Games

Black Ops 4’s Battle Royale “Blackout” trailer released

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Black Ops 4's Battle Royale "Blackout" trailer released 1

Call of Duty has been releasing some tidbits of details regarding their latest entry into the Black Ops lineup over the past few days. Fans have been demanding a more detailed look at Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode. Just a few hours ago, Activision and Treyarch officially released their first ever full trailer for … Read more

CoD: WWII Covert Storm event is live – new weapons, challenges, and events

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CoD: WWII Covert Storm event is live - new weapons, challenges, and events 2

Earlier this week, Sledgehammer Games revealed a new in-game event for Call of Duty: WWII gamers. It’s called Covert Storm. And it’s a decent one. This event is now live for Xbox One, PC, and PS4.

Unlike the previous events, this one adds a ton of content for free, though it’s just a tad less than normal. Three new weapons have also been added:

  • AS-44 AR
  • Prot X-1 SMG
  • VMG 1927 LMG

The AS-44 can be earned by reaching the max level in the Commando Division.

Aside from weapons, newly animated camos and a community challenge are also now live in CoD. This content pack, however, has no new maps with the update. But then again, this is more likely the last event before the next Black Ops game rolls out in October.

For players who’ve already played their share of WWII, you may want to check out the trailer to see what’s new while your game is updating. It pretty much highlights everything that’s new in this update.

The Binding of Isaac’s final DLC “Repentance” announced

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The Binding of Isaac's final DLC "Repentance" announced 3

The Binding of Isaac is getting its final DLC pack. Creator Edmund McMillen announced it over Twitter as the “FINAL (for real this time) DLC for Isaac.” It’ll be called The Binding of Isaac: Repentance and includes the popular fan-made Antibirth mod which adds a number of new rooms, enemies, and treasures to discover and a hidden end … Read more

Agent 47 goes to Columbia in Hitman 2

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Agent 47 goes to Columbia in Hitman 2 4

Warner Bros. and IO Interactive just released a new trailer showing off some footage and backstory for the next entry in the Hitman franchise- Hitman 2.

The trailer shows off the setting of the game which is the country of Columbia. Agent 47 has been sent to Columbia to take on a new series of missions and targets to assassinate.

This is pretty rare as the environment will be natural and probably heavily reliant on natural obstacles rather than buildings and structures. Jungles, forest, and other planted areas should be a refreshing take for players since this is one of the few times the game takes place in such an arena. New and veteran players will both be exposed to a new gameplay environment.

Sarner Bros. posted some more info about the new trailer via press release that was published earlier this week. The following is straight from their release:

“Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and IO Interactive released a new video at PAX West teasing the next destination featured in HITMAN 2 – Colombia. This new setting will put players directly in the heart of a dark and dangerous South American rainforest, providing a vastly different canvas for Agent 47 to carry out his deadly missions. Truly a living, breathing jungle environment with threats lurking around every corner, Colombia will feature a unique gameplay experience with multiple paths to explore, unparalleled game depth and countless interactive possibilities for players. Stay tuned on the HITMAN 2 channels in the coming weeks for more details on this exciting new location.”

Hitman 2 comes out in November for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

 

Forza Horizon 4 promo event in Australia goes all out

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Forza Horizon 4 promo event in Australia goes all out 5

Xbox Austraila is giving players the chance to play video games on a huge screen. To be exact, they’re giving players the chance to play on a movie screen, but limited to just one AAA game- Forza Horizon 4.

They announced all of the details regarding this earlier this week:

“Xbox is celebrating the launch of Forza Horizon 4 in Australia with a real-world Forza Horizon Drive-in Cinema!

For one night only, we are giving fans the chance to be amongst the first in Australia to explore the fourth addition to the open-world playground racing series. This event promises to be part car show, part game experience and part cinema.

Start your evening with a GamePlay session to trial the game or watch game demonstrations on the big screen, played live from a Forza McLaren 720S! Check out some demonstration vehicles from our partners at McLaren and Porsche and visit the OMEN Rig for some additional GamePlay opportunities. Then grab some food or movie snacks available for purchase from the Forza Diner, before settling back into your car for a screening of the award winning 2015 Action film Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Fans of the series will be the first in Australia to play through the game in a real-world Drive-in Cinema. Players will be able to play the game in a movie theater for one night only. They’ll be able to watch game demos live from a Forza McLaren 720S complete with food, movie snacks, and beverages followed by a screening of Mad Max: Fury Road.

Ben Penrose, Art Director for Playground Games, will also be at this event to answer fan questions. The event takes place at the Skyline Drive-In Blacktown on Septemeber 7th in Blacktown, Australia. Entry is $20 with a car and additional riders cost 410 per person. The game will release October 2nd for PC and Xbox One.

More details can be found here.

Anthem demo rolls out February 1, 2019

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Anthem demo rolls out February 1, 2019 6

Bioware announced at PAX West 2018 that their newest title Anthem will be getting a playable demo in February of 2019, which is right ahead of its official release date on February 22nd, 2019. The demo comes out on the first of the month, so the full game is right around the corner.

The Anthem demo will be playable on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. EA will release it to those who are subscribed to EA/Origin Access on Xbox One and PC. PS4 owners will get to play it if they pre-ordered the game already.

At EA’s booth at PAX West, lead producer Mike Gamble said that it’s “not a test or beta” and that it’s a full “slice of our game.” So the game is already complete and will play identically to the beta- well, at least that “slice” of it.

EA: Battlefield V delayed until November 20th

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EA: Battlefield V delayed until November 20th 7

EA just announced yesterday that Battlefield V has been delayed from October 19th to November 20th. The reason behind the delay is to make final adjustments to the game and deliver an awesome experience for players.

Fans that are pumped for this AAA title in the long-running Battlefield series don’t really seem to be disappointed, as they’re okay with the company fixing up the game so it doesn’t release with an unpolished finish.

While it may be disappointing for some fans looking forward to the game next month, it’s for good reason. I’m pretty sure EA has learned that it’s always quality over quantity.

Oskar Gabrielson, BF:V developer, says the following:

“Today, we’re announcing that Battlefield V will have a new launch date – November 20, 2018. I wanted to give you a little bit of insight into how we arrived at this new date.

Over the summer, we’ve had tens of thousands of players get their hands on the game during our Closed Alphas and at E3 and Gamescom – where we were honored to receive the awards for Best Multiplayer Game at both shows.

You have told us that you are seeing an increased focus on squad play come through, you are also feeling the difference in our revamped player movement and we are getting a lot of positive feedback for our improved weapons handling.

You’ve also spurred us to make some meaningful improvements to the core gameplay experience, including adjusting the gameplay tempo, improving soldier visibility and reducing player friction. You’ll see a lot of these reflected in our Open Beta that starts on September 6.

We believe we have one of the best Battlefield games ever on our hands. A game that will deliver on an emotional journey through the return of unseen single player War Stories, a deep multiplayer experience, Battle Royale, along with our new live service, Tides of War – a journey across multiple theaters of WW2 and designed to keep our community together.”

He then talks about the beta launching this month in just a few days:

“With the Open Beta just around the corner, we are excited about the millions of you who will join us and experience the game. And we fully expect to see even more feedback coming our way.

And that’s why we’re moving our launch date. We’re going to take the time to continue to make some final adjustments to core gameplay, and to ensure we really deliver on the potential of Tides of War.

We know moving the launch date means that we all have to wait a little longer. But we’re going to take our time to make sure we get it right.

Thank you for your continued passion and support. We can’t wait to see you on the battlefield in just a few days.”

Source: EA.

 

Subnautica: Below Zero officially annouced

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Subnautica: Below Zero officially annouced 8

The standalone expansion to Unkown Worlds Entertainment’s Subnautica has been officially announced. It’s called Subnautica: Below Zero and the news comes from a post on their official page.

It’s the highly-anticipated expansion game that takes place in a similar setup to the original game. By concept, I mean it’s the same style of survival. It’s not DLC. It’s standalone. Let’s get that straight.

If you’ve never played the original game, it’s a survival game where you need to survive the depths of the ocean by collecting resources, exploring, and building a fully-functioning base. There are tons of fish, species, and creatures you’ll encounter in the ocean. The further and deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets.

Subnautica itself is a complete experience with survival mechanisms and a complete storyline. The game was in Early Access on Steam for a few years before becoming a full release.

The expansion has been in development for quite some time and has been discussed among fans of the game. It takes place on Planet 4546B and your character has been sent on a mission to study alien technology on the frozen arctic biome. The character is completely different than the previous one in the original game. It’s a different protagonist who’s been sent by Alterra.

The game already has some concept art floating around out there and even a dedicated Trello board which shows the plot (and spoiler).

The game will be released on Steam Early Acess before becoming a full game just like the previous game. You can get some more information on their official page and check out the progress of it.

Pokemon Essentials shut down by Nintendo

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Pokemon Essentials shut down by Nintendo 9

Pokemon Essentials, a free fan-made mod, just got the axe from Nintendo.

It’s a game that was started back in 2007 and provided many tools that allowed developers to build a near true copy of a handheld Pokemon game. It had graphics, music, maps, and tilesets that were nearly identical to the original games. The toolset has been used many times in the past and created games like Pokemon Uranium. The community behind it was also huge- involving folks at the PokeCoummunity forum and a dedicated wiki, which has also been shut down via DMCA.

The shutdown was due to a copyright claim by Nintendo of America, according to a post on the PokeCommunity by a moderator who goes by Marin. Marin stated that everything related to Pokemon Essentials will no longer be distributed by the community, including derivate works like Essentials GS and Essentials DS which were used to create fan games like Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Pearl.

Marin also asked the community to not go after Nintendo and fight for the engine. He wants to keep this as a peaceful cease and desist:

 “Please don’t freak out about the claim.”

“There’s no reason to get angry with Nintendo or anyone else involved. It doesn’t need to be a bigger deal than it should be.”

The Verge also reports that a representative from the wiki stated the following:

“[The] fandom received a DMCA notice on behalf of Nintendo notifying us of content that was in violation of its copyright holdings. After carefully assessing the violations in regards to the Pokémon Essentials wiki, we came to a decision to take it down.”

We shouldn’t be surprised. Nintendo will aggressively protect their copyright from fan games or modified games. They’ve taken down games like Pokemon Uranium and the Metroid 2 remake AM2R. They’ve even attacked Game Jolt and GitHub for providing fan games in their databases and blocked HD remakes of games like Super Mario 64.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: A developer’s perspective

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Marvel's Spider-Man: A developer's perspective 10

Marvel Entertainment released a new trailer showing off the new action adventure game Marvel’s Spider-Man. The video shows off some footage that depicts how Insomniac Games developed and created the game that was first shown in the E3 trailer. It’s more of a developer’s behind-the-scenes commentary look the new Spider-Man game.

They used Previz (previsualization) sequences rather than a storyboard like typical adventure games. And it shows how they captured the motion of the hero using stuntmen. The second video also shows some gameplay in action by the Japanese arm of the PlayStation.

Spider-Man rolls out on September 7th exclusively for the PS4. It’s available for pre-order right now on Amazon, and the physical release just came out yesterday. Fans are stoked. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting new entry into the series.

Image: Marvel

Square Enix’s The Last Remnant being delisted from Steam

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Steam removes movies and videos.

Square Enix’s The Last Remnant, a nearly 10-year-old game, is being removed from the Steam store in just a few weeks. On the Steam News page, Square announced that it’ll be delisted from the DRM platform on different schedules for different regions:

  • Japan region: Wednesday 5th September, approximately 2:00 (JST)
  • NA region: Tuesday 4th September, approximately 10:00 (PDT)
  • EU region: Tuesday 4th September, approximately 17:00 (GMT)

For owners of the game, it’ll still be playable. But for those looking to buy it, it’ll be gone. The title was released for the Xbox 360 back in 2008 and a PS3 version of was never released. It wasn’t a flop by any means, but it is a pretty dated game.

It’s a JRPG developed by the same team behind SaGa and the Final Fantasy games. Get it on Steam for $9.99 if you’re interested in the PC version. The console version will be available used (or possibly new) and can easily still be had from various retailers that carry specialty or retro games.

Square Enix’s game lineup for PAX West 2018 revealed

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Square Enix's game lineup for PAX West 2018 revealed 11

Square Enix has announced its lineup for PAX West 2018. The publisher has an exciting list of games it’ll showcase at the event with plenty of panels for fans seeking more information.

The following titles will be playable at PAX coming straight from Square Enix’s official page:

  • Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
  • Kingdom Hearts 3
  • The Quiet Man
  • Life is Strange 2
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider

There will also be plenty of panels fans can attend as well to get more information regarding their games. This was confirmed via press release:

“EXPANDING THE LIFE IS STRANGE UNIVERSE
Friday, August 31, 12:00 PM, Wyvern Theater
Join writer Christian Divine and key figures from the LIFE IS STRANGE 2development team as they take you behind the scenes of their most ambitious game in the series to date. Discover how they apply the core concepts of the LIFE IS STRANGE franchise to bring the relatable characters and realistic environments in the LIFE IS STRANGE Universe to life. Learn how they tackle the challenges of telling a branching story of education and brotherhood within an evolving episodic narrative adventure.

LIFE IS STRANGE 2 FAN MEET UP PARTY with What’s Good Games
Friday, August 31 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM at  Unicorn 1118 E. Pike Street
Relax at PAX with the team from What’s Good Games and developers from DONTNOD Entertainment to celebrate the upcoming launch of the first episode of LIFE IS STRANGE 2. Share your favorite moments from the series, enjoy refreshments and a chance to win games, SQUARE ENIX prizes and custom What’s Good Games items.  For additional information about the event visit: https://www.facebook.com/WhatsGoodGames/.

JUST CAUSE 4 SHOWCASE
Saturday, September 1, 11:30 AM, Hydra Theater
Join key members of the JUST CAUSE 4™ development team – Avalanche Studios – as they talk exclusively about the next game in the hugely popular, multi-million selling JUST CAUSE series. Set in the fictional South American world of Solis, JUST CAUSE 4 takes the incredible destruction and unique physics the series is known for to a whole new level with the introduction of fully simulated tornadoes and other Extreme Weather events. Rico Rodriguez returns in JUST CAUSE 4 with his trademark parachute, wingsuit and, of course his grappling hook, now enhanced with new functionality and fully customisable, making it the most powerful and creative tool the player has ever had.

SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER – Uncovering the Hidden City of Paititi
Saturday, September 1, 4;30 PM, Wyvern Theater
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is filled with many surprises and secrets. Perhaps the biggest discovery Lara Croft® will make is the hidden city of Paititi, a civilization untouched by modern culture and the largest hub ever created in a Tomb Raider® game. Moderated by Andrea Rene, join the team behind Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider. The panel will feature Dan Chayer-Bisson (Game Director), Mario Chabtini (Senior Producer), and Rich Briggs (Senior Brand Director).”

Fortnite 5.30 released – New items, gameplay modes, and the Blunderbuss AR

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Fortnite 5.30 released - New items, gameplay modes, and the Blunderbuss AR 12

Fortnite has just hit version 5.30, which brings some big additions to both the Battle Royale and Save the Worlds gameplay modes. The main features are the Rift-To-Go item, which was teased previously by Epic Games, and a new LImited Time mode dubbed “Score Royale.”

They work exactly as they’re named. Rift-To-Go is a place that exists in the player’s equipment which allows the player and their allies to fly out from the sky and make a surprise ambush. However, other players can also pull the same move and use the same portals. This adds a new level of complexity to the game and new strategies that will ultimately be centered around these portals.

Score Royale will be a new mode where players gain points for completing various tasks like collecting items, loot crates, and killing enemies. It scores you for doing things like opening ammo boxes, llamas, supply drops, treasure chests, using an apple/mushroom, and more.

Here’s the scoring guide from Epic Games:

  • Winning Score (Solo) 2000
  • Winning Score (Duos) 3000
  • Winning Score (Squads) 4500
  • Use an Apple or Mushroom 10
  • Open an Ammo Box 25
  • Open a Llama 50
  • Open a Supply Drop 100
  • Eliminate an Enemy 100
  • Open a Treasure Ches t50
  • Find a Bronze Coin 30
  • Find a Silver Coin 50
  • Find a Gold Coin 100

The Save the World campaign is last but not least. It has a new weapon called the Blunderbuss Assault Rifle (BAR) which does a hefty amount of damage with a giant clip to spare.

The patch is now available on all platforms and no issues have been reported so far.

You can check out the full details here.

 

Super Mario Party River Survival co-op mode teaser released

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Super Mario Party River Survival co-op mode teaser released 13

Nd Cube and Nintendo are going back to a traditional setup with Super Mario Party. After many experiments with various game layouts in the long-running party franchise, it seems like it’s time to go back to the roots of the game. This new title will still feature many new features, such as exclusive dice, minigames, and setups that utilize the Switch’s capabilities. It’ll also have side modes, one of which is called River Survival. Perhaps it’s time to stick to what works.

In this mode, up to four players will have to work cooperatively in order to reach the goal at the end of a river before time runs out. Players will have to use the Joy-Con’s motion controls to row the boat before cop-op minigames pop up at specific time intervals.

If they’re completed successfully, more time will be added. It’s a pretty cool feature with multiplayer co-op. Players can work together kind of like Mario Party 9 and 10′s main modes. And it demonstrates the motion controllers, which show make it a good tech demo.

Super Mario Party will launch on the Switch on Ocboeter 5th, and can already be pre-ordered Amazon, Best Buy, and other major retailers.

You can see River Survival in action in this trailer released by Nintendo earlier today, which has already garnered over 100K views at the time fo this writing:

Grandia I and II remastered are coming to Switch as a packaged game

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Grandia I and II remastered are coming to Switch as a packaged game 14

Grandia I and II are coming to the Nintendo Switch as a remastered game. GungHo Online Entertainment America announced that the titles will be coming to the Switch fully remastered. This is the first time the game has had an easy release since 1999 when it was launched for the original PlayStation in North America. Grandia II hasn’t been available since early 2000 when it was available on the PlayStation 2 and Sega Dreamcast. But now it’ll be coming out for the holiday season in 2018.

Developed by Game Arts, who may be known for their work in Sliphead and the Lunar series, Grandia games have only seen four main releases- plus an MMO, special disc, and a spinoff game. Other than that, there hasn’t been much action for this series over here in the West. Similar to the Lunar games, the Grandia games are known for their insane combat mechanics and awesome sprite art.

It was very well-received and highly-rated overseas and at home in the US. It released around the same time that FFVII came out and both of the games were compared against each other. Gamespot said that Grandia is superior to “FF7 in all of the ways that matter.”

Grandia was released for the Japanese Sega Saturn originally, then found its home on the PlayStation shortly thereafter. Then it migrated to the PS3 in Japan on the PS Network. PC and Switch owners will now get a piece of the action later in 2018. Switch players will also get Grandia II, which aims for a more grown-up storyline compared to the original game. It tells the tale of Ryudo, a blade mercenary who’s tasked with protecting a songstress from the church which has been leading humanity to prosperity and peace for many centuries.

Steam players will get a remaster of the Dreamcast version with upgraded visuals and audio.

Grandia II was originally released on the Dreamcast to which then was ported poorly onto the PS2 and PC. Similar to the original game, it got some pretty positive reviews. The game expands on the positional-based battle mechanics and had a more difficult gameplay style.

The game will be available for demo at PAX West and also packaged for the Switch later this year.

Super Neptunia RPG delayed until 2019 for Westerners

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Super Neptunia RPG delayed until 2019 for Westerners 15

Super Neptunia RPG is now planned for a Spring 2019 release, according to a post by Idea Factory. The game was previously scheduled for 2018, but has been delayed since then. Idea Factory and Canadian developer Artisan Studios are still bringing Neptune to the 2D perspective for the first time ever. Super Neptunia RPG will be the first 2D Neptunia game and will also be released by a Western Studio- again for the first time.

The Japan launch is scheduled for September 27th while Westerners will have to wait until 2019.

The game takes the classic self-referential humor in a 2D sidescroller with RPG elements. Artisan Studios is well-aware that this is a challenge to build. In an interview with Digitally Downloaded, Mario Rizzo, head at Artisan, talks about the difficulties in adapting a Japanese title in a Western Studio. Staff at Artisan re no longer developing with Japnese developers and doing Neptune their own way with detailed artwork and splendid backgrounds.

The game has Neptune finding herself transported to a world without any memory. An organization called Bombyx Mori enslaves citizens and makes them develop game after game as a tribute. Anyone who tries to use tech beyond their means or makes a game tp subpar standards will risk imprisonment in the Trial Grounds. Neptune has an immense power and sets out to explore and save the world.

DOOM Eternal: No SnapMap. No mods. Better multiplayer.

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DOOM Eternal: No SnapMap. No mods. Better multiplayer. 16

At QuakeCon, id Software revealed that DOOM Eternal won’t have SnapMap, which is the map editor that was used in their previous title, DOOM. Instead, it’ll have single-player DLC.

In a Q/A interview, director Marty Stratton explained their reasoning for getting rid of the previous feature. He says:

“Right now we don’t plan on bringing SnapMap back into Doom Eternal,” he said. “We’re really focusing those resources on doing some of the things that players wanted more from us post-launch.”

DOOM’s fans were pretty disappointed when the campaign mode didn’t get any DLC post-release. The SnapMap mode was basically a successor to mods made by the community. SnapMap was an editor that allowed modders to customize maps in fairly advanced ways.

It could do a lot more than typical editors but wasn’t a full-blown code-required map editor. WIth the omission of this feature, id is not working on improving their tech to offer mod support again.

“One of the big criticisms – and even if I could go back and do it again – I think we’d do campaign DLC after launch. People really wanted that. They wanted stuff created by us. SnapMap was really cool. I loved it. But it didn’t really scratch that itch for people. But we know we can.”

Stratton was clear about DOOM Eternal mods and how they’re not guaranteed to be in the game.

“We had made some technical decisions way back that just pushed us in a different direction than mods. We have spent the last several years making technical decisions that get us back towards being able to do mods.

He went on to talk about how they’re shifting focus based on the previous title. He also talked about the multiplayer aspect of DOOM Eternal as another example of their plans for expansion after the game is released.

The multiplayer part will be developed with the same team rather than outsourced to another studio like in DOOM– where it was criticized for being sub-par compared to the campaign. The game will also have an invasion mode, where players can play as a baddie and invade other player’s campaigns to take the place of an AI.

He also briefly talks about a new-fangled PvP component, which is something completely new to the series:

“But we’re not really going deep into that. We are working on a PvP component. It is new. It’s not an extension of what we did last time. So it’s new. It is something we’re developing internally, which we didn’t do last time. I think players are gonna really enjoy it.”

Player Housing demolished without warning in FFXIV; Investigation continues

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Player Housing demolished without warning in FFXIV; Investigation continues 17

Player-owned houses in Final Fantasy XIV are being razed without any warning. Reports across multiple servers warrant a warning on the FFXIV subreddit and a thread on their official forums. GMs have already acknowledged the issue by reimbursing affected players, but they’re not able to fully restore their lost properties.

The bug usually occurs after the owners visit the house- just days later. Housing works on a timer: if you don’t visit your house for a set period of time, it’s automatically reclaimed by the server. If it’s reclaimed, 80% of the land fees and 100% of the furnishing are returned to the owner. Square Enix has turned off the demolition timers before, such as during the heat and flooding in Japan. The North American servers also had it turned off last year due to the flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Harvey. However, it’s currently active right now even though numerous reports are surfacing while they attempt to fix the issue.

Players get a full 45 days before scheduled deletion- with two warning emails. However, there have been reports that the email system wasn’t working- all the way back since May of this year.

The housing crisis is something that Square Enix is definitely aware of. Directory Naoki Yoshida knows about the issue and changes were made earlier in 2018 so that players could only own one piece of land, which stop squatting. Smaller servers don’t really have much of an issue because land can be reclaimed due to lower populations. Populated servers are where there are problems due to competition between players for plots.

Diablo III: Eternal Collection confirmed for Switch; See details and pricing

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Diablo III: Eternal Collection confirmed for Switch; See details and pricing 18

A Forbes post published by Erik Kain was quickly removed soon afterward, but some swift Reddit users captured it and already started a few threads about it all too fast. The news is that Diablo III port for the Switch has been confirmed for release in 2018. With only a few months left, it’ll likely be ready for the holiday season.

After its rocky PC launch back in 2012 and a process of continuous updates and community feedback, the ARPG received console ports in 2014 and 2013 for Xbox and PlayStation. Now, the Switch is next in the lineup of games.

It’s called the Eternal Collection, which includes both the Reaper of Souls and Rise of the Necromancer expansions and some other additional content. It’ll retail at full price- $59.99. It’ll also have special Nintendo exclusive in-game content like a Ganondorf-esque cosmetic armor set, a Tri-Fore portrait frame, a Chicken pet, and even some Echoes of the Mask cosmetic wings. This content is pretty neat since it combines two different universes into one- especially for returning players who are already familiar with Diablo games.

The game allows returning players to explore the new content or new players who’ve never played a Diablo game to play it for the first time. It includes both docked and portable modes and up to 4 players on a single Switch console or separate Switch consoles linked wirelessly and without an Internet connection. The Nintendo Switch Online service will also allow online play with cloud-saving support.

So far, no release date has been announced. This will be the first time Blizzard’s released a game on Nintendo in 15 years, which is definitely something to be excited over. There have been a efforts to bring more exclusive Nintendo content to the Switch in terms of games released in the West, with Ubisoft announcing Starlink: Battle for Atlas at E3 which has exclusive Nintendo goodies.

As we near the holiday season, we should see more news about the Diablo III: Eternal Collection. Stay tuned for updates.

Source: TechRaptor.

Steam copies Discord’s chat system; Discord copies Steam’s store

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Steam copies Discord's chat system; Discord copies Steam's store 19

A few weeks ago, Steam rebuilt their chat system and added some features that looked like they were ripped right out of Discord. Now, the VoIP giant for gamers is retaliating by releasing a game distribution platform. That’s right, Discord now sells games.

The Discord Store is an experience that’s built by curated content that’ll automatically suggest games based on player interests. It’s like the Steam front page, but more personalized and catered for each individual player instead of the general population’s tastes. Discord staff curates the content that appears in the store in order to prevent Steam’s issue with game saturation and competition for virtual sell space.

Right now, players can buy a variety of games like Hollow Knight, Moonlighter, Starbound, This is the Police 2, The Banner Saga 3, and more.

Discord is making a bold move by competing directly with Steam, but they probably would’ve done so regardless of whether or not Steam copied their chat system’s layout and design.

The most interesting news is the First on Discord section. They plan to show off indie games they’ve helped support and develop and launch them exclusively only on Discord fora limited period of time. This is typically a period of 90 days before the game devs can sell it anywhere else, like Steam. Discord also takes 30% of sales just like the DRM giant. So far, the only game that’s premiering on this program is Bad North, an indie real-time roguelike. The post states:

“To be very clear, First on Discord games are temporarily exclusive. They’re literally first on Discord — usually 90 days and then the developers can sell anywhere else they want. This beta won’t have any First on Discord titles, but we’ll be showing off some soon.”

Discord Nitro is also getting revamped. Subs will see a curated list of popular titles picked by the staff, such as Super Meat Boy and System Shock Enhanced Edition. And the new Discord also has a Universal Library tab that scans your computer for games on all platforms like Steam, UPlay, and Discord itself. It then links them to this singular tab so you can play directly from Discord no matter where the game is housed. It’ll just launch the other launcher and then continue the game automatically.

Discord Store is currently in beta and will roll out worldwide slowly over time. It’s currently available to Canadian users only at a cap of 50K players. US players should soon be able to try out the full version.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War and Child of Light coming to Switch

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Valiant Hearts: The Great War and Child of Light coming to Switch 20

Child of Light and Valiant Hearts: The Great War are both coming to the Nintendo Switch this Fall. They were confirmed for the Switch in a news post on the official Ubisoft site. Child of Light will release on October 11th and Valiant Hearts will release on November 8th.

Child of Light features amazing artwork and players must save their kingdom from evil forces. The game is a turn-based RPG in a fantasy world where players must take the role of a hero named Aurora who happens to reside in the kingdom of Lemuria. The game has a skill-tree progression system for all characters and allows the freedom to tailor each character to suit different roles or playstyles.

The isn’t the first game in this series on a Nintendo console, as it was also available for the Wii U back in 2014. This game won’t have any new Switch exclusives, but a second player can join in with a Joy-Con to control Aurora’s companion Igniculus to allow players to play in co-op. However, this feature is available in other releases of the game.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War will ship with integrated touch controls just like the iOS, Android, and Windows versions. Switch owners will have Valiant Hearts: Dogs of War which is an interactive comic that was previously available on mobile platforms.

This is a point-and-click adventure game which focuses on multiple strangers during WWI. You’ll guide a character through many puzzles with a trusty dog as your companion to infiltrate enemy bases, investigate different events, and discover WWI history. Valiant Hearts for the Switch is the first time it’s ever been on a Nintendo console.

Stay tuned for more news upon release.

Swery reveals more details about his newest project: “The Missing”

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White Owls Studio is teasing its first game developed completely in-house called The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Mysteries, which is set to roll out later this year. With this year being close to over, it’ll likely surface sometime during the holiday season.

Swery was recently in the news for his The Good Life project which received decent success on Kickstarter. The game will be developed by Swery himself and staff from White Owls Studio. Arc Systems Works has been “very supportive” in giving him the opportunity to “create something entirely new” which will “blow your mind,” as Swery likes to put it. He’s known for his mind-boggling storylines and plots, and we expect nothing different from The Missing.

The game is an indie title developed by White Owls Studio and Swery. It’s an action adventure game coming to all major consoles and PC. It’s published by Arc Systems Works, which previously worked on titles that consisted of fighting games and similar genres. The announcement was filmed in their office with a humorous tone depicting cacti, stuffed monkeys, and a random White Owl. It promises a healthy dose of mystery and some speculation about the game’s release.

It was originally just known as “The Missing” and was revealed six months ago in February 2018 without any further details. The announcement trailer that was just released simply lists some details, screenshots, and the platforms the game will be released on. From what it shows, it looks like some kind of Castlevania-type action platform complete with sidescroller elements. Players will have to solve mysteries in rural settings similar to Deadly Premonition released by Swery back in 2010.

Blizzard confirms Diablo projects are in the works – keyword “projects”

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Blizzard confirms Diablo projects are in the works - keyword "projects" 21

Blizzard made headlines a few weeks back with a job listing for a Diablo dungeon designer. A Diablo game was confirmed to be in the works, but there was no other news. It wasn’t confirmed whether it’d be a new game or just a remake, but speculators say it had to be a new game because of the job posting’s details.

It’s been a whole 6 years size Diablo III came out and the community is stoked to see another title in the works. Now, Blizzard has finally released some more details about the long-running series. Brandy Camel, Diablo Community Manager tells the world in a recent video that multiple projects are in the works which will be revealed later this year. Camel also talks about the recent introduction of themed seasons in the latest game with the first season being Greed.

The ARPG genre has always been the game’s core mechanic. Blizzard ridding this would be very surprising, though they’ve done this type of move before with Warcraft.

For players who haven’t revisited the game, it’s a good time to get excited again and new content is still being pumped out while we wait for the next game. Blizzcon is coming on November 2nd and there will likely be an announcement then. How many projects? Is it a direct sequel? is it a new game? Will it be traditional or new? Fans are excited. Sit tight for more announcements.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at Nintendo Direct: New characters, amiibos, and a special edition

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at Nintendo Direct: New characters, amiibos, and a special edition 22

Nintendo has announced five new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo characters and a special limited edition amiibo and GameCube controller/adapter combo.

SSBU Nintendo Direct announced the news on August 8th where the new characters were revealed for the upcoming and much-anticipated crossover fighter. The characters and their respective amiibo figures will be available for purchase “in the future” according to a Tweet by Nintendo.

The characters announced were Simon Belmont, Richter Belmont, King K. Rool, Chrom and Dark Samus. SSBU is the newest entry in Nintendo’s flagship title Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighters. The game will be released on Nintendo Switch in the holiday season. Today’s Nintendo Direct event confirmed the new characters’ addition to the game.

As for when these will ship, there’s no confirmation yet. Nintendo is still being vague about the actual launch, but it’s safe to assume that they’ll be around during the game’s launch or shortly thereafter.

Nintendo’s special limited edition version of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be released with the regular edition both on the same day, which is scheduled to be on December 7th, 2018.

T he special edition will contain a physical copy of the game, a GameCube controller themed with SSB designs, and an adapter so you can use it with the Switch. This adapter also works with any existing GameCube controllers you may already have.

Pricing for the limited edition version is still TBA, so expect more information to roll out as we approach the holidays. The GameCube controller for the limited edition isn’t exclusive by any means, as anyone can purchase the one that’s already on sale. It’ll be the same one that exists on the market today but bundled differently.

Dragon Quest XI will be a throwback to older titles in the series

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Dragon Quest XI will be a throwback to older titles in the series 23

A new trailer for the upcoming game Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age shows off the game’s gorgeous artwork and the group of companions that you’ll be playing alongside in this brand-new journey.

The game is supposed to be somewhat of a throwback to older, retro Dragon Quest games with each character in the party reflecting some older designs and personalities. Yuji Horii, developer, and creator of the series had an interview with Siliconera about each of the members of the party in greater detail.

Each character which accompanies the nameless hero, which is Dragon Quest tradition, on their journey to defeat the evil that’s wreaking havoc on their land. Horri went over how each character’s design and personality reflects an older Dragon Quest entity:

Erik is the down-to-Earth character. He’s fully governed and is a young thief who’s the first character to join the Limnitary.

Veronica and Serena are the pair of female girls similar to previous female duo Maya and Meena in Dragon Quest IV. They’re opposites in terms of personality and function for the party. Veronica is a mage and Serena is a healer. Their personalities offer plenty of content for the game’s moments with a dynamic opposing personality setup.

Sylvando is a guy who’s loud and annoying, probably because he’s an entertainer. He’s flamboyant, chivalrous, and somewhat buff. He has acrobatic skills.

Jade is a martial artist who acts as a sister to the hero.

Rab is an older character who’s somewhat of a troublemaker.

The game is the 11th title in the long-running series, which was first released back in 1986. It’ll feature many elements from the entire series due to it being somewhat of an homage to past titles, including the turn-based combat and classic designs created by Akira Toriyama and crew.

The game has already been released in Japan on the PS4 and Nintendo 3DS last year, with total sales around 3M copies. Worldwide release is scheduled on September 4th, 2018 for PS4 and Windows with a Switch version planned for release later on.

Surviving Mars Da Vinci update live on PC; What’s new?

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Surviving Mars Da Vinci update live on PC; What's new? 24

Surviving Mars released a new update this week according to a news post on their Steam Community page.

Surviving Mars is exactly what it sounds like. You need to establish a colony on the planet with just a cargo rocket and some drones and basic resources to start with and you need to expand your colony, build shelter, and explore the planet. The game doesn’t just put you alone on the planet though, you can breed humans to help perform tasks on your base in the harsh environment. You can actually expand beyond a thousand humans if you play well enough.

The game’s newest content patch is called the Da Vinci update. It allows a bunch of new features and balance adjustments to take place in the game. The main feature is Creative Mode, which allows players to basically have a large amount of capital and disable all the nasty diameters in the game in order to build creatively. It’s like RollerCoaster Tycoon on Mars with unlimited cash. It’s basically your typical freedom custom mode. Of course, achievements will be disabled if you’re playing in Creative.

Resource management has also been revamped to make it easier to harvest and utilize materials. Players can set a minimum desired amount of resources on a per-depot basis which allows adequate stockpiles of materiasl in various sections of your colony. The UI has also been improved and simplified. And power producers/consumers will now automatically connect to nearby buildings rather than requiring a tile power cable to be built.

Balance has also been addressed with some tweaks like building power consumption increases or maintenance parts changed. The Electronics Factory now uses machine parts for maintenance. Genius colonists will now grant research if you keep their Sanity high enough and Celebrity colonists will provide funding if their Comfort levels are kept well.

There’s also a Tourist trait for colonists now. Colonists will generate $10M upon arrival and stay for a few days, then leave. When they go back, they’ll bring back two new Tourist applicants. This is pretty cool because players can now establish a vacation destination on Mars and also get some additional income from it!

The Da Vinci update is already live on PC and console launches coming shortly. Another update called the Sagan Update will come next month in September with plenty of challenges along with it.

Octopath Traveler sells 1M copies; Thanks fans with banner art

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Octopath Traveler sells 1M copies; Thanks fans with banner art 25

Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler for Nintendo Switch has now shipped over 1M copies globally.

Developed by Square and studio Acquire, the Switch exclusive title’s success was relayed through an announcement from the official Octopath PR Twitter account stating that download numbers and shipments worldwide have netted over a million copies. They also drew a “1M thanks” banner using characters from the game for their fans with “1,000,000 Travelers! 1,000,000 Thanks” in text.

Octopath Traveler has become very successful for Square Enix. Over 90% of its initial stock in Japan was sold in July with over 100K units sold in less than 14 days. The game also has several sold-out locations of the physical disc all over the world, but mainly in Japan, to which at one point sold hundreds of copies in just a few hours after a new batch was released tot he public. Square then apologized for the shortage of physical copies and encouraged a digital download on the Nintendo E-shop if possible.

The game is obviously more popular overseas but has garnered a sizable audience in the West as shown by the sales figures.

Traveler is a retro take on the classic RPGs for an older console with 8 different characters each unique with abilities and personalities. There are also 8 stories in total. Some modern revamps include an improved turn-based system for battles and the use of animated sprites in an HD texture environment which was called an HD-2D effect by the developers.

The characters and positioning of the banner alluded to the official artwork of Bravery Default, which was released for the Nintendo 3DS which the producers of Octopath Traveler worked on also. Tomoya Asano and Masashi Takahashi both worked on both titles to create a consistent universe and their style shows in the fan art created for the community.

Spyro Reginited Trilogy: Two games are DLC, what about the last?

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Spyro Reignited Trilogy will be releasing in about a month and fans will be able to return to familiar nostalgic locations like the Summer Forest or Artisan’s World. Their official Twitter account has been teasing fans with updated box art of the game.

A few changes were obvious on the official pre-order page compared to the older design.

For one, Spyro cover the majority of the face of the box with his face being zoomed in on a lot more than previously. Perhaps this will bring attention to fans who’ve wandered from the Spyro series and haven’t been keeping up with the news. Seeing the family purple dragon’s face may just get more sales for players who weren’t expecting another Spyro game to be rolling out- especially if they used to like the game. The background shows off the games included in the trilogy, with a selection of levels that represent their final bosses: Gnasty Gnorc, The Sorceress, and Ripto. This may bring back some nostalgia for older players who grew up with Spyro.

Spyro Reginited Trilogy: Two games are DLC, what about the last? 27

The design the art is also eager to let players know that will require content to be downloaded in order to play with a bold “requires content download” and a lesser-bold “original 3 games remastered.” Spyro’s horns divide the backdrop into their respective games with the logo and branding right in the middle. It’s hard to miss this title with the contrast of bright colors.

The latter two games will require an internet connection and fans seem to be taking this very negatively They’re asking why the physical release is necessary if 2/3 of the games are available via download. It could be single-use code or it’ll act like a patch for the game.

Activision Gameinformer received this response from the company:

“The global launch date of Spyro Reignited Trilogy is Sept. 21, and we’re excited for fans to play all three reignited games on that day, As with most games today, downloading an update after purchase is quite common. The language on packaging and on the web is to let players know the requirements for Spyro Reignited Trilogy.”

But then that means if the entire games will be downloaded, or if it’s a day one patch, or if the games are split between disc and download. Activision has done this before with games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater where only a portion is on the actual disc and the rest requires a download. The Twitter account also continues to release news about the trilogy, but as for actual details about the download situation, none yet.

The Long Dark getting new content; Episodes 1 and 2 getting reworked

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The Long Dark is getting a new episode for its story mode later this year in December. Unlike the previous two episodes, Episdcoe Three doesn’t have any working title at the moment, however, players can expect a confirmed title in the coming months.

Hinterland Games, the developer, announced a release window on the Steam’s Community page. Players will also receive “Redux” editions of the first two episodes which have been adjusted and improved by Hinterland based on community feedback.

In the tertiary episode of Wintermute, players will play as Dr. Astrid Greenwood who’s on a quest to discover the secrets behind “First Flare,” which was the event which triggered the “Long Dark.” Players will interact with new characters and explore a huge new region. Details about the game are still relatively unknown, however, Hinterland has promised more info to be released as we near December.

The Redux work on the previous episodes started almost a year ago and was detailed in their developer diary. Updates to two chapters were made and include a restructuring of mission structure, newly playable inro for the first episode, new dialogue, and more. The work was done to “set up a stronger foundation” for the new content coming in December.

Also, to accommodate for the Redux work in Episodes One and Two, all progress saves for either of them will be deleted when the next episodes roll out. Hinterland suggests that you finish these episodes before it rolls out if you don’t want to lose all your progress so far. The latest update for The Long dark was the Vigilant Flame update which added a new region, cooking mechanic improvements, and more.

We’ll continue to release news about the newest update to the game as news comes out. Stay tuned.

Destiny 2: Forsaken DLC adds a ton of new weapons

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Destiny 2: Forsaken DLC adds a ton of new weapons 29

Destiny 2 is getting its third DLC expansion rolling out this September called Forsaken, which follows up on Warmind which was just released this May. Forsaken adds a large amount of new content tot he game and the official Twitter account of Destiny confirms it.

Several weapons have been teased under the banner of “new tools of the trade,” which seems interesting enough to draw some attention to the game as most of the recent packs have been criticized for not having enough content and things to do in the game.

The Two-Tailed Fox is a weapon that launches that two rockets simultaneously. The Antaeus Wards armor allows the player to reflect projectiles by sliding. The Trinity Ghoul weapon is a bow that generates an electrical storm arrow when precision killing enemies. The Sixth Coyote armor lets you double doge attacks. Malfeasance is a weapon hits five hits in swift succession and will detonate with an explosion. And the Black Talon is a projectile sword that can be thrown.

There’s also a gun called the One Thousand Voices that shoots and beam of fire and the Chromatic Fire armor takes on the same theme with elemental booms from precision kinetic kills. There’s another bow called the Wish-Ender which is a bow that allows the player to see through walls and price targets. Lastly, there’s the Ace of Spades which ss gun that grants extra damage bullets after reading following a kill. The Forsaken pack seems to be all weapons, but there will probably be no complaints from the community as weapons are always welcome.

Additional details to be released in the coming weeks. Forsaken for Destiny 2 comes out on September 4th for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Pre-orders will get you a nice cosmetic skin.