Destructoid

It didn't take long at all for a wild exclusive to show up in this morning's rocky Epic Games Store Spring Showcase stream. Kingdom Hearts – as in, the series – is showing up on PC this year.

On March 30, the Epic Store is getting Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind, and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.

I'm not sure why I'm the least bit surprised by the steep pricing, but I am. With the exception of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, which will cost $50, everything listed above will be $60 on PC at launch.

That's a mega-tough pitch for people who are open to playing the series on PS4, where you can go all-in (minus the Melody of Memory rhythm game) for $25 right now while the compilation is on sale. At any rate, it's nice to see the door finally open for PC players. It's been a long and futile-feeling wait.

See you in a year? There's no guarantee the series will come to Steam, but discounts would be nice.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart looked great before the PlayStation 5 came out, but now that it's been a few months, Insomniac's dimension-hopping adventure sounds fantastic. The PS5 sorely needs a game like this right now, and the wait won't be too terribly drawn-out – it's releasing on June 11, 2021.

I hesitated to include this video as there's little meat on its bones. If nothing else, it shows the box art and serves as a reminder that unlike other PlayStation exclusives, this one is PS5-only. No cross-gen.

Insomniac Games shared a few more details in a PlayStation Blog post today, mostly to do with pre-orders. Rift Apart will cost $70 if you're getting the standard digital or physical version, and the pre-order bonus is "early unlocks" of the Pixelizer gun and Carbonox armor, the latter of which looks rad.

There's also an $80 Digital Deluxe Edition, but it's a harder sell. The pack-ins are "five additional armor sets, 20 Raritanium to get a head start on upgrading your weapons, a sticker pack to use in Ratchet & Clank's first-ever photo mode, as well as a digital artbook and a digital soundtrack."

Arc System Works has released the next video in its Starter Guide series for gorgeous upcoming fighter Guilty Gear Strive. The videos aim to help new players check out the eclectic roster of characters ahead of the PS5 open beta, which takes place next weekend.

Today's video shines the spotlight on former Assassin's Guild leader Zato-1, not forgetting his frightening shadow alter-ego, Eddie. Zato-1 is a character who well represents GG's unique flow when compared to regular 2D fighters such as SFV. Not only capable of flight and even disappearing into the earth for extended periods, smart application of Eddie can often make Zato-1 feel unapproachable, while leaving the hapless opponent feeling as if they are fending off two characters simultaneously.

It is this kind of multi-status management that forms the core of Guilty Gear - often leaving both attacker and defender managing/responding to multiple immediate threats. A good Zato-1 player can get in quick and mix-up the opponent with a combination of attacks from both Zato and Eddie, while using the latter at long range to play frustrating games of keep-away.

Ubisoft is constantly switching its business model. Sometimes we'll get a big AAA game that feels complete. Sometimes it'll be swamped with DLC. Other times, it'll have microtransactions. Occasionally, it'll have both!

But in 2021, the latest financial results are leading them down the path that many publishers have already ventured down: free-to-play. Speaking on an earnings call for Ubisoft's Quarter 3 financial results (as reported by IGN), CFO Frederick Duguet notes that they will "stick to" a plan of "either three or four AAA games" in a year (for the fiscal 2022 period), something he calls a "normal template."

But beyond that, they want to "progressively, continuously" move to a new model, which has "strong releases from AAA," as well as a "program of new releases with free-to-play and other premium experiences." It's a very judicious way of saying that Ubisoft could continue to inject freemium models in more games.

As the CFO points out, mobile is around 9% of Ubisoft's business, but they likely view these as rookie numbers that need to be pumped up. As he puts it: "In fiscal 2022, we will continue our evolution from a AAA release-centric model toward a model where AAA stands alongside new premium and free-to-play innovative experiences across platforms. These diverse experiences will feed on each other through complementary gameplay and business models."

Ruh roh Shaggy!

Ubisoft Moving Away From Reliance on AAA Releases [IGN]

As part of this morning's Street Fighter V: Champion Edition Winter Update presentation, Capcom producers Takayuki Nakayama and Shuhei Matsumoto announced that the master of Saikyo-Style, Dan Hibiki, will kick off SFV's fifth and final season of content on February 22. Dan will be joined by fellow Street Fighter Alpha alumni Rose, Street Fighter III's Oro, Rival Schools' Akira, and a mystery fifth competitor at a later date.

It's a huge day for the Switch, as we're getting Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, a bonafide first-party release. We haven't had much of those in the past year or so! And even when we do get them, a few are re-releases: like this one! At least the Bowser's Fury part is new. This one is hitting the eShop on Friday.

The Switch is also getting Little Nightmares II, which by many accounts, is an improvement on the already fun original. UnderMine is also out on Switch this week, among several other games you can peruse below.

Today, Capcom offered up a slew of new information regarding its best-selling fighting title Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. In a presentation stream held this morning, producers Takayuki Nakayama and Shuhei Matsumoto offered updates on the one-on-one fighter's fifth and final season.

The stream opened with the first-ever preview of the Street Fighter V iteration of Rose who will arrive as season five's second DLC character, the Italian fortune teller will be accompanied by a new replication of her classic Street Fighter Alpha stage "Marina of Fortune." In footage of an early build of Rose, we see that her trademark slide and "Soul Piede" normals are in effect, as are her "Soul Spark" and "Soul Spiral" specials.

"Soul Throw," however, has been replaced by a new anti-air special, "Soul Bind", which sees Rose keep her heels planted firmly on the ground, hooking her opponent out of the sky with her scarf. Perhaps most surprisingly of all, Rose has been afforded a new air variant of "Soul Spark", which launches in a downward trajectory ala Akuma's air fireball. Much like her protege Menat, Rose' new move "Soul Punish" allows her to conjure up Soul Orbs that remain on the battlefield as obstacles.

Monster Hunter can be a commitment.

Each run can take upwards of 30 minutes or more depending on your skill level, and it seems like even the recent Monster Hunter Rise demo was approaching that mark. Announced on Twitter, Capcom has shared the average times for players to complete each mission, and the breakdown is pretty interesting.

As shared by the game's director, Yasunori Ichinose, it took people 11 minutes and 16 seconds to clear the easier quest (Great Izuchi), and 21 minutes and 57 seconds to take out the harder quest/monster (Mizutsune). Having played through it, these numbers make a lot of sense. The Izuchi can be downed fairly quickly without having it run away that often, while the Mizutsune can put up a fight with newcomers.

That said, Ichinose implies in the tweet that the numbers might not be a concise indicator of monster toughness, as some players were roaming around the field, getting random items and doing other business before actually finishing the hunt. Either way the data is appreciated! The whole "fireside chat" style marketing campaign for this game has been stupendous.

Monster Hunter Rise [Twitter]

Over a decade ago, Konami announced that it was working with developer Atomic Games on new tactical shooter Six Days in Fallujah, which would recount the real-life story of the Second Battle of Fallujah - a horrifying urban conflict that took place in the winter of 2004 as part of the Iraq War and remains mired in controversy to this day. In the face of negative publicity, and despite Konami's insistence its title would present a respectful and non-sensationalized "documentary" of the brutal encounter, the plug was pulled on the project in 2009.

Today, 11 years since the unfinished release was consigned to the vault, publisher Victura and developer Highwire Games have announced their intentions to reboot the project, re-opening development on Six Days in Fallujah with an eye to releasing the cancelled title on PC and consoles later in 2021.

"Sometimes the only way to understand what's true is to experience reality for yourself," says former Marine Sergeant Eddie Garcia, who initially proposed the idea for Six Days in Fallujah, having fought in the battle themselves. "War is filled with uncertainty and tough choices that can't be understood by watching someone on a TV or movie screen make these choices for you. Video games can help all of us understand real-world events in ways other media can't."

If you just picked up a Switch in these trying times (make sure you gran an egg first), you're in luck! Nintendo wants to teach you how to use it...for free!

Stealth-announced this week to little fanfare, Nintendo just rolled out a new program called "concierge," where you can schedule a "one-on-one meeting" virtually with a Nintendo rep to go over your system. Nintendo offers "classes" from games (getting started and what to play next), security, Nintendo account info, and customization.

Each class runs 30 minutes, and you can do them individually or in a string, if you can schedule them. All you need to do that is head to this site here and pick a date and time. Like a lot of wacky Nintendo ideas, this one was probably divined by some executive, and may or may not survive the year. This is even referred to as a "pilot" program on the site.

That said, this isn't completely new. Tech companies occasionally offer tutorials like this, including Amazon in the past for products like the Kindle. Either way, if you have three hours to kill (or 30-minute chunks), it's a free thing you can do now!

Nintendo Switch Concierge [Nintendo]

Star Wars: Republic Commando could be the next classic Star Wars title in line for a Nintendo Switch re-release, following the discovery of an update for the 2005 title by NWPlayer123.

The dataminer noticed a patch for the unannounced title has been released on the eShop servers, suggesting that the squad-based shooter will be hitting the digital storefront in the very near future. The patch is attributable to publisher Aspyr, who are previously responsible for Star Wars re-releases such as Star Wars: Episode I Racer, Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy, and Star Wars: Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast.

Originally released on PC and Xbox, Star Wars: Republic Commando blended typical first-person shooter action, with tactical commands and squad-based teamwork. Released to mostly positive reviews, the title was intended to kick off a franchise, but ultimately spawned no sequels, though it did receive a number of spin-off novels.

Star Wars: Republic Commando appears to be on the way to Switch [NintendoLife]

There have been recent reports of a manufacturing fault in regards to Sony's new PlayStation 5 hardware, specifically its sleek DualSense controller. Multiple players have been reporting cases of the notorious "drift" issue - whereby the controller's thumbsticks register movement whilst remaining sat in a neutral position - with some PS5 owners telling Kotaku that the problem arose mere days after purchasing the new console.

U.S. law firm Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith (CSK&D) has stepped into the situation, announcing that it is beginning an investigation of the complaints, with an eye to filing a class action lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment.

"CSK&D is investigating a potential class action based upon reports that Sony PS5 DualSense controllers for the PlayStation 5 console can experience drift issues and/or fail prematurely," said the law firm in a statement. "Specifically, it is reported that the joystick on certain PS5 DualSense controllers will automatically register movement when the joystick is not being controlled and interfere with gameplay."

This is not CSK&D's first rodeo, as it is one of a number of firms that has previously launched a class action suit against Nintendo when the troublesome controller fault affected myriad Switch owners. CSK&D's 2019 suit was ultimately compelled to arbitration, (essentially asking the plaintiff and the defendant to come to private resolution), after the presiding judge refused to dismiss the case.

In news to brighten many mornings, Good Smile Company has announced that it will be adding Princess Sakuna from Xseed Games' Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin to its burgeoning Nendoroid range. The mischievous farmer was announced as part of the "WonHobby32" showcase, which revealed a selection of cute toys and collectibles for a variety of gaming and anime IPs. Has there ever been a character so suited to the cute toy brand?

Unfortunately, it seems like the Harvest Goddess is still a long way out, as Good Smile only has a single piece of concept art to show her fans, but it appears that Sakuna will be fashioned in her lavish work garb, and will be accessorized with numerous tools and her trusty conical hat. We can likely expect the finished design to feature an alternate faceplate.

Released in November for PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin sees the tearaway goddess sent to a remote island in order to help the local community rebuild and farm their crops. Once there, however, Sakuna becomes embroiled in a battle between the ramshackle village and an army of monsters that roam the land. While Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin did not exactly light up the score board, developer Edelweiss has noted it is pleased with the product and would like to see Sakuna's adventures continue in a possible sequel.

While many film and television adaptations of video games have struggled to get off the ground over the years, HBO is having no trouble getting The Last of Us into production. The series got the green light late last year with an incredibly talented group behind the camera. Chernobyl's Craig Mazin and Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann are producing and writing the show, with Cannes award winner Kantemir Balagov directing the pilot. 

There's been speculation about who'd land the coveted roles of Joel and Ellie, but we need not speculate anymore. As confirmed late last night, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will play Joel and Ellie, respectively. Pascal is known most recently for his work in The Mandalorian and chewing up the scenery in Wonder Woman 1984. It's also recently come to light that he's one incredibly dope big brother. 

As for Ramsey, she's perhaps best recognized for her few outstanding episodes of Game of Thrones. Her Last of Us co-star also appeared in that series back in season four, and they both met incredibly tragic but memorable deaths.

PlatinumGames' NieR: Automata continues on its relentless quest to become one of the most merchandised titles in gaming history. The latest addition to the dystopian sci-fi series premium range of toys, figures, and models is this sweet replication (no pun intended) of android boy 9S, stylized in Nendoroid form.

The prototype Nendo was revealed by manufacturer Good Smile Company as part of the week's "WonHobby 32" showcase, which is debuting a range of toys and merchandise related to various Japanese properties. Nendoroid 9S is depicted in super-serious form, equipped with his trusty katana and accompanied by robo-pal Bot 153. In true Nendo fashion, we can expect the final model to feature several accessories and possibly an alternate faceplate.

As this is merely the first painted prototype, 9S is still some way out from release, and is not yet available for pre-order from Good Smile Co. But we'll be sure to let you know when he hits the market. In the meantime, 2B owners might want to clear out a little space beside her... Now, if we can just get A2...

We were just talking about the prospect of Tales from the Borderlands making a resurgence in 2021, and hey, it's happening – kind of. After being unavailable on digital stores, Telltale's super-funny adventure game is returning to PC (Steam and the Epic Store), PS4, and Xbox One on February 17, 2021.

I know people who consider this the best of the best for Telltale, and I also know people who loved Tales from the Borderlands despite not caring for – or in some cases not even playing – the main series. I'm somewhere in the former camp depending on the day. It's certainly at or near the top of my list.

The original version was released episodically (remember when adventure fans had to constantly keep tabs on content schedules that may or may not spiral out of control?), but this time, all five "episodes" will be packaged together. There won't be an option to buy them one-by-one. It's all or nothing.

According to the developers, if you have an old save file, "you can pick up where you left off on the same platform." There's also PS5 and Xbox Series X/S support via backward compatibility, as you'd expect.

This isn't the Redux release I was hoping to see, but it's good to have this game open to new players. It would be interesting to go from Borderlands 3 back to Tales from the Borderlands given Rhys' trajectory.

Valheim has struck a chord with Steam players who are always looking for the next great survival game to play alone and with friends. After seeing the Viking survival game on the top-sellers list all week and thinking "Hey, I gotta try that," it's official: Valheim sold over a million copies during its launch week.

Here's the Steam Early Access launch trailer to try and bring you up to speed in a hurry:

If you were caught off guard by the old-meets-new aesthetic, Iron Gate says it was "inspired by the early days of 3D graphics, like the style seen in PS1 titles and old DOS-era 3D games (before hardware acceleration and texture filtering was a thing)." I'm still getting used to it if I'm being honest.

As someone who hasn't played Valheim yet but wants to – potentially even while it's still coalescing in Early Access – I like the idea of setting off with my rinky-dink boat in a procedurally-generated purgatory, hunting down bosses I have no business facing so ill-equipped, and sulking in a sad little hut.

A few make-or-break gameplay details worth pointing out: you can play Valheim alone and carry your character progression over when grouping up (with a max of nine other players on a server), you don't have to worry about PvP or starvation (though food will boost your health/stamina), and the basic flow involves killing a biome's boss to get the items or skills you'll need to explore more of the world.

Following a quietly successful few years, French publisher Focus Home Interactive is preparing to expand its operations into Canada. A brand new studio, operating under subsidiary developer Deck13 (The Surge), will be established in the popular dev locale of Montreal in the immediate future.

"Opening a subsidiary in Canada is a logical continuation in the history and internal development of our studio," said Deck13 MD Mathias Reicher in a press release. "Deck13 Studio Montreal will allow us to strengthen our knowledge and integrate new visions, cultures and know-how that will undoubtedly take the studio to the next level."

"The creation of a Focus Home Interactive Group studio in Canada is a key step in our desire to develop the Focus brand while supporting our studios and partners in their growth and ambitions," agreed Focus Home chairman Christophe Nobileau. "We are delighted that this step has been taken via the Deck13 studio, a historical partner and now an integral part of our ambitious project."

Focus Home purchased German developer Deck13 in an $8.6 million deal back in June of 2020. The new Montreal studio will work in conjunction with Germany's original Deck13 team on an as-yet-unannounced project, which is scheduled for release in 2022. Focus Home has continued to enjoy comfortable, mid-tier success with a range of solid AA titles such as World War Z, GreedFall, Vampyr, and A Plague Tale: Innocence.

Gearbox is milking Borderlands 3 for everything it's worth, and the next major stop on the DLC plan is the Director's Cut on March 18, 2021. Along with the release date, we now know what's included.

The DLC is adding a Varkid raid boss named Hemovorous the Invincible (who's waiting behind the locked door in Ascension Bluff), podcast-inspired "murder mystery missions" centered around Ava, behind-the-scenes developer footage, and three battle-pass-like Vault Cards, with one to start.

You can think of Vault Cards as "progression tracks" that you can manage in a new menu tab. Gearbox says there are 100-plus "unique challenges" to face in pursuit of cosmetics and level-scaled loot – you'll get three dailies and one "multi-tiered" weekly challenge, all of which grant a "sizable chunk of XP."

At launch on March 18, there will just be the lone Vault Card ("featuring items that honor some of the franchise's most beloved fallen heroes"), but two more Vault Cards will join the Director's Cut "by the end of 2021." When that time comes, you'll be able to flip between your active card as needed.

The Director's Cut DLC is the second chunk of Borderlands 3's Season Pass 2, though you'll also be able to pick it up separately for $15 if you'd rather avoid the "hodgepodge" Designer's Cut altogether.

The money continues to flow in a fortnight that has seen seemingly endless mergers and acquisitions, as Tencent has invested a minority stake in Bohemia Interactive, the Czech developer behind Arma, Ylands, and MMO survival adventure DayZ.

Bohemia is the third studio to sell stakes to Tencent in recent months, following on from the Chinese conglomerate's recent investments in Don't Starve's Klei Entertainment and Life is Strange developer Dontnod. All of these purchases were made in part to facilitate Tencent's distribution of the respective studios' wares in China.

"We are pleased to deepen our relationship with Tencent, one of the most significant internet companies in the world," said Bohemia CEO Marek Spanel. "We look forward to working on our current and future generations of games with the support of a strong partner that has known us for many years and understands our unique approach to online games."

Going forward, Bohemia will retain its management team and will continue to operate as an independent studio. Back in 2020, Bohemia closed one of its formative studios in Bratislava, in what was noted as a "mutual decision". No doubt the cash injection from one of the biggest companies on the planet will provide the DayZ developer with a little more security for the coming years.

It feels like we've been talking about it forever, but Granzella's love letter to one of the most inspiring shmups of all-time is nearly cleared for take-off. Publisher NIS America has released a new gameplay trailer, ahead of R-Type Final 2's April 30 launch on PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch.

R-Type Final 2 is a celebration of Irem's iconic interstellar arcade blaster - a re-imagined compendium of vessels, mechanics, bosses, and stages, (not to mention its arsenal of impressive weaponry), cherry-picked from the series' storied history. As showcased in the video below, players will be able to choose from one of a selection of R-9 fighters, before blasting into battle with the Bydo Empire, upgrading and tweaking the ship en route into a devastating intergalactic fighter. Even the pilot will have customization options!

The new sequel will marry impressive contemporary visuals and effects to the classic R-Type gameplay that has proven such a hit with shmup fans over the decades, with adaptive difficulty keeping the challenge in each player's respective sweet spot. Additional gameplay modes and online leaderboards will ensure the R-Type faithful will have plenty of reason to keep taking to the stars for another round of galactic mayhem. It's looking pretty slick, that's for sure, and I can't wait to try it out.

High-definition remasters of 10-year-old niche Japanese games seem to be a trend this year. This week we're getting Gal*Gun Returns on Switch and PC, which is the first time the original game in that series has left Japan. This summer, another naughty game is coming to North America for the first time from Xseed Games.

Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed is a remaster of Akiba's Trip Plus, which was an updated version of the original Akiba's Trip that launched on the PSP back in 2011. The game puts players in the shoes of the Akiba Freedom Fighters as they hunt vampires and strip them down to their skivvies.

As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues into its second year, we are already starting to see the rescheduling of multiple events previously postponed in 2020. Among these are the Pokémon World Championships, which for a second year in a row will not be taking place this summer.

Originally scheduled to take place in London in August of 2020, The Pokémon Company decided to push the event back to August 2021 as the UK remained in the grip of the coronavirus. But in February 2021, with the pandemic continuing to severely impact worldwide industry and travel, the decision has been made to further reschedule the championships to August 2022. Sorry, Pokémon players.

While all Play! Pokémon events for the foreseeable future are all currently on hold, online tournaments such as the Pokémon Players Cup and Play! Pokémon Team Challenge will continue as scheduled, so competitive players will still have some arenas with which to test their skills. A run of "League at Home" events are also in the works, so 2021 is not going to be a completely Pokémon-free year.

2021 has already seen the Rainbow Six Siege Invitational tournament held up, while the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) recently announced that it is making plans to host E3 2021 as a series of online events. In the coming months, it seems likely that regular gaming get-togethers such as EVO, gamescom, PAX, and other gatherings will struggle to return in 2021 in their recognized form.

[Update: Blizzard has posted the full BlizzConline schedule for February 19–20.

The opening ceremony will be just over an hour long, and most of the notable talks will be held on the first day of the show. "Behind the Scenes of Overwatch 2," "Diablo: What's Next," "World of Warcraft: What's Next," and a "Hearthstone Deep Dive" all start at 3:10 pm Pacific (on different streaming channels). There's also a "Diablo Developer Roundtable" at 4:00 pm and a Deep Dive at 5:00 pm.

I feel like my expectations for the show are in check now.]

BlizzCon was called off in favor of the online-only BlizzConline, and the replacement show is nearly ready for our prying eyes. Today, Blizzard shared the dates and stream start times for the event.

Day 1 (February 19) begins at 2:00 pm Pacific with a "first look" preview of the "latest game content the development teams have been working on." It's safe to expect updates on Overwatch 2, Diablo 4, and World of Warcraft, among others. After the main opening segment, BlizzConline will have "three-plus hours" of deep-dive streaming content divvied up between "six different themed channels."

Minecraft Dungeons has a lot to celebrate.

Although Minecraft is still a huge IP, there was always a risk trying to get people involved in a spinoff, as a lot of folks generally will just keep playing the game they already know. Although it is available for non-Microsoft platforms, Game Pass significantly helped mitigate that risk.

Microsoft has confirmed that the game just hit "10 million players." Note that they didn't break down individual sales, or how much of that was Game Pass, or the standard edition of the release. As a result, they're giving away a special cape and pet for "all players," which will be added on February 24 for free as DLC.

The publisher touts that there have been 103 million multiplayer sessions across Xbox Game Pass, which were "80% couch co-op-based." People still play couch co-op?! You don't say! It's almost like a huge portion of every console playerbase has been asking for more couch experiences for years.

They also remind us that more big DLC, including the Flames of the Nether pack, is on the way. That will hit on the same day on February 24 on "all platforms," all of which have cross-play, by the way. That's a feat!

Minecraft Dungeons [Twitter]

You might remember that during the months and months of E3's 2020 live stream showcases, (which I dubbed "Endless3" because I'm a talented man), the New Game+ Expo made its debut presentation - a special stream featuring a glut of news and reveals from Japanese-centric publishers such as Arc System Works, NIS, Aksys, Natsume, and others.

And it looks like the show is set to return, although this time you won't have to wait until the summer, as New Game+ Expo 2021 will be taking place as soon as next month, March 4 to be exact. Not all of the previously featured studios are returning, (SNK, Spike Chunsoft, and WayForward are among the missing names), but 10 studios will be on-hand to showcase some of their 2021 wares.

Tune in to the official Twitch channel on Thursday, March 4 at 08:00 PT / 11:00 ET / 17:00 BST and check out some of the colorful titles gracing PC and console platforms later this year. The full list of attendees for New Game+ Expo 2021 is as follows:

The Switch Online NES and SNES suites are at it again, as there's four new games that are now available, spread across both services.

We have Doomsday Warrior, Psycho Dream, Prehistorik Man, and Fire 'n Ice, also known as "Solomon's Key 2." I have a lot of experience with the latter puzzler, having renting it several times and being mostly satisfied! Eventually I'd come across the similar Lode Runner, which would cement my love for 2D puzzle platformers.

Nintendo has also announced that Japan, always the one to one-up our offerings, is getting two different games: Shin Megami Tensei II and Mario's Super Picross. These are instead of Doomsday Warrior and Prehistorik Man.

I realize that translating old JRPGs probably isn't a huge priority for Atlus or Nintendo, but if Nintendo actually added value to Switch Online, more people would probably pull the trigger. When Nintendo says they have "perks" in mind for Switch Online and they stealth-drop a few obscure retro games on their service every now and then: it isn't exactly screaming value.

Paramount has released a "teaser" for the sequel to 2020's smash hit movie Sonic the Hedgehog. The brief clip is certainly a teaser in as much as it is just an animated logo, but it does give us our first look at said logo, as well as the confirmation that the sequel is titled Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Naturally. (Also of note: Two Tails).

Scheduled to premiere in theaters on April 8, 2022, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 sees the return of the blue blur - in his redesigned form, hopefully - once again voiced by Ben Schwartz. While the full plot and cast list are yet to be unveiled, Jim Carrey is expected to return as nemesis Dr. Robotnik. Writers Pat Case and Josh Miller return to pen the hyped sequel, while Jeff Fowler will once again be seated behind the lens. If it ain't broke, right?

The original Sonic the Hedgehog movie launched in February 2020 to a hugely positive reception from critics and fans, scoring an incredible $300 million USD opening against a $90 million budget. A further $150 million was then made on the domestic market. Given the original film's success, it would not be surprising if Paramount will likely add another zero or two to the sequel's production costs. Recent rumors abound that Aquaman's Jason Momoa might be in-line for a turn on the new picture, but these remain nothing more than unsubstantiated internet whispers at present.

Super Mario Bros 35 just got an event that involved murdering Bowser millions of times, and now it's getting something else.

The 35th anniversary Twitter account has confirmed the existence of a coin-based event, which involves a "fixed course order," from W1-1 to W8-4, which will also involve the same warp pipes as the classic version. The contest will run from February 12 through February 15.

Also don't forget that the game is set to be nuked from existence on March 31, 2021, along with a few other Mario titles. Will Nintendo have a Jump Rope Challenge-esque change of heart? Well, it depends on what the bean counters say!

I do know that if they keep crying wolf like this on "limited time" digital games (ha, what a concept) and keep pulling the rug out, it probably won't look great the next time they announce an initiative like this.

Super Mario 35th [Twitter]

In a little over a fortnight's time, budding adventurers will be on their way to the high-fantasy world of Excillant, with the release of the highly anticipated Switch sequel Bravely Default II. Publishers Nintendo and Square Enix have released a new trailer focusing on the JRPGs battle systems, giving players a chance to check out the hazardous encounters that lie ahead.

Bravely Default II walks the well-trodden path of party-based combat, with a selection of independently skilled allies taking on a host of beasties and bosses in turn-based action. The video focuses on the crux of Bravely Default II's combat system - smart balance between "Default" and "Brave" attacks. Players must use the former in order to acquire points to activate the latter, which will allow for numerous actions in a single turn.

Mastering Bravely Default II's battle balance will be a key component of the player's journey through the five kingdoms as Excillant, as those who have played the recent demo have found out. There are many battles waiting for heroes Seth, Adelle, Gloria, and Elvis, so be sure to check out the action for yourself and ensure that you're prepared for the challenge.

Arc System Works is firing up the engines once again on Guilty Gear Strive's "Starter Guide" series, giving players an opportunity to check out the skills and special abilities afforded the sexy GG Strive roster. The publisher will release a new video daily in the lead-up to the new open beta, which takes place on PS4 and PS5 the weekend of February 18.

The first video takes a look at the beautiful ex-assassin Millia Rage, who steps back into the GG ring armed with her Angra-enchanted hair. Millia's flowing up-do can not only form itself into a variety of razor-sharp blades, but is also capable of launching a series of wide projectiles, allowing Millia to control space with ease. Millia's battle plan can start high or low, courtesy of her relatively safe slide "Iron Savior" and a variety of both aerial attacks and anti-air baiting maneuvers.

In 2020, Ubisoft announced that it would be delaying practically its entire slate of upcoming releases, pushing back Watch Dogs: Legion, Immortals: Fenix Rising, and the newest entry in the Rainbow Six series, Quarantine. While the two former titles have long since hit the market, Team Rainbow is yet to see a second trailer, let alone any gameplay footage.

But speaking in an earnings conference call this week, Ubisoft CFO Frédérick Duguet confirmed that the publisher is confident that it will have Rainbow Six Quarantine on the market by the end of September 2021, where it will join the similarly delayed Far Cry 6 as two of Ubisoft's major releases for the 2021 Holiday season.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night debuted its Castlevania-inspired stage-based Classic Mode last month, and if you were up to the task, there's another challenge to face: 1986 Mode. It's even stricter.

To unlock 1986 Mode, just start up Classic Mode and, while you're still on the title menu, enter these button inputs: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, Square, Circle. You'll see "1986 Mode" appear.

(If you aren't playing Bloodstained on PlayStation, substitute Square for the left face button and swap Circle for the right face button. For instance, on Xbox, you'd end the code with the X and B buttons.)

From there, you can hit "Start Game" and you should see an "86" icon when you select your difficulty.

From what I've played, 1986 Mode is more of a control-restricting variant of Classic Mode than anything else – but it's surprisingly cool in practice. It feels much more fitting. IGN was able to confirm some of the changes, most of which have to do with Miriam's movement. She can't backflip, slide, readjust her jump mid-air, or leap onto staircases. You'll need to be precise with the whip, too.

I don't always make the most of my Nintendo Switch Online membership, but it's cheap enough annually that I'm not too bothered, and lately, I've enjoyed seeing more limited-time game trials pop up.

The next Switch Online trial is for Overcooked 2, a game that doesn't need an introduction other than to say it's a fantastic local co-op game that speaks to a wide range of players. I personally adore this frantic cooking series. I honestly couldn't tell you how many hours I've spent replaying it. Too many.

If you have a Nintendo Switch Online account, you'll be able to go to town with the full version of Overcooked 2 from February 10 at 9:00 am Pacific until Feb. 16 at 11:59 pm Pacific. Download it here.

Should you want to keep playing after the trial, the full game is down to $12.49 and the Overcooked 2 Season Pass is down to $9.99 right now – that's half price in both cases. The DLC is worth it!

Maybe, uh... maybe save this game for any day other than Valentine's. You've been warned!

While it's fair to say it's been taking its time to reach us, DotEmu's retro sequel Windjammers 2 still looks pretty dang fab. The developer continues to tease fans in anticipation of the Frisbee-fest, with a brand new trailer showing off the game's overhauled Arcade Mode.

The new video gives us a look at another returning character, superstar Steve Miller, (not the musician), who joins the roster alongside Windjammers veterans such as Loris Biaggi and all-new contenders like Brazilian Jao Raposa. Miller and Co. can jump into single-player action with Windjammers 2's arcade mode, which will show newcomers the ropes as they fling 'n' fly their way through a host of opponents and even a few gauntlet battles, culminating in a custom ending for each character. Old school.

At this point, Atlus kind of can't do wrong when it comes to the Persona series.

Now, everyone has their favorite recent Persona (3-5), and to create some suspense, I won't tell you that 4 is mine. Wait, I think I messed up there.

Persona 5 slaps too. And it's still fun as a beat 'em up.

[Update: The Silent Hill chapter for Monsters & Mortals will be out on February 24, and the DLC includes several familiar faces: Heather, Cybil, Robbie the Rabbit, the Nurse, and of course, Pyramid Head.]

Silent Hill is reaching new audiences with crossover DLC in multiplayer horror games, and the longer this goes on, the more impatient fans will become. I hope it's all building to something more substantial.

Konami's next cross-game collaboration for Silent Hill is with Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals, a maze-chase horror game on Steam that's popular in the Let's Play circuit. This afternoon, Glowstick Entertainment shared a teaser video with audio and visuals plucked from the hibernating horror giant.

I don't fully know what to expect from NieR Reincarnation, and I'm fine keeping it that way – but I have wondered about the current state of the western release. In a letter shared on Twitter, I got my answer: the iOS and Android game is still coming to North America and Europe, it's just been quiet lately.

A letter from Director Daichi Matsukawa regarding the development status of the English version of NieR Re[in]carnation.#NieR #NieRReincarnation #NieRReinEN pic.twitter.com/lfkz0eEKNM

— NieR Reï¼»inï¼½carnation EN (@NieRReinEN) February 9, 2021

In the message, game director Daichi Matsukawa apologized for a "lack of updates" about NieR Reincarnation. When the time is right, there will be news on the preregistration and launch timing.

He noted that the team is "currently in the process of localizing the English version and recording all character voices in English," and that they're planning to address bugs from the Japanese launch.

SNK has released one of the finest fighting games ever made, The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match, on PS4 via the PlayStation Store. A global physical release will follow later in Spring.

Originally released in 2009 on PS2 (before later being ported to Xbox 360 and PC via Steam), KoF 2002 UM is a remake of the ninth entry in the crossover fighting franchise, released in arcades and on consoles in 2002, naturally. Unlimited Match features what stands to date as the largest roster in KoF history, with an amazing 66 characters taken from the series' previous entries, as well as exclusive character "Nameless" - a replacement for the lawsuit-baiting K9999.

Game Science whipped up a video for its attention-grabbing action-RPG Black Myth: Wukong. It's intended as a Chinese New Year celebration, not a preview of the "plot," so it's more of a visual piece.

I continue to like the way combat is shaping up, and it's easy to imagine what it could be like to play the full version, even as we're mostly left to piece together mythology-infused snippets and imagine the big picture. Yes, I would like to spar with a muscular two-headed rat man and zap fiends with electricity.

If it's been a while since you've checked in on Black Myth: Wukong – or this is your first time hearing about it – the game's website has quite a few eye-catching images. I hadn't seen them before!

Assuming this studio can continue to staff up and hit the notes it's hitting in pre-release footage, this journey will go to far-off places. There's no hint of a release date, but PC and consoles are still the plan.