A new report from the BBC highlights issues with sexual content in Roblox.
Though the gaming platform is popular among young people, the investigation shows that Roblox contains sexually explicit games often known as "condos". Here players can discuss sexually explicit topics and engage in virtual sex.
‘Going forward, it will be important to offer…a variety of hardware’ Nintendo evergreen titles are trending down, according to a...
The post Nintendo says that evergreen titles may be losing luster as the Switch ages appeared first on Destructoid.
The 15th anniversary of the Professor Layton series falls on February 15, 2022. Level-5 is celebrating the occasion by opening submissions for an international art competition. Artists from all around the world can join the contest and try to win specially branded sealing stamps.
To be eligible for the 15th anniversary contest, artists only need to follow either the Japanese or English Twitter account for the Professor Layton franchise with a non-protected account. They can enter their submissions by adding the #Layton15th hashtag to their illustration tweets afterward.
Level-5 will close the entry period on Thursday, March 31, 2022. It plans to announce the winners in April 2022. The company also advised participants to not to delete their submission tweets until it has revealed the winners.
Fifteen artists' illustrations will be picked and they'll win a sealing stamp with a unique "Professor Layton 15th Anniversary" logo. Level-5 will contact the winners through Twitter direct messages to confirm their shipping addresses.
Valorant’s latest patch, 4.03, is making long-awaited improvements to its deathmatch mode, reducing the spawn time after each death, and tweaking awkward respawn locations. That should result in a smoother and less frustrating experience moving forward. Elsewhere, performance improvements for CPU-bound players should see anything up to a 15% increase in FPS.
Here’s the full overview:
Brimstone
Deathmatch
Global Invalidation
Easily one of the standout PC reveals from last year's Game Awards, Dune: Spice Wars is an upcoming real-time 4X strategy game about everyone's favourite doomed sand planet. Based on Frank Herbert's acclaimed novel and made by the same folks behind Northgard and Wartales, Dune: Spice Wars will see players step into the boots of one of four factions when it launches in early access later this spring, and I've had a chance to see how one of them works in action.
In a hands-off presentation, developers Shiro Games showed us how the (sadly Chalamet-less) Atreides family will be going about their fight to control Arrakis' most coveted substance - the all-important spice melange - although players will also be able to choose from the shady Harkonnen clan at launch, plus two more unannounced factions that will be revealed in the coming weeks. There's a lot to take in, but if you've been waiting for a Dune game to succeed the 1992 RTS epic that was Dune II: Battle For Arrakis, well, you better pull your head out of the sand and strap on your hydro-cycling stillsuit. The battle for this year's best strategy game is about to get spicy.
Fortnite is in motion with the 19.30 patch notes--literally. With the new update, players on new platforms can use motion controls previously seen only on Switch and Android platforms. Gyroscopic aiming and "flick stick" controls, created by input specialist Julian “Jibb” Smart, are now playable for the first time on PS4, PS5, and PC and improved on Switch and Android. Here's more on those new accessibility features and everything else in the 19.30 patch.
The optional motion controls can be found in Fortnite's "Touch and Motion" page in the options menu. With these features enabled, players turn the controller to adjust the camera on their screen--think of it like lining up a bow shot in Breath of the Wild. The flick stick was made by Smart when he proposed to Epic that he could make Fortnite's motion controls better. Epic liked the idea, and so here it is. All platforms previously with motion control options have received these updates as well.
With the flick stick controls enabled, gyroscopic motion controls can be supplemented with a flick of the right stick that works to quickly reset the camera in a way that is meant to give players a best-of-both-worlds element to their controller scheme--the precision of gyro controls with the snappy flick stick. You can learn more about how these controls work from the creator himself.
Elden Ring exhibits will appear in Japan to celebrate the upcoming release of the game. Additionally, the Elden Ring exhibit at the Sony Store in Ginza will feature a life-sized statue of Malenia Blade of Miquella. This character has appeared in several trailers and is featured in promotional material of the game. The exhibits will be available to visit from February 19 to February 27, 2022. Additionally, consumers can obtain special Elden Ring themed merchandise at the exhibits. [Thanks, Gamer!]
Note that the Elden Ring statue of Malenia Blade of Miquella will only be available at the Sony Store location in Ginza. The Ginza exhibit will also includes a photo spot, which features a location found within the game. There will also be a screenshot and concept art display at the location. However, consumers can obtain an Elden Ring hoodie at any participating Sony Store location. The only catch is that they will need to purchase a Sony Bravia XR TV in order to receive the hoodie. The hoodies will be in limited supply.
Good Smile Company announced the production of an Elden Ring figma during WonHobby 35. Consumers will be able to obtain a Bloody Wolf figma through the retailer at a later date.
There are a few good deals going at the moment in the gaming world, and this includes £20 off The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword for Nintendo Switch. This is an excellent deal, especially for a big Switch game, so it's definitely worth considering. You can pick up Skyward Sword for £30 from Amazon right now (see here).
Other deals today include a special deal on PC Game Pass, now available for just £7.99 for 2-months (see here). This is a great offer for current members, as this is 50% off. If you're an Xbox Game Pass ultimate member as well, this will actually convert to 40-days of Ultimate, a small saving as you're usually paying £10.99 every 30-days for the service.
Convert 2-months of PC Game Pass to 40-days of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate if you're a current Ultimate member.
Horizon Forbidden West is out this week, and I couldn't be more excited to dive in. IGN's review of the game is now live, giving it a solid 9/10. If you haven't preordered the game yet, then I thought we'd dedicate some time to finding you the very best deal before February 18.
If you're planning to venture into the realm of the Lands Between in Elden Ring on PC, you're going to need more than just a sharp sword and durable armor. Publisher Bandai Namco has released the official minimum and recommended PC specs for the game, so you can see if your rig is tarnished enough to handle the open-world sandbox developed by From Software.
PC specifications for #ELDENRING. pic.twitter.com/qdmBFlMuit
The new Uncharted film has seen solid box office sales, despite it not being a hit with critics.
In the live-action adaptation of Naughty Dog's globetrotting adventure series, Tom Holland steps into the shoes of charming hero Nathan Drake. However, despite many lauding Holland's portrayal of the lovable rogue, the film itself appears to have fallen flat.
As part of CD Projekt's Cyberpunk 2077 video event today, the company revealed the first details on the game's major 1.5 update and its next-gen patch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. You can see the full 1.5 patch notes here, while a breakdown of what to expect in terms of gameplay changes and general improvements can be seen below.
There is also a new, five-hour free trial for Cyberpunk 2077 that players can check out to get a taste of the new 1.5 update. Progress from the free trial will carry forward to the full game.
Plenty of gameplay footage of Cyberpunk 2077 running on Series X and PS5 was released as well--check out the videos below to see the game in action on the new platforms.
"With the update, Cyberpunk 2077 takes advantage of the additional power of the newest generation of console hardware, allowing for ray tracing features and 4K with dynamic scaling, faster loading times, and a variety of other visual and technical improvements," CD Projekt says.
LEGO and PlayStation have teamed up to launch a Horizon: Forbidden West set featuring the Tallneck, alongside an Aloy Minifigure and Watcher figure.
The LEGO Tallneck is intended as a display model and includes 1,222 pieces and will be released on May 1, 2022 for $79.99 USD (£69.99). Preorders aren't available yet, but you can see the set on the LEGO Store here.
Living up to its name, the set is over 34cm tall, 23cm wide, and 17 cm deep, and was created in collaboration with Guerrilla Games, the developer of Horizon: Forbidden West.
LEGO Group designer Isaac Snyder said: "Getting to team up with Guerrilla was truly remarkable. The team is incredibly passionate about the world of Horizon: Forbidden West and were a huge help in ensuring we were able to create an authentic representation in LEGO form.
"Thanks to our close collaboration we were able to include references to all the most iconic aspects of Horizon: Forbidden West, from incredible machines, mysterious ruins, unique tribes , and stunning scenery."
LEGO has been dipping its toe into the gaming world recently with its Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone set and its series of Mario sets too.
miHoYo revealed the Three Realms Gateway Offering event in Genshin Impact will begin on February 17, 2022. Additionally, the developers outlined certain stipulations concerning the event. This includes when the event will end. Players will have until the very end of Genshin Impact version 2.5 to claim their rewards from the Three Realms Gateway Offering event. Additionally, players will need to be Adventure Rank 30 and have completed the Stillness, Sublimation of Shadows and Erebus' Mystery quests to participate.
As mentioned, miHoYo shared that the Three Realms Gateway Offering event will be time sensitive. Once fututre versions of Genshin Impact arrive, players will no longer have access to the bokuso box. This unique item is essential to participating in the event quest.
The Three Realms Gateway Offering event was revealed during a special program. This included a brief explanation of the area. Players will need to use the bokuso box to repel dark energy as they traverse the area. Players can receive various rewards such as Primogems, Mora, talent level-up materials, and weapon ascension materials.
Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, PC, and Android and iOS devices. A Nintendo Switch version is in development. The Genshin Impact version 2.5 version update will arrive on February 16, 2022.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is adding a whopping 48 courses as paid DLC by the end of 2023, and it turns out you don't need to pay to play them, though buying them outright still sounds like the ideal way to go about it.
The Mario Kart 8 website (via Eurogamer) confirms that courses from Wave 1 of the Booster Course Pass, which releases on March 18, will be playable for anyone, whether or not they bought the pass. Starting March 18, the eight new courses will be playable locally or online in Friends and Rivals races, even if only one player owns the courses. Then starting March 22, Wave 1 courses will appear in random Mario Kart 8 online matches for anyone, whether or not the player owns them.
This might be a way for Nintendo to give players a taste of the new courses and encourage them to buy them outright to play offline or whenever they want.
As announced during the Nintendo Direct this month, eight courses will be released across six waves, for a total of 48 courses. The first eight are coming March 18, and those confirmed so far include Mario Kart Wii, Choco Mountain for Mario Kart 64, and Tokyo Blur from Mario Kart Tour.
The Booster Course Pass costs $25 on its own. It's also included with the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass at no extra cost. Individual waves of courses cannot be purchased alone.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the Switch's best-selling game of all time, with more than 43 million units sold, so it makes sense that Nintendo wants to keep the party going like this with additional DLC.
Bandai Namco has uploaded a .hack//G.U. Last Recode trailer, which focuses on the first 16 minutes of the Switch game. It features several key characters that will appear in the game and goes over certain events that set the story in motion. This includes characters like protagonist of the .hack//G.U. series Haseo, and major side characters like Sakaki and Atoli. The trailer lays a foundation for major story events. So, those looking to jump into the game with a completely fresh experience may want to avoid watching the Last Recode trailer.
The trailer, which is actually the first 16 minutes of .hack//G.U. Last Recode, involves Sakaki and Haseo coming to a heated argument about "player killing" within The World. The video also contains several flashbacks, which features Haseo with a friend who looks similar to Atoli. At the end of the trailer, a major protagonist of the .hack//G.U. series is introduced.
You can watch the .hack//G.U. Last Recode opening movie trailer for the Nintendo Switch below.
[embed]https://youtu.be/xXZBxNwGsRU[/embed]
.hack//G.U. Last Recode is a collection of all three PlayStation 2 titles. However, it also features an epilogue, which expands upon the ending of the games.
.hack//G.U. Last Recode will release worldwide for Nintendo Switch on March 10, 2022. It is immediately available on the PlayStation 4 and PC.
After spending a few years with Jason Voorhees at Camp Crystal Lake, the studio behind the Friday The 13th game is taking a crack at another horror icon in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. While the game features gameplay that's similar to the asymmetrical horror format established in Friday the 13th, developer Gun Interactive is aiming the make the experience different by having three killers hunting down four survivors in the rural parts of Texas, as opposed to the usual single antagonist of the genre.
"We never want to make the same game twice. You either innovate or imitate, and I don't have to tell you which one makes for a better game. Everyone at Gun prefers to innovate and push the genre forward," Gun Interactive CEO Wes Keltner explained in a blog post. "How do you do this? Well, when it came to the design of Texas we knew that 3 vs. 4 was different. All the mechanics and features are built around this fundamental rethinking of asymmetrical multiplayer. Additionally, when you look at the '74 film, you'll note there's an entire family to deal with, not just Leatherface. So it felt natural to have three killers chasing victims."
According to Keltner, having to design and balance three killers has proven to be an interesting challenge. "Creating shadows and items to hide behind, mixtures of open rooms to move slowly through, while hallways become natural choke points that players can move quickly through to find the next hiding spot," Keltner said.
Interestingly, Keltner also mentioned that a band of killers hunting down players could make for an "overwhelming" experience, but the team is working to deliver "exciting moments drenched in terror" and brief breaks where you can catch your breath.
The next wave of Xbox Game Pass titles were leaked and have now been confirmed, and there are a handful of games headed to the program by the end of the month.
New additions for the second half of February include the day-one release of Total War: Warhammer III as perhaps the biggest release of the month. It is the conclusion to the Total War: Warhammer trilogy, and it invites players to embark into the Realm of Chaos, a world of "mind-bending horror."
Also coming this month are Roboquest, Madden NFL 22, Super Mega Baseball 3, and Galactic Civilizations III. EA's Alice: Madness Returns is coming to Game Pass on PC, too. Madden and Alice are available through EA Play, which is included with Game Pass Ultimate.
Additionally, Lawn Mowing Simulator, which is already on Game Pass for Series X and PC, is headed to Xbox One, while Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will be cloud-enabled this month.
February 2022's next wave of Game Pass titlesMicrosoft also announced that six more Game Pass titles now have touch controls on mobile, including Dreamscaper, Firewatch, Lake, The Pedestrian, Yakuza 3 Remastered, and Yakuza 4 Remastered.
The first wave of Xbox Game Pass titles for February 2022 had a whopping 10 games, including Ark Survival Evolved Ultimate Survivor Edition, CrossfireX (the campaign for which is still missing!), Contrast, and Telling Lies, among others.
Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling technology has been handy stuff for anyone looking to get a great visual experience on their PC games without having to worry too much about their aging hardware. Not every game supports the AI-powered rendering technology, but a number of upcoming titles will feature DLSS integration.
Nvidia has announced that Dying Light 2 Stay Human, Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, Sifu, and other titles will get performance upgrades through the applicable Nvidia RTX hardware. According to the company, you can expect the following options to be available on several games:
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Martha Is Dead
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis
SCP: Pandemic
Shadow Warrior 3
Sifu
Supraland Six Inches Under
Square Enix announced automatic housing demolition within Final Fantasy XIV will resume soon. This feature was temporarily suspended due to the influx of players and congestion issues during the release of the Endwalker expansion. However, the developer will resume automatic housing demolition in Final Fantasy XIV on March 9, 2022. This means that players will need to enter their estates before a certain period of time has elapsed. Otherwise, they will lose their house.
Once a house it lost, players cannot automatically get it back. The house will be demolished and the plot then subsequently put up for sale. Players will need to enter their estate at least once every 30 days to avoid home demolition. If you are worried about the status of your house, you can check how long you have until your house is demolished through the Timers tab.
However, while players can check to see how long they have until the house is eventually destroyed, Square Enix strongly suggests users enter their house before the period draws too close. The timer counts down the days, and not the precise time as to when the game will demolish the house. Additionally, those within the ten day period of automatic demolition will receive an e-mail notification once the timer resumes.
In December 2021, Square Enix suspended the automatic demolition of houses. The suspension applied to every data center.
After leaving Sega, Toshihiro Nagoshi set up a new Tokyo studio called Nagoshi Studio. Earlier this year, owners NetEase Games described the wholly-owned subsidiary, stating it “develops high-end titles for worldwide release, with a primary focus on the console software business.” So, it should come as no surprise as…
Following on from an open letter penned 200 days ago, Ubisoft employees have released a new statement saying their demands still haven't been met.
Multiple Ubisoft employees have rallied together to form "The Better Ubisoft" group. This group has been campaigning for improved working conditions since the company was hit with allegations of a toxic work environment last summer. These allegations include numerous stories of sexual harassment and assault concerning multiple employees at the company.
A fan-made trailer for Mother 3 shows what a potential remake could look like.
With its claymation-esque graphical style (a nod to the promotion of the earlier Mother/Earthbound games), the trailer has a Link's Awakening on Switch vibe that seems perfect for the cult-classic RPG.
In May 2020, the makers of Terraria released its final major update, appropriately named Journey's End. Then they followed it up with the Journey's Actual End update a few months after that. Then a Don't Starve crossover update last year. They're filthy rotten liars, I'm saying, and what wonderful liars. They've now announced another upcoming update, named Labor Of Love after the Steam Award they won for their ongoing support. Fair does!
The only thing more dangerous than gigantic animal-themed robots hunting you down in a post-apocalyptic sandbox, is a lack of hard drive space on your PlayStation. The good news is that you can easily add some storage capacity real estate to your console--especially the PS5 which has a notoriously small solid-state drive-- through the use of third-party hard drives. Most of these devices are predictable in their design though, but if you're looking for a storage option that's themed after a specific game, you're in luck.
Just in time for the launch of Horizon Forbidden West, Seagate has revealed its new officially licensed Game Drives for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Specifically designed and optimized with firmware to work with current PlayStation consoles, they are designed to offer plug-and-play installation in under two minutes with no tools required.
Lego will continue its range of video game-related releases with a set based around Horizon Zero Dawn - or more specifically, this week's sequel Forbidden West.
The Horizon Forbidden West Tallneck set will launch on 22nd May and sell for €79.99 (UK pricing TBA), according to German site Promobricks.
The latest patches for the Nintendo Switch versions of three Danganronpa games have added autosaving and various fixes. Spike Chunsoft released patches for Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition, and Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp. All three games are also included in the Danganronpa Decadence bundle.
The patch notes show that most of the fixes revolved around solving stability and freezing issues in Trigger Happy Havoc and Ultimate Summer Camp. Specifically, the freezes occurred during Trigger Happy Havoc's School Mode. Additionally, the patches added an autosave feature that triggers after each in-game day in Trigger Happy Havoc and Goodbye Despair.
Furthermore, the patches addressed various graphical and text glitches within the three games. It fixed an issue where text wouldn't appear after a "%" symbol in Trigger Happy Havoc and Goodbye Despair. Ultimate Summer Camp also received various graphic display and text issue fixes. Though not a fix, Ultimate Summer Camp also has a new in-game purchase log for consumable items.
If you’ve been on the internet, you’ve seen commenters or social media accounts claiming to have the lowdown. Right before the most recent Nintendo Direct, a new Twitter account called Waddle Dee Knows did just that by making a flurry of predictions. Some of them, including a new Super Mario Strikers and a Wii Sports sequel
The director of SNES classic Super Mario RPG has expressed his interest in creating a sequel as his final project.
Chihiro Fujioka was interviewed by MinnMax about his life in games, a life that's included writing Final Fantasy Mystic Quest and working on the Mario & Luigi handheld titles - as well as directing the Nintendo and Square Enix RPG crossover.
A closer look at Mario Kart 8's DLC expansion blurb has revealed that players will still be able to play the new courses, even if they don't actually own them or have a subscription to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
Despite fears to the contrary: the information on Nintendo's official Mario Kart page reads:
Square Enix will release plush dolls of the main characters from NieR Replicant Ver. 1.22474487139. Pre-orders are open via the Square Enix e-Store and they will come out in October 2022. The dolls cost $46.99 each.
You can choose between plush dolls of Brother Nier, Kaine, and Emil. Emil appears in the form that most people associate with him, which makes sense. Due to Yoko Taro’s usage of his head as a mask, Emil is highly recognizable as a symbol for the NieR series. There does not appear to be a plush of Father Nier. The dolls vary in size but average at approximately 7.5“ x 4.3” x 3.5”. The three of them look like they are sitting down on the ground, with neutral expressions befitting their personalities.
Here are some more pictures of the dolls:
[gallery link="file" ids="916511,916510,916509"]
Hello! Welcome back to Souls Week. When we asked writers if they had anything to say about From Software's work for this series, a surprising amount of people wanted to write about games that were influenced by the Souls games, but which fractured those influences in strange and fascinating ways. As a result, we're mixing in a few pieces about Soulslike games, along with the discussion of the main Souls titles.
We hope you enjoy this piece from Kaan as he picks over one of the most wilful Soulslikes out there.
I like driving. You might have noticed as much already, but honestly I really love driving, and not just the ragged edge variety - indeed, the driving I love the most is often a much more sedate affair. It's why I stop for traffic lights when playing GTA, why it was love at first sight when it came to the calming adventures within Euro Truck Simulator and it's why, when driving the streets of London myself, I crave nothing more than an acknowledgment of good traffic etiquette from a passing pedestrian - perhaps even the fabled double wave.
Which is why Ogmios' School of Zen Motoring has become something of an obsession over the last couple of years. Debuting just as the pandemic was truly taking hold in the spring of 2020, it's just about everything: ostensibly a collage of dashcam footage with soothing commentary from sometime battle rapper Ogmios, it's a fascinating chronicle of a country undergoing one of its biggest societal changes since World War 2, a pseudo-documentary sitcom complete with recurring characters and catchphrases, an invaluable document of a London that's so often overlooked. It's also got some incredible driving in it.
