Destructoid

Despairing indie title Pathologic 2 will come creeping onto the PS4 platform later this week having made its grisly presence felt on PC and Xbox One back in 2019. The sequel/re-imagining of 2005's Pathologic will be available to purchase on PSN March 6.

Pathologic 2 is a period piece set during the early days of the Russian Revolution of the early 1900s. Players take up the role of surgeon Artemy Burakh, who returns to his hometown to find his father murdered and the city riddled with pestilence and death.

The story gives way to a miserable adventure in which Burakh must forage for food and other supplies, while building relationships with the sickly townsfolk and uncovering the truth behind his father's murder. Each day offers the player time to do only a limited number of actions, the consequences of which will mean suffering, life, or death for Burakh and his friends, as sickness grips Town-on-Gorkhon.

It ain't Peggle.

Pathologic 2 is available now on PC and Xbox One and launches on PS4 March 6.

Worlds collide in the newest Final Fantasy PlayStation 4 theme. The two most popular Final Fantasy games (currently, anyway) are front and center, but it'll take a significant investment to get it.

This dynamic PS4 theme is a fusion of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XIV, and it features two of those game's most popular locations. Final Fantasy VII is represented with the iconic Midgar, while Final Fantasy XIV has Shadowbringers' end-game hub city of Eulmore. "Prelude," the most recognizable Final Fantasy song, plays while the theme is active. A look at both theme screens are in the gallery below.

In order to download it, you'll need to own both Final Fantasy VII Remake (a pre-order for either the standard or digital deluxe edition) and Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers. The wording of the product description make it seem as though this theme won't be available after Final Fantasy VII Remake launches on April 10 because it needs to be a pre-order.

Of course, there are cheaper ways to get Final Fantasy PS4 themes -- like buying a couple of candy bars. But, if you want the soothing dulcet tones of "Prelude," you'll have to pony up for a lot of Final Fantasy.

FFVII Remake and FFVIX Purchase Bonus Theme -- Prelude [PlayStation Store]

If you haven't completely combed Blasphemous yet, or you're planning to eventually play the gnarly metroidvania game again when time allows, some good news: a major patch just dropped on consoles.

Patch 2 is meant to "make Blasphemous feel even better and more accessible than ever, refining and polishing the experience as much as possible without actually changing the core game," according to the developers. It's been out on PC since December. Many of the changes were informed by the community.

The major improvements have to do with platforming, which was trickier than it needed to be in some cases, and fixes for softlocks, graphical issues, NPC quests, and Guilt Fragments. You can find the full patch notes here, but basically, The Game Kitchen polished up the place from top to bottom.

Nintendo has announced a launch date for Mario Kart Tour's multiplayer mode, which will finally go live in the mobile racer later for all players on March 8, almost half a year after the game's initial launch in September 2019.

Once the update is live, players will be able to race up to seven other players in both local and online play. The multiplayer mode will be available to all Mario Kart Tour players, but the high-powered 200cc racers will still remain locked out to players who are not subscribed to MKT's "Gold Pass" subscription service.

Mario Kart Tour is available now on iOS and Android devices.

DuckTales: Remastered was delisted from digital stores in 2019, but the game is back today.

Capcom shared the news this morning and reminded us that the prettied-up platformer is available for purchase on PC via Steam, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (and by extension Xbox One thanks to backward compatibility), and Wii U. Naturally, fans have called for a Nintendo Switch port. I don't blame 'em!

There have been higher-profile removals than DuckTales: Remastered, sure, but it's unfortunate to see any game – especially ones that let you pogo jump! – vanish in the night. All is right again. (For now.)

I have to say, it feels so strange to use the site's Wii U tag in 2020. I think it's haunted.

Capcom [Twitter]

Halo: The Master Chief Collection just had some long-awaited reinforcements arrive. The Noble Six now have more firepower by their side.

Today, Microsoft stealthily doubled the size of Master Chief Collection on PC by adding Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. Saber Interactive was in charge of porting the original Halo to PC, although this is almost like a remaster of the 2011 Anniversary remaster on Xbox 360. It has support for 4K resolution and frame rates at 60fps and above.

Here are the other PC-specific features that Microsoft calls attention to: variable framerate, native mouse and keyboard support with ability to rebind controls, ultra-wide display support for various aspect ratios, and the usual array of visual quality options.

The Master Chief Collection on PC runs $40 on both Steam and the Windows 10 Store. Alternatively, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary can be purchased a la carte from either of those stores for $10. Lastly, Master Chief Collection is also a part of Xbox Game Pass for PC, so subscribers can just queue it up as part of that membership.

Sony is back to offering two PS4 games for the March 2020 PlayStation Plus lineup.

While I'd love to see bonus PlayStation VR titles become a trend for the service as Sony ramps up toward PS5 and the inevitable next iteration of PSVR, I had zero expectations of that happening. Instead, for March, subscribers are just getting Shadow of the Colossus and Sonic Forces. "Just."

I'll leave the Sonic Forces verdict to the more deeply entrenched Sonic fans, but Shadow of the Colossus is one of those defining games for PlayStation. It's the exact type of game I love to see promoted with PS Plus – something everyone should check out at some point in their life. It's a timeless adventure.

As a little extra, PlayStation Plus members can also check out the new Predator multiplayer game, Hunting Grounds, on March 27. A weekend-long trial event is starting up at 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

You can add Shadow of the Colossus and Sonic Forces to your PlayStation Plus account from today until April 6, 2020. Scale those colossi. Pummel old Eggman again. Earn some trophies. Eat your carrots.

Are we about to witness a new renaissance in arcade games? Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead is taking a huge risk and following in the footsteps of games like Killer Queen, launching into the physical world of arcade cabinets before it ever makes it to consoles. Jonathan Holmes and I got a chance to play together on the floor at PAX East and surprisingly didn't do too awful!

Instead of a top-down view of the gungeon, you're playing in first-person and shooting your way into various rooms of your choosing. Occasionally, you can warp back to the main room, picking up chests with new guns along the way, and eventually unlocking the boss room. The bosses and enemies are still ridiculous and fun as they are in the original Enter the Gungeon, and the dodge element is still present as well, making the game a little more dynamic than a normal shooter. 

I'm a little curious to see how the game does -- given that it comes with a hefty cost of $4,999 (which is about average for an arcade cabinet of this caliber) coupled with the wilting arcade industry.

Although we couldn't confirm it, I'm sure after its initial launch, House of the Gundead will make its way to consoles, but for the time being you can hopefully play it in your local arcade this year!

We're just a few weeks away from the return of boomerang-swinging hero TY the Tasmanian Tiger, as the HD remaster of the 2002 platformer launches on Nintendo Switch March 31, following a very successful crowdfunding campaign.

The Kickstarter - held by developer Krome Studios back in August 2019 - saw a grand total of over $130,000 USD raised from an initial target of $50,000. The success of the crowdfunding campaign has also guaranteed ports on PS4 and Xbox One, which are expected to arrive in the very near future. You can check out a fresh trailer for the retro remaster below.

The Nintendo Switch was released worldwide on March 3, 2017. Feel old yet?

Let's do a quick recap. While Japan was ready to buy in immediately given its penchant for mobile gaming, the rest of the world was in wait and see mode. The Wii U had done extremely poorly for Nintendo, but when the Switch actually arrived and Breath of the Wild broke the internet, the floodgates were opened. Studios everywhere started rushing to bring their games to the Switch, and after roughly a year, the eShop had a regular release cadence of 20-30 games per week.

Nintendo would bolster their system first-hand with several heavy-hitting games, like the 22 million-selling Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as well as the 16.5 million seller Mario Odyssey and the 9.8 million Splatoon 2, all of which came in the year of the hardware's release in 2017. The Switch got a huge push in 2018 thanks to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (which is now the best-selling fighter of all-time), as well as the 11 million plus selling pair of Pokemon: Let's Go games.

Against the odds, Sony continues to make positive strides toward the production of its Uncharted movie, a cinematic adaptation of the Naughty Dog adventure series. The latest news (broken by Variety) is the casting of legendary actor Antonio Banderas, along with confirmation of the movie's director, the seventh person to pick up the mantle to date.

Banderas, star of such movies as Desperado, Evita, Philadelphia, and The 13th Warrior, joins a cast which includes Tom Holland as a young Nathan Drake and Mark Wahlberg as his mentor Victor "Sully" Sullivan. While Banderas' role is unconfirmed, it seems a snug fit that El Mariachi might be playing the villain of the piece.

Venom director Ruben Fleischer has agreed to take over behind the lens, following on from previous directors such as Dan Trachtenberg, Travis Knight, Shawn Levy, and Seth Gordon among others. Conflicting schedules have been the most regularly stated issue in getting Uncharted off of the ground, although Sony seems confident that the adaptation will hit the big screen early next year, having been pushed back from its initial Holiday 2020 release date.

Uncharted is scheduled to release in theatres on March 5, 2021.

Every once in a while you come across a situation where an out-of-context Mario series character would fit perfectly. Comedian Spettacomedy found over 50 of those occasions, and put them on fake movie posters.

Although many of them are romantic comedies, dramas, or dramedies involving Mario and Peach, there's plenty of room for Star Fox and his crew to shine, as well as Yoshi, Link, Donkey Kong, Luigi, Pauline and Zelda. A few of my favorites include Baby [Mario] Driver, and Face/Off, starring Luigi and Waluigi.

Several even have subtle little details: like the Balloon Challenge DLC balloons in the Luigi/Patch Adams mashup. I think I've seen every film on the list. It's been a while since I caught Scream 3 on TV while doing something else!

Nintendo Movie Posters [Imgur]

[Update: You can also watch the full trailer for the Season of the Worthy below.]

Destiny 2 has been missing one of its key components for a long while now, but it seems as if Bungie has finally figured things out. Trials of Osiris, a fan-favorite PVP mode, is now returning with the new "Season of the Worthy" content umbrella that's debuting in March.

Kicking off on March 13, Trials will be available from the get-go and will still retain its highly competitive, 3v3 shell and its unique gear rewards. The season itself will start on March 10 around 1PM ET (after the customary downtime during reset), and will bring subclass alterations, new gear and naturally: more cosmetic content.

One of the big draws of the season is going to be PVP, as Bungie is bringing back Cauldron, Exodus Blue and Anomaly from the original Destiny. Bungie is leaning hard into Destiny 1 nostalgia actually, as they're hyping up looks from the first entry as some of the coolest-looking armor in Destiny 2.

It's been a while since our last Bloodstained update.

The development team was hard at work fixing the Switch version (there's still more work to be done) and getting the other versions in sync with each other. This week's Kickstarter update addresses both of those notions and more.

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, the update touches on a big change that was originally promised in the Kickstarter campaign: a roguelike game mode. That mode is "not currently compatible" with the current incarnation of the game, and has been canned. Instead, there will be a new "randomizer" mode that will arrive with the Zangetsu playable character DLC for free. You can randomize things like item spawn methods and enemy drops (more info here), with the option to share a level seed with others. Next up, a correction: boss revenge mode will not come at the same time as Zangetsu, despite an earlier update stating it would. Instead, it will arrive in the next content update.

In better news, all versions seem to be synced up now and have content parity with version 1.04. Going forward, content drops should be in sync. And that's really it. There's no date for any of this, as developer ArtPlay and publisher 505 Games has learned the hard way that making any promises is a road to disappointment. They even mention in the latest post that they're going to be doing less "updates about updates" for their Kickstarter and more substantial news pieces going forward.

This whole project has been a fascinating case study, along with Mighty No. 9, of common crowdfunding missteps. Thankfully in the end, despite jank, Bloodstained will be remembered more fondly.

We now know one of the two mystery announcements NIS America has planned for the week, as the publisher announced a localisation of charming-but-gross survival title Void Terrarium, which launched on PS4 and  Nintendo Switch in Japan back in January.

Void Terrarium, (or void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium to give it its full title), is a unique survival game set in a weirdly attractive but wholly grim post-apocalyptic universe. Players control a humble service droid, who awakens after a long period of disservice to find the world under siege from toxic plantation.

Not long after reactivation, the little droid comes across a young human girl called Toriko, injured but alive, and houses her in a small glass dome to protect her from the hazardous atmosphere. From there, players take over the roles of both characters, as the droid ventures out into the wasteland for supplies and medicine, while Toriko attempts to make a habitat of her viral-free homestead.

Void Terrarium blends several gaming genres, such as survival games, rougelikes, and dungeon crawlers, all painted in a strange, juxtaposed style that is at once adorable and kind of stomach churning. You can check out a brand new announcement trailer below.

Publisher Cygames has prematurely leaked the identity of the fifth DLC character headed to its delightful 2D fighter Granblue Fantasy: Versus. Joining the previously revealed quartet of Beelzebub, Narmaya, Soriz and Djeeta is The Arbiter of the Skies, Zooey.

In the Granblue Fantasy series, Zooey is depicted as a kind-hearted, overly-empathetic girl, charged with keeping balance in the skies of the universe. Despite her diminutive stature and gentle nature, Zooey is more than adept in battle with her sword and shield. Zooey's inclusion was leaked via the Asian PlayStation Store, which included the gal's name as part of a Color Pack purchase featuring only the Granblue Fantasy: Versus DLC characters. Zooey has since been removed from the page.

I enjoyed my time with Maneater far more than I had any right to.

For what is essentially a shark simulator (or a "shaRkPG," as Tripwire calls it), there was a surprising amount of balance between the calm and the ridiculous. At some points it felt like Odell Down Under, where my only goal was to eat and to avoid being eaten, and at other points, Chris Parnell from SNL was narrating as I set boats on fire and unrelentingly tail-whipped beach-goers into bloodied pieces.

It’s tough being a baby bull shark, especially when a bunch of people and creatures want to take you down. Thankfully in Maneater, you can grow strong by eating other fish and finding hidden treasures, evolving into the ultimate killing machine you were destined to be.

As a surprisingly versatile shark, some of your tactics include grabbing fish, objects, or people and using your tail like a baseball bat to launch them. Or you can take it easy and explore the bayou and everything it has to offer -- including secret caves and treasure chests which contain evolution upgrades to level up. You can also, for some reason, briefly flop around on land while you terrorize the masses.

There are, however, various characters around the bayou that want to see you dead. Occasionally a baddie with shark-related beef will chase you around, making you fight for your life. You may even come across a creature or two whose lagoon you're disrupting, ending up in a tussle for territory.

Uncle Death just climbed past yet another milestone, as Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture's Let it Die hit six million downloads. What sort of gift will Uncle Death receive? A gold-plated skateboard? A scythe decorated with six diamonds?

"To be determined" is the most succinct answer. Grasshopper Manufacture seems a bit caught by surprise, and without any kind of blowout bash ready to go. The developer says "To celebrate the momentous occasion, there will be an in-game event to be announced at a later date." An announcement of an announcement is hardly an inspiring celebration.

Let it Die launched in 2016 as a free-to-play PS4 game. It managed approximately four million downloads before being ported to PC in late 2018. With the two versions at a combined six million downloads, there's still a small-yet-dedicated group of people ascending the tower. They'll get something at some point in the future.

Let it Die Surpasses 6 Million Downloads on PlayStation 4 and PC [TriplePoint PR]

Switch owners looking for an old-school dose of platforming action might want to take a look at Mad Gear Games' Kemono Heroes, which has just launched on the Nintendo eShop courtesy of publisher NIS.

This retro-styled tale of furry folklore allows players to take up the mantle of one of four cute-but-deadly ninja animals, who must conquer hordes of demons on Mt. Fuji on a quest to take on the mighty Moon God, who has petrified our heroes' woodland brethren. Each character is equipped with unique and upgradeable skills and abilities, and up to four players can join in on the action via local co-op. You can check out the animal antics in the trailer below.

Have you ever wanted to compete in an elimination-style game without having to put any actual physical work in? Did you enjoy the very free and very delightful Doritos Crash Course game that came out 10 years ago on Xbox 360? Have you ever wanted to climb the Aggro Crag from GUTS?

If you are like me and the answer to all of these questions is a resounding “yes”, then Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout might tickle your fancy.

It's a pleasant surprise to hear that Hardspace: Shipbreaker is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One after its Steam Early Access run starts this summer. In the sci-fi sim game, you play as a salvager who's working to pay off a debt by strategically slicing off valuable parts from spaceships with a laser cutter.

It's such a cool concept for a game. I haven't seen anything quite like it before on this scale.

Blackbird Interactive (Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak) has big plans for Hardspace: Shipbreaker, but in the beginning, for Early Access, the simulation game will have two types of ships to crack open, a sandbox mode, and the first act of the story campaign, which should take around 15 hours to beat. The finished campaign will have more mission variety and could end up being 40 hours long. It'll be a beefy game.

"We have a rough plan for a year of development beginning in May 2020," the studio said of the Early Access PC version. "However, game development is a long, difficult, and massively fun process that can easily extend beyond plans once you involve the excellent ideas of a big community. We'll decide down the line exactly how much game we consider to be the 1.0 version, but we'd rather stay in Early Access for as long as needed than come out early to hit an imaginary window we've set for ourselves."

I'm curious how this game might run on consoles considering all of the crazy physics-driven mayhem.

It feels surreal to talk about a new Half-Life game as something that's definitely launching before the month is over. Half-Life: Alyx is nearly here, and Valve has three new gameplay videos to give us a sample platter of what we can expect.

These three extended clips each exist to show off a different type of locomotion within VR. The first video (embedded above) has movement by teleportation -- the least realistic method of getting around, but also the one that's proven to be the easiest to stomach. This video channels its inner Ravenholm (we don't go there), as a dilapidated subway station has been overrun by zombies and headcrabs. 

It's here that we also get a glimpse at Half-Life: Alyx's upgrade system. Alyx uses a Combine fabricator to improve her pistol by using resin to craft a new sight. Afterward, she coolly snags a hardhat off a chair, flips it on her head, and nabs the ammo that was sitting under it. It seems as though there's a lot to be discovered in manipulating Alyx's environment and finding resources that are cleverly hidden.

With a cheeky-titled bit of free DLC, Journey to the Savage Planet subverts the expectations for a game's second runthrough. We're all familiar with New Game+, where you restart a game while retaining all the upgrades that came as part of going through the first time. Old Game Minus is the opposite of that.

Journey to the Savage Planet's Old Game Minus mode is a challenge run for those who are already familiar with the lay of the land in this eccentric and usually-dangerous world. You get three lives to beat the game. If you're playing in co-op, you get three lives to share. Savage, indeed.

There's a bit of a reprieve, though. Every biome has an extra life hidden somewhere among all the eccentric creatures and fauna. They're bobbleheads of Kindred CEO Martin Tweed (and they can be seen in the gallery below.) There's also an extra life hidden "for gamers who know the ultimate retro game secret." That's probably the Konami code, but I haven't tried it to be sure.

If you haven't had your fill of Savage Planet, this might be a good way to shake it all up. There's nothing new here, because Old Game Minus doesn't actually add any content. It's about finding different and faster ways to assert your dominance over this hostile planet.

Game Update -- Old Game Minus [Journey to the Savage Planet]

The just-released console port of Two Point Studios' Two Point Hospital has had a very healthy (no pun intended) launch, debuting at number two in this week's UK Charts.

The cheeky hospital sim is available now on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, (a direct port of its 2019 PC release), and tasks players with the efficient managing of the budget, patients and staff of a city hospital. The atmosphere is kept upbeat thanks to a bright, comical aesthetic and a string of silly and weird situations. Fans of Bullfrog's '90s classic Theme Hospital would do well to check it out.

Also of note is the inevitable return of perennial chart star Crash Bandicoot, as Activision's N.Sane Trilogy and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled have both returned to the Top Ten at numbers eight and ten respectively. Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's The Division 2 also re-entered the Top Ten at number seven. Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is back on top once again, which is not surprising in this current era of chart stagnancy.

All eyes are on Masahiro Sakurai, father of Smash. Pretty much everything he says is micro-analyzed by the Smash community, including a recent tweet that contained the old Smash 4 "Battlefield" arena with the Inkling fighter, who is exclusive to Ultimate The catch? Battlefield isn't actually in Smash Ultimate.

While many of us assumed that this was some sort of developer tool and wasn't actually coming to Ultimate proper, Sakurai had to take to Twitter directly in English (something he doesn't normally do) to squash these rumors. Sakurai notes: "I've recently been posting a 'pic of the day' every day. I originally captured these to share with our dev team daily via an internal production blog. They're taken using WIP versions of the game and some scenarios you see can't be replicated in the final version of the game."

Continuing, he explains that he posted an "old version of Battlefield," which was a "dev stage" to check fighter models based on common light sources. "You won't find this in the final version of the game!" So for the 10-ish people that really wanted Battlefield in Ultimate, keep dreaming.

Sakurai [Twitter]

Switch owners will soon have the opportunity to get blammo in the underworld, as Night School Studios' acerbic adventure game Afterparty comes staggering onto the Nintendo platform later this week.

Released on PS4, PC, and Xbox One back in October, Afterparty is the story of two friends, Lola and Milo, who find a fun night out interrupted by an unfortunate bout of death. Now awaiting registration in the bowels of hell, our world-weary young heroes discover that they can actually escape their grim fate and get back above ground, but only provided they can out-drink the underworld's most notorious party animal: Satan.

WayForward got its start porting games like Casper: Animated Activity Center. Casper! Now that's an IP you don't really see anymore. That's how long WayForward has been around: 30 years this past week, actually.

The company shared their three-decade anniversary on Twitter this weekend, showcasing a new image that highlights some of their more celebrated IP, like Shantae and Mighty Switch Force. The former is clearly the crown jewel of their legacy, and it's hard to believe that Shantae as a whole is nearly 20 years old: debuting in 2002.

So what's next on their plate? Well, as far as we know, they're taking it a bit easy this year: at least compared to their incredibly busy 2019. We still need the second part of Shantae and the Seven Sirens (the first half arrived on Apple Arcade last year), and Vitamin Connection just launched as a Switch exclusive.

WayForward [Twitter]

I had regrets about starting this weekly feature early last week when I started looking for my next few games to talk about. Because, boy, there is a lot of crap out there. And while I'm sure the developers are nice people, I don't think you're going to get me to play a game called Super Jon's World: Adventure Castle Run Boy Jump.

Thankfully, the three games below provided me with more than enough amusement this week and I'm happy to share them with you.

Things have been a little quiet as of late in regards to Sony's movie adaptation of Capcom's beloved franchise Monster Hunter. But now we have two brand new teaser posters to check out... just don't expect to see any actual monsters just yet.

The two posters popped up on Twitter over the weekend, and feature Resident Evil's Milla Jovovich and Ong-Bak's Tony Jaa set against the backdrop of an arid desert wilderness. Adorned in hefty gear while grasping even heftier weapons, the duo certainly looks ready to take down a behemoth or two, which makes the far-reaching negative space in the posters all that more amusing - giving the impression that they've turned up for a battle that's never going to happen.

The Monster Hunter movie is helmed by Paul W.S. Anderson, who is no stranger to video game adaptations, having directed 1995's Mortal Kombat, 2006's DOA: Dead or Alive and multiple Resident Evil movies. Anderson is also responsible for writing Monster Hunter, which will tell the story of a U.N. military team who discover a portal to a dangerous alternate world. Having wrapped shooting back in December, the film is still on schedule for release this fall.

Monster Hunter debuts in theaters September 4.

Back in October Riot Games announced like...a billion secret projects, but the veil is slowly lifting off of most of those.

You probably don't remember this, but Project A was announced as a "stylish, competitive, character-based tactical shooter for PC." As of this week, we now know that Project A is actually Valorant. Riot states that the game is still a 5v5 shooter, with "128-tick servers," "at least 30 FPS" on older rigs with a goal of 60-144 FPS on modern rigs, with a global spread of datacenters and anti-cheat "from day one."

Other than that, unique character-based gameplay is promised, and there's a new trailer of (very early) alpha footage that you can check out below. More info is coming later, but it seems very early yet for this project.

While Overwatch is the obvious comparison, the aesthetics and mechanics of the stage are extremely reminiscent of Counterstrike: and with Riot being so well-versed in the realm of esports, it makes a whole lot of sense to mash those two scenes together.

Valorant [Riot Games]

The time has come to really get the in-depth info we wanted on Death Stranding PC.

After weeks of teasing, the curtain has been pulled back and we finally have a June 2 release date for Steam and the Epic Games Store. Kojima Productions confirms that the game will arrive in a "new photo mode," as well as a high framerate and ultra-wide monitor support.

Kojima being Kojima, he also couldn't resist bringing in some sort of crossover event into the game, and the Stream release gave him the excuse he needed for a Half-Life promotion. Although the details aren't fully confirmed, there is a "sneak peek" at the promo by way of the end of the below video, which shows off a cosmetic Head Crab helmet for protagonist Sam.

We didn't have to wait too long for the PC release, big picture: the game just came out last November on PS4.

While the durability system was one of the most polarizing elements of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at launch, I think a lot of people eventually got used to it.

It was effective at making players feel helpless at the start, but by the time you really picked up on it and kept a steady stream of weapons on you at all times, it was never a big problem: for me, anyway. Breath of the Wild is really great at making you feel like an utter killing machine when you really pick up on some of its fundamentals, as this video from xbully1994x shows perfectly.

Sneaking up on a Lizalfos Den, they start with a few tricks we've come to expect: take out the lookouts on the towers, glide up to the tip of the den, blow up the lantern, all standard stuff. But once they're inside the den itself, they really show off how powerful Link can get with slow-motion and the latent magic abilities. The very last kill is the best, as it incorporates nearly every tool in Link's arsenal.

If you liked this, give the Mad Max motorcycle clip a watch!

Recently, Japan's national broadcasting company, NHK, held a "best Final Fantasy game and character poll," and naturally, the results might shock you.

It feels like I've been championing Final Fantasy X for nearly my whole life and suddenly feel validated, as it took the top spot in the poll as the best Final Fantasy of all time. The cliched generational pick of VII was second, followed by VI (the one a lot of people consider the best in terms of quality), IX, XIV, V, VIII, IV and XI.

Spinoffs were allowed in the poll, as Tactics took spot 11, with Crisis Core at 13, Type-0 at 16, Crystal Chronicles at 17, Mobius at 20, Tactics Advance at 22, Dissidia (the original) at 23, Ring of Fates taking 25, Dissidia 012 at 26, Adventure at 27, Echoes of Time at 29 and Record Keeper at 30. A few sequels like X-2 and Lightning Returns also made the list. This poll is legit, as it had an astounding 468,654 votes.

The other poll dealt with best character, which saw Cloud win it, followed by Yuna, Aerith (Aeris), Vivi, Zidane, Emet-Selch (XIV), Tidus, Lightning, Tifa and Zack. I find it kind of funny that Lightning isn't in the top five given how much the creatives push her so hard, and VII clearly dominates overall with Cloud, Aerith, Tifa and Zack all part of the top 10: only X and IX have multiple reps.

Final Fantasy [NHK via Nintendo Life]

Foregone is a 2D action-platformer brimming with loot: from daggers to shotguns, bows to falchions, you'll quickly find an arsenal of weapons to suit your play style. That's in addition to the game's branching skill tree and armor offerings, which provide an even deeper level of customization. Playing as a powerful Arbiter, you'll unravel a compelling story of regret and conspiracy as you slice your way through hordes of enemies to save the city of Calagan.

Foregone was inspired by a variety of gaming classics: from the rewarding loot drops of Diablo and challenging combat of Dark Souls to the imaginative worlds of Halo: Combat Evolved and breath-taking environments of Ori and the Blind Forest. Below, the dev team shares some of their most memorable gaming moments and how they impacted the creation of Foregone. This is a sponsored post.

Hideki Kamiya, director of Resident Evil 2 and originator of such franchises as Bayonetta and The Wonderful 101, is no stranger to seeing his characters in the hands of other developers. Dante from Devil May Cry, Amaterasu from Okami, and of course, Leon and Claire from Racoon City are just a handful of his creations who have been taken in new directions without him.

It's less often than he has one of his games recreated scene-for-scene, but that's exactly what happened with the Resident Evil 2 remake. I asked him what he thought of the new game, and he said "There are some videos of me playing it somewhere, but you have to know that the director of the Resident Evil 2 remake is actually a friend of mine. We were coworkers, we used to go out drinking after work, so before the game was announced, he let me know of his intention to remake it. He asked if I have any recommendations or advice, and I told him 'You're the designer. It's up to you.' and that was the last time we talked about it before it was released."

So, what did Kamiya think of it? "...after it was released, I was like 'Holy Shit, this is really scary!'" he told me. "The next time I see him I'm going to ask 'Can you make some DLC that's a little less scary, with maybe some cute zombies or something like that? (laughs)"

If it was me that remade the game, I'd take that as a compliment. I'd buy that cute zombie DLC in a heartbeat.

Resident Evil 2 is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

Capcom has announced via Twitter that the third update to its mega-selling adventure title Monster Hunter World: Iceborne will arrive on PS4 and Xbox One on March 23, with a PC release to follow on an undisclosed date in April.

The new update will bring two frightening new variant creatures for you to hunt, (or be hunted by), in the form of the Raging Brachydios and the Furious Rajang, (as opposed to the regular, super-calm Rajang?). The gargantuan prey can be seen in action in a new video embedded in the tweet below.

This will be the final time PC players are left waiting to get in on the action. As of April, Capcom will be making concerted efforts to ensure that all future Monster Hunter: World updates arrive on console and PC platforms simultaneously, as noted in the MH:W 2020 roadmap.

Monster Hunter: World and its Iceborne expansion are available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

I forgot how much I loved The Wonderful 101. Though I only got to play the upcoming remastered version on Switch for ten minutes or so, it still left me impressed. Some of the puzzles that were specifically designed for the Wii U's dual screen set up are almost painfully easy on a single display, and I miss the optional touch controls, but those are easy things to look past when a game is this bursting at the gills with other features to gawk over.

Using your team to transform into a ball, then a hang gliders, then a giant sword, and eventually, a giant piece of jello all in rapid succession? Often times it feels like the only thing limiting you is your own imagination, making The Wonderful 101 feel like the best Green Lantern game never made, just begging to be replayed. 

From the sounds of it though, we were very close to seeing the last of these underdog heroes. If it weren't for Kickstarter, and what could be a one-time deal with Nintendo, The Wonderful 101 might have been a one-and-done.

The Analogue Nt mini is one of the best devices I've ever gotten my hands on. It's basically a perfect NES re-creation, right down to the most nuanced hardware, with 100% compatibility, no lag and upscaling for newer output devices.

If you've been on the fence for one since its release several years ago, you might want to know that Analogue is holding one final run for the device. The company says that you can pre-order now (with it shipping in July of this year), which will run you $500 for the device, an 8BitDo N30 2.4 remote, an HDMI cable, a USB cable and a multi-region power supply: basically, everything you need to play it out of the box.

The original MSRP for the standard edition was $449.99, but it's no longer available; so you're paying a bit more for the limited edition run. If you're curious, read our original review and think on it. It's a lot of cash, but it's the perfect device for immortalizing your NES collection forever.

Nt mini Noir [Analogue]

The long-teased demo for Final Fantasy VII Remake is now available to download on PS4 via the PSN store, finally giving fans the opportunity to check out one of the most highly anticipated releases of 2020 before its official launch next month.

The demo weighs in at around 8GB and contains roughly an hour of gameplay, namely the famous opening of the 1997 classic where grumpy protagonist Cloud Strife and freedom fighters Avalanche undergo a dangerous mission to sabotage a reactor in the heart of the city of Midgar.

First word came of the FFVII Remake demo during the Holidays, when it was spotted on the PlayStation Network's database. Smart tech-types were later able to get in on the action via crafty means. But now, this taster for one of the hottest remakes of all-time is officially live and - it what has to be a SICK JOKE - on a Monday morning, so you behave and get off to work/school now, y'hear?

Oh, and don't forget to grab your free Tifa PS4 theme via this sugar-filled promotion.

The first episode of Final Fantasy VII Remake launches on PS4 April 10.

Final Fantasy VII Remake demo [PSN]

With PAX East closing its doors, PlatinumGames is in exciting territory. After hosting their first-ever booth at the event, and with just 4 days left on a Kickstarter for their first self published title, The Wonderful 101 Remastered, I got to speak to Platinum's Hideki Kamiya and Atsushi Inaba about this bold new direction for the company, their plans for the remake, and how it all relates to their past, present, and future. Of course, for me, that meant bringing up Viewtiful Joe, one of my favorite games in Inaba and Kamiya's long partnership. 

Specifically, I wanted to know if the stretch goal content for Remastered would play like the now-classic 2D action title. Entitled "Luka's First Mission" this "brand new 2D side-scrolling adventure starring a young hero" is one of the first times they have revisited the genre since their Viewtiful Joe days, so I couldn't help but get my hopes up. Now that I've talked to them both, my hopes are even higher.