Our Street Fighter history series continues with a look at the time Capcom copied the copycats

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The Commissioner sure is doing a great job

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Sony Interactive Entertainment has partnered with four organisations dedicated to providing economic opportunities for Black communities. ...

Valorant’s esports scene is really starting to flourish. At the center of it all is Riot Games’ Valorant Champions Tour, a year-long event divided into three stages, each with its own set of three qualifications. Stage 1 is just about to reach its “Masters” event following three hugely exciting qualifiers.

There’s a bit of a caveat, however: Masters are supposed to be international affairs where the very best teams from around the world compete against each other. But as a result of COVID-19 and the knock-on effect of not being able to host LAN events, Masters Stage 1 has been limited to an online, domestic tournament. It’s basically a glorified version of what we’ve seen already in Challengers (the qualification stages).

Thankfully, though, Riot has today confirmed that Masters 2 will mark the game’s very first international event, and the developer has picked a dramatic location to kick things off: the tournament will be hosted in Iceland, and it will take place later this spring at the Laugardalshöll arena, May 24-30.

The tournament will be a LAN event, though without any live audiences. Fans will be able to tune in online via Twitch and YouTube.

Perhaps the only disappointing aspect of the announcement is that just 10 teams will be competing. Huge regions like NA and Europe only have two slots. In fact, Europe has somehow been bundled in with CIS and Turkey, meaning that an enormous number of teams will be scrapping it out for the chance to go.

The announcement comes by way of a trailer reveal from Riot, teasing some of the excitement to come.

2019's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint will receive further updates and content into 2021, Ubisoft has confirmed. Writing on Twitter, Ubisoft started off by thanking fans for their feedback and support over the past year-and-a-half.

This feedback informed how the developers went about fine-tuning Breakpoint to bring it more in line with what players wanted to see. Looking ahead to the future, Ubisoft said it has "exciting content" in the works for the months ahead, including some surprises.

"We are designing the future of our game based on your feedback and throwing in a few surprises into the mix," Ubisoft said. "We will be sharing more details about what is to come in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint in 2021 soon."

A roadmap for this new Breakpoint content will be released in the coming weeks, so players can expect that sometime in March, it seems.

Ubisoft supported Breakpoint with free and paid DLC since launch, while the game also featured crossovers with other Ubisoft franchises like Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six. Outside of that, Breakpoint hosted a Terminator event that brought the T-800 to the game.

"We want to thank everyone again that took the time to give us feedback and helped us get Ghost Recon Breakpoint to a state we hope you all appreciate and enjoy," Ubisoft said.

Forever Entertainment will work on a Square Enix IP and release remakes of its entries.

The post Panzer Dragoon Remake Developer Working With Square Enix appeared first on Siliconera.

The battle royale game Apex Legends released more than two years ago, but it's still setting records. The free-to-play game from the developers of Titanfall surpassed 198,000 concurrent players on Steam recently, setting a new high watermark for the game.

SteamDB had Apex Legends at a peak concurrent player figure of 198,235 at the end of February. The game is showing strong growth, as Apex Legends' peak concurrent player number rose by around 70,000 compared to January, according to SteamDB (via PC Gamer).

These are massive numbers, but they don't even capture the full extent of Apex's reach. The battle royale game is also available on Origin, where it presumably has a sizeable playerbase.

The success seems to suggest that Apex's Season 8 helped bring more players into the fold to check out the new hero, Fuse, and duke it out on the new version of the King's Canyon map.

Apex Legends originally launched in February 2019 but it didn't come to Steam until November 2020. The game is a chart-topper on Steam, consistently ranking in the top 10 most-played games on the platform.

The ongoing success of Apex Legends is helping publisher Electronic Arts in a big way. The company said in its latest earnings briefing that Apex Legends experienced a 30% growth in new players year-over-year, while its various microtransactions helped EA make billions from in-game purchases.

"As you may have noticed, we had a ton of issues to kick off the year stemming from the locking-down of [co-creator Andrew Spinks'] entire Google account in early January. After a month of pushing (and with the immense support of our fans), Google finally reached out and was able to provide a lot of transparency around the situation and to restore access to all of our accounts.

Due to the hard work the Stadia team has put in - as well as our partners at 505 Games - we have decided that we will allow the upcoming launch Terraria on Google Stadia to proceed. The Terraria Stadia build is based on the DR Studios 1.4.0.5 (latest) build, and is currently at Google for certification review."

“I was impressed that it only took four years,” Danielle, self-identified ex-cult member, 34, said on a phone call. This was a few days after Joe Biden’s inauguration, and we were talking about the previous week of SOS social media posts from wide-eyed QAnon followers, like a TikToker propped up on a pillow, pleading,…

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If you're looking for a new game to play on PC, you'll want to check out Fanatical's Spring Sale. The annual sale just went live with deals on thousands of games, including Persona 5 Strikers, Monster Hunter World, Rainbow Six Siege, Resident Evil 3, and much more. Some of the discounts are only available for a short window, so you'll want to check back in the coming days for refreshed flash deals.

Like most Fanatical sales, you'll get rewarded by spending a certain amount of money. In the Spring Sale, if you spend $10 in one transaction you'll receive a free game. A handful of games are up for grabs, including This War of Mine: Final Cut, Beat Cop, and Tomb Raider: Chronicles.

Most of the deals in Fanatical's Spring Sale can be redeemed on Steam, while the remaining deals can be claimed on publisher clients such as Ubisoft's Uplay. Standout Ubisoft deals include Anno 1800 for $17.69, Rainbow Six Siege for $7.39, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey's Ultimate edition for only $27.59.

Snoop Dogg's love for Madden is well-documented, but the rapper didn't exactly have a good time streaming the game recently. Fourteen minutes into his most recent Madden stream, after the opposing team scored three unanswered touchdowns in the first half, Snoop decided that he'd had enough.

However, it appears that the mind behind such infectious hits as "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Gin & Juice" forgot to end the steam, as the broadcast continued for the next seven hours and change with no footage whatsoever. Viewers were regaled with a mixture of soul and funk classics for hours and hours. Snoop's fans continued to bombard the stream chat with memes and emojis for the entirety of that time, with several suggesting that he should "get some mods" to help with the technical mix-up.

Snoop's stream description of "sit back, relax, and chill, it's a vibe in here" seems particularly ironic now, given how the stream ended. That said, the fact that Snoop's fans were willing to sit there for hours amusing themselves to the tunes of James Brown demonstrates the rapper's endless appeal. Let's hope he can at least make it through an entire game next time.

Hold on tight, shit’s getting weird

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Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S, the Switch version of the Vocaloid-themed Picross-like puzzle game, is apparently on the way soon.

The post Hatsune Miku Logic Paint Switch Port Will Appear ‘Soon’ appeared first on Siliconera.

I’m something of an apologist for Superman on the N64. No, I’m not about to claim it was good -- it definitely wasn’t. It was an abysmal void of despair where a game should be. However, I often argue that it’s not the worst game ever like some people claim. It wasn’t even the worst game on the N64. It wasn’t even the worst game developed on the N64 by Titus. No, Titus had a special talent for pumping garbage water from the bottom of the well. I have a mantra about Titus: “It ain’t no fun if there’s a fox on the box.”

The publisher was responsible for bringing us such questionable N64 titles as Xena: Warrior Princess: The Talisman of Fate, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and Carmageddon 64. But whereas Xena and Hercules are, uh, playable, to put it charitably, Carmageddon 64 is the deepest pits. It’s like getting your shoelace stuck in the world’s slowest escalator; it may sound like an easy thing to avoid, but if you try to ride it out, you’re in for a very slow, painful, and embarrassing death.

Actor Joel McHale recently appeared on the video game podcast Good Game Nice Try, opening up about his own video game tastes and even jokingly pitching his own game concept. The lengthy chat included thoughts on Madden, character creators, and a game McHale calls "Wine Cellar."

McHale calls himself an old man and pokes fun at his own skill level, though he does say that he was pretty good at Battlefield games a few years back. He also said that those seeking to learn football should just play Madden for a month, because the complexity of knowledge about plays and options took him years to learn when he actually played football in real life. They also discussed character creators, which McHale said he doesn't really bother with despite being "deeply concerned" about his appearance. But while he plays shooters and horror games, his real dream seems a lot more relaxing.

"I'd like a video game wine cellar, where you go into a cellar and start popping open super expensive bottles that you could not afford in real life," he said. The goal of the game, he said, is to drink it all before 12 noon. Later, he mentioned that Wine Cellar multiplayer would consist of friends vomiting while he puts on an album.

McHale is known primarily for starring in the sitcom Community and hosting the talk show The Soup, though he has also hosted video game events like the 2013 Spike Video Game Awards and the 2010 Ubisoft E3 press conference. Good Game Nice Try is hosted by Aaron Bleyaert of Conan O'Brien's Clueless Gamer segments, and Twitch streamer Sonja Reid aka OMGitsfirefoxx.

Asked for his best and worst game moments, McHale just took a moment to appreciate the medium itself. "Every day one gets to play a video game, that's a good day," he said.

Apple’s AirPods Pro and the Google Pixel 4a 5G lead Monday’s best deals.

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A professional Vtuber interviews her creation

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Smaller developers are showing that crunch-free games are possible

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Communities and side hustles have emerged from the high demand for Sony’s new console

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The two Minecraft YouTubers of Heat Waves aren’t dating, but they don’t mind the fantasy

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Live your best life

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A new way to customize your Spartan in Halo 3 is coming to the game more than 13 years after it was originally released. 343 Industries has announced that it's taking a page out of Fortnite's book with its own version of back bling for another way to customize your solider.

"Back attachment" gear is coming to Halo 3 in The Master Chief Collection with the Season 6 update. The attachments are purely cosmetic, and they're meant to give you yet another way to customize your character to stand out on the battlefield.

The new back attachments, which can be unlocked by simply playing the game, include the Tactical pack, the Demolitions pack, the Communications pack, and the Ammo pack, among others. The Ammo pack looks the best to me thanks to its huge knife at the bottom.

Another one, which wasn't announced in 343's blog post but is available in the Season 6 beta test, is the Sword and Board (see below), along with one called Pulaski. This one is a big firefighter's axe--you can see it in the game in UberNick's YouTube video.

Destiny 2's top-tier PVP activity was forced offline at the weekend after a popular method to fix matches was suggested to have affected around 50 per cent of players on flawless runs (where teams hit the mode's goal of a seven-match streak).

Via its Bungie Help Twitter account, Destiny 2's developer said it had pulled the mode yesterday evening for the remainder of its weekly rotation due to an unspecified "issue" - though fans were quick to guess why.

Frustration at the state of Trials of Osiris, the game's sweatiest and most competitive mode, has been growing for some time. Players have long complained of cheating, team carrying, poor matchmaking and the sheer amount of effort (seven consecutive match wins) required to grind out its best rewards.

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Today FuRyu released a brand new trailer of its upcoming JRPG Caligula 2, or The Caligula Effect 2 as it’s going to be called in the west.

The trailer focuses on Machina, one of the musicians that guard the virtual world of Redo and that will oppose our drive to freedom.

The reason behind is name is likely obvious, and he’s voiced by Shun’ichi Toki. His music is composed by kemu and we get a sample of that in the trailer, which you can watch below.

The Caligula Effect 2 has recently been revealed and it’ll be released in Japan on June 24 for PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

Western gamers will have to wait a bit longer, but we already know that it’s coming to North America and Europe in Fall 2021 for the same platforms, courtesy of NIS America.

The full soundtrack will contain 4 CDs with over a hundred BGMs in total!

The post Monster Hunter Rise Original Soundtrack Will Land This May appeared first on Siliconera.

The Sinking City developer Frogwares is asking players not to buy the Steam version of the horror title. ...

Today Bethesda and Arkane Lyon revealed a brand new trailer of the upcoming time-bending assassination game Deathloop.

The trailer stars game director Dinga Bakaba as he explains pretty much what the game is all about, introducing its characters and concepts.

You can watch the video below, and start planning on how to get your targets in the same place to defeat the time loop.

Deathloop is coming on PlayStation 5 and PC on May 21, 2021. We already know that the console exclusivity for PlayStation 5 is timed.

You can read an official description below, and check out the latest trailer from a few days ago.

Horizon Forbidden West is still on track for release on PS5 and PS4 later this year, according to the most recent games trailer from Sony. The trailer suggests the sequel will launch in the second half of 2021, while also featuring the most up-to-date release information for Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Gran Turismo 7.

The trailer in question (captured by IGN) features the recently revealed June release date for Insomniac's latest Ratchet and Clank adventure and the omission of a 2021 release window for Gran Turismo 7, suggesting that the "anticipated second half 2021" caption for Horizon Forbidden West is equally accurate. You can see the trailer below, which shows off some clips from the anticipated sequel that Sony debuted with the game's announcement.

Mastering Rainbow Road on the Switch is one thing, but what if you could set up your own terrifyingly treacherous Mario Kart course for whatever's lying around in your own home? That's part of the dream behind Mario Kart Live Home Circuit, which is now on sale for £80.

Of course, I may be over-estimating the capabilities there, considering Martin found it to be a "glorious toy hemmed in by a few key restrictions" in his Mario Kart Live Home Circuit review. Nevertheless, this cool bit of tech is the cheapest it's ever been - so that might be enough to finally tempt you with a purchase.

You'll find the offer available at both Amazon UK and Game. Currently, both the Mario and Luigi versions are available. The Mario edition has sold out a lot quicker in the past (soz Luigi) so expect that one to have gone first if you're looking a bit later in the day.

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Many of these critters will probably be familiar to you

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Batman, kaiju, dragons, and more

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Today Bandai Namco released a new trailer of the upcoming cross-generation JRPG Scarlet Nexus.

The trailer focuses on the Others Suppression Force (known as OSF) with director Kenji Anabuki, producer Keita Iizuka, and art director Kouta Ochiai providing more information on how the organization operates.

We also get to take a look at battle gameplay and at the characters who we’ll meet and call our companions within the OSF.

You can take a look below.

If you’re unfamiliar with the game, here’s how Bandai Namco describes Scarlet Nexus.

“In the far distant future, a psionic hormone has been discovered in the human brain, granting people extra-sensory powers and changing the world as we know it.

As humanity enters this new era, deranged mutants known as Others begin to descend from the sky with a hunger for human brains. Impervious to conventional weapons, those with acute extra-sensory abilities, known as psychics, are our only chance to fight the onslaught from above and preserve humanity.

Since that fateful day psychics have been scouted for their talents and recruited to the Other Suppression Force, humanity’s last line of defense.

In Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, it feels like you'll want to always keep an eye on your goals and maintain a balanced schedule.

The post Preview: Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town Prioritizes Plotting appeared first on Siliconera.

Odds are good that your “Liked Songs” playlist on Spotify is a mishmash of genres and artists that don’t exactly flow together. Personally, I don’t necessarily want to listen to songs from Gorguts, Megan Thee Stallion, and the Spirited Away soundtrack back-to-back-to-back. No DJ in their right mind would program that…

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Former Bethesda Softworks developer Matthew Picioccio recommends five video games that will hone your computer science skills and get you thinking like a programmer. ...