Eurogamer

Sometimes, it's nice to allow yourself to be surprised by a video game. Heading into The Good Life, I didn't know much beyond it other than it was a life sim from the fertile mind of Hidetaka 'Swery' Suehiro, the creator of cult classic Deadly Premonition and various other shabby, characterful delights, and that it'd enjoyed a couple of not-so-successful runs on crowdfunding before eventually crossing the line on Kickstarter. Beyond that there's been little by way of previews or promotion before its multiplatform release last week.

Which works quite well, really, given its premise: you're a highly strung New York photographer Naomi Hayward, who's somehow inexplicably found herself in a mountain of debt to an English newspaper and so settles down into the town of Rainy Woods (a name that'll be familiar, I'm sure, to fans of Swery's wider oeuvre) to unearth its secrets and earn back some of that cash by taking photos of its people and places. Why exactly are you in debt to an English newspaper, and where exactly is this village whose genesis came from a press trip Swery once made to Hitchin yet that seems to be set somewhere in the imagined ether between Lancashire and Cornwall? Why does everyone in the village turn into a cat or dog on certain evenings?

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Kingdom Hearts series producer Ichiro Hazama has opened up on why the team decided to bring the main Kingdom Hearts trilogy to Nintendo Switch via cloud streaming and not native ports.

In an interview with our friends at Nintendo Life, Hazama said: "For some time, our director Tetsuya Nomura had expressed his desire to deliver the Kingdom Hearts series to Nintendo Switch players, him having seen and heard the demand, and so a great deal of consideration went into this internally.

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We Happy Few developer Compulsion Games is working on a new "narrative, third person, story game".

Talking to Xbox Squad (thanks, VGC), the Canadian developer has reportedly doubled in size since We Happy Few, and is committed to making "unique games in little-used settings".

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Sony will have "a limited amount of PS5 consoles available for customers in the US to purchase direct from PlayStation" next month.

Though signing up at Sony Direct secures neither you a PS5 nor even a definite chance to buy one, it's nonetheless a lifeline for players who've been desperately trying to secure Sony's next-gen system but have yet to do so.

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Last month, developer Techland revealed that its open world survival horror game - Dying Light - would be coming to Nintendo Switch. Bearing in mind its sheer scale and scope, plus the fact that the game targeted 30fps on the much more powerful PS4 and Xbox One, we had to wonder... could this conversion possibly work? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. Dying Light has obvious compromises but the game is content-complete, performance is decent, image quality is better than expected and played in handheld form especially, it's a treat.

To a certain extent, this port bucks the trend - many Switch conversions from the current-gen consoles run at 30fps from source material that ran at 2x frame-rate (an easy way to save on CPU and GPU resources). Meanwhile, resolution often comes crashing down, to the point where upscaling artefacts and blur can cause problems. Then there's the whole concept of an open world with granular detail - a test for Switch's memory, CPU and bandwidth, but an environment that simply has to be delivered with quality on a game like this.

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Respawn has warned Apex Legends players not to strike a pose following a new bug that is crashing games.

Yesterday, Respawn tweeted to players that it has added a new in-game message to "help cut down on crashes [caused] by animated poses", adding players should "tell [their] friends" and spread the word until a fix rolls out next week.

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Ubisoft has revealed the release date of its upcoming PVE co-op game, Rainbow Six Extraction: 20th January 2022.

Earlier this year, Ubisoft delayed both Rainbow Six Extraction and Riders Republic, pushing Extraction to an unspecified day in January 2022.

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Marci - a character from Dota 2's animated spinoff, Dota: Dragon Blood - will be "joining the fight" soon.

Revealed at The International 2021, Marci - who will be a familiar face to those enjoying the show - will prove "some loyalties transcend barriers and take her place amongst the most stalwart heroes in Dota 2".

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When it originally launched in 2001, Severance: Blade of Darkness was known as the game in which you could beat enemies to death with their own limbs. But this grisly little factoid isn't actually true. You can beat enemies to death with other enemies' limbs, which if anything is more depraved, but the idea you can lop a goblin's arm off and then cave in their skull with the bloody end is a myth.

Then again, Blade of Darkness is a game suited to myth. The action RPG developed by defunct Spanish developer Rebel Act Studios has spent much of its existence trapped in a realm of legal limbo. But it has recently been unleashed from its copyright dungeon by publisher SNEG, relaunching on Steam with a slightly abridged title and some much-needed support for modern screens and machines.

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Warner Bros. Games has released a new cinematic trailer for the upcoming Gotham Knights game as part of the DC FanDome event.

The video, below, stars Penguin, who appears to be giving the game's protagonists - Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin and Red Hood - a warning about the Court of Owls, a secret society made up of Gotham City's wealthiest families. There's no gameplay.

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Warner Bros. Games has released a new trailer for Rocksteady's upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

The video, below, is a story trailer called "Ticking". It shows off all four members of the Suicide Squad in the game: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and King Shark, as well as a look at Penguin, "evil" Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and a few other bits and bobs.

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Mojang has announced Minecraft: The Wild Update, the game's big new addition for 2022. This will also include the Deep Dark Biome, delayed from the second half of this year's Caves & Cliffs update.

Details of other features were sketched out today at Minecon Live, where we also heard word that Minecraft's various PC offerings would be brought together as part of one PC launcher.

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Minecraft maker Mojang has big plans for its cave-crawling spin-off Minecraft Dungeons.

Today, at Minecon Live, the developer announced a new update plan for the game named Seasonal Adventures, which will feature both free and premium rewards if you purchase an Adventure Pass.

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Minecraft Java and Bedrock Editions hit Xbox Game Pass for PC on 2nd November, Mojang has announced.

The Minecraft: PC Bundle includes both the Java and Bedrock Editions, it was announced during the Minecraft Live event.

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Join us tonight to watch the DC FanDome event, live at 6pm UK time, in the video below.

DC FanDome is all about upcoming feature films, live-action and animated television series, comics and, most importantly for us, video games.

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With the Analogue Pocket set for release later this year, some new details about the device and future Analogue products has surfaced with the reveal of Analogue OS. Moving away from the basic but functional menu design of prior products, Analogue OS seems to be focusing on bringing quality of life features that could greatly enhance the overall experience.

The library feature is perhaps one of the most interesting aspects. This database of information, accessible directly from the device, was seemingly curated with the goal of identifying any and all variants of a game. For games which have had dozens of revisions, including different regions, the library can provide all relevant information. This could even help identify pirate carts as simply inserting the game into the unit will provide information about that specific cartridge. Knowing how common pirated Game Boy cartridges have become, this could become a quick way to identify legit carts for collectors.

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The complete Crysis Remastered Trilogy launched this week! Building on the existing launch of the original Crysis remaster, both sequels are now added to the mix, arriving on PlayStation, Xbox and Switch consoles - and of course, PC. But how have these remasters changed the game? To what extent can vintage 2011 and 2013 games scale up to today's hardware? And do they still have the graphical wow factor that defined them back in the day?

We'll talk about the PC versions first, as this is where both Crysis 2 and Crysis 3 have received the most love. In this case, I'd highly recommend watching the video embedded below, where Alex Battaglia experiences the maximum joy of having both Crysis and ray tracing once again combined into one glorious whole. But there is actually more to the games that just RT additions alone, certainly in the case of Crysis 2 Remastered.

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Everyone wants extra performance from their PC hardware, right? And that's where technologies like AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), Nvidia's DLSS and Intel's upcoming XeSS are all about - essentially allowing the GPU to render at a lower resolution, then either upscaling or reconstructing to the native output of the display. In a sense, this is new territory for PC, where native resolution rendering was for a long time considered the only way forward. However, in console land, 'smart upscaling' isn't new, really coming to the fore with the launch of PS4 Pro in 2016. PC has embraced similar techniques, but has also spawned its own blend - and AMD's FSR in particular stands apart. So when Team Red asked us if were interested to talk FSR, we jumped at the chance. AMD's approach is different, both in terms of technology and philosophy.

The company that told Sony to "go ahead, sue us" has pulled replacement PlayStation 5 plates from sale after Sony threatened to sue them.

In February, Canadian-based device customisation company Dbrand launched its replacement PS5 plates, dubbed Darkplates, with a brazen attitude towards the prospect of a Sony takedown.

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Valve has banned all blockchain games from Steam.

The developer of Age of Rust, a blockchain game that uses NFTs, took to Twitter to say it had been notified that Steam "will be kicking *all blockchain games* off the platform, including Age of Rust, because NFTs have value".

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It took mere moments for Xbox Series X to enter the pantheon of memes following its December 2019 reveal, when its less-than-delicate heft was widely and enthusiastically compared to a refrigerator. Two years on, the meme still lingers and Microsoft has announced you'll be able to pre-order your very own official Xbox Series X mini fridge starting next Tuesday.

Microsoft initially embraced the Xbox fridge meme (with considerably gusto) last October, when it sent real-life Xbox Series X fridges - described as 6-foot, 400 pound replicas of the console - out to influencers and rapper Snoop Dogg. The gag was resurrected once again this March when Microsoft produced some mini fridge variants of the full-sized design to use as prizes in a promotion for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's new energy drink.

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FIFA has issued a statement following reports its negotiations with EA have hit an impasse, saying it believes football gaming and esports "must involve more than one party controlling and exploiting all rights".

Earlier this week, a report by the New York Times suggested EA's recent surprise announcement that it was "exploring the idea of renaming" its long-running FIFA football game series comes at a time when its licence renewal negotiations with FIFA have stalled as the two parties struggle to agree on specifics.

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N64 and Sega Mega Drive/ Genesis games are coming to Nintendo Switch via the Switch Online expansion pack later this month - and if you want a more authentic experience - you're gonna want to get your hands on Nintendo's new Switch controllers.

Latest - My Nintendo Store has started taking pre-orders for the N64 and Sega Genesis/ Mega Drive Switch controllers. At the moment, both the N64 and Sega Genesis controllers are temporarily out of stock in the UK and the US. We will, of course, update you as soon as they become available again. We will also let you know when the Sega Mega Drive Switch controller goes live in the UK.

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UPDATE 15/10/21: Twitch has released a further statement with regards to the recent data leak, confirming that passwords have not been exposed.

"As we said previously, the incident was a result of a server configuration change that allowed improper access by an unauthorized third party. Our team took action to fix the configuration issue and secure our systems," it reads.

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Following its reveal last month, Nintendo has finally announced launch and pricing details for its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service, which will go live on 26th October.

This premium tier version of Nintendo's current online service will provide access to all features included in the basic tier (that is, multiplayer, NES and SNES games, and cloud saves), alongside exclusive access to a slowly expanding collection of Mega Drive and N64 games - which will support suspend points and, for certain titles, online multiplayer.

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Nintendo has detailed November's big free update coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which will leave 2020's breakout hit at version 2.0.

Available on 5th November, it will contain a bumper crop of new features, improvements and fan-requested quality-of-life tweaks you probably wish you'd had a year ago. Brewster is in, as is fan-favourite Kapp'n, alongside dozens of other improvements and additions all detailed below.

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Twitch recently suffered a major hack where its source code was leaked online. But it's not the first time the streaming platform has been hacked.

As reported by Waypoint, data in the leaked source code contains references - strangely enough - to pizza.

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The first major update for Deathloop has now been released by Bethesda.

The update is available on both PlayStation 5 and PC, and "improves several aspects of the gameplay experience, camera smoothness and NPC behaviours". It also resolves some crashing issues.

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Just over two weeks have passed since we launched our supporter programme on Eurogamer, which means it's time for another podcast especially for you (words I will never stop hearing to Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue's 1989 pop song tune).

In Episode 2 of the Eurogamer Podcast, I'm joined by someone I think of as a shining star of video game writing and narrative design. She is someone who broke into the scene after collaborating with Inkle on the acclaimed narrative adventure 80 Days, a game that unpicks and reinterprets the famous novel by Jules Verne, for the better. It would be nominated for a Best Story BAFTA and eventually win my guest a UK Writers' Guild Award.

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Amazon is clamping down on gold farmers and bots in MMO New World.

Mining and fishing spots have been hoarded by bots to consistently gather new resources and then sell under the current market price. This prevents other players from accessing the spots, but also disrupts the game's economy.

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Hello! Welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've found ourselves playing over the last few days. This time: Painting, typography, and cute animals in space - we are a broad church.

If you fancy catching up on some of the older editions of What We've Been Playing, here's our archive.

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Diablo 2 Resurrected has been suffering from server issues since launch, as previously reported.

Now, Blizzard has shared a detailed blog post to explain why and how they're moving forward.

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You'll have heard the refrain, often down in the comments section of a recently announced indie darling, 'I'll wait for the Switch port'. I am, I'm not proud to say, one of those who's muttered those words to myself more than once, and more often than not the wait's never too long. In Disco Elysium's case, though, it's been some two years - two years, in my case, spent dodging what I'm frequently told is one of the most fascinating RPGs in recent years - one that's got its frustrations, sure, but also one that's full of splendiferously dark delights.

It's a pleasure to say that the Switch port of ZA/UM's dense noir mystery hasn't just been worth the wait - it feels as if playing Disco Elysium in handheld on the go might well be the perfect way to experience this boozy, hilarious and deeply melancholic distant cousin to the likes of Planescape Torment.

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When Child of Light was released in 2014, it was well-received by major outlets and players alike. The game was praised for its gorgeous aesthetic, incredible soundtrack, and a unique and challenging combat system. However, some of the game's criticisms included a lack of character customization, simplistic skill trees, jarring rhyming dialogue, and easy battles. But despite these criticisms, one important point remains: we need more games like Child of Light.

In a Polygon interview with the game's creative director, Patrick Plourde, he explained that the game came about because he wanted to play something with his son. The character of Igniculus, therefore, was meant to be played by a second player. Since this was a game created with a child and a parent in mind, it easily explains the simple skill trees, the fairy-tale story, and the ease of the combat system.

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Metroid Dread has been a critical and commercial success, surpassing all expectations for the return of Nintendo's long-dormant franchise, but some of the people involved in its creation have begun airing their disappointment at not being credited for their work - criticism that developer MercurySteam has now addressed.

As reported by Spanish website Vandal, several former MercurySteam employees recently took to the internet to query their names being omitted from Metroid Dread's credits, despite being involved in the production of the title. "I would like to sincerely congratulate the Metroid Dread team for putting out such an outstanding game," wrote 3D artist Roberto Mejías on LinkedIn. "I'm not surprised of the quality of the game though, since the amount of talent on that team was through the roof. I know this first hand because, despite not being included on the game's credits, I was part of that team for for eight months."

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It's been a rough ride for Paradox Entertainment's long-in-the-works RPG sequel Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, and now the publisher has admitted it almost cancelled the project after its original developer Hardsuit Labs was ditched earlier this year.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, a sequel to developer Troika Games' much-loved 2004 cult-classic RPG, was announced back in 2019 with a PC and console release expected the following year. Sequel-starved fans were delights at the news, particularly after it was confirmed Troika's Brian Mitsoda would assist with writing duties - but first hints of development troubles surfaced later that year when Hardsuit announced the first of several delays.

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Swashbuckling pirates with a generous disposition will soon have another opportunity to simultaneously tart up their ships and donate to a good cause as part of Sea of Thieves' latest charity event, this time in aid of No Kid Hungry.

No Kid Hungry is a campaign run by US nonprofit organisation Share Our Strength and is dedicated to solving problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world, with a particular focus on children.

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Baldur's Gate 3 gets a whopping Steam Early Access update today in the shape of Patch 6. The headline goodies are a new Dungeons & Dragons class to play as - the Sorcerer - plus a whole new area to explore: Grymforge.

I'll explore a few of the additions here, as I had a chance to play them at EGX recently, and then lead into an interview with Larian headmaster Swen Vincke, who I interviewed after the show.

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As Activision continues to be mired in a messy legal battle following the state of California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing's lawsuit alleging sexual discrimination, harassment and a "frat boy" culture at Blizzard, the publisher has dropped its first reveal of the new Zombies mode in its annual Call of Duty release.

In a trailer with background music courtesy of Billie Eilish, we see the continuation of the Dark Aether storyline that was first started by Treyarch in Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War.

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This weekend sees the Pokémon Go fan community finally descend upon Liverpool, for the game's first ever UK Safari Zone. Of course, this event was supposed to happen last year, back in March 2020, but the world had other plans.

Now rejigged as a hybrid event, where players can travel to Liverpool's Sefton Park or play remotely, this revived gathering is another stepping stone back to "normality" for a game which has been forced to make huge changes over the past 18 months - but which has emerged still as popular as ever.

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