The headline addition coming in Animal Crossing New Horizons’ Summer Wave 2 update is the fireworks festival. Every Sunday in August, Isabelle, your villagers, and even Redd will show up outside your Town Hall to take in the colorful explosions in the sky.
Dusty mook-tormenting simulator Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has finally had its much-awaited Peace Day, as players achieved full nuclear disarmament last night.
For the first time since its 2015 release, not a single player had possession of a nuclear weapon. Enough people chose to destroy them that there were simply none left. The result is the unlocking of a new celebratory cutscene, which you can see below thanks to a YouTube user known as Steff.
Image: FromSoftware/Activision
Free update arrives this October alongside Stadia launch
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll be able to play as an almost-vampire. His name is Astarion, and he’s technically a vampire spawn rather than a fully-fledged blood sucker, but like vampires across all sorts of fantasy media, he can’t go into places without being specifically invited and, more importantly, he can’t cross running water. Unfortunately for Astarion, there just so happens to be a large river right next to where you spawn in the very first section of Baldur’s Gate 3. According to the game’s lead systems designer, Nick Pechenin, it’s possible to kill the poor vamp within 15 seconds of spawning in.
Click here to watch embedded media As you've probably heard, Ghost of Tsushima is a wonderful game that immerses you in the beautiful, yet bleak, war-torn lands of 13th century Japan. Jin Sakia's adventures through Tsushima are interesting tales of loss and war, and subsequently were a lot of fun to break down now that we've beat the game.
Join Matt Miller, the game's reviewer, Joe Juba, and me as we breakdown the highs and lows of Sucker Punch Studio's epic samurai adventure.
As always, I need to emphasize that we SPOIL everything about this game including the end boss fight, the ally missions, and the fates of all the characters you know and love. If you haven't beat Ghost of Tsushima yet, I highly recommend you do, bookmark this page, and come back when you're ready as we'd love to hear what everyone thought about the game!
If you enjoyed the video and want more coverage of Ghost of Tsushima, be sure to check our spoiler-free tips, the written review, and the video review!
Well here's something of a surprise - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is getting a free update, adding several new features and even some new clothes for Wolf. Probably about time he changed out of those robes.
Announced via the official Sekiro website, the new update arrives on 29th October for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, and brings a couple of intriguing new features. The first are "Reflections of Strength", which allow players to rematch previously defeated bosses in single and consecutive battles (accessed via any sculptor's idol). According to the Activision blog, reflections are a good way to practice for Gauntlets of Strength, which are "single-life challenges that will truly test only the bravest warriors", in which dying once will send Wolf straight back to the beginning of the gauntlet. Good, I was thinking Sekiro was a bit easy.
If you want to be a true exhibitionist, the new Remnants feature will help you there, as players will be able to take 30-second recordings and upload them (with an optional written message) to help guide others. Community members can watch and rate these recordings, and if the feedback is positive, the recording creator will have their "HP recover for free".
A free Sekiro update will arrive in October 2020 and will add a boss rush mode and the ability to share Remnants.
The post Free Sekiro Update Will Appear in October 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.
NetherRealm Studios has finally revealed the first of its promised DLC skin packs, which will be winging their way to owners of Mortal Kombat 11 expansion pack Aftermath.
The Summer Heat Skin Pack - launching August 6 - includes a barbecue outfit for Baraka, which outfits the Tarkatan warlord in a chef's hat, apron, and a link of sausages. Also bundled is a lovely summer outfit for Kitana, which features an ornate robe, mask and hat, and a gaudy Stars and Stripes suit for gunslinger Erron Black. In addition, a new skin for Johnny Cage, which outfits the superstar in an all-gold ensemble, is available right now.
Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney has branded Apple and Google "exploitative" for imposing a 30 percent store fee on their respective mobile marketplaces. ...
From Software has announced that an update is coming to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice with a target date of October 29.
A free update is scheduled for "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice" that adds a few new features. Whether you're familiar with Sekiro or have yet to play it, we hope this update brings some small joy. Please check the link for details. Thank you for your support. https://t.co/QDqfXZrVKe pic.twitter.com/YdU8QaPZ3J
— FROMSOFTWARE (@fromsoftware_pr) July 29, 2020
The update includes the option to fight previously defeated bosses in single and consecutive battles in the "Gauntlet of Strength". While there are not many details on this, it sounds like... a boss rush mode? This could be a cool way to shatter your enemies over and over and over and... over! Take that, Guardian Ape!
There are some new looks for The Wolf available as well, with in-game requirements to unlock them. Should be cool, especially for when you're doing the final part of the update, which is...
Image: Obsidian Entertainment/Microsoft Game Studios
Grounded is the latest Microsoft game to dominate in Steam sales
If you’ve been itching to play former PS4 exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn when it comes out on PC next month, you can now see if your PC’s up to the task of running Guerrilla Games’ post-apocalyptic cyber dino-hunting adventure thanks to some freshly published PC requirements over on its Steam page.
Thankfully, they’re pretty much exactly the same as Kojima’s post-apocalyptic courier sim, Death Stranding, which isn’t surprising given that they run on the same engine, but if you’ve been merrily building bridges and delivering packages in the old Stranding, you should be pretty good to go when Horizon bounds onto PC on August 7th.
Take-Two Interactive announced today via a press release that Private Division (publisher of The Outer Worlds and Kerbal Space Program) has signed several new publishing agreements with three indie development studios, including Moon Studios, the talented team behind the Metroidvania-like Ori series.
The publisher also signed agreements with League of Geeks (Armello) and Roll7 (Laser League, Not a Hero) to publish their next titles too.
In the press release, there were several comments from participating members of this new partnership, such as Michael Worosz, head of Private Division:
“Our partnerships with Moon Studios, League of Geeks, and Roll7 continue to enhance Private Division’s roster with more of the game industry’s best creative talent from around the world. We are thrilled to work alongside these experienced developers to provide them with the support needed to propel their creative visions to the next level.”
Thomas Mahler and Gennadly Korol of Moon Studios chimed in as well:
“Developing the Ori series over the last decade has been a fantastic experience for our team, and we’re thrilled to now be aiming our sights even higher with a new action RPG.
FromSoftware announced today that its popular Souls-like action game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is getting another update this year.
The update is still a few months away, coming on October 29 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
It includes a few new features that fans of the game will likely enjoy.
Below you can check out a summary alongside a few images.
Reflection of Strength / Gauntlet of Strength
Rematch previously defeated bosses in single and consecutive battles. Extraordinary foes that once stood in the way of victory can be fought again and again to your heart’s content.
Change Form
Change the Wolf’s outward appearance. There are 3 new forms to choose from to suit your mood, including “Old Ashina Shinobi” and “Tengu.”
New forms are unlocked by meeting certain in-game conditions.
Remnants
Send a recording of your actions to the worlds of other shinobi. “Remnant” recordings can be up to 30 seconds long and may also be affixed with a message. Share strategies and hints via network to broaden the scope of play.
Theoretically, I like chess. I learned it at a very young age, and defeated the uncle who taught me, hollowing his soul and cursing myself to a decade with nobody to play it with. That decade probably kept me from being the kind of person who memorises moves and has special names for things from a textbook. In a way, it made me.
5D Chess, on the other hand, makes me feel like that uncle likely did. This is not possible. How. What. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
I have yet to experience a single defeat or victory that I understood. And I don’t like it.
Hardware manufacturer Razer made a great keyboard, mouse, and headset for Gears 5, and will likely do something similar for the upcoming release of Halo Infinite. Razer announced on Twitter that is making hardware for Halo Infinite, and while nothing was shown, will release it in 2020 likely alongside the launch of the game on Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC.
We took our first good look at Halo Infinite in action last week during Microsoft's first-party game showcase, and also talked to developer 343 Industries about its vision for this spiritual reboot. We still don't know exactly when Halo Infinite or the Xbox Series X will arrive, but Microsoft has stated that both are coming this holiday season.
Razer has long been making product for licenses, and some of the best are the Star Wars stormtrooper keyboard and the Overwatch Lucio headphones. We'll have to wait to see how the Halo product looks, but we have a feeling specific shades of green will be used extensively.
War of the Visions is running a Final Fantasy event that adds Warrior of Light and a Death Machine Vision Card to the game.
The post Final Fantasy War of the Visions Crossover Brings in the Warrior of Light appeared first on Siliconera.
I'm at the point with Marvel's Avengers where no amount of footage or new info – not even the introduction of Hawkeye as the first free post-launch hero – will raise or lower my interest in the game. I kind of just need to play it, get a feel for the combat and character variety, and go from there.
That said, today's War Table stream was our most convincing look yet at Avengers.
Crystal Dynamics shared an overview of next month's beta, and it sounds surprisingly generous. There's a lot of content – enough that it took a nearly 10-minute recap video to cover every beat. In short, the Avengers beta will have "20 co-op/single-player missions" and "four heroes that give a sample of customizations, outfits, and upgrades." They are: Iron Man, Hulk, Kamala, and Black Widow.
Some of these beta missions are story-centric – including the now-beat-into-the-ground Golden Gate Bridge sequence, and a trip to the Pacific Northwest to find JARVIS and fight Abomination – and others are essentially gear-grinding challenge rooms. My favorite bit? The idea of rolling into War Zone missions with a squad of decked-out AI-controlled characters rather than teaming up with players.
Image: Vicarious Visions/Activision
New artists include A Tribe Called Quest, FIDLAR, Less Than Jake, Machine Gun Kelly
Warning: this article includes spiders. Lots of spiders.
Obsidian's Honey I Shrunk The Kids-style survival game Grounded is out now - and players uneasy at the sight of its enormous spider enemies have been quick to experiment with its arachnophobia mode.
This option, found within the game's settings, can be toggled on at any time and increased over five levels until you find a spider setting you feel comfortable with.
Today Koei Tecmo released the first gameplay of the first DLC of Nioh 2.
The DLC “The Tengu’s Disciple” was introduced by director and producer Fumihiko Yasuda during a livestream from Japan.
It features two very relevant historical figures of ancient Japan, Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Benkei. The setting is Yashima (Yasuda-san joked mentioning that it isn’t the same as Tsushima, even if he has played on Tsushima a lot lately) in the late Heian period during the Genpei war.
The DLC will launch in Japan at 10:00 am local time tomorrow (July 30), and it includes a new weapon and new yo-kai.
A free update coming with the DLC includes a new feature lets you earn and equip painting scrolls by challenging the related missions or by earning them in multiplayer. Each has procedurally generated effects that can further customize the player character.
New customization options will also be added for the character creation, including hairstyles, accessories, and tattoos, on top of plenty of tweaks and quality of life changes including the ability to continue after a failure in multiplayer.
Below you can enjoy a lot of footage showcased during the stream starting with a trailer for the DLC, and continuing with a cutscene revealing Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Benkei.
Then we get to see the character creation with the newly-introduced customization elements, and then we move on to gameplay footage showing both single-player and the new video and multiplayer.
Nioh 2 is currently available exclusively for PS4.
Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs in The Speed Cubers. | Photo: Netflix
The streamer has been rolling out a small slate of documentary shorts all summer
Today Nintendo released a brand-new accolades trailer for Paper Mario: The Origami King, the Japanese company’s latest big Switch-exclusive title. Like any other accolades trailer for video games, it showcases several positive and enthusiastic review scores and quotes from a variety of outlets.
After playing several hours of Paper Mario: The Origami King myself, this latest entry in the series deserves much praise for building upon what makes this franchise so incredibly charming while also doing completely new things with its battle system.
Is it the turn-based RPG successor to The Thousand-Year Door? No. But it’s a damn fine video game.
You can enjoy the trailer down below for yourself:
Paper Mario: The Origami King launched for the Nintendo Switch on July 19, coincidentally the same release date as Ghost of Tsushima, Sony’s last major exclusive title for the PS4 until the launch of the PS5 this holiday season.
Photo: Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix
Plus a triumphant rendition of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way”’
The latest Pokemon Masters update will remove Supercourses in exchange for the new Training Area.
The post Latest Pokemon Masters Training Area Added, Supercourses Removed appeared first on Siliconera.
Most people figured it's just a matter of time until Microsoft acquires Moon Studios and adds it to the ever-growing stable of Xbox developers. Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps are two of the best Xbox-published games this console generation, making Moon Studios a prime candidate to join the fold permanently. Not so fast.
Take-Two Interactive-owned publishing label Private Division has announced that it signed Moon Studios to a publishing agreement. The extent of the deal wasn't disclosed, but it presumably involves at least one new game. As Metro points out, Microsoft owns the Ori property which means that Moon will probably have to stray from its beloved woodlands critter if this game is multi-platform.
Private Division's wheeling and dealing isn't confined to one team. It's also publishing OlliOlli developer Roll7's next game. Roll7 had a three-game stretch where Devolver published its stuff, followed by a one-off with 505 Games for Laser League. Also lumped into the announcement is League of Geeks who is most well-known for the board game Armello, which was adapted into a video game a few years ago. Private Division is also publishing League of Geeks' next video game.
Private Division Teams up with Moon Studios, League of Geeks, and Roll7 on Upcoming New Games [Private Division]
It has taken its sweet time, but at long last an official game for one of the most entertaining racing series in the world is on its way, with Motorsport Games working to bring an all-new BTCC title out in 2022.
"I'm proud to say that the huge demand from the BTCC and TOCA game fans is being answered," said BTCC boss Alan Gow. "Just like the original BTCC/TOCA game, this will be a dedicated BTCC game featuring all the cars, all the teams, all the drivers and all the circuits - not merely some elements partially incorporated into an existing game."
Codemasters' TOCA series remains a beloved high point for the racing genre, and the new BTCC game is being looked after by some Codemasters veterans. Paul Coleman is working as creative director, having previously been responsible for Dirt Rally and the more hard-edged take on off-road driving from the Dirt series.
In the same calendar month, PlayStation 4 players were treated to two console exclusives of staggering quality and consequence from Sony’s first-party studios: Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II, and Ghost of Tsushima from Sucker Punch Productions.
The Last of Us series is set in a grim post-apocalyptic future after a catastrophic virus has decimated the planet, with the few human survivors left fighting over the last vestiges of civilization.
Ghost of Tsushima, meanwhile, is an ahistorical retelling of the first Mongol invasion of the Japanese island of Tsushima, and follows one of the last surviving samurai’s attempt to free his homeland from their bloody grasp.
Both games concern themselves with some pretty heavy subject matter, and yet, Ghost of Tsushima’s more joyous gameplay loop feels like a breath of fresh air after the relentless rollercoaster that is The Last of Us Part II.
A common sentiment online right now is that playing Ghost of Tsushima feels like the perfect salve after the bleak intensity of the Last of Us Part II, that its more conventional gameplay style is cathartic after such a relentless experience, and I wholeheartedly agree.
Respawn have sought to defend themselves against accusations of crunch, after an anonymous employee wrote a negative review of the company on Glassdoor. The employee writes that they “feel extremely stressed and burnt out trying to keep our seasonal releases on the same aggressive timeline as pre-shelter in place productivity”, “work 12-13 hours a day”, and are “considering leaving without a better job to go to just so mentally [they] can be in a better place”. This emerged last week, causing Apex Legends game director Chad Grenier to assert that the problem “is not with the intent of Respawn’s leadership”.
SMT III: Nocturne HD Remaster director Kazuyuki Yamai talked about the original game's initial reception when it first released.
The post Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster Director Talks About the Original Game’s Harsh Reception appeared first on Siliconera.
Don't expect to be playing any of these games too soon, however – none of the studios have formally announced the projects, and the first of them won't arrive until parent company Take-Two's fiscal year 2022.
All the new games are in early development, and announcements about each project will come "in the future". No specific platforms have been announced at this time.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/10/ori-and-the-will-of-the-wisps-review"]
“Developing the Ori series over the last decade has been a fantastic experience for our team, and we’re thrilled to now be aiming our sights even higher with a new action RPG,” said Moon co-founders Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol in a press release. “We attribute our success to the ‘iterative polish’ process we use at Moon Studios, and we’re continuing that style of development to create a new game that rises above anything we’ve created thus far.”
Private Division was created by Take-Two as a publishing label for independent developers.Some of the Japanese fighting game publishers attending this weekend's "Roundtable discussion live stream" have teased that they will be bringing new announcements regarding their respective fighters.
Bandai Namco has announced that it will have new news regarding both Tekken 7 and Soulcalibur VI, while Arc System Works has stated its intention to premier a new character trailer for Guilty Gear Strive. Given the cancellation of EVO earlier this year, it would figure that these publishers had reveals scheduled for the annual fighting game tournament. Capcom will also be holding its own live stream on August 5 to discuss the future of its premier scrapper, Street Fighter V.
Capcom, ArcSys, and Bandai Namco will also be joined on Saturday's roundtable stream by Arika, SNK, and Koei Tecmo. It has been one of the most difficult years in living memory for the fighting game genre. It will be interesting to see what steps are taken by both the community and the industry itself to restore confidence, excitement, and - most importantly - safety within the competitive scene.
The Japan Fighting Game Publisher Roundtable takes place August 1.
You may know Private Division as the publisher behind games like The Outer Worlds and Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey. Today, the company announced it is partnering with three additional studios for new projects – and each team has previously worked on games that you probably recognize.
First is Moon Studios, which is making a new action/RPG. The company is known for creating the Ori games, Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps.
Second is Roll7, whose best-known works include OlliOlli and Laser League. According to Private Division's press release, the team is working on "the next jump forward in their mission to create awesome, flow state games."
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via 