harag. The near 15-minute video gives new players an example of Monster Hunter Rise's gameplay, showing how the early stages of the hunt can be as important as the fight itself, while also spotlighting the need for quick wits and the need for adaptation in battle.

Microids has announced that it will be bringing Revolution Software's cyberpunk adventure Beyond a Steel Sky to PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in the third quarter of 2021. The dystopian adventure - a sequel to the 1994 DOS classic Beneath a Steel Sky - launched on PC and Apple Arcade in the summer of 2020.

"Signing this publishing deal with the renowned Revolution Software studio delights us!” said Microids CEO Stephane Longeard. "We're thrilled to give players the possibility to rediscover the long-awaited sequel to Beneath a Steel Sky on consoles by diving into a captivating story supported by clever gameplay mechanics and gorgeous graphics."