Destructoid

Monster Hunter Rise wallpapers? Don't mind if I do!

In classic My Nintendo fashion, the site has put up a very small, all-digital promo for Monster Hunter Rise. Although some games have gotten the physical item treatment, other big titles kind of come and go without it.

I mean, we could get a physical Rise reward at some point! But for now, there's digital wallpapers. Just head on over to the My Nintendo landing page for them, and you can download three wallpapers that fit both a PC desktop and a mobile device. As a heads-up, you can find all of the resolutions you'll get below.

Weird promo aside, I love these, especially the first two that employ a unique chibi style (the third uses the same classic Ukiyo-e motif that the game employs for monster images).

The catch is they're 50 Platinum Points each, if you're down for that. If you need some scratch, you can head to our ultimate guide for My Nintendo points and you'll be good to go in minutes.

[Update: They meant it! If you try and look for Mario 3D All-Stars on the official site, it leads to a 404 when you attempt to buy it digitally. The Super Mario 35 page redirects to the main site and does not exist anymore. Welp! Maybe it'll come back on the next anniversary! Good night, sweet plumber prince!]

The time has come.

We've been talking about it for ages. We knew it was coming! Mario is dead tomorrow. At least, several newish games about him are.

As re-iterated multiple times, Nintendo is putting an end to several Mario titles on March 31. That includes physical and digital sales for Mario 3D All-Stars and physical Game & Watch devices being pulled from sale. Yep, they're even shutting down physical sales and aren't shipping more copies to stores. Savage.

You basically have today to make your peace with it. If you've been wanting to buy All-Stars via the eShop, do it now. If you want to get some final (?) games in with Super Mario 35, do it today. If you're on the fence for a new Game & Watch device, consider it before the eBay prices jump.

Or skip it all and don't play into Nintendo's hand. I can't tell you what to do!

Tripwire Interactive has released the first details for the previously announced DLC expansion to crazy, bloodthirsty "shaRkPG," Manteater. Coming at some point this summer, Maneater: Truth Quest will return to the waves for more over-the-top boat-chomping action.

Following on from the events of the 2020 Shark-'em-up, Truth Quest will venture into the realm of internet conspiracies, as roving reporter Trip Westhaven investigates the growing rumors and theories surrounding the Naval Wildlife Organization. (4 life). Supported by an army of ViewTube followers - or "Questers" - Westhaven embarks upon a boat-rocking journey (literally) to uncover the clandestine government reports of  armored, toxic, and electrically powered sharks lurking in the deep blue.

Today is the day Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan begins its restructuring process, dialing back on both its production and workforce as it refocuses its resources toward Astro's Playroom developer Team ASOBI. As reported by VGC, and in news that is unlikely to be coincidental, Demon's Souls PS5 director Gavin Moore has confirmed that he has left the studio.

"After 24 years at Sony and 18 of those in Japan, yesterday was my last day at [Sony Japan Studio]," said Moore in an emotional goodbye on Twitter. "I will miss the great creative spirit and camaraderie of the studio that was a huge part of my life. Time to seek out new and exciting opportunities!!"

Moore relocated to Japan almost two decades ago to work with Sony Japan Studio, a career which has seen him involved in the development of titles such as Puppeteer, Siren, and The Getaway as an animator, producer, and director. Moore headed up the development of 2020's Demon's Souls remake, arguably one of, if not the best title currently available on PlayStation 5 hardware. Moore intends to continue working in video game development.

April Fools' Day. My Favourite. When your job is writing news, and the annual day of w-w-w-wackiness rolls around, it's frankly a pain in the ass. This is especially true of recent years, when companies have taken to revealing very real products while relishing the idea that the public might not believe them. Let's see if I get through today unscathed.

Still, I'm not without humor, and as such wanted to start the day sharing this fun trailer for Square Enix's upcoming remaster NieR Replicant, which re-purposes the hack 'n' slash adventure as a "slow life sim" in the vein of titles such as Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon. The video sees protagonists Nier and Grimoire Weiss indulging in a spot of crop-growing and animal-rearing, while eavesdropping on the neighbors and enjoying some obligatory fishing. Frankly, I'm all for it, and would gladly take respite from all the slicing 'n' dicing to just spend all my time growing a pumpkin patch. Any marriage options?

You can check out the most cyberpunk farming sim ever made in the video below. Meanwhile, back in pseudo-reality, NieR Replicant will launch on PS4, PC, and Xbox One April 23. And that's no foolin'

Borderlands 3 is still trucking along, with that patented string of Gearbox DLC and monetization.

It's crazy to think that it actually came out in 2019, but here we are, still getting paid add-ons for it. The Director's Cut is on the way, and will add a ton of content like more story missions and a new raid boss. But beyond that, it's also bringing in vault cards and diamond keys. 

The former are basically talismans that add loot and XP bonuses, and are granted via owning the Director's Cut add-on, which is still slated for April 8. "Three" cards are slated for launch "by the end of 2021," and you get the first one day one. Basically, you level up the cards for rewards, just like the system in Marvel's Avengers.

Diamond keys are like a new evolution of golden keys. Billed as a "full room of loot" (not just a chest, like how the golden keys interact with the game), you'll access the "diamond armory" to use them (which has been added to the hub below the bridge). Once you open a chest, you have a specific amount of time to grab one item from it. Then you get a guaranteed piece of legendary gear.

It's all sort of confusing and very skinner box-like: just like Gearbox wants it to be. But at least we know how it works ahead of time.

Vault Cards and Diamond Keys Quick Guide [Borderlands]

The Analogue Pocket, a new machine that can play a breadth of portable games, is delaying shipments due to a shortage of necessary components.

Analogue confirmed in an announcement that the current global state of affairs has created supply chain challenges outside the company's control. The new shipping window for the Pocket is set for Oct. 2021.

"There have been sudden and severe electrical component shortages as well as logistical issues leading to a domino effect of challenges for nearly everyone in the industry," the blog says. It also backlinks two news stories, including one about the Ever Given, the boat that was stuck in the Suez Canal.

Analogue says it is working to get the Pocket out as fast as possible, and that those who pre-ordered and would like to cancel for a full refund should reach out to Analogue Support.

The Pocket was revealed in 2019 as a multi-video-game-system portable handheld. It's set to be able to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games out of the box, and adapters will allow it to play other systems' games, including the Game Gear and Neo Geo Pocket Color. 

It's also set to have the ability to dock and connect to an HDTV, and on the console itself, it will have a 615ppi LCD with 1600x1440 resolution. Basically, a super-powered Game Boy.

Tokyo Game Show is the latest in a growing crowd of industry events that will once again be held online in 2021. As COVID-19 continues to render mass gatherings unsafe environments, the decision was made by organizers CESA, Dentsu, and Nikkei BP to return to an online format similar to that used for the previous TGS event, held back in September 2020.

TGS 2021 will still offer up news and previews of a catalog of upcoming releases, and will offer online interviews between developers and press. The organizers are looking into ways to roll out demos online, and will also host a small, socially distanced, in-person event to allow members of the gaming press to try out games and hardware. Viewers at home will be able to check out all of the action through various social media outlets.

This year will see the Tokyo Game Show celebrate its 25th anniversary, and will run TGS 2021 under the banner theme of "We'll Always Have Games." It's a shame that this marked occasion will have to be held in an online capacity, but it's definitely the right thing to do given the ongoing uncertainty of the current global climate.

Tokyo Game Show 2021 will take place between Thursday, September 30 and Sunday, October 3.

Tokyo Game Show will be online-only in 2021 [Gematsu]

Dr. Grant was right...those "six-foot turkeys" are ferocious.

Going along with the "Primal" theme of this new season, Fornite just added raptors into the mix. Cleverly, they set the whole thing up with eggs littered about the map beforehand, then decided to hatch them via an update. That very same update that added extra stability for the Switch version of the game.

Raptors will roam the map in pairs and add another wrinkle into the survival mix for the main battle royale mode. They're joined by the existing wildlife of wolves, boars, chickens, and frogs: which all can make up various questlines in Fornite that task players with picking up animal bones and taming them for experience.

It took some time for the primal theme to grow on me, but the spire in the middle really adds a lot of character into the mix. I dearly miss a few locations from the last season (the colosseum especially), but it's always good to shake things up.

And raptors randomly roaming around is a shakeup!

Well, it's taken a spell, but the Kingdom Hearts series, (or at least its mainline entries) are now available for purchase on PC. Square Enix released the holy trinity of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind on Epic Games Store yesterday, alongside rhythm-action spin-off Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.

It's a fairly contentious release - I believe y'all call it a "Monkey's Paw" - in that while fans have been clamoring for the iconic crossover franchise to make its PC debut for some time, the Epic Games Store exclusivity is making it a bitter pill for some. Not helping are the unsurprising price-tags, with each title running between $50-$60. It's undeniably great to see these excellent adventures finally available on the PC platform but, at full price, you're looking at the best part of $200 for the complete set. Gawrsh.

Regardless, Square Enix is very pleased with the EGS debut of one of its finest franchises. Series producer Ichiro Hazama released a brief message speaking of his happiness that the legendary series could now be experienced by new audiences, adding to the thousands upon thousands of fans who have enjoyed Sora, Donald, and Goofy's adventures through the magical universes of both Walt Disney and Final Fantasy. They're great games, and absolutely worth checking out. But perhaps leave the EGS iterations to Scrooge McDuck.

Whether it's a game I've played for five minutes or five-hundred hours, I always love hearing about no-brainer tips that are easily overlooked – the kind that are small but impactful over time, and make you do a double-take for failing to notice them. For my fellow Stardew Valley fanatics, here's a big one.

You know how you need to greet/pet your farmyard animals each day to get a little heart and grow your bond so they produce the highest-quality goods? Well, for many of us – especially those of us with more goats, chickens, cows, and pigs than we probably need – the morning ritual can be fussy. The animals can get all bunched-up in close quarters, and it's a little pesky to greet them once (and only once!) so that you don't accidentally bring up their friendship rating menu when you tend to them.

I have painstakingly greeted my animals one by one throughout my hundreds of hours in Stardew Valley. As it turns out, you can just hold the pet/interact button and run up to them – it'll work perfectly. You'll get friendship points with every animal and you won't pull up the dreaded menu.

Here's a demonstration of the trick on PC from Reddit user Boiled_potato8:

Took me ages to realize you could just click and hold the mouse to pet all of the animals from r/StardewValley

How did I not know about this? I could've been more efficient this whole dang time!

The Games Done Quick team has announced that it will once again be hosting its sunny speedrunning event Summer Games Done Quick in July. The event will bring together some of the fastest and... furiousest players from across the globe to compete in a week-long extravaganza of speedrun challenges, tool-assisted chicanery, and fascinating longplays.

As the world remains rocked by the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year's SGDQ will once again be an online affair, with hosts and runners streaming directly from the comfort and safety of their own homes. While GDQ fans are most certainly missing the camaraderie of the event's traditional hotel gathering, the online GDQ events have been no less entertaining and enjoyable in terms of content.

The online setting and difficult world circumstances have also had seemingly no effect on the generosity of the gaming community, who last year donated an amazing $2.3 million USD to non-profit charity Medecins Sans Frontieres. The GDQ team is yet to confirm who will be the beneficiary of SGDQ 2021, but I wouldn't be surprised if they don't return to the global medical and healthcare initiative, as has been the case for several years now.

As I've made it known many, many times before, Summer Games Done Quick is one of my favorite times of the year. Chilling in the sun with good drinks and good games, all for a good cause. I haven't missed it in years, and I don't intend to in 2021. You can check out all of the action yourself when SGDQ 2021 kicks off Sunday, July 4, live on the official GDQ Twitch channel.

I'm sure I wasn't the only fight-fan left both surprised and delighted at last week's news that the cult fighting game series Melty Blood was getting set to make its return. After all, it has been many years since the schoolyard sluggers last stepped into the ring. But it's true, the anime fighting franchise is returning in 2021, with the release of Melty Blood: Type Lumina.

Developer French-Bread has followed up its announcement with a brand new teaser trailer, giving us our first look at the sequel in action. There's a lot of filler here, and unfortunately the heightened presentation style hides much of the action, but we can see Melty Blood's trademark 2D anime visuals, as well as some pretty slick animation and special effects. It's just a start, but it's an encouraging one.

No Man's Sky just keeps growing, with no sign of stopping. Developer Hello Games announced a new update today called the Expeditions update, which brings a set of challenges in a seasonal format to the space exploration sim.

Update 3.3 brings Expeditions to No Man's Sky, which are a new way to start out a journey in a different mode from a regular save file. Every Expedition starts players on a fixed point in the universe, to complete a series of Milestones and goals to win rewards. It also seems like Expeditions are intended to be fairly social events, with players starting on similar planets and specific "Rendezvous Planets" established along the route to create hubs of activity.

Milestones are open-ended and, according to Hello Games, intended to give players a chance to explore different aspects of No Man's Sky. Several Milestones make up each Phase on the Expedition map, with each Phase finished offering a prize, and finishing an entire Expedition yields an additional reward.

These Expeditions are limited-time only, and Hello Games plans on adding new Expeditions regularly. At the end of the Expedition, rewards will no longer be earned and the save will convert to a Normal mode save. Any rewards earned in this mode can be redeemed for free on other saves in any game mode though, so that sick golden spaceship can carry over to your main game.

Yohei Shimbori has left Koei Tecmo. Shimbori has headed up the 3D fighting franchise Dead or Alive for a lengthy 16 years, but has decided to take his leave of the developer/publisher.

"As of today, I have left Koei Tecmo Games," said Shimbori on Twitter (as translated by Gematsu). "I worked on Dead or Alive for 16 years, and while there were times I was pleased, there were also times I was unable to live up to expectations. I would like to take this opportunity to express my utmost gratitude to the many people who have supported and taken care of me. Thank you very much."

It's an honest and candid farewell message from Shimbori, who started with the Dead or Alive franchise as a designer for 2004's Dead or Alive Ultimate, and ends his time with the franchise as the producer/director of 2019's Dead or Alive 6. While I've always been a fan of the pacey, technical, and satisfying fighting mechanics of Dead or Alive, the series has steadily declined into repetition, with DoA 6 going all-in on the shopping cart mechanics.

Ah man, looking at how different publishers handle different Marvel games is night and day.

Some are probably more beholden to the license and answer to the Mouse. Others likely are given more creative freedom. Marvel's Avengers from Square Enix seems to be in a really weird spot, sandwiched between the whims of the MCU and deals with Sony for their Spider-Man exclusive. The game suffered for it, in any case.

Take these two Marvel promotions for instance. Spider-Man just got a free suit this week. Meanwhile, Marvel's Avengers is teasing "new MCU costumes" that you have to pay credits for. Credits that can be earned or purchased outright with real money.

In any case, "nameplates, outfits inspired by the MCU, and a deadly HARM Room hacked by Yelena Belova (that's Florence Pugh's character in the upcoming MCU Black Widow film)" are coming to the game "this spring." It's another in a string of glacial pace updates that a lot of people are tired of waiting for.

On top of the confusing PlayStation upgrade process, it hasn't been a good month for the game. It arguably hasn't been a good year for it.

Marvel's Avengers [Twitter]

505 Games has announced that it now owns the cybernetic slice 'n' dice franchise Ghostrunner, having purchased the new IP from publisher All-In! Games for a mighty €5 million, roughly $5.9 million USD.

The Italian publisher worked alongside All-In! on the initial release of Ghostrunner back in the summer of 2020, but was apparently unwilling to outright purchase the IP for its own catalog. Unsurprisingly, a change of heart came about following Ghostrunner's release, which saw the tower-climbing title recover its production costs in a single day, before going on to shift over 500,000 copies by the end of the year.

Insomniac has done a pretty good job of handling the Spider-Man franchise.

I mean, the first game made some waves, but it doesn't get enough credit for how breezy its open world is. It's the kind of sandbox you can finish in the time it takes to fully complete some other bloated open world romps, and that sort of restraint should be commended.

While some lament the fact that Spider-Man: Miles Morales was shorter, I celebrated it. Once again I found myself hitting that 100% completion mark and not stressing it. The injection of free DLC costumes doesn't hurt either.

As of now, you can grab a new update for Miles Morales, which includes the classic free costume add-on. In this case it's the Advanced Tech Suit, amid "various fixes" for the game itself. Insomniac also flaunts "realistic muscle deformation for select suits," which is a PS5 exclusive feature.

Remember when Microsoft kept touting "the power of the cloud" for basically every presentation? Well, now we just have the power of new consoles to fuel things like realistic muscles.

Insomniac Games [Twitter]

Warner Bros. has announced that its upcoming adaptation of NetherRealm Studios' Mortal Kombat has had its release date pushed back by one week. The martial-arts action-adventure will now launch in theaters and on paid streaming service HBO Max on April 23.

As reported by Variety, Warner Bros. has rearranged the date in order to provide breathing room between MK and kaiju-smasher Godzilla vs. Kong, which hits both big and little screens today. Variety also suggests that Warner Bros. is holding off in anticipation of California relaxing lockdown laws in the coming weeks, which could see an allowance of increased capacity in cinemas. If you fancy cramming yourself into a crowded room with a gaggle of complete strangers at the very earliest opportunity possible, good luck to ya.

It has been a long road to fruition for the Simon McQuoid-directed video game adaptation, which has pushed through production and scheduling woes - as well as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions - to make it to next month's release. While fans were left waiting an extraordinarily long time to see the movie's first trailer, it left many in the kommunity feeling cautiously optimistic that Mortal Kombat will deliver a relatively good time. I don't think anyone's expecting The Dark Knight here, but as long as the action is solid and the journey is fun, then the wait will have been more than worth it.

Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is set to debut on May 25 on PC, PS4, and Switch.

It's great, because these sorts of things can sometimes only hit one platform: and at that point, a wide variety of people (basically everyone) can experience it. And you should! Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is an absolute classic, and bolstered the RPG genre far more than the "Dante from the Devil May Cry series" memes.

You can get a look at a new primer today too, as Atlus just debuted a new trailer called "The World's Rebirth." It helps ease players into the idea of a hellscape Tokyo, and reminds us that the "easier difficulty level of Merciful" is free DLC for all, and that it has suspended save options (anywhere) and Japanese and English voiceovers.

It's a small miracle that SMT III is returning like this, as the treasured PS2 release is something I talk about a lot with folks, but never really get to show them in earnest. At this point Atlus could basically remaster every SMT game and people would eat it up. Persona is the darling, but SMT deserves its day again.

It's a very important day for those who worship at the altar of Isaac. Today sees the long-awaited release of The Binding of Isaac: Repentance, the "final" chapter in the grim, gross, and skin-crawling twin-stick series that has been entertaining freaks 'n' geeks since the franchise' inception back in 2011.

Described by creator Ed McMillen as "the best version" of the unholy roguelike, The Binding of Isaac: Repentance sees the title fine-tuned to as close to perfection as the series can get. Repentance is jam-packed with content, adding new playable characters, paths, and chapters alongside, over 100 new enemies, a new final boss, seven extra challenges, four-player co-op support, and "an impossible number" of gameplay tweaks, mechanic adjustments, and visual improvements.

Earlier this week, Fortnite was running a special "Mystery in Croft Manor" playlist.

The gist is that you'd dive into Lara Croft's crib (who made her Fortnite debut this season) to investigate a mysterious set of artifacts, and end up doing a little puzzle action platformer test in the process. It was short and sweet, but now it's out of the usual playlist rotation as of today.

And that's fine! Because you can still redeem the reward: a Lara Croft spray item. After finishing the questline you're granted access to a code. The code you get is not unique, so you can use now: even after the map is out of the main menu (I just tested it this morning!).

Just head to this page and redeem this code: Z4A33-NLKR2-V9X34-G3682.

Two more veterans from Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan have taken their leave of the company, just one day before the developer/publisher begins its restructure process - which will see the studio shrink its workforce and dial down production, shifting focus to Astro's Playroom developer Team ASOBI.

Shinsuke Saito announced his departure from SIE Japan in a very succinct message on Twitter earlier this morning. Saito is an artist, animator, and character designer, responsible for the creation of popular protagonists such as Kat from the world-bending 2012 Gravity Rush. Saito was also art director for 2017 sequel Gravity Rush 2.

Also leaving SIE Japan is Kentaro Motomura, who has had the prestige and good fortune to be involved with the development of titles such as Bloodborne, Wild Arms, Dark Cloud, and Everybody's Golf. While Motomura did not note any specific plans, he intends on continuing in the field of game development.

Fans of mythic RPG series The Witcher were understandably stoked when they heard that the 2015 release The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt would be making the jump to next-gen platforms. But it seems that hype should be quelled for the time being, as developer CD Projekt RED isn't expecting the port to hit the market until later in 2021.

As clarified by CDPR's PR manager Radek Grabowski, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is confirmed for "the second half of 2021," when the epic adventure will be released as both a standalone purchase for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X, and as a free upgrade for those who already own the original release. (So maybe it grab it on the cheap before then, if you haven't purchased it already.)

The next-gen edition of The Witcher 3 will not only include all previously released DLC content, but it will also come enhanced with ray-traced graphics, significantly reduced load times, and various other technical and aesthetic improvements. While Witcher 3 was a best-seller, and has been played by more than its fair share of monster slayers, this new edition will probably make it worth saddling up for another jaunt through The Continent.

It's getting to be that time in the northern hemisphere. The sun angle is higher, the days are getting longer, baseballs are starting to sprout in the many outfields of America, it's spring! To celebrate surviving the (hopefully only) full Covid winter, GOG is kicking off a spring sale on many of its DRM-free games.

As is usual with these sales, the kick-off comes with a free giveaway, and this time around it's the classic comic-book-based shooter, XIII. From now until Thursday at 9 AM EDT, you can claim the game to keep forever, DRM-free, and forget about that remake that was released last year.

For those with a few coins to spare, there is a flash sale going on to start the sale that will last the length of the giveaway. Included in the flash sale is Moonlighter coming in at a dirt-cheap five dollars.

Some other highlights from the sale:

One more update is coming to indie RPG CrossCode today, as a final send-off for the game. Developer Radical Fish Games announced today that one more small update, included as part of the A New Home DLC, will be the final piece of content coming to the game.

Version 1.4.1 will have three new quests, a couple of arena cups, and new Trade Offers in Rhombus Square. It will also be the final content addition, and the team plans further releases only to fix any remaining bugs or issues. But while this marks the end of over nine years of development on CrossCode, there's still more on the horizon for Radical Fish.

The team confirmed that it is currently prototyping its next game, currently called Project Terra. While it will be an action-RPG with a "gameplay mix similar to CrossCode," it will be in a new setting and story.

Here's a WIP sneak peak of @RadicalFishGame's #ProjectThatNeedsAHashtag's aesthetic and rendering. 2,5D is working excellent here I think.#gamedev #indiedev #pixelart pic.twitter.com/4RKRF2LJhh

In a free update out today on PC and coming in a few weeks to PlayStation 4, Amnesia: Rebirth has an alternate game mode for anyone who wants a lighter, less deadly horror-adventure experience.

Similar to SOMA's Safe Mode, Amnesia: Rebirth's Adventure Mode will let you soak in the "narrative, atmosphere, story, and theme, without having to worry about monsters attacking." Going a step further, Frictional has also "brightened up" the darkest environments for navigation and mood reasons.

Here's a lighting comparison for the two modes straight from Frictional Games:

That's not to say so you can't get in your own head and freak yourself out anyway – the vibe is still described as "unnerving," and the monsters still exist – but it'll be more tolerable. On that note, Adventure Mode strips out the fear mechanic, so you can even take your time in poorly-lit areas. That said, don't get too bold – monsters won't let you "attack or annoy them" without repercussions.

Amnesia: Rebirth as it originally existed will continue to be playable in a so-called Original Mode.

I'm beginning to look at the monthly Games with Gold lineups less out of real interest and more out of fleeting morbid curiosity. There's no denying that Xbox has been killing it with the Game Pass library lately... and by "killing it," I mean Games with Gold – it's really been suffering. It's a lot of filler titles.

For April 2021, Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass ultimate are getting four freebies:

• Vikings: Wolves of Midgard (April 1–30)
• Dark Void (April 1–15)
• Truck Racing Championship (April 16–May 15)
• Hard Corps: Uprising (April 16–30)

Just follow these links to queue up the games as needed.

As a refresher, Vikings is a middle-of-the-road action-RPG that can be straightforward fun with the right mindset. You know the one. Dark Void, a jet-boosting sci-fi shooter, is a reminder of Capcom's wild Western-centric approach to greenlighting games in the Xbox 360 era. Truck Racing Championship is a sim racer, and I remember enjoying Arc System Works' run and gun Hard Corps: Uprising at the time.

Everyone loves a good brawl from time to time, and in the world of Fire Emblem Heroes, perhaps no nobility is up for the ruck as much as Princess Dagr, who joins the mobile battler this week as its newest Mythic Hero.

Debuting in Fire Emblem Heroes itself, Dagr is the twin sister of Nott and the youngest princess of the kingdom of Jotunheimr. Bedecked in regal splendor and wielding a mighty, full-length battle-axe, Dagr hopes to use her fighting spirit and prowess in battle to prove to her mother that she should be next in line for Jotunheimr's throne, stepping ahead of her older and more demure and thoughtful sibling.

[Update: Insomniac moves quick! The 60fps update for Ratchet & Clank on PS5 is live ahead of schedule. Just update your PS4 game to 1.08, and enjoy – there's "no setting to change" in a menu.]

In a move that PS5-owning Ratchet & Clank fans had been calling for, Insomniac Games is going to update 2016's PlayStation 4 title Ratchet & Clank to hit 60 frames per second when played on a PlayStation 5. The free update is planned to go out in April, which, oh shit, is already almost here.

Ratchet & Clank (2016) will be playable in 60 FPS on PS5 after a new update in April! As part of the Play at Home campaign, download the game for free now through 3/31. #RatchetPS4https://t.co/Iw6CMNByFU pic.twitter.com/VEFiW3IMWK

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) March 29, 2021

Asked if there would be any extra DualSense integration, Insomniac simply pointed to the upcoming Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Between the free giveaway for Play At Home 2021 and now this update, it's clear that they're looking to refresh everyone and roll right into the new PS5 game in June.

Publisher Koei Tecmo has proudly announced that the combined shipments of its JRPGs Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout and its sequel, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy, have hit one million combined shipments since the titles' respective 2019 and 2020 releases.

Alongside developer Gust, Koei Tecmo revealed the milestone on its official Twitter, accompanied by new artwork of cheerful protagonist Resalin "Ryza" Stout literally jumping for joy. The publisher also announced that both titles will receive a special celebratory DLC skin, to be released at a later date... Are they gonna charge for it? Surely they aren't gonna charge for it...

The Atelier Ryza titles follow the exploits of Resalin, as the young girl and a party of pals embark on high-fantasy adventures. The two games place an emphasis on crafting, combat, and alchemy, and have received praise from both critics and fans for their strong characters and engaging visual design. Both Atelier Ryza releases are available now on PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

If you've been holding off on playing the latest Hitman, this week might be a good opportunity to test the waters. Hitman 3 is getting a free starter pack, which includes two locations and a time-limited trial of Hitman 3's first major locale, Dubai.

The Hitman 3: Free Starter Pack includes the ICA Facility and Hawke's Bay, the tutorial levels from Hitman (2016) and Hitman 2. Dubai, the first location of Hitman 3, will also be available in the starter pack from March 30 through April 5. In a blog post, IO says it will also be releasing more free content to the pack for a limited time in the future.

Hitman 3 launched earlier this year as the conclusion to IO Interactive's rebooted Hitman trilogy. It was fittingly filled with plenty of global intrigue and goofy assassinations, and was quite the send-off for Agent 47.

Though it has had some level transfer troubles on PC, most of the wrinkles seem to have been ironed out between the platforms. It's worth doing so too, because as engaging as Hitman 3 was, the previous two games' levels still stand tall. Locales like Sapienza, Paris, and Mumbai still stick out to me.

Lidia Sobieska, the Prime Minister of Poland, is now available in Bandai Namco fighter Tekken 7, following several weeks of hype and fan fervor. Already the pugilistic politician is making her impact felt, quite literally, thanks to her mastery of karate, which she has been perfecting since childhood.

Ms. Sobieska's mocap actor, Tatsuya Naka, has released a video showcasing footage taking at some of the martial-arts expert's motion capture sessions. It's a rare sight, as not all Tekken characters go down the mocap route. But it's pretty fascinating to see Naka demonstrate his exceptional skill both in the studio and in his school, before we see some of his strikes and holds juxtaposed with Lidia wrecking heads in the digital world.

Balan Wonderworld is out, and the reception has been...interesting, to say the least.

While it's extremely clunky and has myriad design issues, I think most people will agree that the soundtrack rips. It feels like a true AAA score, with a full orchestra and bolstered by several collaborations, including the artist Marasy.

Thankfully, Square Enix put out a free "mini album" for the game that you can listen to for free. It consists of five tracks, all of which are on Spotify. You can also listen to a few beautiful piano tracks performed live by Marasy below.

I can't stress enough how great they are, and it's a shame that the game didn't turn out as well as it could have. The second track in particular wouldn't feel out of place in a Lupin the Third anime film, and reminds me heavily of some of the more memorable game scores in recent years, like Sega's Rhythm Thief.

However this game's legacy ends up, I bet a lot of people will be talking about the soundtrack for years to come. Expect our review of Balan Wonderworld from CJ very soon.

Balan Wonderworld Preshow [Spotify]

We're still a couple of months out from the launch of Arc System Works' guitar wailin' fighter Guilty Gear Strive, which is set to launch in early June on PS4, PS5, and PC. But PlayStation fans who pre-order either the Deluxe or Ultimate editions of the new sequel can knock a few extra days off of their calendar, thanks to an accompanying Early Access bonus.

Pre-ordering GG Strive in its Deluxe or Ultimate format will allow you to jump into the action a full three days ahead of the title's official June 11 release date. Additionally, ArcSys has announced that this Early Access period will be chock full of content, offering all 15 playable characters, (including I-No and Anji Mito), each fighter's respective story mode, and all online modes, so you can start labbing from the get-go. And with a fighter as complex as Guilty Gear, you're gonna need all the practice you can get. This Early Access period is strictly for the PlayStation editions of the game. Sorry, PC users.

It should also be noted that the Deluxe and Ultimate editions of GG Strive ain't cheap, weighing in at around $85 and $100 respectively, (Get used to those prices, kid), but they do offer additional bonuses such as exclusive character colors, a digital soundtrack, custom themes, and the GG Strive Season Pass, securing the first wave of post-launch characters - where are you, Baiken?

CD Projekt published a series of informational slides on Twitter today, alongside a YouTube video, outlining its future plans for the company and its brands, including The Witcher and Cyberpunk.

At the outset, CD Projekt says it plans to expand its online presence and build out both The Witcher and Cyberpunk franchises through "core gaming extensions" (like mobile) and partnerships, including TV series and merchandise. The publisher also says it plans to move into parallel AAA game development starting in 2022. The company has also invested in Digital Scrapes, a Vancouver-based studio that will bolster its other studios.

pic.twitter.com/1AEja0sOI5

— CD PROJEKT IR (@CDPROJEKTRED_IR) March 30, 2021

"We are planning to build cross-functional teams to work on both IPs," said Pawl Zawodny, Head of Production and CTO at CD Projekt, in one slide. "These teams will blend disciplines and expertise, so we have closer communication and skill sharing going on from the beginning. Cross-functional teams allow different aspects of development to run in tandem without complication."

At this point, I have a decent collection of Switch cases.

I display them the old fashioned way: by fanning out the original packaging in classic fashion. But every so often I get the itch to show them more elegantly, and I'm tempted by these new goodies from Retro Fighters.

Called the "Retro85 Mini NES cartridge Switch game cases" (mouthful!), they're billed as "individual Switch game card cases stylized as classic NES carts." A set comes with eight carts in all, which can display one game per cart; and a giant case within a case to hold all those cases (I heard you like cases).

I'm probably going to hold off on getting these as it's a bit of a novelty; but if I had a more extensive Switch library to show off, I'd definitely get them to publicly display as part of a collection. The gall of using a giant case to hold one tiny cart is tempting.

Retro Fighters Retro85 Mini NES Cartridge Switch Game Cases [Amazon]

For PS4 and Nintendo Switch owners who simply cannot get by without a spot of the old rip 'n' tear, Limited Run Games has announced a new physical release, collating three titles from id Software's game-changing shooter series, Doom.

Doom: The Classics Collection will be made available in three formats. The Standard Edition will include a boxed disc/cartridge containing original releases Doom, Doom II, and Doom 3 and will retail for around $40 USD. A Special Edition also adds numerous bonus items including art prints for all three titles, steelbook casing, a keychain, an 8GB USB device styled after a floppy disk, a metal replica of an in-game keycard, and a reprint of the 1996 Doom comic book. This edition will retail for around $80.

I've been playing Fortnite weekly for...a long time now, and generally, I favor the Switch.

Fortnite has been one of my go-to "wind down" games at night, and my wife and I play together portably basically wherever we want. A few missions here, some battle progress there, it's a good chill out experience. I just got another Victory Royale last night, actually!

But while it is fun for sure, the Switch port has been lagging behind since it launched. Muddy visuals and an unstable framerate are mostly to blame, but those are hopefully being addressed today with a rather massive update specifically for the Switch edition.

It's bringing up the resolution to 1170x660 in handheld form and 1560x880 in docked form, which is a 38% increase in pixels for the former, Epic Games says. It'll also grant Switch users 140MB of extra storage space (compression), and these changes will enable a "consistent framerate."

Here's the full rundown from Epic: "So what does this mean for Switch players? The update provides significantly improved resolution both in handheld and docked modes, resulting in images that are less blurry, without loss of performance. The update also provides a more consistent framerate, with fewer hitches, resulting in a smoother experience overall."

Good! It's been lingering for far too long, especially in light of the PS5 and Series X upgrades.

You can get a look at the upgrade below, with the old visuals on the left and the new ones on the right. Notice the extra details like the individual leaves on the tree.

Performance boost [Epic Games]

Remember when Team Ninja said it was "looking into" reports of Nioh 2 crashes on PC? Well, they looked into it!

Ironically, the bug was introduced with a prior patch, leaving Team Ninja to scramble and find a fix for it. That very fix has been implemented as of now, as part of version 1.27.1. These changes have been applied to the Steam/PC and PS5 editions of the game.

It's not a super exciting patch, as everything is intended to squash issues entirely. I'm talking crashes (including a rare one when folks were "raising their level to 750 while using a mouse" - obscure!), and just plain old random crashes. There's three separate bullet points for crash fixes, and one of them was triggered "in certain environments." That sounds...common!

The PS5 fixes involve "other minor bugs," but also address 120FPS problems where "certain enemies" were going crazy when the framerate was jacked up. Ah, designing frame-perfect action games isn't easy!

Team Ninja [Twitter]