Destructoid

Platinum Games, the studio behind such wild action titles as Bayonetta and NieR: Automata, has revealed that it will be making a "major" announcement next week. The mysterious news will drop in the February 27 issue of Japanese publication Famitsu.

It is unknown whether this new news will specifically pertain to the fabled "Platinum4" - four incoming mystery news drops that were revealed back in January - but at least we won't have to wait too long to find out. We already know that one of the Platinum4 is a remaster of The Wonderful 101, but what could the other three quadrants represent? Hmmm... What say you?

Also noted by Platinum, in the announcement of the announcement, was that development of Bayonetta 3 continues, with Director Hideki Kamiya saying that the anticipated sequel is coming along "very well."

Platinum Games teases major announcement for February 27 [Gematsu / Ryokutya2089]

Rockstar's game-changing crime sim Grand Theft Auto IV is coming back to Steam, following its sudden disappearance from the platform back in January. Both the original title and Episodes From Liberty City will return as a single release, Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition, on March 19.

It does seem that the new release will feature several changes, however. Due to the removal of Games for Windows Live, GTA IV will be sans its online functionality, including its multiplayer mode and leaderboards. Licence expiration also means that several radio stations will have mysteriously vanished from the playlist, (RamJam FM, Self-Actualization FM, and Vice City FM), though it seems this will only be temporary.

The good news is that all save files will still be compatible. Also, players who already own both GTA IV and Episodes From Liberty City will automatically be able to consolidate both titles into the Complete Edition... which kinda isn't complete. Anyway, you can check out all the details over on the game's official Steam page.

Grand Theft Auto IV coming back to Steam in March [@Nibellion]

It never dawned on me how well the characters, world, and tone of Zombies Ate My Neighbors could work within the confines of Doom. Thankfully, a modder named Dude27th put two and two together.

The water gun, soda cans, bazooka, and babies – it all just fundamentally works!

This Doom II total-conversion project isn't finished – in fact, the last update was pushed in July 2019 – but the footage captured by YouTube user Smokeanaut warms my horror-loving heart all the same.

This game may never come back in style in an official capacity, but fans will never let it die.

Sony wants us to play more games and earn more trophies in 2020 with an initiative it's calling the PlayStation Player Celebration. In exchange for hitting collective milestones – 125K games played and 500K trophies earned, to start – players will unlock exclusive PS4 themes and avatars. There's also a chance to win one of those ridiculous real-life platinum trophies that Sony has given out in the past.

Before you start any marathon sessions, there are a few dates and caveats to keep in mind.

As of February 18, you can register your PSN ID to participate in the PlayStation Player Celebration. Then, on February 24, the first community goal will open up. That's when you can contribute.

Goal One

• 125K games played
• 500K Trophies earned
• Reward: An exclusive static PS4 theme

Goal Two

• 375K games played
• 1.5M Trophies earned
• Reward: Five exclusive PS4 avatars

Goal Three

It's no longer enough that food tastes good. It needs to look good too. That's an expectation at this point, as many people whip out their phones for a quick pic of their dish before digging in.

The next Cooking Mama game leans into this trend. A leaked trailer for Cooking Mama: Cookstar on Switch puts emphasis on both whipping up unique food and admiring it. For instance, a rainbow grilled cheese is put under the camera lens, as players can rotate the angle of the picture and add filters and stickers. Catch me on the 'gram.

Although it's not confirmed yet, Cooking Mama: Cookstar will evidently release in March -- at least, according to this trailer. Nintendo has been mum about a lot of Switch games recently, and there's a reasonable belief that we have to be getting a new Direct sometime soon. If that's the case, you know Cooking Mama is getting an official release date. It's about ready to come out the oven.

[Update: Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct presentation added.]

It might not be the exact oasis you were waiting for in the current Nintendo Direct drought, but any Direct – game-specific or wide-ranging – is worth a look. This one's all about Animal Crossing.

The next Nintendo Direct is scheduled for February 20, 2020, at 6:00 a.m. Pacific. Nintendo plans to spend around 25 minutes showing a final pre-launch look at New Horizons before it's out on March 20.

Fishing and fossil collecting are my hobbies of choice, so I hope we hear more about potential museum activities. There's so much left to learn, especially when you think about how beefy Animal Crossing guide books have been in the past. I feel like Nintendo has only scratched the surface so far.

Before We Leave is a winning concept for a peaceful city-building game. It's a relaxing take on games like Anno and A Kingdom for Keflings in which you'll harvest resources from a lost civilization, explore and expand to neighboring islands, establish trade networks, and eventually fly off to other planets.

I was into the pitch when we learned about Before We Leave last year, and I'm still into it now, in 2020, after spending a couple of hours with an alpha build. Time flew the heck by while I was playing this.

The trailer is worth watching if you missed the announcement – it captures the experience well.

In the beginning, you'll have just a few humble "peeps" who have left a bunker to start life anew above ground. It's not entirely clear what happened, but something happened long ago. There are remnants – bombed-out skyscrapers, broken-down automatons – but the only signs of life are you and the trees.

You'll plop down roads, wells, farms, and houses on a hexagonal tile-based planet, and the peeps will get cracking. Before We Leave handles much of the minutia with minimal fuss. Your job is more about smartly positioning buildings to gain bonuses (like placing a field near a well), keeping your subservient citizens well-fed and motivated, and checking supply lines so materials get where they need to go.

Try as it may, it seems as though EVE Online developer CCP cannot get a first-person shooter to stick. In 2016, it canceled PS3-exclusive Dust 514 after an underwhelming run. Later, it canned Project Legion before it left the prototyping phase.

Add another one to the pile. Four years after being announced (but before it ever actually launched), CCP has shut down class-based shooter Project Nova. This attempt at an EVE Online FPS was set in the popular space MMOs world but didn't share a synchronous world the way Dust 514 did. CCP parent company Pearl Abyss confirmed the cancellation of Project Nova in an earnings call over the weekend.

In true EVE shooter fashion, something new is rising from the ashes of Project Nova. CCP's London studio is now dedicated entirely to developing a new multiplayer shooter that uses Project Nova's framework. CCP head of PR George Kellion said "It is very common for games in active development to evolve over time, often substantially. We remain committed to offering a rock-solid, action-oriented gameplay experience with stellar visuals, but due to significant changes in the scope and direction of our sci-fi multiplayer shooter game concept, it also made sense to update how we refer to this project internally. So, we are no longer using the codename Project Nova for this game concept."

Great news for Xbox fans, as Annapurna Interactive has announced that its gorgeous, emotive, and utterly unique musical odyssey Sayonara Wild Hearts is headed to the Xbox One platform next week.

Sayonara Wild Hearts wowed critics and fans when it launched for the PS4, Nintendo Switch, and iOS devices back in September 2019. Players control a steel-hearted woman, on a fast, action-packed, and visually stunning trip through the light fantastic, with each stage representing a track from Daniel Olsén and Jonathan Eng's brilliant score. Sayonara Wild Hearts was one of the most fascinating titles of 2019, better experienced than explained.

I played Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy for the first time in 2020, and I have zero regrets about that decision. I almost certainly would've clicked with it even more in 2001 (I just had a GameCube at the time), but things didn't work out that way. The remastered PS4 version holds up really well.

If you're ever hoping for a 3D platformer in the vein of Jak and Daxter with a bonus dash of MediEvil, consider keeping tabs on Pumpkin Jack. It looks straightforward in the best way. There's a dodge roll, basic combo attacks, and assists from companions like a crow – nothing too fancy or over-designed.

You can also pop off your head and crawl around the cheerfully spooky place. I badly want to do that.

Pumpkin Jack is launching at the end of 2020 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. If you're curious enough to try a demo, surprisingly, there is one! It's playable on Steam right now.

I can already picture droning on and on about this game with Chris and Brett in the room until Brett has no choice but to snap. "Who the hell is Pumpkin Jack?! You've been talking about him all day long."

Whatever you do, don't tell him. He might read this, but at some point – months from now – he'll forget.

The UK Charts saw three new entries this week, with Sega's Yakuza Remastered Collection smashing into the Top Ten at number two, while Sony's excellent game-creator Dreams settled at number eight. THQ Nordic's Darksiders Genesis finally arrived on consoles and also made a modest impact, landing at number 11.

None of these releases had a strong enough launch to unsettle Electronic Arts' FIFA 20 or Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare however, both of which continue their dominance of the charts. This has become de riguer for most January/February seasons, with the annual football/shooter releases often taking hold when not challenged by popular franchise titles (such as Resident Evil 2 and Kingdom Hearts III last year, or Monster Hunter: World in 2018).

The quiet continued success of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order should also be noted. While the game has fallen out of vogue in terms of chatter and word of mouth, EA's intergalactic adventure has maintained a lofty presence in the Top Ten since its initial release way back in November.

Yakuza 0 has had quite the staggered release -- Japan in 2015, the rest of the world in 2017, and then a PC port in 2018 -- and the final platform is just around the corner. When it gets there, it'll be a day-one addition to the best subscription service in games.

Yakuza 0's Xbox One port is coming before the end of February, a move that was revealed by Xbox Game Pass rather than Sega. It'll arrive on February 26 and instantly be a part of Xbox Game Pass. No pre-ordering necessary, just queue it up and go.

This isn't the only major addition to Game Pass over the course of the next week. Kingdom Hearts III is also on its way, right alongside all the denser-named Kingdom Hearts content that just landed on Xbox. Also, Wasteland Remastered is here for an introduction to inXile's gritty apocalypse ahead of Wasteland 3's launch in May.

Here's the skinny on everything coming to Xbox Game Pass before the end of February:

Nintendo has slipped four more brave warriors into mobile battler Fire Emblem Heroes. The characters feature in the newest Summoning Event, The Dread Isle (which should be live as you read this), and all hail from 2003's Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade.

Leading the charge we have half-dragon Nils, followed up by handsome archer Rath. Brave battalion commander Fiora brings her spear skills to bear, while mysterious spy Leila makes her playable debut in the franchise, having only been an NPC in The Blazing Blade.

As expected, the foursome is also accompanied by a new paralogue story chapter, On Dark Wings. You can check out the new content in all of its finery below.

Samurai Shodown arrived back in June of 2019 and it's been tearing up the charts, both literally and figuratively. It was immediately welcomed with open arms into EVO 2019, and it did so well that it's coming back in 2020. It's great to see Shodown back in the fray.

Destructoid recently spoke to Samurai Shodown director Nobuyuki Kuroki to see how things are going, and where they might go with the impending Switch port (that already arrived last December in Japan) and beyond.

Remember Empire of Sin? That gangster-centric simulator that was revealed at E3 2019 during a Nintendo Direct, helmed by Romero Games? Maybe? Well it's been delayed.

According to the official Twitter account, citing "quality over speed" (always a virtue) the studio has decided to push back Empire of Sin into fall 2020. Empire of Sin was originally slated for release in the second quarter of 2020 on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch, but fall is decidedly in the back half.

In case you missed it, the strategic-oriented game puts you right into the thick of things during Prohibition in Chicago (circa 1920s). This is definitely one of those "wait and see" kind of projects, but as someone who used to eat up all these '90s-era strategy games, it's most definitely on my radar.

Empire of Sin [Twitter]

This weekend was an absolute bonanza of exciting news for Rainbow Six Siege fans. We heard details of the upcoming Void Edge event, plans for Years 5 & 6, and mouths were left agape at the coming of Holy Tachanka. As if all this wasn't enough, Ubisoft Montreal also revealed that Siege is set to pay tribute to one of gaming's most famous characters: Lara Croft.

This crossover will manifest itself in the form of a new Elite skin for Siege's lead gal, Ash, and will see the SWAT operator get her cosplay on as the iconic tomb raider. The dev team have gone for Ms. Croft's '90s look - comprised of vest, shorts and tinted shades - rather than the more contemporary outfit of modern Tomb Raider titles. You can see Ash in her fancy new duds in the trailer below.

It's hard to believe that I've been following Dissidia Final Fantasy NT for nearly five years, but that's roughly how long it's been since it was announced and arrived in Japanese arcades. Three years later it would arrive on PS4, and Square Enix would bend over backward supporting both versions, as well as attempt to foster some semblance of an esports scene: until today, that is.

Announced by way of a livestream for the game, Square Enix has confirmed that development on Dissidia NT would cease. Right now there are no plans for a follow-up, and all three editions, arcade, PC and PS4, will not get further updates after Ardyn (Final Fantasy XV's polarizing antagonist) is added as DLC. Square Enix says the online component will remain up for the foreseeable future though they would "eventually end."

Square Enix really tried with this one: you have to give them that. In the end it feels like I was one of the only people who regularly played it in the west, and it seems like the homegrown arcade support in Japan just wasn't enough to sustain it.

Square Enix [YouTube via RPGSite]

The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea has recently added two new entries, suggesting that Nintendo Switch ports are en route for Atlus' Catherine: Full Body and 2K Games' XCOM 2 Collection.

As spotted by YouTuber GameXplain, the two titles quietly appeared as part of a list of games newly-rated by the Korean body. While this is no official statement of release, it has become increasingly rare that titles listed by game rating boards do not eventually see the light of day.

Catherine: Full Body is the 2019 revamp of 2011's bizarre platform-puzzler, Catherine. Full Body includes overhauled gameplay, an online battle mode, new story elements and a selection of difficulty levels. The Japanese release also included Persona 5 crossover DLC.

XCOM 2 is the latest entry in the famous sci-fi strategy series, and sees players attempt to overthrow Earth's alien oppressors through adaptation, smart decision-making, careful planning, and even budget management. XCOM 2 Collection launched in 2018 and includes the original game plus four DLC expansion packs; Resistance Warrior; Anarchy's Children; Alien Hunters

If we hear of an official confirmation of either port, we'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, Catherine: Full Body is available now on PS4, while XCOM 2 Collection is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

Catherine: Full Body & XCOM 2 Collection rated for Nintendo Switch [Game Xplain]

Today Nintendo is ramping up Switch Lite production with yet another color scheme: Coral.

This is the fourth color for the Switch Lite, following the inaugural turquoise, yellow and gray designs. Nintendo re-confirms that the Switch Lite is still $199.99, and that this new design doesn't necessarily confirm any sort of special edition Lite. The coral edition will be out on April 3.

As you might recall, I picked up a Switch Lite back in September and really liked it. How am I getting along with it now? Quite well, actually. I still use it as my side Switch, installing indies on it while I play big releases and high capacity games on the main unit.

I love the lighter feel of it and for that reason and more, it's become my go-to for purely portable situations. It's a tough sell as a lone Switch though, as you'll probably want to experience some games (like Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild) on a TV at some point.

Nintendo of America [Twitter]

In a sudden and succinct message, Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that it will be pulling down the shutters on the official PlayStation Forums, bringing an end to well over a decade of conversation, online support and community activity.

"Hello," begins Community Manager Groovy_Matthew. "Beginning 27th February, the PlayStation.com forums will no longer be available. "We invite you to continue the conversation via PlayStation.Blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For product support, please visit the support site."

It's undeniably a bit of a quiet and ignoble end for a hangout that not only gave the PlayStation 2 community a regular home during its heyday, but has also provided years of quick-search answers to a vast array of troubleshooting issues. As noted by GameSpot, Sony also intends to shut down its Xperia Support forums, so this may be a brand-wide decision on have to present communication with its audience.

While it's true that the PlayStation forums have seen much less activity in recent years - a trait which can be attached to many far more popular conversation boards - it's still a shame to see any long-life community pull down the blinds.

Sony to shut down all official PlayStation forums [Segment Next]

[Update: The update is now live worldwide. Check out the full patch notes below!]

The Witcher 3's Switch port is basically a miracle.

Sure there are some rough parts (most notably crashes in big hub areas and long load times), but the fact that the powers that be were able to fit it onto one cart without forcing a gigantic download is fantastic. Shoutout to the Switch for still allowing folks to play physical media without installing the entire game.

For some time now though there's been a patch in the works to make The Witcher 3 on Switch even better, and it's been rolling out in some regions in Europe and in Asia this morning. Patch 3.6 adds in display options, improves visuals, adds touch controls (including for Gwent) and extends the ability to share cloud saves across GOG and Steam.

Yep! That last bit is pretty crucial, and it joins some good "PC-to-Switch-save-transfer" company.

Update for The Witcher III on Nintendo Switch [Reddit]

Square Enix remasters Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue are now both available to purchase on Xbox One via the Microsoft store, thus completing the original run of franchise titles on the Xbox platform.

Both ports were initially announced for "2020," with no specific release date. Things looked a little more hopeful for Xbox fans after a store listing briefly appeared for Final Chapter Prologue, but now it seems both games are good to go, finally letting Xbox fans take a deep dive into the leviathan of Kingdom Hearts lore. It should be noted that this journey comes at a hefty cost, however, as picking up both titles will run you around $110.

The full contents of these two releases are as follows:

We were scheduled to get a single free game from Epic this week, a deck-building strategy title called Faeria. But, the tides have shifted, the tables have turned, and now we're getting a giant open-world game in one of the biggest series around.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate has been added as the second free game this week on the Epic Games Store. In my review back in 2015, I praised the way Assassin's Creed Syndicate stitched the gameplay into its narrative, how it elaborated upon Unity's black box assassination system, and how the story was better told through two protagonists rather than just one. I closed the review feeling optimistic about the way Syndicate would lead the direction of future Assassin's Creed; then, Ubisoft promptly took a year off and completely overhauled the franchise with new approaches in Origins and Odyssey.

Instead, Assassin's Creed Odyssey was the last of its kind. If you want to see what it was all about, it'll be free (alongside Faeria) come Thursday February 20. Until then, you have a couple more days to snag this week's freebies, Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Aztez. The Epic Games Store took a cue from Assassin's Creed: Syndicate's protagonists: Two is better than one.

Free Games [Epic Games Store]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's battle royale mode has been the worst-kept secret in gaming for many months now. As we get closer to its inevitable launch, more details are leaking out as to what we can expect.

As reported by Video Games Chronicle, Modern Warfare's Warzone mode will launch on March 10 (although, this seems to be an educated guess moreso than hard confirmation). Sources within Activision say that it'll be free-to-play as a standalone mode. Last year's Blackout mode within Black Ops 4 got some extended trial access, but never properly went free-to-play.

Warzone will be the biggest of the major battle royales, as it's said to support 200 players. This means the Warzone playspace will be massive, and it'll feature a lot of areas that are ripped from other multiplayer maps. Here's a leak of the map (also in the gallery below) that shows places like Boneyard and Quarry from this Modern Warfare. It's also mentioned that some locations are homages to maps in previous Modern Warfare games, like Scrapyard and Broadcast (presumably as Lumberyard and TV Stations, respectively).

It's so exciting to see new players and creators dive into Dreams, the just-fully-launched game and art creation suite from LittleBigPlanet's own Media Molecule. There's no shortage of stuff to thumbs-up, but some of it needs to be seen to be believed. That's how I'd sum up Fallout 4: Dreams Edition.

The fan-made game, built entirely within Dreams on a PlayStation 4, recreates the Fallout 4 intro roll and lets you at it. You can explore a few early areas, complete with a functional (but not yet finalized) Pip-Boy and combat system. I smacked a Mirelurk with a hammer, made rude remarks to a roaming Mister Handy, and got in a cheesy duck-behind-cars shootout with an Annihilator Sentry Bot MK II.

The creator of this dream, Robo_Killer_v2, still has a long way to go – it's a self-described work-in-progress with limited playable content – but I am already so impressed. The framework is there.

It's well worth a playthrough if you own Dreams. (Note: you're going to want to enable the game's "higher frame rate" option on PS4 Pro if you haven't already done so.) Otherwise, if you'd just like to see this creation in action, here's a 12-minute playthrough from YouTube user Dreams Have Meanings.

Video games in the Alien universe are always a tricky-yet-intriguing proposition. There's a checkered track record. Sometimes they end up like Alien: Isolation; sometimes they end up like Aliens: Colonial Marines.

3D Realms almost got a crack at making its own Aliens game with a Left 4 Dead-like bent. 3D Realms vice president Frederik Schreiber revealed that the developer was working alongside Slipgate Ironworks on a game called Aliens: Hadley's Hope, which is named after the human colony that's the setting for much of the Aliens film.

The elevator pitch for Hadley's Hope pegs it as a "storyworld-driven PvE multiplayer adventure [first-person] shooter [that's] dripping with atmosphere, lore, and suspense." It was supposed to be a teamwork-oriented four-person cooperative shooter where squads would fight through levels of "alien protectors" before eventually culminating in a battle against a queen inside her nest. There were going to be several queens and hives, each with their own settings and preceding levels.

All in all, it sounds a lot like Aliens by way of Left 4 Dead. Swarms of alien grunts are probably akin to hordes of zombies. Each queen hunt seems similar to Left 4 Dead's individual campaigns, especially considering how they're described as "unique settings of levels, each with its own style and challenges." However, Hadley's Hope may have been designed to be continually supported, as the pitch mentions "plans to add new content for years." There would have been dozens of campaigns with queen fight scenarios.

Racing fans can't think about PlayStation 5 without also wondering about the fate of Gran Turismo. What's the next major advancement for this series? What's the biggest priority for Gran Turismo 7?

In a recent interview (as reported by GTPlanet), Polyphony Digital CEO Kazunori Yamauchi made a few forward-looking comments about what Gran Turismo could be like on PlayStation 5 and beyond.

"I think, display resolution-wise, 4K resolution is enough," Yamauchi said.

"Rather than a spatial resolution that you're talking about, I'm more interested in the advancements we can make in terms of the time resolution," he said during a roundtable with Australian media. "In terms of frames per second, rather than staying at 60 fps, I'm more interested in raising it to 120 fps or even 240 fps. I think that's what's going to be changing the experience from here on forward."

It's not a firm commitment or anything, but it's the kind of comment I love to hear as someone who generally cares more about frame rate than visual fidelity. That said, I get the sense that fans are hoping for further refinements and layers to the simulation above all else. GT Sport is super pretty as is.

Obviously, priorities can and will change. I won't be surprised when, one day, after 4K has adequately settled into place, we'll hear that "it's fine, if you're into that sorta thing, but it could be so much better."

Gran Turismo's Future: '4K Resolution is Enough,' But 240fps is the Target [GTPlanet]

Nvidia has partnered with CD Projekt Red to create a ray-tracing-capable GPU that's customized a la the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077. Put your wallet away because Lady Luck has to pick up this tab.

A handful of Cyberpunk 2077 canary yellow RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards were made by Nvidia for a giveaway. Here's a short video that show what they look like:

Panzer Dragoon came out in 1995 on the Sega Saturn, and almost immediately made history. Not only did it cement the Saturn as a console to remember for all time, but it also helped welcome rail shooters into the home setting. 25 years later, it's being introduced to a new era.

Although it's been known for forever, the Panzer Dragoon remake is coming at some point this year ("winter") to PC and Switch. You can also add Stadia to that list. Announced directly by Google, Panzer Dragoon will headline a new collective of games coming to Stadia: a list that also includes Lost Words: Beyond the Page, The Serious Sam Collection, Spitlings and Stacks on Stacks on Stacks. Everything other than Serious Sam and Panzer Dragoon are coming to Stadia "first." In other words, as a timed exclusive.

Google also reminds us that Doom Eternal, Get Packed, Orcs Must Die! 3 and Baldur's Gate, among "many more games," are coming to Stadia this year. Me? I'm just happy Panzer Dragoon is available on one more platform.

New games coming to Stadia! [Stadia]

In case you missed it, Devil May Cry 3 on Switch will have three significant enhancements:

• The ability to Style Swap
• The ability to weapon swap (in a more advanced way)
• Full local co-op for Bloody Palace

That list bit is really important, as it's a major step-up from similar action games like Bayonetta 2, which are hampered to online-only co-op modes. Now Dante and Vergil can get their co-op on similar to the limited form in the original edition, which was restricted to just one boss battle and the Doppelganger form.

So, Mega Man [Rockman] X DiVE is coming very soon.

Billed as an all-star return of sorts, the mobile game (Android, iOS) is a deep dive into the world of the Mega Man X series, with all sorts of "remember this" paraphernalia and fan service (a playable Vile comes to mind immediately).

Pre-registration is available for every region, though there is a strict list of areas where it's playable now: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia. If you do pre-register, you'll get the playable Alia character.

Mega Man X DiVE is out on March 4. Closed beta tests were held late last year, and the game seems fully ready to launch without any further delays.

Pre-register [Capcom] [Thanks Rick!]

I can already feel it. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is going to be ridiculously fun while it lasts. It's the video game equivalent of an obstacle course game show, something I wish we saw far more often.

The competition is online-enabled, so you'll start off facing ninety-nine other players in round-based elimination challenges – some free-for-alls, some team-based – until only one blob is left standing at the bitter end. It's also got that "silly physics mayhem" factor (see: Human: Fall Flat) going for it.

Devolver Digital and developer Mediatonic released the first in a series of behind-the-scenes videos today. Part one has a two-pronged purpose: exploring the quirky game show roots of Fall Guys, and announcing a new date. After a delay, it's looking like a summer 2020 release on PlayStation 4 and PC.

"Our goal was to make Fall Guys the 'greatest game show ever' with clear inspirations from Takeshi's Castle and the lesser-known It's A Knockout," said Mediatonic communications manager Haley Uyrus.

"Both game shows put their contestants in such unusual and sometimes ridiculous scenarios that any advantages obtained through skill would often be mitigated by the bizarre variables of the obstacle courses and bumbling paths of the other contestants. We want players to feel both like they are totally in control while at the same time accepting that there are forces well beyond their control that could just ruin their well-laid plans."

Destiny 2 has been having a rough few weeks. It's not like Bungie didn't bounce back, but it's been rough nonetheless.

Several weeks ago, a potentially catastrophic bug wiped out a lot of data following a very casual afternoon reset-time hotfix. It caused a game-wide panic and Bungie had to take down Destiny 2 for the entire afternoon and evening to fix it. After they identified the problem, accounts were rolled back before the bug. Crisis averted.

Then last week, a potentially catastrophic bug wiped out a lot of data following a very casual afternoon reset-time hotfix. It caused a game-wide panic and Bungie had to take down Destiny 2 for the entire afternoon and evening to fix it. After they identified the problem, accounts were rolled back before the bug. Crisis averted. 

Déjà vu, right? Well, it looks like Bungie has identified the issue and is aiming to not have it happen again.

In a huge blog detailing the incidents, Bungie breaks down how inventory management works server-side, and how back in October the publisher "spun up additional servers" to help with the CPU load of the Shadowkeep expansion. What happened is as follows: "one issue was that a small percentage (less than 1 percent) of these servers would crash on start-up due to the volume of servers overwhelming one of the backing databases. Our workaround for this was to simply manually restart the crashed servers each time we detected this issue, and this appeared to address the problem without any discernible side effects for players."

[Update: The SNES Switch controllers are back in stock in North America this morning. Good luck!]

In an ideal world, everyone who wanted a Super Nintendo controller for Switch would be able to buy one, and we'd have access to hundreds of SNES games with our Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions.

In reality, the SNES-style Switch gamepads have been hard to pin down even for tuned-in fans. If you missed the initial batch, it's been a frustrating exercise full of speculation and false-starts. And as for the games, Nintendo continues to take its time adding more SNES titles to the Switch Online library.

Things aren't going great, in other words, but there's a bit of hope.

While the Super Nintendo controllers are still out of stock, here's the latest update as of January 30, 2020: "This item is currently unavailable. Please check back for more news in February 2020."

I think people would be a lot more patient if they knew they stood a real chance of getting their order placed next time around. For now, though, a vague "come back soon" window is all we can rely on.

If you're open to other options, there's always 8bitdo's SN30 Pro and SN30 Pro+.

Super Mario 64 is one of my go-tos. I just pop that original cartridge in and Chewie...I'm home.

While nostalgia is definitely a powerful force, I actually believe Mario 64 still holds up. Its worlds, while defined by technical limitations at the time, feel perfectly stuffed without resorting to modern day open world bloat. The "one at a time" objectives are suited for pick-up-and-play sessions or long form speedruns. The sound direction is completely joy-filled. It's just an all-around classic.

That's probably why so many modders keep chasing it. That list includes Kaze Emanuar, who recently released a "Super Mario Sunshine 64" minihack out into the world. The gist: it re-captures the magic of Mario Sunshine (a more divisive entry) inside of the engine of Mario 64. If you're interested in the mod itself, it's listed in the description for the YouTube video.

For everyone else, you can watch the short debut video below or watch a lengthier 30-minute developer commentary.

After a surprise launch, a lot of people seem to be warming up to Pokemon Home. It has its limitations (and even hacks to iron out), but for the most part the interface is clean and a lot of Pokemon Bank transfers have gone smoothly. Now that folks are really acclimating to it and have moved everything over, it seems like some users are uncovering special perks: like this new mystery gift.

According to Serebii, players have allegedly been given a special Magearna for their efforts, though it seems like the offer is bugged for some. Well, that, or it could be a hoax. There's a lot of metadata to search through with Pokemon Home, so it's possible that Nintendo is being cautious about hacks and false positives. Rest assured, more people will probably force the issue once a larger number of players finish out that National 'Dex.

If you happen to receive your gift, feel free to confirm it to Destructoid so we can suss this out and why some people are getting one and some aren't. As a reminder, downloading Home will also provide you with gifts by default, and 35 new creatures can be transferred into Sword and Shield.

Serebii.net [Twitter]

The "should Nintendo support a growing Super Smash Bros. pro scene" argument has been raging for some time now. Over a decade actually, if you bring it all the way back to the release and success of Melee.

In recent years though pros are starting to spread to it more and more, including one of the top contenders right now: Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma. Just last month he says sounding off on how he wishes Nintendo supported the pro scene directly, and he used a fresh Smash Summit 9 win this past weekend to give his plea another go.

In the following video shared from his personal YouTube channel, Hungrybox states, "if anyone from Nintendo corporate is watching right now, and sees the excitement these sets can get and everything that goes with it. Give Melee a chance. Even if it's just Ultimate, support the Smash scene in general."

Hungrybox continues, noting "we do it all grassroots," and that "Nintendo, you are the only one who isn't putting money in the scene." He goes on to call it a "shot in the dark," but cites Capcom and Epic Games (with Fortnite) as companies that support their own games with tournaments.

There has been a long-standing disparity between the quality of Switch Online in Japan and the rest of the world.

Sure, it's mostly subtle. For a while, Japan typically got an extra NES game each month with their subscription. They also periodically get free trials of games with that very same subscription: like this new offer that's debuting in Japan first. Shared this morning on the official Nintendo Twitter account, Dead Cells is now free-to-play for Switch Online subscribers for a limited time.

This is part of the Issei Trial system (which also hosted games like Captain Toad), and will run from February 24 through 18:00 JST on March 1. There is no hour limit on this trial, Nintendo says, and saved data can be transferred to the full version of the game. Dead Cells is also 30% off during this run (now 1,736 yen).

Now, the free Dead Cells move is also calculated. The expansion just launched: so the idea is likely to get people hooked on what is ostensibly a great game, then buy in fully. Smart!

Nintendo [Twitter]

Ah, a shortage of a Nintendo product: it almost feels like the default mode, doesn't it?

While the Switch and the Switch Lite (and all their colors and SKUs) have been relatively easy to procure in most parts of the world as of late, Bloomberg is reporting that there could be a "global shortage" of Switch units by as early as April. Right now the hardware is already hard to come by in Japan (on top of all of the waits and lotteries of the past few years), but it's getting worse.

Bloomberg notes the "limited component supply" from China, which is impacting a partner factory in Vietnam, according to sources. Given how much the Switch is selling they expect the current stock to carry them through April, at which point the shortage could begin if things don't shape up in the area. Nintendo is giving their standard corporate answer, stating, "we do not see any major impact on the shipment to the U.S. currently, but we will remain vigilant and take steps if necessary."

But in a follow-up, they admit things could go wrong: "It’s possible the supply would be affected by the virus if it becomes more widespread and prolonged." Bloomberg reminds us that the US is roughly 43% of Nintendo's business, followed by Europe at 27% and Japan at 21% (the latter is still relatively high, especially given the mobile boom in recent years).

Nintendo Is Likely to Suffer Global Switch Shortages From Virus [Bloomberg]

Boy howdy, we've come a very, very long way since that infamously fantastical Rainbow Six Siege demo was first previewed at E3 2014. Since then, Ubisoft's tactical shooter has certainly prospered, as a fairly blah launch has since evolved into one of the most enjoyed multiplayer titles in gaming. This weekend is a perfect example of this, as the best Siege players in the world compete at The Six Invitational tournament in Montreal, in front of an audience of thousands, with many more watching online.

Now entering its fifth year, Rainbow Six Siege is at an important crossroads. 12 months from now, we'll have entered an entirely new generation of gaming, with consoles like the PS5 and the Xbox Series X vying for our attention and wallets. This generation will bring with it a host of new IPs and sequels, all eager to unleash the potential of the powerful new technology on offer.

Ubisoft, however, stated long ago that there are no plans for a Siege sequel. Instead, the development team are will work to simply transition the current game onto the new platforms, taking with it the operators, maps, weapons, gadgets and - hopefully - some 55 million registered players. This pivot to next gen begins now, in 2020, with Siege's incoming content. So let's look at what Years 5 & 6 have in store for Ash, Thermite, Mozzie, Caveira and the rest of the flashbang fanatics.