Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Destructoid

Destructoid


(Update) A new Nintendo Indie World Showcase is coming tomorrow

Posted: 14 Apr 2021 03:57 AM PDT

[Update: The show's about to start!]

May is approaching and the summer months of games soon after, but before we get there, there's always some time for indies.

Nintendo announced today that it's hosting another Indie World Showcase tomorrow, April 14, at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT. The live stream can be watched on Nintendo's website or through streaming services like YouTube, embedded below:

The showcase is expected to feature roughly 20 minutes, focused on "fresh and new indie games" coming to Nintendo Switch. And remember, this is an Indie World Showcase; if you go into this hoping for news about Breath of the Wild 2 or Metroid Prime 4, well, I don't know what to tell you, other than you clearly ache for disappointment.

Of course, this will no doubt spur up more anticipation for the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong. There are some other eagerly sought-after indies, like Axiom Verge 2, that would be neat to see again.

I like surprises, though. Usually these showcases are a way to expose Switch owners to games they wouldn't normally seek out or hear about, and sometimes a two-minute spot on a showcase makes the difference. Big reveals are always nice, but with the summer and some version of E3 looming in the distance, I'm happy just to add some charming new experiences to my wishlist.

(Update) A new Nintendo Indie World Showcase is coming tomorrow screenshot

First Kratos, now Aloy is joining Fortnite

Posted: 14 Apr 2021 03:30 AM PDT

The last few seasons of Fortnite have been extremely video game oriented.

Kratos and Master Chief were two headliners from the last go-around, and Lara Croft kicked off this new season of the game. Now, Aloy from the Horizon Zero Dawn series is joining the fray. It makes sense, given the "primal" theme of the season, and that bows are a big focus of the weaponry shuffle.

As announced on the Fortnite blog, Aloy will be a part of the game on April 15, and will arrive with the lore-heavy blaze canister back bling, a spear pickaxe, a Glinthawk glider, a Shield-Weaver wrap, a Heart-rizon emote (which creates a wireframe heart in the same vein as some of the narrative briefings) and a bundle-only loading screen.

Generally, these bundles tend to go for 2,200 V-Bucks (a little over $15). Just like Kratos, if you play the game on PS5, you'll unlock an extra style (Ice Hunter Aloy) for the skin for free If you're keen, you can also play as Aloy and Lara Croft in a team-up mode, which debuts on April 16 at 9AM ET and runs through April 18 at 9AM ET. Aloy will be kitted out with a bow and Lara will sport her dual pistols.

So when is Nintendo getting in on the action? There's some "primal" characters they could choose from. Also, don't forget that there's a perfect crossover in the form of Monster Hunter.

Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn [Epic Games]

First Kratos, now Aloy is joining Fortnite screenshot

Code Name: X is a Persona 5 spin-off headed to mobile in China

Posted: 14 Apr 2021 03:00 AM PDT

Chinese developer Perfect World Games has announced a new mobile title, Code Name: X, with all signs pointing toward the mysterious new game being a spin-off of Atlus' mega-popular JRPG Persona, specifically its 2016 entry, Persona 5.

At first, Perfect World were keeping everything on the hush-hush, releasing an announcement trailer alongside several screenshots. But given the art style, jazzy score, and unmistakable aesthetic, it's not all that tough to figure out what franchise the mysterious new game is part of... Oh also, the artwork files are literally titled "P5". The collaboration was later confirmed by industry analyst Daniel Ahmad.

Details about the game itself are thin on the ground, but the trailer shows a busy and sprawling metropolis, wherein a hooded figure (Joker?) dashes from rooftop to rooftop while an attractive, grey-haired woman (but not Sae Niijima) tracks his every move. While gameplay cannot be ascertained from this clip, the woman's use of GPS to track our hero suggests that Code Name: X is an AR title.

No release date or western localization has been announced for the new game. Code Name: X will be the latest in a line of spin-offs set in the Persona 5 universe, following titles such as Persona Q2: new Cinema Labyrinth, Persona 5 Dancing, and the recent musou-lite, Persona 5 Strikers.

Code Name: X is a Persona 5 spin-off headed to mobile in China screenshot

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The hits keep coming: Square Enix is taking down the Balan Wonderworld demo

Posted: 14 Apr 2021 02:00 AM PDT

Man, Balan Wonderworld.

I mean, once the demo hit a lot of people weren't super enthusiastic about it success. Even when Square Enix announced that there would be changes based on demo feedback,  folks weren't hopeful that they'd essentially be able to overhaul the entire game. Cue the Ron Howard voice: "they didn't."

It's a shame, because that lack of polish reflected in both the reviews for the game and in the sales figures, when Balan failed to chart in pretty much every console's top-seller list. Now, Square Enix is pulling the demo, presumably to put all of this behind them. Announced on the game's official Twitter account, the demo will be pulled from consoles at 23:59 JST today, with the Steam version of the demo scheduled for execution on April 15 at 2AM JST.

If you recall, there was actually a small bonus included for demo players, which is going to be detached from the trial going forward. The account confirms that the "trial benefits" will be distributed "at a later date," presumably as free DLC.

Again, it's a shame it all turned out like this. We need more mascot platformers in the industry, and one coming up short like Balan Wonderworld can deter others from creating more. At the end of the day though the quality spoke for itself.

Balan Wonderworld [Twitter] Thanks John!

The hits keep coming: Square Enix is taking down the Balan Wonderworld demo screenshot

Naughty Dog 'wishes' it was working on a new Jak & Daxter, but it isn't

Posted: 14 Apr 2021 01:00 AM PDT

Naughty Dog, a studio seemingly locked into making Uncharted and The Last of Us releases until the end of time, has closed down internet hopes that it is secretly working on a new entry in fantasy franchise Jak & Daxter.

The fevered fan requests were addressed by Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells in an Academy of Interactive Arts & Science’s Game Maker interview, conducted by Insomniac Games' Ted Price and transcribed by news outlet VGC.

"We’ve had a couple of Twitter campaigns where people have been tweeting us every single day... ‘I want a new Jak & Daxter, I want a new Jak & Daxter’. And they aren’t just simple 280-character tweets, they have Photoshopped memes and everything they’re including on a daily basis, and the effort has got to be significant."

"I hate to break it to them," continues Wells. "We do not have Jak & Daxter here in development right now. We still love the characters and I see what you guys [Insomniac] are doing [with Ratchet & Clank] and that makes me wish that we did, and we would have one in development because there’s still a lot of love for Jak & Daxter in the studio."

It's tough news to take for fans of the quirky platforming franchise, given that the last (non-compendium) Jak & Daxter release was way back in 2009, with PSP entry Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier. Still, it will be interesting to see if any impact from Insomniac's upcoming Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart can help catch Sony's eyes and ears. But given the publisher's current focus on mainstream blockbusters over all else, any potential J&D return will apparently remain a pipe dream for the time being.

Naughty Dog 'wishes' it was working on a new Jak & Daxter, but it isn't screenshot

Abandoning Cyberpunk 2077 'not an option' says CDPR, latest patch now live on all platforms

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 10:00 PM PDT

[Update: The newest patch for Cyberpunk 2077 - Version 1.21 - dropped this morning on PC and consoles. You can read the patch notes right here.]

CD Projekt RED has reiterated that it is fully committed to fixing, improving, and growing its ambitious RPG Cyberpunk 2077 over the coming years, adamantly stating that the idea of shelving the troubled title and moving on is not even on the table.

"I don't see an option to shelve Cyberpunk 2077," CDPR executive Adam Kicinski said in a recent dialogue with Reuters. "We are convinced that we can bring the game to such a state that we can be proud of it and therefore successfully sell it for years to come."

After years of hype and development, Cyberpunk 2077 finally launched in disastrous fashion in December 2020. In increasingly volatile launch weeks, the PS4 and Xbox One editions of the futuristic adventure were plagued with technical issues - slaughtering the title's reputation, birthing an array of mocking memes, and raising the ire of players, shareholders, and publishers alike. Cyberpunk 2077 would see itself be pulled from various digital stores, as platform holders such as PlayStation refused to be part of the incendiary backlash toward the release.

With PS5 and Xbox Series X editions currently in the works, years worth of plans for DLC and expansions, and millions of dollars of development investment, CDPR has no choice but to regain full control of this situation - repairing Cyberpunk 2077, polishing the next-gen ports, and hoping that a pseudo-relaunch will go some way toward fixing the reputation of both the brand and its developer.

It's completely doable - there have been numerous major releases that finally found their feet after a poor launch. For CDPR, a studio with a near-pristine reputation for developing excellent titles, Cyberpunk 2077 was expected to be its magnum opus - a release that truly launched a new generation of gaming. There's no denying that moment has long passed. But it doesn't mean that CDPR can't ensure that future iterations of Cyberpunk 2077 do deliver on audience expectations of its audience, which might go some way to salvaging the franchise lest it becomes completely lost in time... Like tears in rain.

CD Projekt has no plans to shelve Cyberpunk 2077 [GamesIndustry.biz]

Abandoning Cyberpunk 2077 'not an option' says CDPR, latest patch now live on all platforms screenshot

Monster Hunter has become the only game I buy at launch

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 12:30 PM PDT

[In this community blog, Destructoid user Moths delves into why the Monster Hunter series still has so much goodwill after 15-plus years, and why players keep coming back for more without burning out. The hunt can't stop. -Jordan.]

We live in an era of effectively infinite games. Whatever your tastes, it has never been easier to find a game you'll enjoy and to play it. It's true that there could always be more: more variety, more quality, better preservation of old titles. But ultimately the fact of playing games in this day and age is that there is already more than you need in your entire lifetime. And yet they just keep coming.

That can be overwhelming. Presented with such a vast territory, there's an impulse to come up with ways of dividing and traversing it. We create or are presented with niches for ourselves: loyalties, habits, aversions, etc. Shortcuts. Maybe you don't play racing games, maybe you often play whatever happens to be on PlayStation Plus. The zeitgeist is a big one. There's always a handful of games that have enormously more cultural traction than the rest... until they don't. But that's the crux of it: an external force that is able to answer the question "what should I play next?" whenever it is called upon to do so.

Personally, I'm a little uncomfortable with that. For one thing, the games of the moment are usually new, and the industry is such that a game at launch is typically both more expensive and worse than that same game two years later. Coming late to the party has become a smart move if you're more interested in the contents of your glass than you are in the ability to clink it.

I also just don't like the idea of letting somebody else tell me what to play. And I really don't like the idea of letting the sum of everybody else do it. I've ended up designing a little system designed to give me a balanced gaming diet while alleviating the burden of choice. This is completely neurotic behavior, but fuck it. It works. I enjoy games more with my nonsense than I did without it.

Anyway, Monster Hunter Rise is the only thing I've played since it came out.

Monster Hunter has become the only game I buy at launch screenshot

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Alexa can start up Xbox Game Pass downloads now

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 11:00 AM PDT

Smart speakers can do a lot: control your music, maintain a grocery list, and wake you up in the morning. Now, you can also tell them to start downloading some Halo to your Xbox.

Today, Amazon and Microsoft announced a new Alexa skill that will allow the smart speaker to download Xbox Game Pass games to connected Xbox consoles. It doesn't require any special invocations either—according to a press release, you can just ask Alexa to initiate the download by saying "Alexa, download (whatever game) from Xbox Game Pass" and then link their accounts through the Alexa app.

Alexa can also read off what's popular, what's new or leaving the lineup, and the user can also enquire if specific games are available. I tried it just now with my Echo Dot, and it definitely works.

I don't have an Xbox Series X or S, but if I do ever pick up Microsoft's console, it's novel to me that I'll be able to remotely start downloading Game Pass games by just asking Alexa. In the course of a generation, we've gone from dedicated storefronts to apps and now smart speakers—it's pretty impressive.

More importantly, if you own an Echo device, an Xbox, and have a Game Pass, you can just say "Alexa, download Yakuza 0 from Xbox Game Pass" aloud right now and instantly make your day better.

Alexa can start up Xbox Game Pass downloads now screenshot

Former Dragon Age 2 dev reflects on what they would change, a decade later

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 10:00 AM PDT

Dragon Age 2 has had a swerving legacy. It launched to poor critical reception, yet its stories and characters endured in the fandom, and the sequel garnered its own following.

It was also a famously troubled project, with the team having an extremely small development window to work in and an expansion leading into Dragon Age: Inquisition left on the table. It's hard not to wonder what could have been if the studio had been given more time.

Today, just over a decade since Dragon Age 2 launched, several developers who worked on the project are now reminiscing on it and wondering what-if. It largely kicked off with David Gaider, lead writer on Dragon Age 2 and current Creative Director at Summerfall Studios, answering a simple question: "If you could Zack Snyder [Dragon Age 2], what would you change?"

Former Dragon Age 2 dev reflects on what they would change, a decade later screenshot

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Gord is a fantasy town-builder with 'adventure strategy' questing

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:30 AM PDT

We're never going to run out of city-builders and management games, but what about something like Gord? It immediately stands out with its roots in Slavic folklore, a survival-oriented premise, and the ability to head out on quests. This isn't a game to peacefully chill out with, that's for dang sure.

As your settlement grows, you'll have to tangle with threats on multiple fronts: other tribes, freaky beasts, hunger and illness, crumbling sanity, and even monstrous gods, who can grant your people incantations. (I'm willing to do potentially unspeakable acts to earn powerful spells.) Taken as a whole, Gord seems like it'll be in a similar headspace as games like Frostpunk, RimWorld, and Darkest Dungeon.

About those quests — Gord uses an "AI-driven" system, according to Covenant.dev. "Main objectives will guide your gameplay, while versatile side quests and random encounters will send you off into the wilderness to hunt down a legendary creature or fight off a nasty scourge that has infected the region."

I also like the sound of custom scenarios in which "almost anything can be adjusted." That sentiment stems from a keeping-things-fresh-over-time perspective, and also the desire to eventually win with the annoying stuff scaled back; Don't Starve comes to mind. In Gord, we'll be able to change elements like "the level size, the intensity of raids, the environment you'll play in, the types of enemies you'll face, starting resources, and even the severity of weather. Of course, don't forget the Horrors."

The studio, founded by CD Projekt Red and 11 bit studios producer Stan Just, is expecting a 2022 PC launch for Gord on Steam. We'll be keeping tabs, for sure. There's a lot to like just in this first showing.

Go ahead and wishlist the game on Steam as needed (or just wishlist it in your heart).

Gord is a fantasy town-builder with 'adventure strategy' questing screenshot

Janina Gavankar joins Borderlands movie as new character Commander Knoxx

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:00 AM PDT

Lionsgate is not done casting for its upcoming Borderlands big-screen adaptation. As reported by Deadline, the multi-talented Janina Gavanakar has been added to the movie's star-studded cast, which already includes Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, Edgar Ramirez, and Jack Black, among others.

The American-Indian actor is renown for a body of work on both big and small screens, having appeared on TV shows True Blood, The L Word, Arrow, and The Morning Show, as well movies such as 2018's Blindspotting and 2020's The Way Back. Away from the cameras, Gavankar is a noted musician, having recorded many songs for film and television. Despite her stocked resume, video game fans might best recognize Gavankar from her role as Iden Versio, the protagonist of EA's Star Wars Battlefront II.

In Borderlands, Gavankar will be portraying all-new character Commander Knoxx, the daughter of Borderlands villain General Knoxx. Like her father, it does not appear that the Commander is going to be lending our would-be heroes a hand, and will no doubt be raising hell for Lillith and co. in the wastelands of Pandora. It sounds like a role that will suit Gavankar to a tee, and I'm excited to see her in action alongside the rest of Borderlands' rag-tag team of reprobates.

Janina Gavankar joins Borderlands movie as new character Commander Knoxx screenshot

BioWare breaks down Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's visual overhaul

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:30 AM PDT

The Mass Effect remasters are coming up pretty soon, and there are some changes in store for Commander Shepard and their intrepid crew.

Last week, BioWare discussed the gameplay changes coming to the trilogy, especially for the first Mass Effect. (Guess some of y'all weren't fans of the Mako?) This week, it's all about the graphics.

The BioWare dev blog details three phases of visual reconstruction: boosting up textures and upgrading the Unreal Engine 3 under the hood; improving assets to reflect the passage of time—Liara, for example—and improving particles and little details, like skin, hair, and eye shaders; re-rendered cutscenes at 4K where possible; and broader improvements to levels.

Some of these are clear tune-ups, like the revised portrayals of series mainstays like Liara, Garrus, and Tali. Others are pretty significant, as locales like Feros look pretty substantially different, and Noveria's lighting has clearly been reworked.

I'm of a few minds about these changes. On the one hand, the updated character models look genuinely fantastic. Ashley and Tali stood out right away, and even though we've seen some touch-ups like Thane's they're still pretty to look at.

On the other hand, some of the lighting changes are taking some time to get used to. Mass Effect has a very distinct visual style, especially the first game. Whether that was intentional or a product of the time, I'm missing some of the more dramatic lighting situations (the scene with Anderson in the drop ship, around 1:27 in the video above, is a good example of what I'm talking about). 

We'll see soon enough how it all comes together, though. The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is due out on May 14 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with forward compatibility for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

BioWare breaks down Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's visual overhaul screenshot

Call of Duty is headed back to court yet again, this time over the word 'Warzone'

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:00 AM PDT

Activision is once again in a legal tangle over matters concerning its billion-dollar shooter, Call of Duty. This latest courtroom soiree revolves around the publisher's use of the word "Warzone" in the title of its uber-successful battle royale release Call of Duty: Warzone.

The problem began back in June 2020, when Activision filed trademarks with the U.S. patent office for "Warzone" and "Call of Duty: Warzone" as applied to its free-to-play shooter. As reported by PC Gamer, Warzone - a tabletop-style strategy title that has been using the name since 2017 - has continuously blocked these trademarks. Warzone's holding company, Warzone.com, proposes that allowing Activision to secure the word "Warzone" will hinder the former's efforts to effectively market its wares.

Activision has denied Warzone.com's claim that the trademark would cause "consumer confusion," calling the potential mix-up "inconceivable." Activision notes that both Warzone and Call of Duty: Warzone are entirely different games in entirely different genres. Activision also states that the word "Warzone" is featured in the titles of at least 15 other mobile games, asking why Warzone.com has not taken the same fight up with any of these other, similarly named releases.

Activision was supposed to complete its trademark process in December of 2020 but has received numerous extensions in order to tackle this dispute. Last week, Activision filed a new suit in efforts to bring the situation to a close, requesting that the U.S. patent office be allowed to complete Activision's trademark applications, while demanding Warzone.com recoup Activision's "reasonable" legal costs.

Warzone.

Call of Duty is headed back to court yet again, this time over the word 'Warzone' screenshot

Teamfight Tactics is experimenting with new modes, starting with the sped-up Hyper Roll

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 07:30 AM PDT

It's been inching close to two years since Riot Games joined the auto-battler genre with its own entry, Teamfight Tactics. The League of Legends take on the burgeoning game type stood out, and in the time since, has become a frontrunner.

With its upcoming set Reckoning, Riot Games is looking to experiment a bit. Rather than rest on laurels, Teamfight Tactics is continuing to play with ideas like respawning units, pieces that cost health, and a giant abomination that gains power as your units waste away.

What caught my eye about Reckoning wasn't necessarily just some new items and synergies for its pieces, though. As an on-again, off-again player of Teamfight Tactics, it's the Lab portion that's grabbed my attention; Riot is testing out new ways of playing Teamfight Tactics, and its first test is the turbo-charged faster game type Hyper Roll.

Teamfight Tactics is experimenting with new modes, starting with the sped-up Hyper Roll screenshot

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Is Discord always safe for women?

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 07:00 AM PDT

Discord, the voice chat and messaging service marketed towards gamers, can be an unkind place to women. But so can many online gaming spaces — according to a 2018 study published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, women gamers often stay anonymous online or play alone. A more recent study conducted by Casino.org in 2019 found that 57% of women gamers are harassed after other players discover their gender.

It’s harder to stay anonymous on Discord, though. Games and gaming services where voice chat is made integral, naturally, make concealing one’s gender (or perceived gender) a lot more difficult. Although there are plenty of women and girl-only private Discord groups, girl-friendly groups make up only a small subset of what’s available on Discord. Other groups can be darker places, with women experiencing gender-based harassment and sometimes even cybercrime. This is mostly thanks to social media’s tendency to become sludge, as well as Discord’s inability to keep up with the toxicity of its quickly growing platform.

Is Discord always safe for women? screenshot

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Ryu and Chun-Li are joining the Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid roster

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 06:30 AM PDT

The worlds of Power Rangers and Street Fighter have crossed over before, but Ryu and Chun-Li should feel a little more at home in their latest crossover. The two fighters are coming to Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid as the Crimson Hawk Ranger and Blue Phoenix Ranger.

Revealed over on IGN, the trailer showcases a lot of Ryu's potential combos. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid has had some excellent gameplay trailers before, and this one's no different. Ryu's classic moves are on full display, though definitely souped-up for the more over-the-top tag bouts of Battle for the Grid.

Chun-Li appears at the end, mostly just to rock out a Spinning Crane Kick, but it's probably safe to assume her move set is similar to her usual Street Fighter kit. You don't fix what isn't broken, right? Both their looks are based off their appearances in mobile game Power Rangers: Legacy Wars, according to IGN's reveal.

Developer nWay also announced that Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid — Super Edition is coming on May 25, the same day as Ryu and Chun-Li. While both fighters will be available as a pack for $12.50 or separately for $5.99 apiece, they'll also be included in the Super Edition, alongside the previous Season Pass content. (Super Edition will also be available as a paid upgrade to current owners, though no pricing's been announced yet.)

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid got a middling reception when it first launched, but the studio's stuck by the game and kept updating it with new Rangers and villains. In the search for good tag fighters, it might be worth another try with the Super Edition and some Marvel Vs. Capcom legacy in these new Street Fighter Rangers.

Ryu and Chun-Li are joining the Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid roster screenshot

Quantic Dream successfully appeals against unfair dismissal lawsuit, denies reports of workplace toxicity

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 06:00 AM PDT

Quantic Dream has successfully appealed against a 2018 ruling in which a former developer sued the studio for unfair dismissal. As ruled by the Paris Court of Appeals, the former employee's accusations have been dismissed. Furthermore, they are now responsible for paying "substantial damages" to Quantic Dream, reportedly in the region of €10,000 (roughly $12,000 USD).

The initial case went to court amidst a slew of articles in the French press, exposing alleged toxic behavior, "bro culture", sexism, and homophobia within the Heavy Rain studio's walls. Specifically noted was the distribution of Photoshopped imagery that presented studio staff members merged with celebrities, engaged in sexualized situations, or dressed in Nazi regalia. The Court of Appeals, however, ruled that none of the images involving this specific plaintiff could be considered homophobic, racist, or degrading toward them.

Furthermore, the court ruled that the plaintiff not only knew about the images as far back as 2015, but that they only complained once another employee put forward their own report about it. The court ruled that this late action showed a degree of "tacit acceptance" from the plaintiff of the images' existence. It should be reiterated that the court isn't saying the images didn't exist, nor that the plaintiff wasn't featured in them, but that the court doesn't believe the plaintiff should be able to claim that their unfair dismissal can be directly related to the images' existence... Press X to side-eye.

Quantic Dream successfully appeals against unfair dismissal lawsuit, denies reports of workplace toxicity screenshot

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April PS5 update will let users stash games in external storage

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 05:30 AM PDT

Video games can take up some memory storage space, and right now, the PlayStation 5's internal storage is your only option for the console. A new update coming this month is trying to make the storage shuffle experience a little easier.

Starting tomorrow, the PlayStation 5 will be able to transfer PS5 games to USB extended storage from its internal storage, much like it can do with PlayStation 4 games. This will let games move back and forth between the drives, but as the PlayStation Blog notes, PS5 games won't be playable off extended storage.

Though it will be faster to reinstall games from USB extended storage rather than re-downloading or copying from disc, you'll still need to move a game back over to the internal storage when you want to play it. PS5 games also can't be directly downloaded to external storage, although they can automatically update when applicable.

Sony confirms that support for expanded storage through M.2 drives is still being worked on, but it doesn't offer any update aside from it still being on the way.

A few other quality-of-life updates to aspects like in-game chat and the PS5 user interface are on the way, as well as pre-downloads for title updates to games, so the console can grab the latest versions of games while in rest mode.

They're some nice features, though I'm really waiting on an actual storage expansion solution. Games this generation aren't getting any smaller, and right now I've just got the internal storage of my PlayStation 5 to work with. Once big games like Returnal and Deathloop start hitting, things might get dicey. Hopefully that M.2 update isn't too far off.

April PS5 update will let users stash games in external storage screenshot

Blizzard Arcade is adding Lost Vikings 2 and RPM Racing as free DLC

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 05:00 AM PDT

Surprise!

Remember the Blizzard Arcade Collection? That nostalgia-tinted package that came out in February and added The Lost Vikings, Rock N Roll Racing, and Blackthorne into the mix? Well, like a lot of other retro games these days, it's back!

Blizzard has announced that they're adding two games to the collection: Lost Vikings 2 and RPM Racing. Now, clearly Lost Vikings 2 is a direct sequel, but RPM Racing is also related to one of the original offerings: Rock N Roll Racing. Instead of the decidedly Mad Max theme of the latter, RPM is more of a general racing affair, a project that Blizzard calls a spiritual prequel.

Lost Vikings 2 in particular is near and dear to my heart. It's a great follow-up that expands up on the puzzle plaforming stylings of the original, while adding in new techno-themed wrinkles into the individual mechanics of each character. It does a great job of preserving the core focus of the first game while doing its own thing.

If you own the collection, you'll get both of these for free today by way of an update, and if you don't, the price isn't going up. The whole game is even getting an upgrade too, in the form of a Design Documents Gallery in the museum, as well as a streamer mode for Rock N Roll Racing, with support for four-player local multiplayer and streamable songs.

Blizzard Arcade is adding Lost Vikings 2 and RPM Racing as free DLC screenshot

Capcom completes investigation into 2020 hack, states users' credit card info is safe

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 04:30 AM PDT

Capcom has announced that it has completed an in-depth investigation into a major breach of security that befell the publisher in November 2020, which led to the theft of hundreds of thousands of pieces of data pertaining to the developer, its employees, and customers.

In a detailed and forthright update regarding the investigation's findings, Capcom announced that it believes some 350,000 items of personal data were stolen or should be considered "at-risk" in the attack. This includes the addresses, contact details - and in some cases passport numbers - of many of Capcom's current and former employees, as well as its shareholders.

The Japanese division of Capcom is believed the hardest hit in regard to sensitive information loss, with sales reports and other financial information pertinent to the company confirmed stolen. However, despite this enormous data breach, Capcom remains confident that none of the compromised data contains the credit card information of its customers.

Capcom completes investigation into 2020 hack, states users' credit card info is safe screenshot

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NieR: Automata's maligned PC port is finally getting patched

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 04:00 AM PDT

Square Enix has announced that the frustratingly clunky PC port of its beloved RPG NieR: Automata will finally receive some much-needed attention, courtesy of a new patch that is currently in the works. Do you believe in miracles? And by "miracles," I mean, "complaints being addressed years down the line."

Released in March 2017 alongside its PS4 brethren, the Steam edition of NieR: Automata left fans bitterly disappointed. Low-resolution textures, unstable frame rate, choppy cinematics, and stuttering gameplay among the laundry list of problems encountered by players. Ultimately, it was left to the community to fix these issues themselves, bringing the PC port to a somewhat improved state with the aid of unofficial mods.

Still, there has been consistent anger vented toward Square Enix and PlatinumGames over the ensuing years, with PC players feeling that they had been simply abandoned now that the cash was in the register. But now, some four years after NieR: Automata's release, it seems that the PC port will finally receive some official love and attention. Although Square Enix is yet to offer either a specific release date or official patch notes, one can assume that help is finally on the way, and will afford PC players the same opportunity to enjoy NieR Automata's somber and evocative story as console owners have for many years.

We will, of course, let you know when more detailed information about the update is forthcoming.

NieR: Automata's maligned PC port is finally getting patched screenshot

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New Outriders patch fixes cross-play woes, still working on inventory wipe bug

Posted: 13 Apr 2021 03:30 AM PDT

Outriders launched with cross-play. Kinda! Since day one players were greeted with a message stating that the system may not work with certain platforms, but now those issues have been smoothed over, developer People Can Fly confirms.

Taking to Twitter, the official account for the game explains that the Xbox version of the game has been patched to account for the cross-play problems, and that you can now properly cross-play between PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.

But there's another lingering issue: inventory wipes. Recently some players have been reporting inventory bugs, and People Can Fly are "continuing to monitor performance and feedback." There are aware of the inventory wipe issue, and are attempting to resolve it both on the server and game-side of things.

Now, there is a silver lining. The studio says that they are planning a "restoration for all affected accounts," which is great news as long as they follow through. Annoying and inconvenient for sure to have to deal with such a big bug, but at least all hope isn't lost.

If you're impacted, you can find new context here. The inventory wipe bug is now the "top priority" of the team.

Outriders [Twitter]

New Outriders patch fixes cross-play woes, still working on inventory wipe bug screenshot

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