Destructoid

The year 2000 and whereabouts has a lot of hype behind it. Will 2K. "Party like it's 1999." Y2K. The generic "it's the year 20XX, the world is in ruin" storylines. It's the year a lot of people thought we'd have flying cars and live like The Jetsons. But for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it's merely a Friday.

Announced by way of the Nintendo of Europe Twitter account, Smash Ultimate is getting a new event that focuses on 2000-2009 called "The Year is 200X." It kicks off on June 12 and will center on fighters and stages that were "created from 2000 to 2009." Examples include the Wii Fit Trainer, Captain Olimar, Bayonetta and Dark Samus.

Although the NOE statement is fairly vague in what the event entails beyond that, the Japanese Smash Twitter account further clarifies that "the more you win, the more luxurious spirits you can get."

Nintendo of Europe [Twitter]

Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) has opened a teaser website for an as-yet-unannounced new title. The cartoonish-yet-creepy webpage features a gauntlet-wearing rat pinned to a board in what appears to be a laboratory or study of sorts. Horrible, crackly static plays on the soundtrack, but seemingly in some form of musical rhythm.

And that's all we have to go one right now, at least until NIS chooses to reveal its hand. It's currently a very busy time for news and announcements, given that E3 2020 should have been taking place this week. We can probably expect a slew of these teasers and reveals from various publishers over the coming month.

I'm at a loss here. But do you have any theories on this weird website?

Although it arrived earlier this month, Nintendo recently brought it to our attention that there was a "starter guide" available for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the US My Nintendo site. For 75 Platinum Points (funny money) you can net the 25 page guide, which is actually just a truncated version of the fully-fledged 432 page guide from Future Press.

For science, I redeemed some Platinum for the guide, which instantly granted me access to a PDF file. The first five pages or so are basic tutorials that are covered by the main game, then it starts to get into the actual guide bit with tips for picking your initial island layout and how the passage of time works.

Given that it's a curated version of the main guide it is helpful, so if you have some free points to spare (or haven't actually logged in for a while) it's worth it just for the fun art and screens alone. You'll probably find something worthwhile as you leaf through it in 10 minutes or so.

Starter Guide [My Nintendo]

Although some people argue that the past should stay in the past, remasters and remakes are a special form of game preservation, and particularly important for underrated gems and overlooked games. XIII is considered a classic by many, but passed a lot of folks by. That'll change in November.

According to a listing from Amazon Spain, the game is due out this November. This isn't just some random retailer placeholder listing either. The product page shows images for the Limited Edition as plain as day, highlighting the various included materials (art cards, golden weapons, a metal case) with a printed release date of November 10, 2020.

The game's premise (that you're an amnesiac that wakes up with "XIII" tattooed on them) still fits in 2020 in a sort of CBS/NBC crime procedural sort of way. But it's the cel-shaded look of the original that really sings, which so far has shined through in what we've seen of the remake.

XIII - Limited Edition [Amazon Spain via Gematsu]

Following on from last week's Microsoft Store leak, Namco has confirmed that Namco Museum Archives Vol. 1 and Namco Museum Archives Vol. 2 are headed to PC and multiple console platforms. The retro compendiums will be available for digital download as soon as June 18.

Essentially a western localisation of upcoming Nintendo Switch release Namcot Collection, the Museum Archives compilations boast 11 classic Namco games, including arcade favourites, home console rarities, and fun variants such as an 8-bit demake of the amazing Pac-Man Championship Edition. Modern mechanics such as save states and replay options are also included.

The full list of featured titles are as follows:

Namco Museum Archives Vol. 1 includes Galaxian, Pac-Man, Xevious, Mappy, Dig Dug, The Tower of Druaga, Sky Kid, Dragon Buster, Dragon Spirit: The New Legend, Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti, and an 8-bit demaster of Pac-Man Championship Edition.

I love a good 3D platformer and I especially love video games with demonic protagonists.

Demon Turf, a trippy-looking title with 2D characters in a 3D world, kills two birds with one smoldering stone. The upcoming PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X (it begins!) action-platforming game from Slime-san developer Fabraz was unveiled during IGN's Summer of Gaming stream this afternoon.

The star of the fiery show is "Beebz, a young demon barely a thousand years old, who decides it's time for her to kick every turf leader's butt and become the Demon Queen herself."

The screenshots are intriguing on their own, but the game is really best seen in motion.

Running down the big-picture summary, it's already ticking a lot of boxes for me with talk of photo-hunting challenges, a hub town with side-quests, boss battles, player-placed checkpoints, and "plenty of mechanical and environmental changes to uncover" once you liberate levels – (l)evolution, if you will.

If all goes well, we might be playing this in late 2020. Otherwise, "early 2021" will do just fine.

The other day, I said I was trying to come into Sony's PlayStation 5 reveal event with little to no expectations. I meant it! But at the same time, what's the harm in well-meaning wishful thinking?

The PS5's price point, the launch timing and availability, the look of the console, new IPs, possible remakes, Sony's strategy for (hopefully multi-system) backward compatibility – there's a lot to wonder about ahead of the Thursday afternoon stream. Sony confirmed the pre-taped show will last "a bit more than an hour" and curiously mentioned that it'll be best enjoyed "while wearing headphones, if you can."

There's still plenty of time for last-minute leaks, speculation, and conversation, especially considering the June 11 show is only part of Sony's "series of PS5 updates" planned for 2020. Let's dig into it.

If you had to whittle the PlayStation 5 event down to one wish – one announcement, one particular game, or one must-have feature – what would it be? You can go as unrealistic and care-free as you want. You can stick to educated guesses, if you prefer. Maybe it's as simple as quieter system cooling.

For my part, I'm going with my gut – the first of many things that rushed to my mind.

For this prompt, I have to skip Resident Evil 8 even though RE7 was an unforgettable, top-tier gaming experience for me and the potential for another fully VR-compatible story is so tantalizing. I'm too worried about Silent Hill's rocky past to pick that either, but the series is long overdue a resurgence.

Competitive Rocket League took a big hit today as major esports organization Cloud9 released its roster and left the game. After nearly three years in Rocket League, Cloud9 has called it quits.

What's particularly notable about C9's run in Rocket League is that it stood by the same roster for the entire time. Fresh off a surprise Dreamhack win in July 2017, C9 signed Gimmick, SquishyMuffinz, and Torment as one of the most promising young teams in Rocket League. The investment paid off in the biggest way at the Season 6 World Championships when Cloud9 won its first and only world title. In recent seasons, C9 has slid in ways that were unfathomable to anyone who was used to watching this roster routinely positioned among the top three teams in North America.

"Show, don't tell" is one of the most well-tread pieces of writing advice, the idea that characters are better defined by their actions than by some internal monologue. Naughty Dog has so often shown us the unquenchable bloodthirst that lives inside Ellie, it's afforded the opportunity to simply tell us every now and then.

That's mostly the case in The Last of Us Part II's launch trailer. Across 20-some seconds, Ellie says "I'm gonna find and I'm gonna kill every last one of them." We believe her because she has proven time and time again that she is not bluffing. It's so intimidating yet so network TV-friendly.

As part of IGN's Summer of Gaming event, Merge Games has revealed that it is preparing to release a slick remake of Sega Master System classic Alex Kidd in Miracle World.

Originally released in 1987, the block-punching platformer is famously known as the game that came pre-loaded with the Master System for many years, before later being replaced by Sonic the Hedgehog. Players guide Alex Kidd, (not "Alex the Kid" as you'll hear time and again while working in video game retail), through the land of Radaxian, on a quest to rescue its abducted royalty from the evil wizard Janken the Great.

Alex runs, jumps, leaps, and swims his way through a series of colourful stages, even taking to a high-speed motorbike and sky-high gyro-copter on occasion. Renown for its repetitive ear-worm of a theme tune, as well as its "JanKenPon" (or "Rock, Paper, Scissors") boss battles, Alex Kidd in Miracle World is indelibly etched into Sega-owning fans of a certain age.

Summer in Mara is a smile-inducing adventure about farming, crafting, and sailing between islands, and if you could use some of those sun-soaked vibes right now, you should watch today's story trailer.

The game centers around Koa, a lone child who yearns to explore beyond her home island. It has genre staples like crop-raising, fishing, and cooking, but the setting – a tropical archipelago – sets it apart.

Chibig, the studio behind Summer in Mara, put a lot of time into fleshing out the characters. "You'll talk and trade with over twenty characters, each one with their own story and lives. They'll give you quests, hints about the world, or just anecdotes about their experiences and travels. Getting to know them is a significant part of the game, so we put much effort into making them unique and exciting."

I wish I could go into more specifics, but for now, if you're curious after watching this trailer, I'd recommend playing the Prologue demo on Steam for a first-hand account. It's worth your time.

I'll have a review of Summer in Mara ready for the June 16 launch on PC and Nintendo Switch.

There has been one big gun missing from Halo: The Master Chief Collection all these years. Five years later, Halo 3: ODST will finally be complete.

Halo developer 343 Industries revealed today that ODST's Firefight mode will be added to The Master Chief Collection sometime this summer. It's coming to both the Xbox One and PC versions. ODST on PC is expected to launch sometime in the coming months -- probably shortly after Halo 3 -- and Firefight will likely be simultaneously released. On Xbox One, ODST has somehow been a part of Master Chief Collection for more than five years now, a make-good gift for the terrible state the bundle originally launched in. My, how time flies.

Firefight was Halo's first stab at cooperative horde back when that was the cool and novel multiplayer mode du jour. Gears of War 2 and Halo 3: ODST were some of the first big names to popularize horde mode, and that legacy still lives on. Firefight was adapted for Halo: Reach and Halo 5; Halo 4 dropped Firefight in favor of Spartan Ops.

Get the band back together. Pretty soon, wave after wave, all the Grunts and all the Brutes are gonna have to fall.

This October was to see European trade show Gamescom branch out into a new territory with the launch of Gamescom Asia. Unfortunately, organisers have been forced to postpone the inaugural event as a result of the ongoing COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic.

"As much as we would have loved to bring the event to life this October, the current global crisis has forced us to recalibrate our wants for Gamescom Asia," said organiser Mathias Kuepper in a press statement. "The health and safety of our visitors, exhibitors and staff is paramount. Moreover, for an inaugural event, we felt it was important to give the regional gaming community and fans the full experience of what an international event of this scale would be like, and not anything less."

Gamescom Asia is just one of many events that has cancelled plans in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Various video game trade shows including GDC, E3, SDCC, and the European Gamescom event have also been forced to take a backseat this year. While some are attempting to promote digital events in their stead, others are simply missing the year entirely, with plans to return in 2021.

Gamescom Asia is now expected to launch in Singapore on October 17, 2021.

Gamescom Asia delayed until 2021 [GamesIndustry.biz]

Starting June 11, No Man's Sky players can team up for space-faring shenanigans regardless of what platform they're on. In an update, Hello Games is adding cross-play support on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. You'll see a little icon above other players' heads to denote what system they're playing on.

You'll also be able to form a cross-platform group of players during an active game session, and apart from system-level friends (like your Steam friends), there's an in-game No Man's Sky Friends list.

"Once in a group with a player, you can use the same interaction to quickly add them to your No Man's Sky Friends, allowing you to quickly find and join their game again at another time." If they're not within immediate reach, you can also manually add people to your roster with a unique Friend Code.

_{I appreciate it whenever developers let me have game-specific friend groups.}

Talk about a wild turn of events for a game that lacked meaningful multiplayer interactions at launch. That early letdown was one of the biggest "wait, this isn't all it's cracked up to be" moments for me.

No Man's Sky has seen so much positive change over the years, and it's not slowing down. Sean Murray says the team is "continuing to work hard on new content updates, large and small for the future."

The developers "moved to an entirely new networking architecture, with more flexibility for the future."

Publisher Prototype has announced that action-packed visual novels Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Vol. 1 and Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Vol. 2 are getting set to make their debut on Nintendo Switch. The two exciting titles will arrive as a double-pack on the eShop June 25.

The Phantom Trigger series concerns an all-girl gang of students, each well trained in explosive, secret agent-style skills. Led by handler Harito, gunslinger Rena, sniper Tohka, explosives expert Chris and master spy Murasaki have formed the members of SORD (Social Ops, Research & Development), tasked with protecting Mihama Academy - and perhaps the known world - from endless threats and dangers.

I have a lot of family members who cross-stitch, but every time I think I can remotely begin to grasp the fine art of it, something else comes up. These Stardew Valley seasonal designs are really tempting me to finally take the plunge.

Shared on Reddit by Georga16, these patterns actually come from the LilEggy (what a name! Could you imagine getting your ass handed to you in Rocket League by "LilEggy?") Etsy shop. Yes I said "patterns," as you'll need to actually cross-stitch the thing yourself with the PDF file.

LilEggy also sells patterns for pretty much every other item in the game, from farm animals to pets, to crops to individual items. Doing some digging, I also found this boss pattern from WicketStitchCo (do all cross-stitch companies have awesome names?), which allows you to needlepoint the main map.

Chilling out and cross-stitching Stardew after an afternoon of Stardew sounds like a pretty rad way to spend a day right now. If you get the urge to stitch, you can grab the patterns from the link below and check out this starter guide here.

GungHo Online Entertainment continues in its efforts to build hype for its bubblegum battle royale title Ninjala. A new developer diary takes a look at some of the strange tools that players will have access to once the free-to-play title launches on June 24, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.

In the new video, hosts Motoki Kaneda (Ninjala director) and Kazuki Morishita (Gung Ho CEO) reflect on the recent open beta, discussing the "Gum Weapons," clothing, and accessories that were the most popular among players. Unsurprisingly, ninja and samurai-based skins and masks were the most commonly utilised by the community.

As Final Fantasy VII Remake's popularity continues to surge into the stratosphere, Square Enix is ready to double-down on the second wave of monetization: merch.

FFVII is a beloved property to pretty much everyone who was alive when it was released, not to mention all of the newer converts and even recent Remake players. To that end, Square Enix is releasing three new statuettes, which the company calls "less flexible" than the previous line, but more of a collectible.

The trio includes Cloud, Sephiroth and Aerith, all of which go for $49.99 individually with the following dimensions: W 8.3” x D 4.9” x H 10.6”. All three figures in the line are due in August of this year.

That's on top of the Trading Arts pack of figures (which adds Barret and Tifa to the mix)  which will run you $45 for five figurines that average 3.8" high, and the eight pack of Polygon figures (blind boxes) that are $64, with an average figure height of 2.3". There is no shortage of Final Fantasy merch!

More Final Fantasy VII Remake Merch Revealed [Square Enix]

Konami has officially announced the cancellation of its track-and-field compendium Hyper Sports R. Initially revealed back in the summer of 2018, and was even demonstrated at that year's E3, Hyper Sports R was intended to be a throwback to the classic '80s button-mashers of the same name.

"As of today, we have decided to discontinue development on Hyper Sports R for the Nintendo Switch," said Konami in a statement on the game's official website. "The team had been continually working on the game since its initial reveal in June 2018. However, after much consideration, we have decided to cancel its development due to various circumstances."

Destiny 2 has a long future ahead of it.

Yesterday Bungie introduced plans for right now, plans for this coming fall and plans throughout 2021 and 2022. It seems as if the company is committed to working on Destiny 2 full-time, without the fear of a Destiny 3 reset button looming over it. That's good news on paper, so long as Bungie can get Destiny 2 back on track and undo a lot of their more recent design decisions.

Patch 2.9.0, the most recent update, seems like a good start. 2300 Bright Dust (premium crafting reagent) has been added to the season pass, raid reward drops have been buffed and additional rewards now drop for Trials wins (read: the last two things are meant to enhance the quality of life of endgame content). 

The real big news though? Bungie is overhauling controller remapping. Controller presets have always been a thing, but now you can create a completely custom controller layout. That includes in-and-out-of vehicle customizations, as well as three "types" of inputs: press, long press and double press, on top of "chords" (multi-button presses).

Destiny 2 isn't the most complicated game as abilities are streamlined for each class, but more accessibility and customization is a great thing. Every game should allow players to swap control settings around. You can check out a rundown of the bigger patch notes below!

Believe it or not, it has already been two years since the launch of crossover anime fighter BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. Originally launching in May of 2018, Arc System Works' attractive fist-fest has reached a milestone of over 450,000 shipments and digital sales combined.

Remember when select people based an entire leak off of whether or not the "same tree" was found in a reflection? This is kind of like that, but in-game!

Taking to Reddit, f1bermau5 shared a discovery that seems to imply that Heroes of the Storm will host yet another Overwatch character very soon. Blizzard insists that multiple characters are still coming to Heroes this year, and a recent tease (which covers various battlegrounds in snow) implies that Mei is headed to the Nexus.

This is further backed up by the "same snowflake" theory, which compares and contrasts the snowflakes from Overwatch proper to the ones in the Heroes event; finding multiple matches. Now this could be a case of Blizzard re-using assets, but as a general rule, adding Overwatch characters to Heroes results in a cross-game surge of new players. It would behoove Blizzard to keep that gravy train rolling, so Mei seems like a no-brainer, alongside of a potential Overwatch crossover event and the long-awaited D.Va rework. 

Snowflake comparison [Reddit]

June is easily one of the best months for Game Pass in recent memory. On top of the previously announced No Man's Sky, Microsoft is also adding nine Kingdom Hearts titles in the mix by way of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 & 2.5 ReMix and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue: two confusingly named collections.

This is a pretty huge moment for Kingdom Hearts fans, as they have access to nearly the entire series on tap. But I'm also thinking about the impact on brand new fans, who never wanted to spend a dime on this crazy ride and can now experience it for the first time. I can just imagine the looks on their faces once they start it up, keen to jump into magnificent sprawling Disney worlds, only to be met with "darkness hearts, hearts darkness" banter.

Kidding aside, there's a lot to love about Kingdom Hearts, especially the better games like Birth by Sleep. In all you're getting Kingdom Hearts 1 Final Mix, Re:Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days (a film version), Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Birth By Sleep Final Mix, Re:coded (a film version), Dream Drop Distance HD (the 3DS game), Birth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage (the mini Aqua release) and Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover (a film version). Phew!

Other June Game Pass additions include the fantastic strategy-based Battletech, as well as Bard's Tale Remastered, Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2, Dungeon of the Endless and Thronebreaker (a Witcher joint). You can find the full list of games coming to Game Pass in June below. Note that Microsoft is now lumping console and PC Game Pass titles together: so don't freak out thinking that Kingdom Hearts is coming to PC or anything!

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is still chugging along, having recently released the so-so Zangetsu DLC. But this is not the end of the line, as the team still has a ton of Kickstarter stretch goal updates to deliver, not to mention the highly anticipated mysterious third character.

Taking to Kickstarter, Koji "IGA" Igarashi and his team announced that Bloodstained has now sold one million copies worldwide, and have decided to share the tentative 2020 roadmap with fans. Right now the plan is to deliver Boss Revenge mode and Chroma Wheel ("more in-depth character customization") on June 23 on all platforms except for Switch, which will get it in July.

After that versus mode ("A tense survival mode where players compete by indirectly attacking each another"), Chaos Mode ("A specialized boss rush for 1 or 2 players - the mode includes randomized drops and special sub goals that will grant more equipment when completed - collect the best, drop the rest as you build power to defeat all the bosses") and Classic Mode ("It’s Bloodstained 80s-style as Miriam faces off against a series of sub-bosses laid out across five harrowing stages and three difficulty levels") are coming in "Quarter 3, 2020," as well as "Special Crossover Content."

Then there's the coup de grâce: the third playable character that is "not Dominique" is coming in Quarter 4 of this year. As we know, these plans could, and probably will change. But for now it's great seeing it all lined up like this. The team also says that there are "bug fixes and improvements" on the way, as well as "paid DLC and a few other surprises." This game is far from done.

In today's contest you can win a retail edition of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD Limited Edition for Switch!

Who's got one head, two thumbs, three nipples, and a bunch of free copies of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD Limited Edition to give away?!

*this guy*

The classic game has finally hit store shelves in a physical retail box, and we're giving away copies of the Amazon-exclusive Limited Edition so you can be strange with the best of them.

[Update: Itch.io's inspiring Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality has raised over $3 million in support of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund as of June 9, 2020.

The list of games is growing by the day with newcomers like Nuclear Throne, Runner3, Gnog, Octodad, Long Gone Days, and Celeste. With a $5 donation, you'll get over a thousand PC games, many of which are single-handedly worth more than the five-dollar minimum. It's a lifetime's backlog in one bundle.

The team says it's "working on updating the UI to make it easier to browse." Next up? $5M.]

We are at a crossroads in America with regard to racial injustice. To say that we have seen enough of unwarranted minority deaths at the hands of our justice system would be an understatement. The time for change has come and we are seeing multiple people - and companies - stepping up to grab the bull of oppression by the horns and say "no more."

Indie PC storefront and all-around great website itch.io is not letting this moment pass by without doing their part to help. Currently, on the site, there are (at least) two bundles going that aim to bring money and eyes to causes that need capital and exposure.

Square Enix has released a scant selection of screens from its upcoming mobile title Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road. The pint-sized RPG - previously known as "Project Xenahort" will launch on iOS and Android devices later this year, following an unfortunate postponement from its initial spring launch date.

The new images give us our first in-game look at protagonist Xenahort - the young man who would go on to become one of the most dastardly figures in the Kingdom Hearts universe - along with a pre-darkness Master Eraqus. As reported earlier, these characters will be joined by new cast members Hermod, Bragi, Vor, and Urd, as Dark Road recounts the events that lead these two prosperous young men to become the eventual enemies of Sora, Roxas, and co. They look so cute! What happened?!

Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road will launch on iOS and Android devices later this year.

Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road introduces Xenahort and Master Eraqus [Gematsu]

The World of Darkness is spilling out into video games again. Apart from the increasingly tangible Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, there's another long-winded name to keep tabs on this year.

Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife is a first-person VR horror romp from Fast Travel Games, the team behind last year's Budget Cuts 2, and we got our first – but not particularly forthcoming – look at it today.

As a Wraith in the Barclay Mansion, you'll "unravel the many mysteries that await beyond the Shroud." Beyond that for-now basic premise, the creative director of Afterlife spoke about his inspirations.

"I am a massive fan of games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Alien: Isolation, and have always felt that the kind of narrative-driven, exploration-focused horror these titles deliver would be perfect for VR," said Fast Travel Games' Erik Odeldahl. "To make such a game in the World of Darkness setting, specifically the rich and mystical world of Wraith: The Oblivion, is really a dream come true for me."

What's next? A proper "gameplay trailer" is slated for Gamescom, which starts August 27, 2020. Further out, Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife is planning to release on "all major VR platforms."

Britain appears to be loosening its lockdown measures, based on the fact that - checks notes - over a thousand new cases of COVID-19 are still being reported every day. This means that football's Premier League will finally be returning to action June 17, but with the unfortunate omission of one minor detail: actual fans.

Still, it looks like Sky Sports has home viewers covered. The digital channel will be offering the unusual option of selecting a secondary audio track, comprised of crowd cheers, boos, and chants taken directly from Electronic Arts' mega-selling FIFA series. This adaptive idea hopes to replicate the atmosphere of a stadium packed with excited fans, even when the seats are, in fact, completely empty.

If you were looking for any clarify about what's next for Naughty Dog, you've come to the wrong post.

Naughty Dog vice president, director, and writer Neil Druckmann gave an interview that sheds exactly no light on the developer's next project. Speaking with GQ, Druckmann says "As you start wrapping things up [with The Last of Us Part II production], creatively there are fewer and fewer responsibilities and my mind can't help but think about the next thing. So, yeah, the next thing could be a [The Last of Us] Part III, the next thing could be some new IP."

There are two ways to interpret this quote. The first is very binary: Naughty Dog's next game will be another Last of Us or a brand new property. That's not how I see it though. I read it as Druckmann essentially saying nothing's off the table. As Video Games Chronicle points out, Druckmann said in February that the studio hasn't ruled out making another Uncharted game.

So, the sky's the limit, anything's possible. Well, in theory. Pragmatically, Naughty Dog is almost certainly in some stage of pre-production on this next game. Naughty Dog knows what's next, it's just not time to tell us yet.

The Last of Us Part II: how Naughty Dog made a classic amidst catastrophe [GQ]

Publisher Deck 13 has announced that retro-styled RPG CrossCode is coming to PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch next month, following on from its previous release on PC back in 2018.

From developer Radical Fish, CrossCode combines the nostalgic exploration of classics such as Zelda: A Link to the Past and Chrono Trigger, and blends these elements with fast-paced combat and beautiful SNES-style visuals to create a love letter to the 16-bit adventures of yore. Boasting over 100 quests, 30 boss fights and seven deep dungeons to explore, CrossCode promises hours upon hours of classic gaming entertainment.

Here's a high-grade rumor that isn't rooted in a retailer leak or bulletproof sources. Instead, it's plausible entirely because of how logical it is. This industry is cyclical more often than not.

GameReactor is reporting that Ubisoft will reveal Far Cry 6 at its Ubisoft Forward stream on July 12. Not much is specified other than it doesn't take place in North America. (Far Cry isn't routinely set in North America anyway; only Far Cry 5 and spin-off New Dawn take place there.) Otherwise, Game Reactor says this new Far Cry is due to launch before the end of Ubisoft's fiscal year, which runs through March 2021.

It's not shaky because, yeah, it's probably time for Ubisoft to gear up for another Far Cry. It rivals Assassin's Creed in terms of sales. Far Cry is one of Ubisoft's biggest money-makers, and it has been a few years since we've had a proper new Far Cry. You don't need to have passed Differential Equations and Linear Algebra to recognize how this formula works out.

Secret Summer Games [GameReactor]

Nintendo is hosting a sprawling Summer Game Sale this week on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

When we think of Nintendo sales, especially for first-party games, we tend to think of minimal discounts compared to other platforms. That trend isn't going out of fashion today. Still, this one's worth skimming. Apart from Nintendo and smaller-scale developers, publishers like Team17, Bandai Namco, Devolver, Warner Bros., and Ubisoft are also participating with their own Switch deals.

For reference, over a thousand Switch games are discounted right now on the eShop. They don't all fall under the Summer Game Sale banner, but if you're in a bargain-hunting mood, now's the time to strike.

Here's a partial list of recommendations to get you started:

Nearly a year ago CengizMan gave us a very complicated and very detailed "Pokemon Transfer Guide," which sought to educate the public on how to carry over their creatures from game to game.

With Pokemon Sword and Shield as the new generational be-all-end-all (minus some National 'Dex characters here and there), some folks were on a mission to transfer every possible 'mon, and by God, that little graph helped them do it. But with new options in the mix CengizMan has tweaked their guide a bit (beyond the last update a few months ago) to account for new transfer methodologies.

So what are the new updates? Well, Generation I and II transfer possibilities have been added, as well as Pokewalker, Dream World and Poke Ball Plus functionality. The legend is going to be very helpful for newer players when identifying this massive chart, and naturally, Pokemon Home is imperative to the process now.

As a note, CengizMan clarifies that Pokemon Go -> Home transfer mechanics are not live at the time this chart was posted, but they are coming, so it was added as a future-proofing choice.

Updated Pokémon Transfer guide [Reddit]

Prinny fans will be pleased to know that we now have a release date for the DOOD's upcoming double pack Prinny 1-2: Exploded and Reloaded. The Disgaea mascot's adventures will arrive on Nintendo Switch in North America October 13, before heading to Europe a few days later.

As a refresher, Prinny 1-2: Exploded and Reloaded contains remastered editions of PlayStation Portable releases Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? and Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! The package features upscaled visuals and all previously released DLC. You can check out a new trailer below from publisher NIS America.

Today Bungie re-affirmed their commitment to Destiny 2. How so? Well, how about pre-announcing the next two expansions-level-committed (as well as Beyond Light, which is out in September).

Rather than go the Destiny 3 route (at least right now), 2021 will host "The Witch Queen" expansion, and 2022 will host "Lightfall." So if you were worried that Bungie would pull a "Destiny 2" and abandon the version you're playing now to start over, you can rest easy: Director Luke Smith hints that they aren't even thinking about a sequel right now, and that old content will go into a "content vault" to be reworked.

What about the near-future? Smith says that Destiny 2 will run at 60 frames-per-second at 4K resolution on new hardware (focusing on PS4 and Xbox Series X in the stream), and all purchased content will come with you. You can upgrade from PS4 to PS5 for free, and the Xbox Series X version supports Smart Delivery. Cross-generational cross-play will happen for both Sony and Microsoft platforms. Director Luke Smith mentions that going forward, "some of the FOMO" will be removed, a blame he says "you can lay at me."

In other Destiny 2 news, the Season of Arrivals starts today, and will herald a new activity called "Prophecy."

As expected due to the Australian PSN leak, the new Destiny 2 expansion is on the way and dated for September 22. Now that the official reveal is upon us though we have an actual name: Beyond Light. "All currently supported platforms" (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Stadia) will get Beyond Light. No PS5/Xbox Series X plans were announced

The trailer opens up with that icy footage we saw recently, and director Luke Smith confirms that it will take place on Europa. The classic Destiny character Exo Stranger returns as players tackle new quests and "wield the power of darkness." You can find the full rundown from Bungie below, including a look at the Collector's Edition of the expansion.

Bungie also revealed plans for the next few years of Destiny 2, which you can read about here. For all the problems Destiny 2 has, at least we aren't getting Destiny 3 too soon! The Season of Arrivals starts today, and will herald a new activity called "Prophecy."

We are exactly one week away from the launch of Mimimi Productions' smart strategy sequel Desperados III. To lure in folk on the fence, THQ Nordic has released an inventive new trailer, featuring the strategy sequel's characters and locales replicated with old-school tabletop miniatures.

Much akin to the figurines used in model cities and train sets, this fun preview sees The John Cooper Gang going about their dirty deeds in plastic fashion, with the Desperados III universe uniquely recreated in teeny-tiny form. It also recalls the excellent end credits sequence of Marvel movie Ant-Man and The Wasp, which had a similar microscopic style.

Monolith Soft is extremely busy.

What once started as a lower-key RPG house has grown into a giant with multiple development teams, who don't necessarily have the time to dedicate to flight of fancy projects. Series director Tetsuya Takahashi seems to feel the same way, as he just recently spoke to Vandal about how much the Xenoblade series means to them now, and how it's tough to divert their attention elsewhere.

Speaking frankly, Takahashi stated that he'd "like to do a smaller-scale project if the opportunity arose," but right now the focus of the company is to "[increase] the value of the brand that [they] have created with the Xenoblade Chronicles saga." He further goes on to say that if they "manage to organize ourselves in a way that allows us to do so," it could happen. But for now, all eyes are on Xenoblade, which has hosted three proper main entries, multiple remakes and one big DLC expansion to date.

Takahashi also commented a bit on present matters, like why Melia was chosen to assist Shulk in the new Definitive epilogue. He explains that because she evoked such a fierce amount of empathy from people who played the original she was a perfect emissary; not to mention that she was one of the more complex party members of the bunch when it came to her backstory.

The British government has called for new evidence clarifying whether or not video game loot boxes encourage gambling behaviour in children. The recurring investigation could potentially lead to new legislation on how games which feature "surprise mechanics" will be age-rated.

As reported by The Guardian, popular titles such as Electronic Arts' FIFA 20 - a massive seller in the UK - could end up plastered with an "18" certificate, or face forced alteration, if loot box mechanics such as "Ultimate Team" are officially designated a form of gambling. This motion previously carried in Belgium back in 2019, where it is now impossible to purchase Ultimate Team packs with real-world currency in-game.

The government's Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has said it decided to re-evaluate the case partly due to Britain's current lockdown status.

"During the coronavirus pandemic, we have seen more people than ever before turn to video games and immersive technology to keep them entertained and to stay in touch with friends and family," said DMCS' minister Caroline Dinenage. "These innovations can present challenges though as well as opportunities, which is why we are taking the necessary steps to protect users and promote the safe enjoyment of this dynamic industry."