Videogame News Thread

[drave]

It'll go over about as well as "control pads" do on mobile games, but sounds worse.

[Emperor Smeat]

Microsoft purchase of ZeniMax and Bethesda was finally approved by the SEC and European Union Commission.

The final paperwork and actual ownership takeover is currently expected to be completed by late 2021.

Microsoft is now one step closer to completing its acquisition of ZeniMax Media, having sought and received approval from both the European Commission and the U.S. Securities & Exchanges Commission (SEC) both of whom offered no opposition to the multi-billion dollar deal from taking place.

By law, Microsoft was obliged to seek approval from the statutory bodies on the basis of Antitrust - essentially global laws that are in place in order to supervise and prevent the formation of monopolies within a given industry. This is a common legal procedure in transactions of this nature, and was also sought by Tencent during the conglomerate's acquisition of mobile giant King in 2016.

Having received approval from both the EU Commission and the SEC, Microsoft is now expected to press forward with the $7.5 billion transaction, which is expected to see completion in late-2021. The deal gives Microsoft ownership of ZeniMax Media and its subsidiary studios and licenses, including those of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks.

Bethesda and Microsoft have previously assured video game fans that the new deal does not automatically designate all future Bethesda releases as Xbox/PC exclusives, suggesting that title exclusivity will be designated on a "case-by-case" basis. Bethesda's next release, Deathloop, will retain its initial PlayStation exclusivity despite the Microsoft purchase.
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/microsoft-s-7-5-billion-zenimax-bethesda-deal-approved-by-sec-and-eu-commission-622119.phtml

[Nark Order]

Well after weeks of stalking restock twitter feeds, I finally got an Xbox Series X. I had to get a fucking bundle but I don't care. It was so difficult. Feel like I just placed in the olympics.

[drave]

Totally worth it.

[Emperor Smeat]

Microsoft is currently rumored to be holding a video event on March 11th to discuss details regarding their recent purchase of ZeniMax & Bethesda.

Earlier this week, Microsoft received approval from both the U.S. Securities & Exchanges Commission and the European Commission regarding its $7.5 billion USD acquisition of ZeniMax Media, essentially making the latter's studios and publishers Xbox-owned studios.

According to sources speaking with VentureBeat, Microsoft is planning to discuss what this industry-shaking transaction means for Xbox going forward, with specific regard to the Xbox Game Pass service. According to VentureBeat's sources, Microsoft is currently preparing a video presentation for broadcast Thursday, March 11, in order to better explain its plans for its newly owned studios such as Bethesda Softworks.

Of course, one of the biggest concerns from a customer standpoint revolves around exclusivity deals, and whether Xbox will now hold firm to titles such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Wolfenstein, and others. At present it remains unclear as to whether Microsoft intends to broach this subject in the presentation, focusing more on its plans to bring the aforementioned franchises to the Game Pass service.

It is also noted that the presentation is not an E3-style "reveal" deal. This isn't going to be a showcase for new and upcoming games. The report states that this is more a matter of business, as Microsoft begins to set out its goals for its soon-to-be-acquired portfolio of new studios and blockbuster brands, boosting its inventory to some 23 development teams.
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/rumor-microsoft-to-discuss-bethesda-acquisition-and-what-it-means-for-xbox-fans-later-this-week-622255.phtml

[Sepholio]

Man I still haven't landed a Series X. My XB1 is on its last legs and I really need to get that X as a replacement.

[drave]

Its NAICE!

[Nark Order]

Man I still haven't landed a Series X. My XB1 is on its last legs and I really need to get that X as a replacement.

I basically had to sub to all these restock twitter feeds and this app called Hotstock. The second they go on sale, you gotta be on the site. I made sure to make profiles for all the main sites (Walmart, Target, Gamestop, Best Buy, Costco) and had address/payment info ready to go on them. It's difficult but not impossible.

[drave]

Or you can get lucky on ebay like I did :D

[Nark Order]

Yes, there's that route also. Most the people on Ebay don't want to make anything less than like 300 profit but it's possible to get lucky on an auction. If I get an opportunity to get another (which I might now that I have this elaborate setup) I'll probably scalp it to get some of my money back on the other one. I'm already seeing the bundle I just got on Ebay for $1200.

[drave]

I overpaid a wee bit, but I'm willing to do that right now, given the situation. Like Seph, mine was on its last leg as it is in the main room, and thereby used for the entire family for TV and stuff too.


I paid about ~$100 extra, but the seller included free overnight shipping + the OG purchase receipt for warranty stuff.

[Nark Order]

I paid 720 but it came with extra controller, Hitman 3, AC Valhalla, 3 months of Xbox live gold, and a 20 giftcard to gamestop. More than I wanted to pay but not a bad haul.

[drave]

Good titles too. Not sure if you like the AC formula of the past couple years, but there is a SHIT ton of content. As a fellow dad, you'll fall in love with quick resume. The only exception are games that require an online component (Monster Hunter World, Division, shit like that).


Happy gaming, my dude.

[Emperor Smeat]

* Capcom is currently warning people to not accept recent email beta invites for their upcoming Resident Evil Village game since they are not genuine invites from the company and instead are phishing attacks.
Capcom has become the king of private and public "pre-release" events, so to speak.

They've run a private group for testing out Resident Evil games for years, but they also hold a decent amount of public-facing demos. Resident Evil Village already got one, but if you're getting notifications for another, stop right there. Specifically, for "Early Access Invitations from a "Capcom.com no reply" email.

We've obtained a message directly from Capcom confirming the scam: "We want to inform you that these messages are NOT from Capcom and appear to be phishing attempts by an unauthorized third party. If you have received such a message, please DO NOT download any files or reply, and delete the message immediately."
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/psa-capcom-warns-players-of-fake-resident-evil-village-beta-invites-622373.phtml

* A new game in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series is currently in development by Dotemu studio. The game is called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge and is a beat-em-up similar in gameplay style to the old NES and SNES beat-em-up games. At the moment, only a release for PC (Steam) has been announced although the studio stated it will also be released for consoles.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gHMYwrC7oAo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[rez]

hahhaa ^ I just came to post about Shredder's Revenge. It's the same studio that recently released Streets of Rage 4.

[ClockShot]

I'd buy that Turtles game in a heartbeat.

Looks 100x better than that Turtles game Platinum Games made and I got suckered into buying. God, that was horrible.

[rez]

I've got the Turtles in Time arcade cab next to me right now. I'm so excite

[Sepholio]

that shit looks just like more turtles in time and that is a great thing. If you told me that game came out in the mid 90's as a direct follow up just based on that footage I would totally buy it. Can not wait for this one.

[Emperor Smeat]

Square Enix joining the Nintendo Direct style bandwagon with their own special online announcement series called Square Enix Presents. The first episode stream will arrive on March 18th and will be around 40 minutes in length.

The exact time for the first Square Enix Presents stream is 1PM ET on March 18, and it will last "approximately 40 minutes." You can find a full list of everything the publisher intends to showcase below.


World premiere of the next game in the Life is Strange series
Outriders, the high-intensity RPG-shooter set in an original dark and desperate sci-fi universe, coming out on April 1
Balan Wonderworld, which arrives on March 26
The ongoing celebration for the 25th anniversary of Tomb Raider
Marvel’s Avengers, the story-driven, third-person action-adventure game from Crystal Dynamics
Upcoming action shooter Just Cause Mobile
New mobile game announcements from the award-winning Square Enix Montréal studio
A look at a few of the whimsical games from Square Enix sister company TAITO


https://www.destructoid.com/stories/square-enix-presents-is-a-new-nintendo-direct-like-stream-series-and-the-first-one-debuts-on-march-18-622450.phtml

[Nark Order]

Snagged another Xbox Series X off Costco. I have quick fingers. Gonna see if my brother in law wants first crack at it, otherwise I'll most likely do an Ebay thing or something

[Sepholio]

Damn you lol

I ended up with PS5 at launch but I haven't got my clicks in fast enough since then to win the Series X lottery. Tbf I am not nearly on top of it as I should be if I actually really wanted one.

[Nark Order]

I have all the stock apps and the whole operation going and I didn't really want to stop because it's fun. Lol. The one I got today is going to TB1. If I get more I'll let my friends get the first swipe at them then I'll go to Ebay if they don't want to buy them

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested, Sony announced they are shutting down their PlayStation Communities service on the PS4 starting next month while Microsoft will be shutting down their OneGuide app on the Xbox One starting in May.
https://www.siliconera.com/playstation-communities-is-shutting-down-in-april-according-to-sony/
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/do-you-use-xbox-one-s-oneguide-oh-well-anyway-it-s-going-away-in-may-622552.phtml

* 343 Industries announced during a recent official stream that Halo Infinite will not feature the ability to dual wield guns nor Elites as playable characters. Both could be added in the future but at the moment, neither are among their current development plans for the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgrbXe-CMaE
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/halo-infinite-will-not-feature-the-iconic-dual-wield-mechanic-or-playable-elites-622829.phtml

* Sony's Japan Studio recently lost another notable staff member with this time it being Tenchu series producer Masami Yamamoto, who is leaving after a 25-year career with the company.
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/tenchu-s-masami-yamamoto-is-the-latest-producer-to-take-their-leave-of-sony-japan-622830.phtml

[ClockShot]

Jade Raymond got back on her feet quick after Google shut down their internal Stadia studios.

Went and formed Haven Studios in Montreal. Sony threw some money their way and they are in development of a new IP for Playstation.

https://www.playstationtrophies.org/news/news-33416-jade-raymond-sets-up-haven-studios-creating-a-new-ip-for-playstation.html

[Emperor Smeat]

* Microsoft announced that they will be airing their next ID@Xbox indie episode on March 26th which will focus on around 25 upcoming indie games for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X and several new Game Pass announcements.
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/xbox-is-hosting-an-indie-game-showcase-on-march-26-623209.phtml

* According to reports, Sony recently purchased a co-ownership stake in EVO. Despite being under new owners, EVO officials stated that their events will still be open to non-Sony platforms and games. Following the announcement, Nintendo stated to IGN that they will "continue to assess Evo, and other opportunities, as we plan for future online and offline Super Smash Bros. tournament activity."
After a particularly rough 2020, the annual fighting game tournament Evo is still hanging in there, in part, due to Sony Interactive Entertainment. Your eyes aren't playing tricks: Sony has "jointly" acquired Evo in a partnership with RTS, "a new venture born out of Endeavor's esports business."

The surprising news was shared on Twitter to the wider fighting game community this afternoon by PlayStation and Tony and Tom Cannon, the co-founders of Evo, who will stay on as "key advisors."
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/evo-was-just-picked-up-by-sony-interactive-entertainment-and-rts-623214.phtml
https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-playstation-buys-evo-championship

* Sony recently revealed the official controllers for the upcoming new PS VR headset for the PS5.
The new PS5 PSVR controllers have a spherical design, with the player inserting their hands to take hold of the thumbsticks and buttons within. The controllers will detect the player's fingers, and will support the same technology as the console's standard DualSense controller, such as Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Triggers. Additionally, motion tracking will be recorded by the headset, which would suggest that the new hardware is camera-free.
https://i.imgur.com/m4XTaGZ.jpg
https://blog.playstation.com/2021/03/18/next-gen-vr-on-ps5-the-new-controller/
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/sony-has-revealed-its-vr-controllers-for-ps5-and-they-look-kinda-funky-623164.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Microsoft announced they have rebranded their Xbox Live service to the new name of Xbox Network going forward. Official reason is to improve the distinction between their paid Xbox Live Gold service and their other services that were under the same name banner.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/22/22345276/microsoft-xbox-live-network-rebrand-name-change
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/xbox-live-is-being-officially-rebranded-xbox-network-623619.phtml

* Microsoft reportedly is currently in talks to purchase Discord Inc. for around $10 billion, according to Bloomberg. It was also reported that Discord has been recently shopping their company around to gauge the interest from potential buyers.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-23/microsoft-said-to-be-in-talks-to-buy-discord-for-more-than-10b
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/rumor-microsoft-in-talks-to-purchase-discord-for-over-10-billion-623629.phtml

* Sony is currently rumored to be shutting down their PS3, PSP, and Vita stores on PSN during this summer. The PSP and PS3 stores are rumored to be getting shut down on July 2nd and the Vita store on August 27th. Sony is also currently rumored to make an official announcement regarding the future status of these stores by the end of this month.
https://www.thegamer.com/ps3-vita-psp-stores-permanently-closed/
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/sony-shutting-down-the-psp-vita-and-ps3-stores-would-be-the-end-of-an-era-623576.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Sony Pictures is currently working on a new film based on PS4 game Ghost of Tsushima according to a recent posting by the game's director on the Playstation Blog. John Wick series director Chad Stahelski was revealed to be the director for this upcoming film.
https://blog.playstation.com/2021/03/25/a-ghost-of-tsushima-movie-is-in-the-works/#sf244299110

* According to a report from GamesIndustry.biz, eight members of Gamestop's board of directors will be leaving the company this June. Among those leaving includes former Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, among the eight directors retiring from their posts on the board are former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, who took the part-time role with GameStop just over a year ago. Also stepping away from GameStop are former PetSmart CEO JK Symancyk and former Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon, both of whom were brought on-board with Fils-Aime in hopes of improving the retailer's fortunes.

GameStop's fortunes did indeed improve in the short-term, thanks to the release of next-gen platforms PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, which brought a serious boost to the retailer's fourth quarter for the year 2020-2021. In the long-term, however, GameStop had a difficult year, with an overall 21% decline in sales, leading to a loss in the region of $215 million USD. The recent "GameStonks" debacle - which saw online traders purposefully drive up GameStop stock cost in order to price out opportunists - no doubt lead to further headaches for the company's accountancy.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-03-25-reggie-fils-aime-to-leave-the-gamestop-board
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/reggie-fils-aime-is-stepping-down-from-gamestop-s-board-of-directors-623851.phtml

* For those interested in buying or playing Balan Wonderworld and have medical issues with epilepsy, Square Enix strongly recommends that you download and install the Day 1 patch first before playing the game since a bug was recently discovered causing that type of issue to happen in the game.
https://twitter.com/balanwworld/status/1375399583346524162
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/balan-wonderworld-update-will-remove-potential-epilepsy-trigger-623944.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Sony recently confirmed the rumors of them shutting down the PSP, PS Vita, and PS3 stores on PSN during this summer. Sony also announced that its not a complete shutdown or removal since you will still be able to redownload games and stuff purchased for those platforms afterwards at least for the foreseeable future.
https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/support/important-notice/
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/it-s-true-sony-says-it-will-close-the-ps3-vita-and-psp-stores-in-2021-624255.phtml

* The director of Anthem and Mass Effect series producer Jonathan Warner announced on Twitter that he will be leaving BioWare after a 10 year career with the company. Official reason is due to him wanting to go in a new direction for his career.
https://twitter.com/Zen_Warner/status/1375447553664151561
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/anthem-director-and-mass-effect-producer-jonathan-warner-leaves-bioware-624228.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Several more notable developers recently left Sony's Japan Studio as part of the company's current restructuring process for their Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan branch.

Thursday had the director of the Demon Souls Remake for PS5 leave while Wednesday had both the art director of the Gravity Rush series and the senior producer of Bloodbourne departing.

Today is the day Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan begins its restructuring process, dialing back on both its production and workforce as it refocuses its resources toward Astro's Playroom developer Team ASOBI. As reported by VGC, and in news that is unlikely to be coincidental, Demon's Souls PS5 director Gavin Moore has confirmed that he has left the studio.

"After 24 years at Sony and 18 of those in Japan, yesterday was my last day at [Sony Japan Studio]," said Moore in an emotional goodbye on Twitter. "I will miss the great creative spirit and camaraderie of the studio that was a huge part of my life. Time to seek out new and exciting opportunities!!"

Two more veterans from Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan have taken their leave of the company, just one day before the developer/publisher begins its restructure process - which will see the studio shrink its workforce and dial down production, shifting focus to Astro's Playroom developer Team ASOBI.

Shinsuke Saito announced his departure from SIE Japan in a very succinct message on Twitter earlier this morning. Saito is an artist, animator, and character designer, responsible for the creation of popular protagonists such as Kat from the world-bending 2012 Gravity Rush. Saito was also art director for 2017 sequel Gravity Rush 2.

Also leaving SIE Japan is Kentaro Motomura, who has had the prestige and good fortune to be involved with the development of titles such as Bloodborne, Wild Arms, Dark Cloud, and Everybody's Golf. While Motomura did not note any specific plans, he intends on continuing in the field of game development.

https://www.destructoid.com/stories/demon-s-souls-remake-director-gavin-moore-leaves-sony-japan-studio-624566.phtml
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/two-more-sony-japan-veterans-leave-studio-ahead-of-restructure-624437.phtml

[drave]

New game from the creator of Final Fantasy is out..... but only on Apple Arcade (boooooooooooooooooo).

Has music from the one and only Nobuo Uematsu.


Guess they built actual dioramas for the world. Fucking cool and I hope it comes to other platforms. The ability to curve spells with touch screen controls is fucking neat.




<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sH1ziPWeXMQ" title="YouTube video player" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" width="900" height="506" frameborder="0"></iframe>

[Emperor Smeat]

The ESA announced that this year's digital E3 event will take place from June 12-15.

In regards to the Big 3, both Nintendo and Microsoft have committed to holding an online press conference for the event while Sony's status is currently unknown.

The ESA is also currently planning for the return of crowds and in-person booths for next year's E3.

The ESA confirmed to Destructoid this morning that E3 2021 will take place from "June 12 to June 15," with "early commitments from the following publishers: "Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games and Koch Media, and more to come." So there's a few of the usual "press conference" suspects, minus Bethesda. Also note that Sony is again not present on this early list. Gulp!

There's a few takeaways from this seemingly innocuous confirmation, too. The ESA reconfirms that the show will be "available to everyone for free," which is great news as a potential last-minute decision prevented a disaster of paywalling. And there's another thing to note from the ESA's statement this morning, too.
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/e3-2021-will-run-from-june-12-to-june-15-nintendo-and-microsoft-confirmed-but-not-sony-yet-625108.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

According to a report from Bloomberg, Naughty Dog is currently working on a remake of The Last of Us 1 for the PS5.

It was also reported that this is part of a new strategy by Sony to mainly focus on just developing and releasing "blockbuster" status games from their studios for the PS5.

This new strategy reportedly has led to a lot of grumbling and complaints behind the scenes since it means a lot less focus and approval for smaller and diverse projects.

One internal division has already disbanded and Sony Bend studio recently saw a wave of departures over this issue.

According to a report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Naughty Dog is at work on a PS5 remake of its miserable 2013 third-person adventure The Last of Us.

The supposed project is referenced by Bloomberg as part of a larger report on PlayStation's growing focus on blockbuster video games, noting the designers, artists, and other developers within the PlayStation family who are growing uncomfortable with the corporation's aggressive push toward mega-budget mega-sellers over all other projects.

This unrest has reportedly led to the disbandment of a Sony development division known as the "Visual Art Service Group." This San Diego team - who have been working on many PlayStation releases in recent years - had been tasked with developing The Last of Us remake for Sony's PS5 hardware, before Sony bosses handed off the project to original TLOU developer Naughty Dog. Bloomberg cites eight former members of the Visual Arts Service Group - who felt mismanaged, ignored, and undervalued - as its source. Neither Sony nor the group's founder wished to comment on the matter.

Bloomberg's report goes on to suggest that Sony Bend - the studio behind open-world survival title Days Gone - recently had its proposal for Days Gone 2 turned down. Following this, several members of the team were sectioned off to work alongside Naughty Dog on the Uncharted franchise. This action led to some of Sony Bend's lead developers stepping away from the studio, concerned that Bend would soon be absorbed into Naughty Dog in its entirety.

https://www.destructoid.com/stories/naughty-dog-reportedly-working-on-ps5-remake-of-the-last-of-us-as-sony-shifts-focus-to-big-budget-blockbusters-625390.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Sega is currently rumored to be working on a remaster of Sonic Colors for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch with a rumored 2021 release date.
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/sonic-colors-may-be-getting-remastered-for-modern-platforms-625663.phtml

* Based on recent court documents from the on-going Epic Games vs. Apple lawsuit, Epic Games is currently estimated to lose around $330 million in revenues just from the money spent on guarantees for timed exclusives for their Epic Games Store. This estimate covers a time period of 2019 to at least 2027 based on Apple's estimates of when the EGS will finally become profitable or break even. Epic currently is claiming that their estimates have their Epic Games Store becoming profitable by 2023.
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/epic-expected-to-lose-over-300-million-in-effort-to-gain-market-share-625709.phtml

* According to a report from VGC, Sony is currently in the process of starting a new mobile games division with plans to release mobile games based on Playstation properties within the next 3-5 years.
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/playstation-is-planning-to-bring-the-likes-of-uncharted-and-god-of-war-to-mobile/
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/sony-aiming-to-adapt-its-biggest-playstation-brands-for-mobile-625683.phtml

[ClockShot]

Amazon cancels it's Lord of the Rings MMORPG that was in the works.

They were working with China's Leyou Technologies Holdings. But, they were bought out by Tencent Holdings back in December.

Since then, Amazon and Tencent were unable to come to terms.

https://www.ign.com/articles/amazon-cancels-its-the-lord-of-the-rings-mmorpg

[Emperor Smeat]

Square Enix is currently debunking rumors of them being in recent talks with other companies regarding them potentially being sold off to a new owner.

The source of the rumor is from a recent report from Bloomberg that stated several companies have shown interest in purchasing Square Enix.

Square Enix has released a statement denying that it is in the process of negotiating a sale. Square Enix Japan made the rebuttal in response to a recent Bloomberg report that suggested the developer/publisher was in talks with numerous "interested parties" in regards to a possible purchase.

"Bloomberg has reported today that there is interest from several buyers to acquire Square Enix," addressed the Final Fantasy publisher. "However, this report is not based on any announcement by Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. We do not consider selling off the company or any part of its businesses, nor have we received any offer from any third party to acquire the company or any part of its businesses."

As reported by Kantan Games' Dr. Serkan Toto, the publishing of Bloomberg's story would see Square Enix Japan's stock rise significantly, hitting an almost 14% increase by Japan's midday trading period. But it seems, at least according to Square itself, that it's still business-as-usual for the legendary RPG developer.
https://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/ir/pdf/20210416_01en.pdf
https://www.bloomberg.co.jp/news/articles/2021-04-15/QRMDZEDWRGG401
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/square-enix-shuts-down-reports-that-it-is-looking-to-sell-626183.phtml

[Savio]

How did it slip by me that Spelunkey 1&2 were coming to switch this summer?

[Emperor Smeat]

Following the online backlash over Sony's announcement of them shutting down the PS3, PS Vita, and PSP stores on the Playstation Store this summer, the company recently announced they have changed their minds and the PS3 and Vita stores will remain on the Playstatiion Store for the "foreseeable future."

https://blog.playstation.com/2021/04/19/playstation-store-on-ps3-and-ps-vita-will-continue-operations/

[Sepholio]

ps vita and ps3 stores are staying open. PSP is still shutting down.

[Big Vic]

Big backlash because Ps3 and PS4 would become bricks on digital content purchased when the CMOS battery died.

[Sepholio]

Big backlash because Ps3 and PS4 would become bricks on digital content purchased when the CMOS battery died.

Not just digital games. All games. Once the CMOS dies, and if the console can't connect to the network at least once after replacing the battery in order to update, it can't play disc based games either.

[Big Vic]

I thought the PS3 would still be able to play the disc based games?

[drave]

Depends how the copy protection is set up. If it is required to "call home" to ANY network, Sony included, then any game with that type of function would become unplayable, literally.


Its the equivalent of a program on a computer needing a subscription-based license. You pay for it, say once annually, but it still has to "check in" every so often to ensure the product is legit.


Most often happens with stolen of "volume licensed" version of Windows. Nerds getting their first jobs think they can yoink the OS and start applying it to older machines to sell on the side, but after 30 days, it will be invalidated.

[Sepholio]

I'm not sure but I think it may have something to do with how the parts in the PS3 are all "married" together. You can't just hot swap drives easily and instead have to switch out one of the circuit boards from the original drive into the new drive to make it function. The way I understand it is that a lot of the information dealing with the system identifying parts and determining functionality is lost when the CMOS dies. The system is basically reset to an almost "pre-factory" setting when you replace the CMOS. In order to restore the systems full functionality it has to connect to the network at least once in order to run updates that will restore everything, including the ability for the system to communicate properly with the disc drive. Otherwise you basically just end up with a fancy paperweight.

[Sepholio]

Most often happens with stolen of "volume licensed" version of Windows. Nerds getting their first jobs think they can yoink the OS and start applying it to older machines to sell on the side, but after 30 days, it will be invalidated.

Fuckin nerds. Don't they realize you need to find a version that's been properly cracked to remove the authentication check entirely? Losers.

I remember when I finally located my glorious properly cracked version of Windows 10. Immediately put it onto a flash drive never to be written upon again. Have used it so many times now lol. Not that you can't get Windows 10 for free anyways but then you're stuck with that pesky damn "uwu authenticate me senpai" watermark and who the hell wants to deal with that shit forever? Not this guy, that's who.

[Fignuts]

Not sure how bungie fucked up their transmog system so bad. Disappointing because Destiny had some of the coolest armor designs of any game, and I was very much looking forward to using so.e of the older sets again.

Leviathan Prestige armor plus Black Armory Legacy shader equals HOT SEX.

[Emperor Smeat]

Sony announced they have recently signed a partnership deal with Discord to integrate Discord's chat services into PSN. Sony also announced that this new integration chat service for PSN is currently planned to arrive by early 2020. As part of the deal, Sony also recently purchased a minority ownership share in Discord.

https://www.sie.com/en/blog/announcing-playstations-new-partnership-with-discord/

[drave]

Let's see how well they roll it out. Their UI has been shit.

[Emperor Smeat]

For those that follow video game websites, Giant Bomb is currently in the process of a major shakeup behind-the-scenes with 3 of their longest tenured members leaving after this week.

Alex Navarro, Brad Shoemaker, and Vinny Caravella have announced that they are leaving Giant Bomb. The announcement was made during a live recording of Giant Bomb's podcast, where the trio confirmed that May 7 will be their last day at the company.

Giant Bomb was established by former members of GameSpot and, alongside Jeff Gerstmann (who will remain at the site) and Ryan Davis, Brad and Vinny were founding members of the website. Alex, who worked alongside the others at GameSpot, joined sometime later, having initially founded Screened, a website dedicated to movies and TV.

In a statement, Giant Bomb founder Gerstmann said: "I've spent a lot of the last year thinking about what's next for Giant Bomb and most of those roads lead to a full-on rethink of what it means to be a Website About Video Games in 2021. While I certainly would have loved to solve these challenges with my longtime friends and coworkers by my side, it just wasn't meant to be. I wish Vinny, Alex, and Brad the best. Meanwhile, we have a pretty exciting opportunity to broaden our horizons, rethink every facet of our operation, and get to a place where we're truly able to build that bomb all over again... or die trying."

Speaking to the future of the site, the Giant Bomb team as a whole said: "There is a collective vision for what the future of Giant Bomb is and it involves both familiar and new faces. We're already in talks with creators so that we can begin the next chapter. We're fully aware that this marks a big change and we're using this as an opportunity to rethink what this site is. It's a chance to introduce new personalities from different backgrounds and explore categories and topics that we never have before."

The news, unsurprisingly, has sent a ripple around the games industry--Giant Bomb as a website and the team that makes it up is beloved by many. The site was a driving force behind personality-driven content and also, in many ways, led by example when it came to interesting and experimental video content. Of course, the Giant Bombcast is a towering landmark in the world of video game podcasts and continues to be. All three departing members have been mainstays on all Giant Bomb's content, whether on editorial, video, or audio.

Like every member of the Giant Bomb team past and present, the trio lived much of their lives on camera and, as a result, many developed a close connection to them. News of their departure has resulted in an outpouring of support on Twitter from fans, developers, former staff members, and other members of media.

During the podcast where the departures were announced, Jeff said that those who are premium subscribers on Giant Bomb will have their membership extended through May, as the remaining members take the time to rethink some content and implement new ideas. Recently, longtime CNET staff member and Giant Beastcast co-host Jeff Bakalar joined the games team to work closely with Giant Bomb and GameSpot. In his new position, he is leading content strategy and development, as well as partnerships.

Giant Bomb's E3 night shows is going to be interesting going forward since Alex Navarro was the main person who put those together in regards to getting all the guests and the guests layout for each night.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/alex-navarro-brad-shoemaker-vinny-caravella-leave-giant-bomb/1100-6491009/#comments-block-33555452

[Emperor Smeat]

According to a report from Bloomberg, Sony is currently expecting their on-going supply issues for the PS5 to last into 2022.

In a private briefing with investors, Sony has reportedly told shareholders that it expects the short supply woes currently bothering its PS5 hardware to continue for the foreseeable future, throughout 2021 and leading into 2022.

While the PS5 has gotten off to an incredibly strong start sales-wise — even beating out the launch numbers of the previous generation's PS4 — a shortage of manufacturing components hangs heavy over the industry, with Sony expect demand to far exceed that of production. According to a report by Bloomberg, Sony Japan has openly addressed this problem in a meeting held not long after the release of its latest financial earnings report ...

The shortage of PS5 consoles is, essentially, a two-pronged attack on customers. At the supply level, a lack of internal components is causing slow production of the physical console itself, while at the retail level, customers have struggled in battles with scalpers and multi-buyers to bag what little hardware hits the market. Add to the mix production delays and distribution issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and it's easy to see why all major publishers — not just Sony — are struggling to get their wares into the hands of the public.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-10/sony-warns-tight-playstation-5-supply-to-extend-into-next-year
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/ps5-hardware-stock-woes-likely-to-continue-into-2022-628766.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* EA announced that this year's EA Play Live press conference will be taking place on July 22nd.
https://twitter.com/EA/status/1392147491915763719

* Based on a recent financial report, Ubisoft have once again delayed the release of their upcoming Skull & Bones game until at least early 2022 and as late as early 2023.
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/ubisoft-s-skull-bones-has-been-pushed-out-again-to-2022-to-2023-628923.phtml

* Dotemu studio and LucasFilm Games announced that they are currently working on a remake of classic SNES game Zombies Ate My Neighbors for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The game will be part of a combo pack that also includes a remake of Ghoul Patrol and will arrive on June 29th for $14.99.
Debut trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbsreeNpBHo
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/stone-cold-classics-zombies-ate-my-neighbors-and-ghoul-patrol-will-reanimate-this-summer-628850.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Valve is currently rumored to be working on plans to develop games for the console market again based on a recent tease by the company's president Gabe Newell.

Valve president Gabe Newell has hinted that his company has plans to return to the console market, with further news currently scheduled for release later in 2021. Newell made the obscure teaser during a recent Q&A session held at, of all places, a high school assembly.

Taking the opportunity to quiz Newell on Valve's future plans, one student asked "Will Steam be putting any games on consoles, or will it just stay on PC?"

"You will... uh... get a better idea of that by the end of year," hinted the Valve boss, amusingly offering up the sort of teasing tidbit that reporters would kill for at an E3 or a Gamescom — but during a small school assembly. The Q&A was partially recorded by student Odysseic, who has since uploaded the footage to Reddit.

Valve's last console release was tactical shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), which arrived on PS3 and Xbox 360 way back in 2012.

https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLife/comments/n9rlb6/steam_might_be_expanding_to_console_i_shot_this/
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/gabe-newell-hints-valve-may-have-incoming-news-regarding-console-releases-628997.phtml

[Fignuts]

Hoping Skull and Bones is being delayed so it can be made into a full on pirate mmo like Sea of Thieves, rather than just ship combat.

Sea of Thieves is okay but I'm not a fan of the art style.

[ClockShot]

2022 is what I heard back on Tuesday.

They're still trying to figure out how it's gonna play.

[Sepholio]

Valve is currently rumored to be working on plans to develop games for the console market again based on a recent tease by the company's president Gabe Newell.



https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLife/comments/n9rlb6/steam_might_be_expanding_to_console_i_shot_this/
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/gabe-newell-hints-valve-may-have-incoming-news-regarding-console-releases-628997.phtml

I'm gonna go out on a limb here. Sony releasing some of its exclusives via steam. Steam going to console. Both companies have a thing for VR with Sony poised to announce a new VR set up soon...I'm thinking Valve and Sony are going to have some kind of partnership in the near future and I think one of the first steam games, probably the very first honestly, that will show up on PS5 will be Half Life: Alyx for the PSVR2.

[Emperor Smeat]

Deep Silver recently announced a new game in the TimeSplitters is currently in development and they have reformed Free Radical studios to be its developer.

"We are happy to announce the formation of a new studio, Free Radical Design, based in Nottingham, UK," said Deep Silver owners Embracer in a press statement. "This Deep Silver studio will bring the much-loved TimeSplitters IP back to life. Key original members include founders Steve Ellis and David Doak. This highly respected team has a 22-year heritage of making AAA-products."

"To finally be able to confirm that the studio has been formed and that we have a plan for the next TimeSplitters game is incredible," said Free Radical co-founder Steve Ellis. "While we cannot tell you anything more at the moment, we look forward to sharing information in the future."

The official announcement that work is set to begin on the new game will no doubt comes as a major relief for the TimeSplitters community, who have been very vocal in their desire for a new release in the strange shooter series. The last TimeSplitters title was 2005's Future Perfect, while TimeSplitters 4 was abandoned mid-development after Free Radical went into administration. Despite ultimately finding new digs within Crytek, the project was never resurrected, and TimeSplitters has remained a source of whispers and rumors since.

But it appears that the wheels are finally in motion, and with the original team on board — helmed once again by Steve Ellis and David Doak

https://www.destructoid.com/stories/timesplitters-studio-free-radical-reunites-for-new-series-entry-629732.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Square Enix is currently rumored to be debuting a new Final Fantasy game at next month's E3 event. The game is rumored to be titled "Final Fantasy Origin", an action RPG style game and as a spinoff to the first Final Fantasy game, Team Ninja as its developer, and exclusive to the PS5 with plans for PC release in the future.
https://www.fanbyte.com/news/rumor-square-enix-set-to-announce-a-new-action-rpg-final-fantasy-spinoff/
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/final-fantasy-action-rpg-spinoff-could-reportedly-be-revealed-at-e3-2021-630116.phtml

* Netflix is currently rumored to be working on plans to reenter the gaming market, according to The Information. It was reported that the company is currently in the process of hiring a new executive for a non-specific gaming division but its not known if this division will be involved in actual game development or something similar in the past where they offered game rentals.
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/netflix-seeks-executive-to-expand-game-efforts
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/netflix-looking-to-get-further-involved-in-the-games-industry-630079.phtml

* Sega is currently rumored to be working on a collection set for Sonic's 30th anniversary this year based on a recent French retailer leak.
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/sonic-the-hedgehog-collection-pops-up-on-french-retail-website-630078.phtml

[Fignuts]

The Normandy has been added to No Man's Sky as a Frigate.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VlHBalpdcWM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[drave]

Never played it, but that's fucking awesome

[ClockShot]

Sony State of Play coming this Thursday with the focus being on Horizon: Forbidden West. 14 of the 20 minutes will be dedicated to gameplay footage.

And god dammit, there better be a release date.

[Emperor Smeat]

Valve is currently rumored to be working on a new portable PC gaming device according to Ars Technica.

This portable is rumored to be a Switch-like PC and would run off the Linux operating system.

Also currently rumored to be named SteamPAL.

A new report from Ars Technica says that Valve has been working on a portable, Switch-like PC that could run games on the Steam platform through Linux.

Earlier in the week, SteamDB's Pavel Djundik noticed a change in Steam's code pointing towards a device named "SteamPal," which seemed related to another codename, "Neptune." These came with a string for "Neptune Optimized Games," though their intent was unclear.

According to Ars Technica, this "SteamPal" (which might not be the real, final name) is an all-in-one PC with gamepad controls and a touchscreen. Multiple sources familiar with the information confirmed to Ars Technica that this PC has been in development for some time.

Ars Technica also says that while it can confirm the device's existence and development, as well as gesture at a recent coincidental statement on something console-related, Valve is still in a position to switch things up—it could still get delayed or canceled or any reason.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/05/exclusive-valve-is-making-a-switch-like-portable-gaming-pc/
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/valve-reportedly-working-on-a-portable-gaming-pc-630236.phtml

[Fignuts]

Never played it, but that's fucking awesome

It's the greatest Cinderella story in the history of video games. I can confirm its a really great game now.

[Fignuts]

Far Cry 6 has weaponized the Macarena.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VbF6REQyel4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[El Vaquero de Infierno]

Dying Light 2 comes out in December; about fookin' time!

[Fignuts]

No Man's Sky releases another big update that adds some major visual improvements and effects, the ability to tame and ride flying creatures and more QOL improvements.

All for free.

Again.

Gee whiz, they must be hemorrhaging money, because all the other companies say they HAVE to charge thousands of dollars worth in micro transactions to stay profitable.

And there's no way they'd lie about that.

Never.

[Fignuts]

Looking forward to E3 next week. I think a lot of companies held back last year,due to the uncertainty with the pandemic, so I expect they'll want to make up for it with some big announcements.

[Fignuts]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FFNH0yN3Hxk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Somehow had no idea about this game despite it coming out this month. Super hyped as I read all those R.A. Salvatore books when I was younger.

[Ruien]

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Fignuts]

Strong showing for xbox/Bethesda. 27 of the 30 games shown will be available for game pass on day one. Nothing in all of gaming can touch that service. It's so good.

[Tom Guycott]

Surprised there's nothing here about the annual "let's piss on the industry while we show some games" video from Devolver.

[Fignuts]

Nothing seemed that interesting besides Trek to Yomi. In fact I think the indie games shown at the other showcases so far looked cooler.

Was hoping for Hotline Miami 3, but no dice.

[Destor]

pandemic restrictions clearly impacting the offerings this year. understandable

Xbox- twelve minutes looked good. nothing else really interesting. ton of shooters. starfield revealed you sit in a chair...i guess? earth shattering stuff.

square - guardians looks dope. team ninja FF despite the CHAOS MEMES will be good. FF 1-6 will be rad once they hit switch a year or so after the mobile launch. avengers might be a good value in a few more years.

my standard for these marketing events is if theres one game im interested in its mostly a win so im mostly positive about the events so far.

square had more that was to my tastes but shooters are hot as a always so i imagine most people see RAY TRACING 120 FPS and get hard so i think the majority of people are coming out of microsofts presentation pretty happy.

[Destor]

Surprised there's nothing here about the annual "let's piss on the industry while we show some games" video from Devolver.
usually devolver has a lot to my liking but this year there wasnt a single title that caught my eye. always next year. cant all be winners

[Fignuts]

The final fantasy games are already on mobile so what is this? What does "pixel remaster" actually mean?

Also Garland is neat, but literally everything else about Final Fantasy Origins looks mad generic to me.

Not completely sold on GoG. Gameplay looks a bit stiff. Still looks fun though. It already has more variety than Avengers.

[Destor]

my guess for 1-6 will be the 2d/3d style..reworking sprites etc

team ninja always delivers tight combat experiences so they have my full confidence

GoG combat looked really good to me. i dunno.

also didnt mention Eiyuden chronicles. its multiplat/multigen though so not a +1 for microsoft. looks stellar though.

[Fignuts]

Doki Doki Literature Club coming to consoles. Including the switch lol

Wonder how you actually go about beating the game on console.

[Fignuts]

I expected nothing from capcom and I was still somehow disappointed.

[Destor]

doki doki lit club is hype. great visual novel

[Sepholio]

This has been the most underwhelming E3 I can remember. They have shown a few games I will play (Wonderlands, FF, Forza Horizon 5, couple others) but it's all either stuff that they've shown before or tiny snippets of things we all knew were going to get announced at some point. No real surprises.

I'm gonna go ahead and say Nintendo shows the New Switch. More on BotW2, which will probably be an "enhanced" launch title for the New Switch. They'll finally show off a bit more of Metroid Prime 4 and Bayonetta 3 and one of them will get a release date. New Mario Kart, although I'm not sure if it'll be part 9 or Super Mario Kart 8 Deluxe GT special edition. That'll be the important stuff. It'll be the best presentation this E3 probably. But nothing surprising.

[Destor]

it was given that this e3 would be weak given how difficult working conditions have been. no one should be shocked.


on top of that its better to use the eye balls that e3 draws to push smaller titles and have the games that can draw on their own released in their own via the companies youtube/twitter accounts. e3 isnt exactly needed or even a boon to the larger announcements.

[Sepholio]

New mainline metroid entry :o

Metroid 5: Dread....and it's out on October 8. This is what I came for.

[Sepholio]

Shen Megami Tensei 5 on November 12th. Noice.

[Sepholio]

Wow. No New Switch. No Mario Kart. No Metroid Prime. No Bayonetta 3. BotW2 "aiming for" 2022. Was expecting a lot more from Nintendo this year.

[Destor]

Wow. No New Switch. No Mario Kart. No Metroid Prime. No Bayonetta 3. BotW2 "aiming for" 2022. Was expecting a lot more from Nintendo this year.thats on you then.


nintendo crushing it as always. tons of titles. lots of rpgs. new 2d metroid. zelda for holiday 22. i think i marked 7 games with firm release dates on my calender. absolutely stacked line up with another hand full that dont have dates yet that are firm buys for me. stellar direct. nintendo doing their usual on focusing on the next quarter is the best way to go.

[Ruien]

Nintendo does ton of Directs year round.

[Ruien]

I basically took their E3 showcase as something that replaced a Nintendo Direct honestly. They do not need to show everything in one sitting nor does that go with how they operate.

[Destor]

oh for sure. this was this quarters direct. set us up into the fall. they basically just let e3 costream the same direct that would have dropped regardless if the show existed or not.

[ClockShot]

Might have to finally score myself a Switch when the fall rolls around. Grab the new Zeldas, Metroid, and a some of the other gems.

Nothing crazy on Xbox. Starfield looks neat, but I ain't going to buy an X just for that. Even though Outer Worlds 2 was announced, not getting a box for that. First game was good, but it could have been soooooooo much better.

[OssMan]

nothing too exciting from nintendo which is great for me because i've enjoyed not wanting to buy any new games for the last year

[Tom Guycott]

Meanwhile, I apparently have to keep my promise I made to the ether and buy a Switch, because Advance Wars 1+2.

I'm part of the niche that loves that but not on the Fire Emblem bandwagon, so the least I can do is support this project, and hopefully there will be some sort of way they can remaster/rework Dual Strike to work around the two screen DS gimmick. But that's in a far flung potential future. This is going to be a thing right before Christmas.

[ClockShot]

Happy Birthday, Sonic The Hedgehog.

[ClockShot]

Sony firing some shots overnight in the Studio Acquisition Wars.

They bought Housemarque. Makers of Resogun and their big hit Returnal.

And the Playstation Japan Twitter account accidently released the news of Sony getting their hands on Bluepoint Games. Masters of the remaster and the crew who handled Demon's Souls for PS5.

https://www.playstationtrophies.org/news/news-34333-playstation-accidentally-reveals-acquisition-of-bluepoint-studios-developer-of-demons-souls-for-ps5.html

https://www.ign.com/articles/housemarque-acquired-sony-playstation-returnal-ps5

[Fignuts]

Microsoft proving yet again how consumer friendly they are. Halo Infinite's battle passes will never expire. You can take as long as you want to finish them.

[ClockShot]

Busy week for Sony. Went and grabbed another studio.

Sony purchases Dutch studio Nixxes Software. They're known for their PC port work with Square Enix. They've also handled the PC ports of Horizon: Zero Dawn and Days Gone.

https://www.playstationtrophies.org/news/news-34363-playstation-acquires-pc-port-specialist-nixxes-software.html

[Sepholio]

Ah so that's why Nintendo didn't announce the "new switch" at E3. Because it's not even really an upgrade. Here, have a better screen and an ethernet port....but no added processing power so everything is really exactly the same. Well, maybe a little brighter. Oh and we get to keep the joycon drift problems too, just to remind us of the classic switch. Yay.

[ClockShot]

Sony State of Play this Thursday.

30 minutes long. 9 minutes set aside for Deathloop. Updates on other games too. Don't expect any info on God of War, Horizon 2, or Playstation VR. Sony was kind enough to let you know so you don't get your hopes up.

[Fignuts]

Assassin's Creed is going to take on a live service format. It's not going to be like Destiny, Division, or games like that. It's still going to be very single player focused. But instead of buying a whole new game you'll buy one and get content drops including different timelines to explore.

Some people may not like this, but for me, it's great news. I've said this before, but the games are just too fucking long. Beautifully designed worlds, but much of the map looks the same. Ubisoft is the undisputed king of reusing assets in open world games. Gameplay is great, but there's only so many times you can do the same stuff over and over again.

I think smaller more frequent content drops is the way to go, in keeping things fresh. All that said, we've seen plenty of live service games fall on their faces in recent years, so at the same time, this could be a disaster.

[drave]

Yeah..... I'm skeptical but hopeful. I wish they would work in a system where you could still play if you don't have a network connection. Just an outside factor keeping me from playing what I paid for. I dunno, usually live service requires an "always on" connection which isn't a problem 90% of the time.


Also wonder how long it would be sustainable from a "technical" standpoint. I'm cautiously optimistic, as the games are indeed way too fucking long.


Valhalla fucked me up because I couldn't really tell if I was done with the last mission or not..... since shit went on well after the "ending scene".

[Fignuts]

Gundam Overwatch clone on the way

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FrqtkpizV5g" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y4ybJVEE3-M" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[OssMan]

Sucks to yr asshimar

[ClockShot]

Ubisoft giving Apex and COD: Warzone a run for their money by announcing Tom Clancy's XDefiant. A free-to-play shooter. They pretty much threw Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, and The Division into a blender and this is what came out.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nmlhRFabV6w" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Sepholio]

Woooooo finally got a 3080

[drave]

blah, can't wait till this whole "Warzone" type shit goes away. Not bothering me because I don't engage, but would like other crap to come out.


Excitedly awaiting the Diablo II Remaster on my Xbox. Got it pre-ordered and the beta starts in August.


Keep going back to Monster Hunter to help low level hunters or harder high level hunts. Can't get anyone to help me with Alatreon or Fatalis tho. Those are the only two I've yet to take out.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Great. People getting fooled again by a "totally real" "GTA 6" "leak", LOL

[Sepholio]

GTA 6 will come out in 2023 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of 5.

[DAMN iNATOR]

https://gamerant.com/skyrim-seven-thousand-steps-stone-tablet-effect/amp/

[drave]

booooooooooooooooooooo

[Sepholio]

lol "discovered" a secret that was printed in the strategy guides for the original release. K.

[DAMN iNATOR]

I honestly got the guide book and didn't even realize it was in there. Probably mostly because I barely ever used the damn thing. Smart purchase on my part, lol

[ClockShot]

Horizon: Forbidden West pushed into Q1 of 2022.

Sad. But that holiday Switch purchase I had planned just more likely.

[Fignuts]

Not surprising. I expect every major title to get at least one delay, if not several.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Speaking of the Switch, WTF is up with weirdos trying to compare it and the upcoming Valve Steam Deck? They're two consoles with far different demographics than each other in mind.

[OssMan]

It is very common to compare video game systems to each other, in fact that's how people decide which to buy

[ClockShot]

Sounds like this whole Activision Blizzard thing is about to get ugly.

[drave]

A maybe conspiracy with the recent 6500% price hike of "vintage games" at auction.


Very interesting read, and the 1 hourish "documentary" is on Youtube and done by a "pro youtuber" or whatever.


Anyway, if there is any meat here, its gonna be interesting.


<iframe width="1206" height="678" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rvLFEh7V18A" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[M-A-G]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V_XnbTayTH4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[M-A-G]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ktsAWD8fIH4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Fignuts]

Going to attempt to preorder one of those when it goes live. Just bought my first 4k TV, so I'm really hoping I can get one.

[Sepholio]

Going to attempt to preorder one of those when it goes live. Just bought my first 4k TV, so I'm really hoping I can get one.

They went live 2 days ago and got botted off the face of the Earth instantly. Bestbuy and Amazon are the only 2 retailers that didn't launch it yet to my knowledge. Bestbuy was supposed to go live 2 days ago as well but as of yet hasn't.

[drave]

Yeah..... shortages are expected into Summer of 2022 last I recall hearing. Mainly due to materials.


I paid a bit more than retail for mine, but it was worth it. Dude ordered one and was surprised by his wife bringing him home one, wasn't even opened. Small bidding war.


The new hardware is great and it actually feels "next gen", especially witht he insane load times.

[Sepholio]

I'm still trying to get the Halo one via Bestbuy whenever it launches there but I scored the standard black series X finally while everyone was trying to buy the halo one on Walmart. I kept having issues with their stupid site during the bot rush and decided while it was attempting to add it to my cart to open another page and see if the regular ones were there and they were. Let me instantly add it to cart and purchase it. Winning.

At this point though it's just for the kids. My new PC is godly due to managing some extreme luck in that market last month. Got a brand new 3080FE for 699 somehow and then ordered a Ryzen 7 5800x the same day and paid 400 for it and the lovely people at amazon accidentally sent me a Ryzen 9 5950x. LOL WINNING. I went all in at that point and now I have a monster of a machine that will probably murder the next generation of consoles too lol. And yes this is a PC MASTER RACE brag because I know my boy drave feels me.

[drave]

The moment I get a house with space for a PC, we be Steamin.

[ClockShot]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V_XnbTayTH4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Waiting for Best Buy to flip the switch on the OLED Switch/Metroid bundles.

Not sure what the hold up is.

[Fignuts]

Jesus christ, Sony out here dropping bombs in their latest showcase.

[ClockShot]

Watched that when I got home from work yesterday.

Insane.

[M-A-G]

Sure would be nice to be able to get a PlayStation 5 right now in order to be ready for all of that.

[Sepholio]

#Stoked

Got the new Tales games coming for PS5 today too. Amazon needs to hurry up with my delivery. I wanna play it NAO.

[Fignuts]

Sure would be nice to be able to get a PlayStation 5 right now in order to be ready for all of that.

Feel like most of that isn't dropping until 2023 or later, so at least you have time to try and get one.

[ClockShot]

The internal hard drive expansion update goes live for PS5 for tomorrow. It was in a beta phase with Sony saying to install them with a heatsink to prevent potential overheating to the machine. I guess everything's good to go.

Best Buy has a 24 hour flash sale going on for the remainder of the day and I snagged a 1TB drive for $100. Regular price $230.

[Fignuts]

Snagged me a series x at best buy this morning. Goodbye, load times. You won't be missed.

[drave]

FUCK YEAH DUDE!!


Maaaaaan, FO76 loads stupid fast. Only shit thing is the expensive cost of the "official" SSD expansion drive. Ever since a shit experience with N64 "third party" hardware, I don't fuck with third party hardware.


Let me know if you get stick drift on the new controller, if you're using that. Had to go back to a Xbone controller recently. First time that's happened.

[ClockShot]

Snagged me a series x at best buy this morning. Goodbye, load times. You won't be missed.

Strolled into a store and got lucky? Or did you emerge victorious on the internet battlefield?

Either way, good for you dude.

[Fignuts]

FUCK YEAH DUDE!!


Maaaaaan, FO76 loads stupid fast. Only shit thing is the expensive cost of the "official" SSD expansion drive. Ever since a shit experience with N64 "third party" hardware, I don't fuck with third party hardware.


Let me know if you get stick drift on the new controller, if you're using that. Had to go back to a Xbone controller recently. First time that's happened.

Yeah I'm probably gonna go ahead and buy the expansion. I know that after getting used to this ultra fast loading, I'll get annoyed at going back to slower loading if I get an had.

To be fair, Seagate is reliable, and they apparently worked directly with Microsoft. My Seagate hdd has served me well on Xbox one.

[Fignuts]

Strolled into a store and got lucky? Or did you emerge victorious on the internet battlefield?

Either way, good for you dude.

Best buy is selling them in store today, across the country.

[Sepholio]

I'm still waiting on the xbox I ordered from Walmart a month ago. They delayed the shipments for everyone AGAIN.

[Kalyx triaD]

Had a chance to get a Series S just a few hours ago because my Xbox just decided to not turn on. The clerk talked me out of it, we agreed that there's simply not enough reason to take the dive yet. And if I'm going to, make it a Series X which he didn't have anyway.

[Fignuts]

Had a chance to get a Series S just a few hours ago because my Xbox just decided to not turn on. The clerk talked me out of it, we agreed that there's simply not enough reason to take the dive yet. And if I'm going to, make it a Series X which he didn't have anyway.

Yeah I almost got a series s last week but decided to hold off for a chance at the x. Glad I did because omg this thing is awesome. Destiny 2 looks absolutely incredible. And holy shit the load times. I started a mission in avengers and it took 3 seconds to load it.

Do NOT settle for the S, whatever you do.

[drave]

Yeah, gone are the days of "lemme go grab a snack or drink" or anything really. Game loads so quick!


I still used my HDD on the Series X. While limited by the platter speed, it still reads rather quick.


Fig, there are a few games you can turn on "FPS Boost". Push the menu button on a game and go to "manage game and add-ons" and then if it is available, there should be a menu that says "Compatibility options".


You can also toggle auto-hdr there if you want.

[Fignuts]

Oh shit, thanks. I was wondering why fallout 76 of all games, wasn't running at 60 fps. It's one of the few that have it turned off by default.

[drave]

buttery smooth fo76

[Sepholio]

My sexbox will finally be here tomorrow, 1 month after I ordered it.

[DAMN iNATOR]

LOL @ Nintendo considering adding a new premium tier to Nintendo Switch Online for an additional $10 (forget if that was per month or per year, but anyway...) for access to a small collection of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games.

C'mon, Ninty, we all know you ain't really down anywhere near that horrific.

[Kalyx triaD]

I can't think of any classic game that hasn't been easily available at this point for various collections to still be going out.

[Destor]

i refuse to pay for nintendos subpar online service but the nso expansion will be profitable. the saga library will bring in a lot of people on its own. long term the library offered from nso will likely be similar in depth to the wiis VC library making it a legitimate netflix of classic gaming. its a good model and it will work.

[Emperor Smeat]

Developer The Initiative recently announced that Crystal Dynamics studio is currently helping with the development of their new Perfect Dark game.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Perfect Dark update! We are partnering with Crystal Dynamics, the world class team behind character-driven games such as Tomb Raider, to bring this first-person spy thriller to a new generation. <a href="https://t.co/EiqjU99wMa">pic.twitter.com/EiqjU99wMa</a></p>&mdash; TheInitiative (@TheInitiative) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheInitiative/status/1441190673672114181?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[OssMan]

world class character-driven games such as Gex: Enter the Gecko

[Kalyx triaD]

CD has management issues, but what they're told to do they do very well.

[Sepholio]

stfu Gex is a gaming icon

[Destor]

gex was top notch

[Fignuts]

Yeah, if you want to throw shade at CD, a joke about The Avengers should be easy enough to make.

[Kalyx triaD]

"Hey what if I told you they made an Avengers game where the combat is so good and character accurate that playing each Avenger is like playing their own game? It looks amazing and there's a boss battle where you fight a big ass air craft where everybody can target different parts of it? You could even do a ScarJo lucha takedown with Black Widow."

"That sounds like the greatest superhero game ever..!"

"Well it isn't."

[Sepholio]

lmfaooooo

[drave]

it really isnt

[Fignuts]

Far Cry 6 apparently has the same instantly responding enemies that Far Cry 2 had, and it's ruining a lot of people's enjoyment of the game. I was looking forward to this, but I think I'll hold out for a patch, as I do not have fond memories of Far Cry 2's bullshit respawning.

[drave]

i've not even seen enough of that to determine if id wanna get it. not hearing great things so far :(




Also, Battlefield 2042 is ruined with specialists, god damnit.

[Fignuts]

So apparently I pre-ordered far cry 6. Which is weird because I don't remember doing so, and I almost never preorder. Maybe I did it while I was still on painkillers. I dunno.

[Kalyx triaD]

i've not even seen enough of that to determine if id wanna get it. not hearing great things so far :(




Also, Battlefield 2042 is ruined with specialists, god damnit.


I wouldn't say ruined, but they are pointless and massively complicate what was a simple class system. Also the stupidity of having 128 players play one of a handful of characters leading to clone wars.

[Kalyx triaD]

At least the nameless, nondescript soldiers before added to the all out war 'vibe', bunch of cogs in a machine. But going the slight character shooter route is stupid. Should have expanded on what BFV did and go full Create-A.

[drave]

It fucks up team dynamic tho....


Can't tell who is carrying what. I tend to try to "fill the roles" rather than just play whatever and pew pew. Now I dunno who's carrying medic, ammo, etc. It fucking sucks.


I see this being something that Portal will most likely take care of. Seems to be the saving grace from my beta impressions. I think there will be plenty of skins available when the full game is out.

[Fignuts]

Something feels off about it to. Like, movement doesn't feel like it has "weight" to it. Almost feels cheap.

[Kalyx triaD]

Yeah there is a 'lightness' to it compared to BFBC-BF4 which felt heavy. Things seem overall faster.

And a minor issue I had for years: choosing where or who to spawn on needs a mouse style cursor that 'sticks' to whichever icon you're hovering over. For some crazy reason BF never fine tuned directional control on that screen.

You wanna go to the point on the left? Nope. GO DOWN TO A POINT BELOW, THEN KINDA SORTA TILT UP-LEFTWARD AND MAYBE YOU'LL GET IT

[drave]

Something feels off about it to. Like, movement doesn't feel like it has "weight" to it. Almost feels cheap.




Yeah.... and I'm trying to judge if this is just the beta or how it's gonna be. I find myself going back to V constantly. The movement in that game is just fluid man.


This makes it feel more "lone wolf" COD type FPS.

[Fignuts]

:wave:i've not even seen enough of that to determine if id wanna get it. not hearing great things so far :(




.

Alright, so I've only encountered the respawning thing at a random village, but outposts and checkpoints that you take over have been fine. So I'm not sure if it's more prevalent in tougher areas or what.

Secondly, the other reason so.e people aren't liking it is because in addition to carrying over new dawn's leveling system, there's also an ammo type/enemy type affinity that changes the flow of the game up quite a bit. So if you're using the wrong ammo type on an enemy that's a few levels higher than you, it could take several headshots to bring them down. But using the right ammo type will take down an enemy in one headset, even if it's a level or two higher.

Understandably, there's a lot of long time players of the series that aren't a fan of this, as it's not inherently bad, but it's certainly a devisive change. After playing for a good 5 hours I'm actually liking it. Adds a bit more strategy and prep to taking down outposts, and gets you to try out your whole arsenal. You can only have three primary weapons and a sidearm on your weapon wheel, but you can swap the guns on your wheel from anything in your arsenal at any given time, so there won't be a situation where you're screwed or anything.

The respawn thing is a legit concern, even if I haven't been affected, and they need to patch it. But I think a lot of the disappointment is from people who are upset at the direction of the combat, rather than it being genuinely bad.

[drave]

Maybe I'll catch it on sale or game pass. Never played or owned a Farcry game.

[Fignuts]

They're not groundbreaking or anything, but they're good open world fun. Recent ones are completely co-op too.

[Sepholio]

I'm loving it so far. Haven't had any issues with respawning enemies. I don't even know what people are talking about unless they are confusing it for when enemies call for backup and they start swarming in by the truck/helicopter load from every direction.

Don't mind the levelling system still being there either. Kinda reminds me of Just Cause, and that's fine. Allows you to out level some of the earlier areas but keeps the harder places more in line with your progress so there is always somewhere challenging to go and the game doesn't get too easy.

Have heard some complaints that the game is too easy and I can only assume that's coming from people staying in the low level areas because as soon as you go out of the comfort zone you will get easily massacred, especially when multiple choppers enter the fray.

I also kinda like the whole rock/paper/scissors weapon dynamic of needing different ammo types and what not for different enemies. It makes sense and is an appropriate progression of shooter mechanics. An enemy with armor still feels like a bullet sponge if you try to hit him with standard rounds, but switch to armor piercing and he goes down much quicker. Sure you may have to switch off your favorite weapon but so what, there are plenty of choices and it's not hard to find another similar one and just equip it with a different ammo type.

The base building mechanic is a bit annoying imo though. You can only build 2 of the 6 additional facilities at each of the 3 subbases. Seems dumb and annoying and makes you travel between them unnecessarily. Wish I could just build all 6 at the main base....which you can't upgrade at all.

The sidekick/Amigo system feels like a step back though. You can only have 1 summoned at a time instead of multiple to call on and there are way fewer of them. Way less variety and usefulness. I'm still very early on and I'm pretty sure that I already have the best one and don't see myself switching any time soon.

All in all I like it and it feels fresh compared to the games since 4 at least. It feels nothing like FC4 and FC5. There are some minor similarities to New Dawn in the weapon upgrades and levelling. Feels much more like a well refined Just Cause.

[Fignuts]

The respawning thing is definitely a bug as opposed to a design choice, as it's only happened to me twice in all the time I've been playing.

[Sepholio]

Ok so I had the respawning enemies thing happen during a mission. Ended up getting a trophy during the whole mess i guess for killing so many people or something. Didnt even realize it was happening though as I thought it made sense for enemies to keep coming given the context of what I was doing. After awhile though, and disabling every alarm and camera, I realized what was going on and just did the objectives and bounces.

Wasnt really a big deal outside of me thinking I could just leisurely whack everyone and then do the objectives at my leisure. Was just a steady stream of 3 or 4 bad guys at a time and when I killed one another wouldnrun in to replace them. Meh.

[drave]

That's right boils n ghouls.... for the price of $200, you can become a BestBuy TotalTech member to secure that hard-to-find PS5.


If you're still searching for a PS5 and are a Best Buy customer, your ship may have just come in—that is, if you're willing to spend an extra $200 a year for access.


That's because the big-box electronics retailer is locking stock of in-demand holiday items like Sony's console behind membership of its new Totaltech program (https://www.bestbuy.com/site/electronics/totaltech/pcmcat1629315977983.c?id=pcmcat1629315977983&irclickid=2Ac0jh2LFxyIRhuTw3SRMwTdUkBXO-yIExW23k0&irgwc=1&ref=198&loc=Skimbit%20Ltd.&acampID=0&mpid=10078). The expensive customer service package was recently rolled out nationwide.


The $200 annual service—which has benefits like round-the-clock tech support, up to two years of protection on Best Buy purchases (including AppleCare+ insurance (https://www.bestbuy.com/site/totaltech/best-buy-protection/pcmcat1608643232014.c?id=pcmcat1608643232014#jl-applecare-prod-coverage), which can cost $200 on its own (https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/10/dont-drop-that-iphone-x-a-screen-repair-will-cost-you-279/)), and member discounted prices—is throwing in exclusive access to "the season's hardest-to-find products" as a bonus perk for the holidays, the company said in a statement (https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211005005805/en/Best-Buy-Totaltech%E2%84%A2-Now-Available-Nationwide).



The Best Buy retail site had the $500 disc drive model PS5s available for Totaltech members to buy Monday morning, with the consoles gated behind an "exclusive access event" paywall.


Instead of selling out instantly, its stock lasted between 90 minutes and two hours—a relatively glacial sales pace compared to the insane demand (https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/05/sony-says-ps5-could-be-difficult-to-find-into-2022/) for the hardware that consumers have faced since it hit stores last November.



I dunno, I feel like we can call this corporate scalping, yeah?

[ClockShot]

That's right boils n ghouls.... for the price of $200, you can become a BestBuy TotalTech member to secure that hard-to-find PS5.





I dunno, I feel like we can call this corporate scalping, yeah?

If Best Buy was my exclusive place to buy everything tech. Video games, movies, appliances, computer stuff, etc. I can see shelling out the $200.

Then again, Gamestop this morning had pre-orders open up for the Halo X1S. BUT, Powerup members got first crack at 'em.

So, this is probably the direction most retailers will probably move toward. "Hey, pay for this membership, get exclusive access to this."

[drave]

Well it's shite.




Got a BF2042 Beta survey that was 99% focused on Specialists vs Classes. Fuck specialists tbh.


Hopefully they do away with that garbage. As it stands, the only thing saving this game from flopping hard is portal.

[Kalyx triaD]

I see 2042 eventually being the best Battlefield but after a good year of patches and reworks.

[drave]

maybe. definitely has that potential. I still think 90-95% of total games will be in "portal" mode, none the less.

[Sepholio]

Good thing I scored a PS5 and 3080 from best buy before they joined #TeamAssholeScalpers

[drave]

Nintendo Online + Expansion Pack Details and Pricing


<iframe width="356" height="200" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LmdgxvX3iTE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Ruien]

I am going to get that but not right away. Waiting for the second set of games to come out. Nothing in the first batch that I am craving to play.

[Ruien]

The minute pokemon snap is added i am down though.

[ClockShot]

That's not bad for when I eventually grab my switch. And get some extra starter games.

[M-A-G]

That Mario Party Superstars for the Switch is making my pants tight. Oh, and I suppose I can get excited for that New Horizons update....https://i.imgur.com/YSTZM0d.gif

[Savio]

Was hoping the expansion would be like $40

[drave]

Selling my N64 console I have because of this. Have authentic Diddy Kong Racing and two authentic N64 controlles (one of them is the see through ones).


Even have VGA --> HDMI adapter with the power and all.

[M-A-G]

No way! Oxenfree 2?!?! https://i.imgur.com/Uy5jjrG.gif

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3DDeqylZVqM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I liked the first one. I even got a pin in the shape of one of the "NOPE" speech bubbles. Looks like I'm expanding my Switch horizons some more.

[M-A-G]

https://i.imgur.com/eSYUFi7.jpg

[Big Vic]

Selling my N64 console I have because of this.

Heard it sucks, I will wait on selling anything.

[drave]

People are bitching about the titles available right now, mainly.


Personally, I've not had any trouble with anything. Sold it for $130

[Ruien]

Once Pokemon Snap is available I will be getting it.

[ClockShot]

Happy N7 Day Mass Effect fans.

https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2021/11/07/mass-effect-1636324328386.jpg

Draw your own conclusions.

[Fignuts]

Dragonball Breakers is fucking wild

[Kalyx triaD]

Ball breakers, what?

[Kalyx triaD]

Oh. Strange.

[Fignuts]

Yeah, not a genre I would have pegged for a dragonball game in a million years. Cool that they're willing to try something different though.

[Lock Jaw]

<iframe width="382" height="215" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C24Z-eStaBI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Damn, is it "legal" for WB to just rip off Smash Bros gameplay like this?

[ClockShot]

Sony's got their own with their characters.

Nothing to be concerned about. Except that Yosemite Sam and Elmer Fudd might have their trademark firearms replaced with inflatable hammers or some stupid nonsense with the way the revival has been.

[Lock Jaw]

Is Sony's the exact same gameplay, though?

[Kalyx triaD]

<iframe width="382" height="215" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C24Z-eStaBI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Damn, is it "legal" for WB to just rip off Smash Bros gameplay like this?

You can't copyright general game mechanics. There would be way less games in the world if that were the case.

[ClockShot]

Is Sony's the exact same gameplay, though?

Mmmm, pretty much. You be the judge.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n9tTUsMqLo8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Fignuts]

You can't copyright general game mechanics. There would be way less games in the world if that were the case.

This.

[Fignuts]

Wait wtf, Arya Stark is in this? What?

[Destor]

warner has the license...so yeah lol


game looks is crazy slow btw. itll lower the skill ceiling so itll probably be a fun party game. i doubt it sees any meaningful competitive play

[Fignuts]

Wonder if Aryas super move is feeding an opponent their own children.

[M-A-G]

Cartoon Network did something similar, too, so it's not a completely out there concept.

[Destor]

nikelodean. CN content is in the Warner game

[M-A-G]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5r4_1keNk4U" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This was about a decade ago.

[Fignuts]

Dimensional Ink supposedly in development of a marvel mmo. CEO of the company had a big hand in City of Heroes and DCUO.

[Kalyx triaD]

Hmm...

[drave]

Ugh, MMO's I think are a genre I'm not interested in anymore. FO76 is as close as I'll get to it.


WoW was good for a bit, F2P MMO's are fucking garrrrrrrrbbbbaaaaaaaggggggeeeeeeee.

[Kalyx triaD]

I've been waiting decades for the one that's what I see in my head. Blessed Unleashed came close but the combat is sluggish, very linear, and the pay to win is mobile game blatant. Dauntless is a 'playlist hopper' game. Destiny is another playlist hopper disguised as an RPG. DC Universe and KotOR are a tad archaic and WoW never really did it for me.

The MMORPG of my dreams is essentially Breath of the Wild. The MMO.

[Kalyx triaD]

If need be I'll explain what I mean by playlist hopper but a lot of action rpg online games are actually that.

[drave]

Nah, I get it and agree. Tried to get back into Destiny a few times and it never lasts more than a month. F2P ruined that game for me, tbh.


Same on Blessed.Tried Elder Scrolls online too, got to lvl 40 or somethin.

[Ruien]

Try FF14.

[Fignuts]

I hear great things about ff14, but art direction is important to me in games like this, and I've never been able to get into the Japanese style of high fantasy.

[Kalyx triaD]

FF14 is still, imo, a combat design that doesn't satisfy me. I need something more responsive than activate ability, 'cute animation, game rolls a dice'.

But speaking of Japs, I just remembered that Phantasy Star Online 2 (with combat a bit closer to what I'm looking for) ironically had a recent update that allegedly updated from being a playlist hopper to something more open world.

I waited for this for literally nearly a decade and I finally played it I found that they ported over basically everything in its current form. I don't get overwhelmed much with systems and subsystems but I was legit fucking lost. It's reward structure is a maze, the UI is wildly unintuitive, and really couldn't tell if I was doing a main quest or a side quest. Even it's character account system is just baffling.

But I'll give it another try.

[Kalyx triaD]

If somebody makes either Breath of the Wild or Tales of Arise gameplay as MMOs my search is complete.

[drave]

Tales of Arise v good

[DAMN iNATOR]

So, apparently BioShock 4 (codename Parkside) is officially confirmed in development, and rumored to be subtitled "Isolation" and feature a new setting called Borealis, in the Antarctic.

[Fignuts]

Still waiting for that system shock remake

[DAMN iNATOR]

Still waiting for that system shock remake

That would be sick AF.

[Fignuts]

You know they're making one right? I wasn't just wishing for a remake to happen.

[DAMN iNATOR]

I hadn't actually heard that.

[drave]

btw is "Fiesta" play mode the new thing like battle royale was? First in BF 2042 and now in Halo? Fiesta playlists?

[Fignuts]

Dunno, but I find Fiesta to be a lot more fun than any battle Royale.

Always loved mystery heroes in overwatch, so kind of the same concept.

[Kalyx triaD]

It's been in Halo since 2008ish.

[Fignuts]

The Epic Store is getting an innovative new feature called "add to cart". It allows you to purchase more than one game in a single transaction.

RIP Steam

[ClockShot]

E3 2022 is cancelled due to Coronavirus concerns.

[Fignuts]

It was already becoming obsolete.

[RP]

It was pretty bad this last year. CAPCOM was the worst. I cant remember the Indie Company name, but they had the best presentation IMO. Really funny. Over the top.

[M-A-G]

https://i.imgur.com/4Jnvggt.jpeg

[ClockShot]

THIS JUST IN:

Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion dollars.

More as it develops.

https://www.ign.com/articles/xbox-activision-blizzard-buy-acquisition-acquired

[drave]

:O :O :O :O :O

[Sepholio]

Insane. Worried MS is gonna murder Diablo :/

[Sepholio]

Sony gonna go out and buy Square and Ubisoft now.

[ClockShot]

Sony's fine. They've been cranking out great 1st party stuff for the last couple years and all have been Game of the Year worthy.

This news only confirms that Microsoft's first party studios cannot come up with a brand new exclusive or IP and are now resorting to buying out big time developers and publishers and make them their own. I'd figure ZeniMax would satisfy them enough.

Halo, Gears of War, and Forza can't carry them forever. So let's get Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored, Call of Duty, Diablo, etc. under our umbrella and force gamers to buy an Xbox. MWA HA HA HA HA!

[DAMN iNATOR]

Well, Bethesda are still mostly focused on Starfield, as they should be, aiming for the 11/11 release date, and who knows if they still have a team working on DLCs for it after the base game. If that's the case, it could damn well be the end of the generation before we even sniff anything more than the 6-second E³ whatever year "Yeah, it exists, now kindly fuck off." TES VI trailer. And as for a new FO, whether it be FO5 or some other name, that may not even come until sometime into the 10th generation.

[Sepholio]

Maybe MS will resurrect guitar hero for me. That would make me feel better.

[drave]

I don't think they'll fuck with D4 at all.

[M-A-G]

Maybe MS will resurrect guitar hero for me. That would make me feel better.

If they did another game in the same vein as Guitar Hero Live I'd be all for it. I'd hate to have learned that new controller for just one game.

[Sepholio]

I don't think they'll fuck with D4 at all.

I dunno. I'm worried they might shut down Blizzard for PR purposes and D4 either gets lost in the shuffle or tossed to some other dev team with no experience with anything like it and they make it trash.

[drave]

It's much too valuable.


Now.... bring WoW to the Game Pass Ultimate subscription :D

[Destor]

first zenga and now candy crush. microsoft with the heavy mobile plays

[DAMN iNATOR]

Mobile will almost certainly be a growing piece of the pie, but as much as I hate cloud gaming and service games/games as a live always online service, I think they will probably be the wave of the future as I yell at a different kind of cloud whilst gumming soft Werther's and wearing a Judd Hirsch sweater.

[drave]

Xbox'x Cloud gaming is pretty good right now. Unless I missed the announcement a while back, they kinda quietly released it on console and not just PC.


Been able to stream a ton of shit from GamePass. You can bet your ass this is the way it's going. They won't let go of "sales" of games though, that's still bread and butter and will be for a very long time due to broadband restrictions / availability around the nation.

[Fignuts]

I used it to play on my phone for a time, while my Xbox was in storage. Even on a strong 5g connection there were stutters and lag in gameplay, although it mostly performed well enough. Load times were almost as fast as the series x.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Xbox'x Cloud gaming is pretty good right now. Unless I missed the announcement a while back, they kinda quietly released it on console and not just PC.


Been able to stream a ton of shit from GamePass. You can bet your ass this is the way it's going. They won't let go of "sales" of games though, that's still bread and butter and will be for a very long time due to broadband restrictions / availability around the nation.

Yeah, and it's a giant "FUCK YOU!" and an attempt to invalidate people who like physical games.

[Sepholio]

Physical media ftw. If you dont physically own something then you are just renting it.

[Kalyx triaD]

Cloud gaming is worthless for any input intensive games, basically anything 'core' with a high degree of inputs per second. But for certain games it can be functional, like a single player rpg. Sometimes I'll just log into Destiny to see what Xur is selling or check out the Avengers store. In that sense it's useful.

But shooters and fighters and such won't be playable for another decade or so.

[Fignuts]

I played hades and dead cells on xcloud without issue.

[drave]

Zero input lag in my experience so far. The only lag that has appeared at all is actual frames, and at best its like a blip in streaming video, where the pixels blip colors for a half a sec.



Less input lag than a Street Fighter matchmaking fight :D

[drave]

Rumors about EA making Battlefield 2042 Free-to-play because of the horrible performance it's had.


I haven't had the damn thing installed for a while now. They have a shit ton of work to do for a "multiplayer only" game.


They also borked portal mode and have work to do on that front, bigtime. Also, stop taking "standard" modes out of the fucking playlists!!


Players begged for them to keep Rush (of ages) in Portal a few weeks ago, but NOPE!


BF V is where it's (still) at for me.

[Kalyx triaD]

The guy who pushed for the slight character shooter model should be straight up fired.

[drave]

Yeah, the F2P model would work just fine, but still be obliterated by the CoD juggernaut.


They need a pretty major re-work if they wanna salvage it. 1 and V had expected rocky launches, but the fallout of this game has largely been inexcusable.

[Sepholio]

Sony has acquired Bungie.