Destructoid

Xbox Game Pass is boasting Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster and Red Dead Online in May
Riot to start recording Valorant voice chat in effort to root out toxicity
Activision denies Toys for Bob layoffs, but confirms team has shifted to Call of Duty: Warzone
The real Sonya Blade wants a new game, might pass on a movie
10 video game sequels that were better than the original
Review: World of Demons
If NieR: Automata was your entry to the franchise, how are you finding NieR Replicant?

Xbox Game Pass is boasting Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster and Red Dead Online in May

Posted: 03 May 2021 01:15 AM PDT

What a combo! East meets west.

While there are several "big" games on offer this May in terms of Xbox Game Pass, arguably the two biggest are Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster and Red Dead Online. The former is notable because Game Pass has been cozying up to Final Fantasy games for some time, becoming somewhat of a premiere destination for the series. While the latter is interesting because Game Pass had Red Dead Redemption 2 last year, then promptly removed it from the service by the end of 2020.

You can find the full list below, but there's several other huge names too. Dragon Quest Builders 2 is semi-recent, FIFA 21 is still a top-selling sports game, and Steep is an extremely Game Pass-able "on the fence" type game that could last you a weekend or two.

Plus, who can say no to Psychonauts? It's become increasingly clear that a lot of "Games with Gold" stuff is really coming to Game Pass instead.

Xbox Game Pass is boasting Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster and Red Dead Online in May screenshot

Posted: 03 May 2021 01:00 AM PDT

In its newest efforts to combat the seemingly insurmountable problem of video game toxicity, developer Riot Games has announced plans to record and/or listen in on voice chatter during games of its online hero shooter Valorant.

Revealed this weekend in a statement to the Valorant community, Riot stated that it will be recording online voice chat going forward, though the League of Legends developer insists that it will only listen to specific recordings once they are flagged as containing racist, threatening, or otherwise toxic behavior. This policy is only rolling out in Valorant, and is not, at this time, extending to Riot's other releases such as League of Legends or Teamfight Tactics.

Riot addressed understandable player concerns that Big Brother might be listening.

"We believe we should collect the absolute minimum data to effectively run our games and continuously improve your experience," reads the statement. "When we collect data, we’ll be transparent, we’ll keep it for only as long as necessary, and we’ll protect it as if it were our own. We know collecting voice data is a concern for many of you, but be assured that we would never ship anything if we weren’t comfortable having our own data treated the same way."

Riot suggests that anyone who does not wish to be recorded cease immediate use of voice chat.

Riot to start recording Valorant voice chat in effort to root out toxicity screenshot

Posted: 03 May 2021 12:00 AM PDT

Activision has denied recent reports that it has laid off staff members from Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon studio Toys 4 Bob. The publisher claims that the studio remains operating at full capacity, though does confirm that, currently, the team has shifted into full-time Call of Duty: Warzone support.

"Reports of layoffs at Toys For Bob are incorrect," said an Activision representative to GamesIndustry.biz. "There has not been a reduction in personnel recently at the studio. The development team is operating fully and has a number of full-time job openings at this time. The studio is excited to continue supporting Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, and more recently provide additional development support to Call of Duty: Warzone."

Toys for Bob revealed that it was working on Call of Duty via Twitter, where it stated it was proud to work alongside Warzone's lead developer Raven Software. One of Toys for Bob's former contracted employees then retweeted the message, noting that all their former colleagues at the studio had been "let go". But in light of Activision's statement to GamesIndustry.biz, it seems this may have been either a misunderstanding or a case of splitting hairs over "laying off staff" and "contracts expired".

At any rate, more understandable is the disappointment and anger that has been expressed by Crash Bandicoot fans on hearing that Toys for Bob has been sidled into the Call of Duty franchise. This move is especially frustrating given the success of the studio's pleasing Crash Bandicoot 4, which launched back in October 2020 and received a solid Nintendo Switch port a mere two months ago.

If nothing else, Activision's layoff denial at least suggests Toys for Bob has not been disbanded and is still operating at full capacity. Hopefully the Californian crew — who had really begun to come into their own as of late — will be given the opportunity to return to its own projects, genres, and retro-themed IPs sooner rather than later. Given its penchant for creating beautiful, stylish, and colorful fantasy realms, it would be a shame to see them dedicated to the cold and bleak universe of military shooters.

Activision denies Toys for Bob layoffs, but confirms team has shifted to Call of Duty: Warzone screenshot

The real Sonya Blade wants a new game, might pass on a movie

Posted: 02 May 2021 09:00 AM PDT

A couple of weeks ago, I cold-called Kerri Ann Hoskins, famous for her roles in Mortal Kombat 3 and Aerosmith's Revolution X, to see if she wanted to do an interview for one of my podcasts. A week or so later, she said "Sure". She didn't even ask what it was for! That "who gives a f*ck let's just do it" attitude is a big part of who she is, and I am so grateful for it.

In just under 25 minutes, she gave an amazing overview of some of the highs and lows of her life and career. I had planned to chat with her for 5 minutes about whether she wanted to play Sonya again and a couple of other light topics, but then a half-hour later, she was still talking about growing up with a step-father with wartime PTSD, the mesh implanted in her bellybutton, being pregnant with twins while playing the pinup girl villain in the Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, and a lot of other parts of her life that make Sonya's struggles in the games look lightweight in comparison. In fact, while we were talking, you may see her check her phone a few times to check to see if her twins had contracted COVID-19. I was amazed that she was willing to take the time to talk to me in the midst of this potential crisis, but as I soon discovered, pushing through difficult times has been her way of life for as long as she can remember.

So why haven't we seen her for a while? From the sounds of it, taking care of her kids needed to be her top priority for the past decade or so, but at 51, she's toying with getting back into the game. What with the new movie out, it couldn't be a better time for her to jump back into the role of Sonya, who also became a mom over the years, but I was surprised to find out she'd rather play the character in a new game than a film. I can't blame her! Games are more fun.

If you want to see more of Kerri Ann, she's pretty active on Twitter and Instagram, as well as her online gallery. You can also hear an alternate version of our interview on the Talking to Women about Videogames podcast. Remember that show? It was on Youtube for a while, and the episode with Jessica Nigri actually did pretty good numbers. Now that they are on each other's radars, maybe NetherRealm will cast Jessica in a new Mortal Kombat game as Cassie Cage and Kerri Ann as her ass-kicking mom? One can hope...

The real Sonya Blade wants a new game, might pass on a movie screenshot

10 video game sequels that were better than the original

Posted: 02 May 2021 07:00 AM PDT

Doesn't matter which medium you're working with, sequels can be pretty bad. From low-budget cash-grabs to a follow-up that ruins the original work entirely, there are plenty of ways that they can disappoint. Video games have certainly had their fair share of duds, but there have also been plenty of sequels that were so good, they've gone on to become more famous than their predecessors.

All through this list, these games were groundbreaking for their genre, and provided something players had never seen before. With the sequel, the developers took the opportunity to improve upon the foundation they had already built, refining and honing the pre-existing mechanics of the original game to make for an even better experience than before. We wish this is how things could always be, but hey, at least they got these ones right, huh?

Just a note: we're only dealing with direct sequels here, so we'll have to leave titles like Fallout: New Vegas and GTA V for another day. Now, let's check out the list of the ten best video game sequels that were even better than the originals.

10 video game sequels that were better than the original screenshot

Review: World of Demons

Posted: 02 May 2021 06:00 AM PDT

Show of hands: who here thought World of Demons was quietly canceled months ago?

I know I did. When it was announced in 2018, I was really looking forward to seeing what PlatinumGames could do with mobile gaming given it's behind the best action titles I've ever played. Shortly following that announcement, the game had a soft release in a few countries, but was pulled from mobile shops by September of that year. From then, it was basically radio silence on the project. No new info, no new trailers; as the months and years passed and the mobile ecosystem evolved, the title quietly drifted from my mind. And just when I had forgotten about it completely, it shows up out of the blue on Apple Arcade.

Clearly, the lesson we should all learn with PlatinumGames is to have a little patience, because sometimes, it pays off.

Review: World of Demons screenshot