While there was some confusion as to when the Pokemon Sword and Shield's first expansion, Isle of Armor, would actually drop: we can confirm that it is live as of 9:30AM ET, following the recent Game Freak presentation. In other words, it's live now.
Here's how to access it!
In a one-two punch of Kingdom Hearts news, Square Enix has announced that mobile adventure Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road will officially launch on iOS and Android devices on June 22, a little over a month after its unfortunate delay.
As a reminder, Dark Road is a prequel to much of Kingdom Hearts' mammoth timeline, and will tell the origin story of series antagonist Master Xenahort. Players will learn of the events that took this carefree young man and made him the Heartless master we know today. Dark Road will also feature appearances from other recognisable faces, while introducing a band of entirely new characters. Better make room in your headcanon, folks.
For some reason Pokemon fans were whipped into a frenzy, thinking that today's Pokemon Presents stream would give them info on a new Sinnoh region remake. It didn't happen: imagine that!
Instead, we got confirmation of a mobile tooth-brushing app, a puzzle game and a Pokemon Snap sequel, as well as tangential info on Pokemon Go (more at-home support, a Victini tease, Galarian Farfetch'd spottings) and today's Isle of Armor expansion release (a Zeraora max raid battle event). But at the very end of the presentation, Tsunekazu Ishihara (president and CEO of The Pokemon Company) actually did hype something: another presentation.
All the info we're getting is that "it's another big project" that the company is working on, and that "more news will come next week on June 24."
Yes!
Amid a few so-so mobile reveals, Game Freak says that a "New Pokemon Snap" title is in the works. Details were very scarce outside of its initial video tease (no timeline was given), but we do know that it's coming to Switch and that Bandai Namco is developing it.
I'll take it! I can't stress enough how long some people have been waiting for a follow-up to this 1999 Nintendo 64 classic. A very chill low stakes game is exactly what we need right now.
New Pokemon Snap [Pokemon.com]
Although folks were expecting bombshells, so far today's Pokemon Presents has had a completely chill feel to it.
We had a tooth-brushing game, and now we have a match-puzzler in Pokemon Cafe Mix. What's most interesting about Cafe Mix is the slightly different art style, which showcases the creatures in a new light.
It's available "soon" on mobile devices and Switch for free (with microtransactions, of course).
It's like Pokemon Go for your bathroom!
In a completely unexpected turn, the very first announcement of Game Freak's Pokemon Presents stream was Pokemon Smile. Created "to make brushing your teeth a fun activity for kids," the app literally rewards children with Pokemon for brushing. That's basically it.
Everyone who hates on this probably doesn't have kids! That said, my kid already loves brushing their teeth, so I'm in no rush to show them this (and be forced to load the app up every single night). It would probably do wonders for a child who hates their toothbrush.
It's available now on Android and iOS devices for free.
While there was certainly a lot of excitement and hype on the Information Superhighway following last week's PS5: The Future of Gaming presentation, for many fans the show was stolen entirely by the appearance of a brand new, mallet-wielding character at the climax of the trailer for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
This mysterious and still-unnamed newcomer - who I'm dubbing Lady Lombax for now because I love alliteration - shows up at the end of the titular duo's world-warping adventure and, although she seems to recognise our metal pal Clank, has zero idea who Ratchet is... Curiouser and curiouser.
Who is she? Where's Ratchet? Is she an alternate Ratchet?
The previously teased Panzer Dragoon VR project has finally been revealed. During the Upload VR Showcase presentation, developer Wildman officially announced Panzer Dragoon: Voyage Record, which is headed to console, PC, and standalone VR platforms in 2021.
An admittedly confusing teaser trailer seems to be suggesting that Voyage Record will be a VR compilation of Sega's classic trilogy, consisting of rail-shooters Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon Zwei, and RPG Panzer Dragoon Saga. These three titles will be combined to make a singular VR experience, complete with first-person action and fully-realised 360-degree recreations of a selection of the trilogy's most notable stages.
In today's contest, you can win a brand new PS4 Pro console and a Sniper: Assassin's End movie prize pack!
Just the other day I was thinking how I've never given away a PS4 'round there here parts. Or maybe I have, I don't remember. Point is, sometimes life finds a way to give you consoles to give away to random strangers on the internet.
Action movie franchise Sniper is still alive and kickin' with its newest entry Sniper: Assassin's End. Sony Pictures gave us a copy of the movie, a Sniper 8-pack, a signed poster, and a friggin' PlayStation 4 Pro to give away to kick off the launch of the film!
Lamar Jackson, reigning NFL MVP and the most exciting player in football, is the cover star of Madden NFL 21. This is the part where we all feign surprise. Whoa, crazy!
This isn't so much a reveal as it is a confirmation. Jackson already accidentally outed himself as this year's Madden star back in April, and EA just awkwardly sat on its existing marketing schedule for two more months. EA Sports gave a nod to Jackson's slip-up -- it had to, it was so egregious and definite -- but has stayed silent since then:
I've made no bones about being an ardent fan of Brendon Chung and his work under the Blendo Games moniker. While only clocking in at only 15 minutes, Thirty Flights of Loving does more cinematically in its short time than any triple-A game could hope to. Quadrilateral Cowboy, an id Tech 4 game released in 2016, enthralled me so much that it was my personal game of the year.
On top of making some truly stellar games, Chung is also an avid supporter of the art of game development and giving hobby programmers a leg up. Keeping in line with this, Chung has released the source codes for three of his games for all to see and use on GitHub. The newly-released games are Quadrilateral Cowboy, Thirty Flights of Loving, and Gravity Bone. All three were released under the GNU license which is the gold standard of open source, so have at it. The games join Flotilla which also had its source code released a few months ago on the same platform, under the zLib License.
Blendo Games [Twitter]
As we slowly inch toward the release date for Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxiboost On, Bandai Namco has announced a lovely present. Every weekend before launch, there will be an open beta for everyone in all regions. That's great news for those who are on the fence about the game, and also those who are desperate for more time with it like myself.
You can check out the new trailer, which contains the open beta times, below.
If you like the idea of managing a theme park on consoles but you're worried that Planet Coaster: Console Edition might not run well enough on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, a spot of good news: Frontier Developments is also bringing the simulation game to PS5 and Xbox Series X this holiday season.
Details are sparse, but the studio sums up the next-gen console versions as "enhanced."
"Planet Coaster: Console Edition brings to life the fun and excitement of designing and running a theme park, offering all the depth, strategy, and customization found in the beloved PC game and allowing players to create and manage the ultimate coaster park as they strive for success."
Sim-loving console players are underserved, and when we do get ports of PC games like Cities: Skylines, they tend to run less than ideally. Could that change with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X? It should!
While Planet Coaster is more established at this point – it's been on Steam since November 2016 – I would love to see Frontier's latest sim, Planet Zoo, make its way to consoles. There's a huge untapped audience for that kind of experience. I'm hopeful these Planet Coaster ports will open the door.
You haven't lived until you've created a perfectly balanced multi-species savanna habitat.
This week's Humble Bundle is bigger than most -- bigger in sheer size, but also bigger in that it tackles one of the most pressing and relevant causes in the United States and abroad.
The Fight for Racial Justice Bundle is a collection of 50 games for $30. No tiers, no paying more than the average -- one price and 50 games (okay, technically 49 games and one add-on). Although, you can choose to chip in more than $30 if you want. Everything goes to charity in this one. Humble is supporting the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Race Forward, and The Bail Project.
Here are all the games in the Fight for Racial Justice Bundle (and they're all available as Steam keys):
Phobia Game Studio and Devolver Digital are bringing Carrion to Nintendo Switch later this summer, and along with an eShop release, there will also be a physical edition from Special Reserve Games.
Pre-orders aren't open yet, but they'll happen the same day Carrion hits the Switch eShop.
If you haven't seen our coverage of Carrion or played the demo, it's a monster mash – and I don't mean the morbidly jolly kind. You get to slither through an underground facility as a human-smashing blob. I'm still curious to see how the overall structure will play out, but the basic hook is plenty of fun.
The publisher also teased "something really gross" for its probably-mid-July Devolver Direct 2020 show.
There will be no PAX West this year, at least not as we traditionally know it. PAX West, always held in Seattle over Labor Day weekend, won't be held as a physical event this time. As most every other gaming convention scheduled after mid-March has been canceled, so too has PAX.
Instead, Penny Arcade is making it a digital event, a route many other conventions have taken. Starting on September 12, PAX Online is a nine-day ordeal that runs 24 hours a day. What PAX has lost in camaraderie and community and being surrounded by friends, it has made up for in sheer bulk.
This technically isn't just PAX West, though. PAX Australia is bundled into PAX Online, as Penny Arcade Down Under Dropbear Edition has also been canceled. PAX Australia typically takes place in early-ish October.
PAX Online will have game reveals, panels, esports tournaments, and an indie showcase. There will also be demos for the public to play, presumably on Steam and possibly as part of Summer Game Fest. All of this is free; there's no digital ticket to access PAX's online replacement.
I'm sorry that I used all those caps in the headline. You don't deserve to be shouted at. But if a goshdang nine-day convention doesn't warrant all caps, take my shift key away.
PAX Online [PAX]
Great-looking "Ratoidvania" Curse of the Sea Rats might have absolutely smashed its initial Kickstarter goals, but developer Petoons Studios isn't done raising capital just yet. The latest treat being offered to backers is this exclusive physical release, known as the "Black Flag Edition."
The Black Flag Edition contains a physical copy of Curse of the Sea Rats on PS4 or Nintendo Switch, a selection of art postcards, a treasure/game map, a sticker sheet, and an exclusive comic book. Backers can buy into this edition for €35, or roughly $45 USD in addition to your original backing bid. This tier also qualifies for a digital soundtrack, art book, and beta access for the PC port.
My inbox is unusually flooded with demos this afternoon thanks to Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition, a nearly week-long showcase of upcoming PC games. It's a great problem to have.
The Steam Game Festival landing page breaks things down by genre – action, RPG, simulation, horror, and several others, including VR – but it's still an overwhelming sight unless you know exactly what you're looking for. (On that note, this is one of those times when wishlists can really come in handy.)
I skimmed through the super long list of demos and landed on these recommendations:
[Update: It seems as though you can only get a giftable code if you already own Witcher 3 on GOG along with another platform. Otherwise, if you only own it on a different platform, the game is just tied to your GOG account. Still, free Witcher 3!]
Remember Ice Breakers mints, with their two-lidded packaging reading "To Share" and "Not to Share?" The sharing side is small as if to ask "Why would you ever be dumb enough to share these delicious mints?" The not-sharing side is huge -- half the case if memory serves -- as if you've going to shovel them all in your mouth at once.
CD Projekt Red presents Witcher 3 owners with a similar predicament of greed, just without the refreshing aftertaste. Anyone who owns a copy of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt elsewhere can claim another free copy of it on GOG (which is CD Projekt's PC games marketplace and launcher). Steam, Epic, Origin PS4, Xbox One -- owning Witcher 3 any of those places will net you the DRM-free GOG version at no extra cost. Switch is the only platform that's not eligible.
Additionally, there's parity across different editions of the game. If your copy of Witcher 3 is the Game of the Year edition with all the expansions, that's what you'll get on GOG. If it's just the base game, your GOG version will be just the base game. Also, it applies to retail boxed copies. If you've played The Witcher 3 on your console -- even if you've already sold the disc or never even owned it -- GOG will detect it has been played on your account and gift the free game.
Bandai Namco has released the next DLC character for its anime fighter One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows. Joining the roster of superheroes and superzeros today is high-kicking martial arts expert Lightning Max.
Master of a discipline he has dubbed "Hyper Karate," Max captilises on his already amazing fighting skills with the addition of "Lightning Shoes," rocket-assisted footwear that add both amazing speed and a heck of a wallop to his range of precise, bone-shattering kicks. Adopting the "lightning" persona to his look as well as his abilities, Max rocks a streamlined outfit and hairstyle, making him one of the slickest and fastest stars in The Hero Association.
After its initial false start, Aspyr Media's remaster of Star Wars Episode I: Racer is finally good to get the green light, and will be available to purchase on PS4 and Nintendo Switch from June 23, priced at a reasonable $15.
While Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is rarely talked about with positive vibes, there's no denying that this classic racer definitely made an impact on Nintendo 64 back in 1999. While Aspyr's remaster is not a ground-up remake, (it will reuse the assets, models, and textures of the original PC release), Episode I: Racer will feature HD visuals and sound, a revamped control system, and 4K support on PS4 Pro.
Star Wars Episode I: Racer will feature all of the content from the original game, featuring a hefty roster of 25 racers including Sebulba, Ratts and, of course, Anakin Skywalker; eight unique worlds from the Star Wars universe such as Tatooine, Malastare, and Baroonda, and local split-screen Vs. modes. You can check out some screenshots in the gallery below.
Star Wars Episode I: Racer will be available to download on PS4 and Nintendo Switch from June 23.
With the latest season of Rick and Morty ending, another one of Justin Roiland's creations is rising in its place. Well, another port of a 2019 creation, but the point still stands.
Last year Trover Saves the Universe arrived on the PC (VR), PS4 (PSVR), Switch and Xbox One, but one major VR platform was left out of the equation: the Oculus Quest. Squanch Games is remedying that this week, as they've just announced that Trover will hit the platform on June 18 (the file clocks in at 3.40GB).
It might be old news, but the Quest is a perfect way to play Trover if you've been putting it off. Although the game is meant for sitting VR play, the ability to move around at will without a tether will do wonders for some of the trickier camera angles. While Trover is perfectly playable without VR, I highly recommend using a headset.
Trover Saves the Universe [Oculus]
Out of nowhere, Gearbox has announced a port for Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour for Switch.
This is the version that sports eight new levels spanning across an all-new Episode Five, crafted by Allen Blum III and Richard "Levelord" Gray, designers of the original game. Amazingly, as is the case with the other versions of the 20th Anniversary Edition, these aren't just raw levels: Episode Five is accompanied by new music by Lee Jackson (a composer for the original game), in-game developer commentary and new voice lines from Duke Nukem himself, Jon St. John.
Gearbox also boasts that this Switch port will arrive with optional gyro aiming, HD rumble, motion controls and local wireless multiplayer. Oh, and a "remaster toggle" so you can play the game with the original 1996 visuals or the "True3D" Gearbox enhancements.
The 20th Anniversary World Tour was kind of a monumental moment for Duke Nukem as a whole. Gearbox tried to reinvent the series and failed, so the next best thing is to go back to what worked and build upon it. Adding in little Switch-centric details is the cherry on top, ensuring that this isn't a barebones port. The next step? Release the Kill-A-Ton Collection and Megaton levels, Gearbox.
You can find the game's landing page on the eShop here, which will be available for $9.99 MSRP and $4.99 for a limited time (through July 7). It'll launch on June 23.
Square Enix has announced a new rhythm-action title set within the fantastical Kingdom Hearts universe. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is headed to PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch later in 2020.
Melody of Memory will see the Kingdom Hearts cast journey through several worlds, battling armies of Heartless to the beat of Yoko Shimomura's sweeping score. A new trailer, which you can check out below, showcases Melody of Memory's interesting concept of blending traditional Kingdom Hearts gameplay with the track-based mechanics of music games such as Guitar Hero and Frequency. Final Fantasy Theatrhythm fans know the score.
Melody of Memory will feature over 140 tracks taken from both the Kingdom Hearts saga and Disney's catalogue of classic movies. Square Enix promises a variety of playable characters, as well as a slew of guest stars from each world, such as Hercules and Aladdin. Players will be able to go it alone or battle it out online in Vs. multiplayer modes. It's a really novel idea and one well suited to the series. I'm looking forward to seeing the complete track-list, fingers crossed for Poor Unfortunate Souls, right?
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory will launch later in 2020 on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Donations are now closed on itch.io's Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, which offered an incredible selection of PC software for a minimum of just five dollars. As of this writing, the bundle closed out at an incredible total of $8.1 million USD, raised from just over 814,000 donations.
Launching a little over a week ago with an initial goal of $5 million, the software compendium continued to grow in size as momentum increased, eventually offering over 1,700 games, tools, soundtracks, and visual novels by the campaign's final hours. This included great titles such as Celeste, Octodad, A Short Hike, Oxenfree, Wheels of Aurelia, Nuclear Throne, Runner3, Arcade Spirits, Lancer, Gnog, Minit, and hundreds more. The average donation was a little over 10 bucks, while the single biggest donation was a huge $5,000.
The money raised will now be split evenly between two organisations: The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the Community Bail Fund. A secondary bundle, The Black Lives Matter Support Bundle, is still live on itch.io for one more day, and is just $1,500 shy of reaching its $100,000 goal.
Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality [itch.io]
The Pokémon Company has announced that it will hold a "Pokémon Presents" live stream tomorrow, June 17. It is expected that the stream will reveal new info pertaining to Sword & Shield's expansion pass, The Isle of Armor, which goes live the same day.
The brief broadcast is expected to run around 10 minutes in length, and will be available to watch over on the official Pokémon YouTube channel. Lazybums might have to set an alarm, however, as the stream is scheduled to begin at 06:00 PT / 09:00 ET / 14:00 BST. Still, if you fancy a lie-in, then you can always just catch up with all of the new info here on the good ship Destructoid.
Pokémon Sword and Shield are available now on Nintendo Switch.
Every so often Nintendo can be surprising.
It's not an all-out effort usually, more like a mild surprise: like making a perfect cup of coffee on a bad day. That's basically what this free new Switch game feels like.
Announced this morning from Nintendo out of nowhere, it's called Jump Rope Challenge and is live now on Switch. The publisher calls this a "limited time release" through the end of September, allowing players to use Joy-Con remotes as a virtual jump rope. You'll control a cartoon rabbit as you jump to a timer and aim for a high score, with multiplayer support for up to two people baked in.
Nintendo calls this a "simple game with no tutorials," so you can get started in minutes. That's kind of what we need right now.
Jump Rope Challenge [Nintendo]
We're less than a month out from the release of bonkers mystery title Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise. Thanks to a new update on the Nintendo.co.uk, more information has been revealed regarding the upcoming sequel's intriguing "Two Cases, One Mystery" narrative.
The first case is set in 2005, (five years before the events of the original game), and sees Special Agent York teaming with the local sheriff's daughter, Patricia Woods, to investigate a grisly multiple murder case in the town of Le Carre, nestled deep in the Louisiana outback. Meanwhile, in 2019, FBI agent Aaliyah Davis and veteran detective Simon Jones are looking into some strange disappearances in the heart of Boston. Could these cases and characters be somehow linked? Well, It's pretty obvious that they are, but it will be the player's task - as both York and Aaliyah - to piece together a grim mystery 14 years in the making.
Man, it's been a long road to Windjammers 2, and that's not even including the near 25-year wait since the release of the original Data East classic. Still, it looks like the highly-anticipated summer sports title is almost ready to rock. In fact, you can get a taste of the sequel in a brand new demo, available to download on PC via Steam right now.
The Windjammers 2 Steam Festival Demo offers both local Vs. and online multiplayer, giving everyone a chance to dive headfirst into the title's wild retro-future aesthetic and high-impact disc-tossing action. So grab some friends and hit the sand. But move fast, as the demo will only be made available until June 22.
Nintendo is preparing to drop another brand new update on its mobile battler Fire Emblem Heroes. The new "Summer Passing" event, which begins Thursday, will add four "special heroes" to the game's roster, each representing 2004 Game Boy Advance release Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.
Available to check out in the new trailer below, this week's drop will see the arrival of antagonistic Flurospar Selena, handsome mercenary Joshua, mage-in-training Lute, and finally a new "Harmonized Hero" character in the form of Mia and Masked Marth. All of these roster additions are rocking regal beachwear, equally appropriate for soaking up the rays or fighting to the death.
In today's contest you can win the Garden of the Gods expansion for MMORPG ArcheAge: Unchained!
While MMORPGs scare the crap out of me, they're super popular for the size and scope they offer players. I can barely manage in my own economy -- there's no way I want to be a part of a digital one, too.
For you adventurous types, I'm sure you've already heard of ArcheAge: Unchained. And if so, you're in luck because today we're giving out the Garden of the Gods Archeum tier DLC expansion!
Leave it to a Simpsons fan to turn a fictional video game from the show into a real, playable-in-your-browser gag. We asked for Bonestorm, but Marge got us Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge instead.
We can't let her down! She's been through a lot and she needs this.
The freebie comes to us from Aaron Demeter, who captures the mundane spirit of the bare-bones golf game perfectly. The best bit? Just like Bart, you can play a single round and turn it off forever.
[Via Reddit]
I've been meaning to cover Gestalt: Steam & Cinder – a steampunk 2D action game with slashing, shooting, and RPG stat grinding – for a while. It has a shiny new trailer and a limited-time Steam demo launching tomorrow, June 16, as part of the Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition lineup. That'll do!
The protagonist, Aletheia, is a gunslinger caught up in "centuries-old conspiracies" concerning Canaan, a steam-powered city that has become "the last bastion of mankind." She'll have to face automatons, a syndicate, and the city's elites. There's also talk of NPC side-quests and smashing open secret paths.
Aside from the "Break Rate," which could go either way, I'm extremely into this stat screen:
If I see a critical-chance attribute in an action-RPG, I know it's on the right track.
Assuming the demo turns out well, you'll want to keep an eye out for Gestalt: Steam & Cinder's release later this year. It's confirmed for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and yes, Nintendo Switch.
I can't say that Gestalt is groundbreaking by any means, but I like how it's coming together.
Globally, a ton of small, local businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. With everyone staying home, nonessential stores forced to close, and rent due every 30 days, a lot of shop owners have found themselves in tough financial positions. Pokémon Go developer Niantic is doing its part to help.
Dubbed the Niantic Local Business Recovery Initiative, Pokémon Go is turning 1,000 small businesses into PokéStops and Gyms across Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, and the United States for a year. The idea is that an influx of players will result in an uptick in business -- something a lot of these stores could sorely use right now. It sounds perfect for the boba tea joint you love or the card and board game shop you spend your Friday nights at.
If you know of a business that you hold near and dear, give them some extra support by nominating them for this venture. Here's the link to start the nomination process. Then, post up at the Gym sippin' some coffee and crush every Pokémon until it's completely demotivated -- that's the sort of patronage that will keep small businesses motivated through these lean times.
Nominate businesses for the Niantic Local Business Recovery Initiative [Pokémon Go]
Hazelight is airing "a short tease" for its next game during the EA Play Live stream on June 18, according to studio founder Josef Fares. It's said to be "an experience like you've never had before."
A short tease about the next game on #EAPlayLive 18 june. Donât miss it!
— Josef Fares (@josef_fares) June 15, 2020
I'm not sure what to expect from EA Play – last year's showing was all over the place, and this year's event is contending with remote-work constraints – but I'm interested to see this project take shape.
If you played Hazelight's last game – the ridiculous (in a good way) co-op prison-break adventure A Way Out – I think chances are high that you'll want to check out what the team has been busy building.
Last we heard, "It's not triple-A big but it's bigger than A Way Out."
Josef Fares [Twitter via USgamer]
New console, new look. That's an assumption most people have about the operating systems in new hardware. The PlayStation 5 will make good on that expectation.
In a now-deleted LinkedIn thread (as reported by The Verge), Sony vice president of UX design at PlayStation Matt MacLaurin confirmed that the PS5 will have a redesigned user interface. MacLaurin describes it as "a 100 percent overhaul of the PS4 UI and some very different concepts." He adds that the new OS is "more subtle than flashy, but no pixel is untouched."
It's tough (and maybe pointless) to imagine what this might look like. It's tempting to assume it'll take cues from the PS4, but does overhaul mean improvement/evolution or does it mean entirely new thing? Are we splitting hairs between the terms redesign and overhaul? It's best to wait and see. MacLaurin says an OS and UI reveal is coming soon.
On the other end of the console competition, Microsoft isn't revamping the UI for the Xbox Series X. Instead it'll have the same interface as the Xbox One, but with an emphasis on speed and performance for the Series X. That checks out given how Microsoft is trying to blend the Xbox ecosystem into one blended, continuous experience across all devices. Two consoles, two different approaches.
Sony promises redesigned PS5 dashboard with 'no pixel untouched' [The Verge]
KeokeN Interactive's interstellar adventure Deliver Us the Moon, which launched on PS4 and Xbox One just over a month ago, is unfortunately no longer coming to Nintendo Switch. Publisher Wired Productions made the announcement this weekend on its official website.
"We had planned to include Nintendo Switch in our release schedule. However, today we unfortunately bring news that we will no longer be releasing a Nintendo Switch version of Deliver Us The Moon," reads the statement. "We have a duty to our players and to our teams, and after careful consideration, we have discontinued the development. The decision has been made based on a number of factors, not helped by the industry-wide stresses that have been felt by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made every task just that little bit harder."
Deliver Us the Moon is the story of a lone astronaut, sent on a recon-and-rescue mission to the moon following the disappearance of an entire colony, whose harvesting of the planet is keeping Mother Earth spinning. Originally released on PC in two acts, Fortuna and Tombaugh, the full experience is now available to purchase on PS4 and Xbox One.
Deliver Us the Moon for Switch cancelled [Gematsu]
Any day Klei Entertainment brings a game to Nintendo Switch is a good day in my book.
2015's turn-based stealth strategy game Invisible, Inc. showed up on the Switch eShop today, and I don't just mean a simple store listing – the corporate espionage title is out right now for twenty bucks. The Switch version also packs in the Contingency Plan DLC that normally goes for $4.99.
The file is size is a reasonable 628 MB and the game should translate well to handheld mode.
As an agent-commanding overseer, you'll need to think through every move your squad makes while infiltrating seedy corporations. Get in, get the goods, and get out relatively unscathed. If you play too cautiously – hey, some of us are risk-averse! – then you'll face reinforcements. Time is dwindling.
If you can handle the rising stress and crushing defeats of XCOM, you'll do well in Invisible, Inc.
During the weekend's PC Gaming Show live stream, we got a global hypercolour taste of the cool but weird-looking Paradise Killer, a new murder mystery from developer Kaizen Game Works.
As described by the studio itself, Paradise Killer sees players pick up the magnifying glass of "investigation freak" Lady Love Dies, who is tasked with solving... a murder? Several murders? It's all a little unclear, but that is to be expected from what looks to be a very hedonistic title, which promises a cast of wild characters, psychic-powers, and a tropical locale, powered by alien forces, that has the ability to regenerate every few millennia... riiiight.
Fans of horror series Remothered will be pleased to hear of new info pertaining to the next title in the series, Broken Porcelain. Originally revealed back in August of last year, it seems that the deadly game of Hide & Seek is almost ready to go and will launch on PS4, PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch August 25.
Remothered: Broken Porcelain will tell the story of a young woman, Jennifer, trapped within the confines of the claustrophobic Ashmann Inn. Jennifer is unequipped ad unprepared to deal with the otherworldly torments headed her way, and as such players will have to rely more on resourcefulness, quick moves, and expert stealth skills to avoid becoming part of the Inn's unwelcome legend.
Plot details seem scarce, even at this late date, so it would seem developer Stormind is hoping players will go into the adventure dark, experiencing the tale as it unfolds. The developer also describes Broken Porcelain as an acceptable "jumping-off point," so it shouldn't bother you too much if you have not played original release Tormented Fathers.
You can check out a new teaser trailer for the title below. Remothered: Broken Porcelain launches August 25 on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
