Fortnite fans piece together new Chapter 2 Season 2 locations

4 years 3 months ago

Last night brought more clues to Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 - and fans now reckon they've worked out several of its new locations.

A teaser posted to Twitter last night appeared to show the inside of a mysterious base, which can be glimpsed in the golden shards of the image below.

The top right of the teaser also includes a blueprint-style look at the existing ***Redacted*** map location, a Cheyenne Mountain Range-style military door which has so far remained tightly shut.

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Fire Emblem Heroes adds a quartet of Blazing Blade stars

4 years 3 months ago

Nintendo has slipped four more brave warriors into mobile battler Fire Emblem Heroes. The characters feature in the newest Summoning Event, The Dread Isle (which should be live as you read this), and all hail from 2003's Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade.

Leading the charge we have half-dragon Nils, followed up by handsome archer Rath. Brave battalion commander Fiora brings her spear skills to bear, while mysterious spy Leila makes her playable debut in the franchise, having only been an NPC in The Blazing Blade.

As expected, the foursome is also accompanied by a new paralogue story chapter, On Dark Wings. You can check out the new content in all of its finery below.

Fire Emblem Heroes adds a quartet of Blazing Blade stars screenshot

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Author
Chris Moyse

Samurai Shodown director on upcoming western Switch port: 'The challenge was making the game run at 60 FPS'

4 years 3 months ago

Samurai Shodown arrived back in June of 2019 and it's been tearing up the charts, both literally and figuratively. It was immediately welcomed with open arms into EVO 2019, and it did so well that it's coming back in 2020. It's great to see Shodown back in the fray.

Destructoid recently spoke to Samurai Shodown director Nobuyuki Kuroki to see how things are going, and where they might go with the impending Switch port (that already arrived last December in Japan) and beyond.

Samurai Shodown director on upcoming western Switch port: 'The challenge was making the game run at 60 FPS' screenshot

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Author
Chris Carter

Gangster simulator Empire of Sin delayed into the back half of 2020

4 years 3 months ago

Remember Empire of Sin? That gangster-centric simulator that was revealed at E3 2019 during a Nintendo Direct, helmed by Romero Games? Maybe? Well it's been delayed.

According to the official Twitter account, citing "quality over speed" (always a virtue) the studio has decided to push back Empire of Sin into fall 2020. Empire of Sin was originally slated for release in the second quarter of 2020 on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch, but fall is decidedly in the back half.

In case you missed it, the strategic-oriented game puts you right into the thick of things during Prohibition in Chicago (circa 1920s). This is definitely one of those "wait and see" kind of projects, but as someone who used to eat up all these '90s-era strategy games, it's most definitely on my radar.

Empire of Sin [Twitter]

Gangster simulator Empire of Sin delayed into the back half of 2020 screenshot

Author
Chris Carter

Spintires follow-up SnowRunner defrosts in time for an April release

4 years 3 months ago

Winter might be wrapping up, but it’s never too late for an out-of-season blizzard. SnowRunner, arctic follow-up to ponderous mud-crawler Spintires: Mudrunner is bringing the chill back to PC on April 28th. With bigger landscapes, wetter roads and colder bottoms, SnowRunner dares you to turn off the in-car air conditioning and wrap up warm for some slow and steady ice road truckin’.

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Author
Natalie Clayton

Rainbow Six Siege teams with Tomb Raider for neat Lara Croft skin

4 years 3 months ago

This weekend was an absolute bonanza of exciting news for Rainbow Six Siege fans. We heard details of the upcoming Void Edge event, plans for Years 5 & 6, and mouths were left agape at the coming of Holy Tachanka. As if all this wasn't enough, Ubisoft Montreal also revealed that Siege is set to pay tribute to one of gaming's most famous characters: Lara Croft.

This crossover will manifest itself in the form of a new Elite skin for Siege's lead gal, Ash, and will see the SWAT operator get her cosplay on as the iconic tomb raider. The dev team have gone for Ms. Croft's '90s look - comprised of vest, shorts and tinted shades - rather than the more contemporary outfit of modern Tomb Raider titles. You can see Ash in her fancy new duds in the trailer below.

Rainbow Six Siege teams with Tomb Raider for neat Lara Croft skin screenshot

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Author
Chris Moyse

Borderlands 3, The Outer Worlds and GTA 5 are 50% off in the Fanatical Bundle Blast sale

4 years 3 months ago

Digital games retailers Fanatical has just kicked off its new Bundle Blast promotion where you can, as you might've guessed, get loads of different game bundles for cheap.

New bundles will launch at regular intervals every day this week, with over a dozen already available featuring the likes of Tomb Raider, Sherlock Holmes, Shadow of Mordor and a whole host of visual novels.

Prices for bundles start as low as just £1, so there are definitely some bargains to be found. And while not all of the games included are quite as high profile as those listed above, you'll find a few cult favourite indies that are well worth trying such as The Hex, Devil Daggers and The Last Door.

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After nearly five years of arcade support, development on Dissidia Final Fantasy NT has ceased

4 years 3 months ago

It's hard to believe that I've been following Dissidia Final Fantasy NT for nearly five years, but that's roughly how long it's been since it was announced and arrived in Japanese arcades. Three years later it would arrive on PS4, and Square Enix would bend over backward supporting both versions, as well as attempt to foster some semblance of an esports scene: until today, that is.

Announced by way of a livestream for the game, Square Enix has confirmed that development on Dissidia NT would cease. Right now there are no plans for a follow-up, and all three editions, arcade, PC and PS4, will not get further updates after Ardyn (Final Fantasy XV's polarizing antagonist) is added as DLC. Square Enix says the online component will remain up for the foreseeable future though they would "eventually end."

Square Enix really tried with this one: you have to give them that. In the end it feels like I was one of the only people who regularly played it in the west, and it seems like the homegrown arcade support in Japan just wasn't enough to sustain it.

Square Enix [YouTube via RPGSite]

After nearly five years of arcade support, development on Dissidia Final Fantasy NT has ceased screenshot

Author
Chris Carter

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 Teases Continue to Hint at Map Changes & a Golden Touch

4 years 3 months ago

We’re just a couple of days away from Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 starting, and Epic Games has kickstarted its hype-building efforts with Twitter teases and even a real-life alternate reality game (ARG).

The teases first started dropping yesterday on Twitter around 10:00 AM ET. Simply showing off the golden hand with the words ‘Transmission Intercepted,’ it was pretty vague.

A couple of hours later, another tease dropped. This time, we got a few floating bits of gold, what look like contour lines, and some more detail in the background.

Author
Chris Jecks

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My Hero One’s Justice 2 Trailer and Tons of Screenshots Show Plenty of Characters in Action

4 years 3 months ago

Bandai Namco Entertainment released a new trailer of the upcoming battle action game My Hero One’s Justice 2 alongside plenty of screenshots.

We get to see plenty among the playable characters who will appear in the game, including Gang Orca, Seiji Shishikura, Kemy Utsushimi, Kendo Rappa, and many more.

The trailer also showcases the Story Mode from both the hero and the villain side. 

You can check them all out in the trailer below.

And now, the massive gallery of screenshots showing plenty of heroes and villains who will appear in My Hero One’s Justice 2.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Catherine: Full Body and XCOM 2 Switch ports appear on Korean ratings board

4 years 3 months ago

The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea has recently added two new entries, suggesting that Nintendo Switch ports are en route for Atlus' Catherine: Full Body and 2K Games' XCOM 2 Collection.

As spotted by YouTuber GameXplain, the two titles quietly appeared as part of a list of games newly-rated by the Korean body. While this is no official statement of release, it has become increasingly rare that titles listed by game rating boards do not eventually see the light of day.

Catherine: Full Body is the 2019 revamp of 2011's bizarre platform-puzzler, Catherine. Full Body includes overhauled gameplay, an online battle mode, new story elements and a selection of difficulty levels. The Japanese release also included Persona 5 crossover DLC.

XCOM 2 is the latest entry in the famous sci-fi strategy series, and sees players attempt to overthrow Earth's alien oppressors through adaptation, smart decision-making, careful planning, and even budget management. XCOM 2 Collection launched in 2018 and includes the original game plus four DLC expansion packs; Resistance Warrior; Anarchy's Children; Alien Hunters

If we hear of an official confirmation of either port, we'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, Catherine: Full Body is available now on PS4, while XCOM 2 Collection is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

Catherine: Full Body & XCOM 2 Collection rated for Nintendo Switch [Game Xplain]

Author
Chris Moyse

Nintendo announces a fourth color for the Switch Lite: Coral

4 years 3 months ago

Today Nintendo is ramping up Switch Lite production with yet another color scheme: Coral.

This is the fourth color for the Switch Lite, following the inaugural turquoise, yellow and gray designs. Nintendo re-confirms that the Switch Lite is still $199.99, and that this new design doesn't necessarily confirm any sort of special edition Lite. The coral edition will be out on April 3.

As you might recall, I picked up a Switch Lite back in September and really liked it. How am I getting along with it now? Quite well, actually. I still use it as my side Switch, installing indies on it while I play big releases and high capacity games on the main unit.

I love the lighter feel of it and for that reason and more, it's become my go-to for purely portable situations. It's a tough sell as a lone Switch though, as you'll probably want to experience some games (like Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild) on a TV at some point.

Nintendo of America [Twitter]

Nintendo announces a fourth color for the Switch Lite: Coral screenshot

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Author
Chris Carter

PlayStation Forums to shut down on February 27

4 years 3 months ago

In a sudden and succinct message, Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that it will be pulling down the shutters on the official PlayStation Forums, bringing an end to well over a decade of conversation, online support and community activity.

"Hello," begins Community Manager Groovy_Matthew. "Beginning 27th February, the PlayStation.com forums will no longer be available. "We invite you to continue the conversation via PlayStation.Blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For product support, please visit the support site."

It's undeniably a bit of a quiet and ignoble end for a hangout that not only gave the PlayStation 2 community a regular home during its heyday, but has also provided years of quick-search answers to a vast array of troubleshooting issues. As noted by GameSpot, Sony also intends to shut down its Xperia Support forums, so this may be a brand-wide decision on have to present communication with its audience.

While it's true that the PlayStation forums have seen much less activity in recent years - a trait which can be attached to many far more popular conversation boards - it's still a shame to see any long-life community pull down the blinds.

Sony to shut down all official PlayStation forums [Segment Next]

PlayStation Forums to shut down on February 27 screenshot

Author
Chris Moyse

Nintendo Announces New Coral Switch Lite, Goes on Sale in March

4 years 3 months ago

When Nintendo first announced the Switch Lite last year, it came in three eye-catching colors: turquoise, yellow, and grey. They were all beautiful-looking pastel colors, and considering the company’s track record with releasing new colors and designs for their consoles, it’s no surprise that they’d have another one in store for the Switch Lite.

A new coral colored variant has been announced for the console, and it looks just as aesthetically pleasing as its turquoise and yellow brethren. While it hasn’t been officially announced for the west yet, it should only be a matter of time before it comes over as well.

For now, we only have pricing and release date details for Japan. Pre-orders are set to go live on the official Nintendo Japan website on March 7, and the console itself will be officially released on March 20.

You can check out some images of the coral Switch Lite in the gallery down below:

Author
Zhiqing Wan

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The Witcher 3 Switch patch is out in some regions and man is it noticeable

4 years 3 months ago

[Update: The update is now live worldwide. Check out the full patch notes below!]

The Witcher 3's Switch port is basically a miracle.

Sure there are some rough parts (most notably crashes in big hub areas and long load times), but the fact that the powers that be were able to fit it onto one cart without forcing a gigantic download is fantastic. Shoutout to the Switch for still allowing folks to play physical media without installing the entire game.

For some time now though there's been a patch in the works to make The Witcher 3 on Switch even better, and it's been rolling out in some regions in Europe and in Asia this morning. Patch 3.6 adds in display options, improves visuals, adds touch controls (including for Gwent) and extends the ability to share cloud saves across GOG and Steam.

Yep! That last bit is pretty crucial, and it joins some good "PC-to-Switch-save-transfer" company.

Update for The Witcher III on Nintendo Switch [Reddit]

The Witcher 3 Switch patch is out in some regions and man is it noticeable screenshot

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Author
Chris Carter

Dragon Quest: Your Story movie review - faithful to the charms of the grand dame of RPGs

4 years 3 months ago

Maybe it's something to do with being wary about the optics of a man in his late thirties sitting on his own amidst a screenful of screaming six-year-olds, but this past weekend I couldn't quite bring myself to see my beautiful blue boy's debut on the big screen and instead watched another video game adaptation that's just hit Netflix. And I think I chose wisely, because it's an absolute treat.

Not much noise has been made about Dragon Quest: Your Story. Maybe it's something to do with how not much noise is made over here about Dragon Quest, a series whose spectacular success in Japan has never been replicated in the west, even if fans have been better served in recent years thanks to the sterling localisations of Echoes of an Elusive Age. Still, the addition of Your Story to Netflix in the west after its cinematic release in Japan last August barely registered.

Which is a shame, as while it's far from a great film it's faithful to so many of the things that makes Dragon Quest so beloved. It's not entirely faithful - this is a strictly CG affair, and as such it deviates from the iconic art of Akira Toriyama, even if the spirit of them - that wide-eyed wonder and those heart-lifting splashes of yellow and blue - remains intact. Despite that deviation this is a frequently beautiful film, though - this is from the same school of CG that brought us last year's equally lavish Lupin III: The First, and indeed in Takashi Yamazaki it even boasts the same director.

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Final Fantasy XIV Update 5.2 “Echoes of a Fallen Star” Now Available for Download

4 years 3 months ago

Today Square Enix is updating its popular MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV to version 5.2, with a new patch titled “Echoes of a Fallen Star.”

Ahead of the servers going up at the end of the maintenance period at 2:00 am PST, the update is now available for download.

It’s a rather sizable one, weighing a whopping 2.661 gigabytes on PC. If you want to be one of the first to experience the new content, you better get downloading.

If you’re unfamiliar with the content of the update, below you can find a handy summary below.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Have You Played… A Case Of Distrust?

4 years 3 months ago

The elevator pitch for A Case Of Distrust has got to be one of the most tantalising statements in the history of games. Set in San Francisco in 1924, this narrative mystery game is, and I quote, “a blend of the board game Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, the adventure games 80 Days and Phoenix Wright, the poster design of Saul Bass, and the hard-boiled novels of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.”

Yes to all of the above, please.

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Author
Katharine Castle

Dragon’s Crown, Persona 5, Fate/Grand Order, & More Video Game Figures Presented at Event in Japan

4 years 3 months ago

Today Japanese figure manufacturers were in attendance at the winter edition of the Hobby Maker Joint Product Exhibition 2020 in Akihabara, Tokyo, and they had another look to share at their upcoming products. 

Of course, many of the figures at the show were related to gaming. While some were already presented at the latest edition of Wonder Festival, there were new entries.

Below you can enjoy a thorough look at them, courtesy of retailer AmiAmi’s English and Japanese twitter accounts.

Dragon’s Crown

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Kingdom Hearts remasters now available on Xbox One

4 years 3 months ago

Square Enix remasters Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue are now both available to purchase on Xbox One via the Microsoft store, thus completing the original run of franchise titles on the Xbox platform.

Both ports were initially announced for "2020," with no specific release date. Things looked a little more hopeful for Xbox fans after a store listing briefly appeared for Final Chapter Prologue, but now it seems both games are good to go, finally letting Xbox fans take a deep dive into the leviathan of Kingdom Hearts lore. It should be noted that this journey comes at a hefty cost, however, as picking up both titles will run you around $110.

The full contents of these two releases are as follows:

Author
Chris Moyse

Fortnite's Upcoming Season Is Currently All About Gold

4 years 3 months ago

Fortnite chapter 2 – season 2 is fast approaching, and Epic Games isn't wasting time giving players a taste of what to expect. The teases began on Fortnite's official Twitter feed today with a series of images that embrace the color gold and a February 20 launch date.

Players are now noticing that ordinary items within the game world – be it a couch or filing cabinet – are made entirely of gold, almost like someone is walking around with the Midas touch. The teases will likely continue from now up until the season's official start.

Until we learn more, behold a gold couch viewed by a banana:

Author
Andrew Reiner

Co-op Aliens Game Cancelled After Disney-Fox Merger

4 years 3 months ago
A co-op Aliens game in pre-production was cancelled after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox. 3D Realms vice president Frederik Schreiber (via VG247) posted about the game on Twitter in response to a tweet from Cliff Bleszinski where he also revealed his former studio Boss Key Productions was potentially going to make an Aliens game.
Author
Hope Corrigan

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Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story Gets New Trailer Showing Combat and Multiplayer

4 years 3 months ago

Today Spike Chinsoft released a brand new and extensive trailer of its upcoming game Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story.

The trailer revolves around two major aspects of the title, its isometric hack & slash combat, and its online multiplayer.

Multiplayer is quite interesting, as players are allowed to either collaborate or compete and there seem to be a lot of room for mind games and betrayal if you’re co inclined.

Incidentally, we also get another glimpse at the story, which revolves around a samurai who decides to help the deeply indebted blacksmith Dojima earn more money as his cute daughter Nanami is taken by debt collectors as collateral. 

You can check it out below.

Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story releases in Japan on February 20 for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The western release will come day-and-date with the Japanese one which is always a nice thing to see.

If you want to see more, you can check out the original reveal and a previus trailer from Spike Chunsoft.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Charming Co-Op Puzzle Platformer Ibb & Obb Is Coming To Switch

4 years 3 months ago

Ibb & Obb, a co-op puzzle platformer that was first released for PC and PS3 in 2013, is the sort of game that looks and feels like a perfect fit for Switch. Now, years after its initial, well-received release, it's coming to Nintendo's portable machine. It will release on March 5.

The two-player game will be playable with detached Joy-Cons; it's designed to be played with someone else, as shown in the trailer below. The two characters need to stick together, and many of the puzzles involve dealing with changes in gravity.

The game is available for pre-purchase now at a 15% discount, meaning that you can get it for $12.69. It will sell for $15 after launch.

Continue Reading at GameSpot
Author
James O'Connor

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Assassin's Creed Syndicate is free on the Epic Games Store this week

4 years 3 months ago

Epic returns this week - one hand waving Assassin's Creed Syndicate, the other wafting Faeria - in another grapple for your affections, and with another batch of Epic Games Store freebies to jam unceremoniously into your increasingly unwieldy backlog.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate - Ubisoft's Animus-enhanced excursion into the smog-shrouded streets of Industrial Revolution era London - has a lot to commend. It offers another gorgeously convincing bit of period design, has a wonderful pair of leads in the form of wisecracking twin assassins Jacob and Evie Frye, and its score by Austin Wintory is utterly sublime.

It's definitely an Assassin's Creed game in the old mould though, and its creaking traversal and somewhat by-the-numbers open-world design pales in comparison to the fluidity and extravagant scale of the more recent Origins and Odyssey. Eurogamer's Tom Phillips liked it a lot back in 2015, however, awarding it a Recommended badge as he celebrated its "solid new adventure, beautiful London playground and renewed sense of fun.".

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