Gaming - Page 361

Bernie Stolar, who helped shape the modern console gaming world, has passed away at 75 years of age.

Bernie Stolar was a games business legend. He helped create Sony Computer Entertainment of America, then jumped over to SEGA following a massive departmental shake-up at Sony's games division. As president of SEGA of America, Stolar did the same thing, cleaning up shop and eliminating 300 jobs to streamline the ailing overseas branch. According to Polygon, Stolar got his start as a coin-op arcade operator, then joined PlayStation to lead the third-party division, and then moved on to SEGA where he built the Dreamcast brand.

"I had a friend once tell me 'go big or go home.' I'm here to tell you that SEGA is going big. With Dreamcast we're aiming high, and I'm here to challenge you to dream big and tell you that everything you know about video gaming is about to change thanks to Dreamcast," Stolar said in a 1999 GDC keynote speech.

Sony's PlayStation Plus games for July 2022 have leaked out, including some pretty decent titles for PS4 and PS5.

Dealabs' billibil-kun has leaked out the new PlayStation Plus games for July 2022 that will be coming to the PlayStation Plus Essentials tier. There are three titles coming, and all of them are available on PS4.

Next months' headliner is Crash Bandicoot It's About Time on both PS4 and PS5, as well as third-person multiplayer shooterArcadegeddon on both platforms.

Valve designer Lawrence Yang has some advice for Steam Deck owners wanting to swap in 2242 M.2 drives: "Please don't do this."

Valve's Steam Deck is technically a PC, and can be taken apart and modded...to a degree. Some mods are dangerous, though, and can significantly shorten the lifespan of the system. Valve has designed the handheld-console PC hybrid in such a way where everything fits perfectly (or as perfectly as can be), with placement affecting overall heat dissipation and component health.

A recent mod showed Steam Deck owners how to use a bracket to swap out the system's built-in M.2 2230 SSDs to a larger 2242 form factor. According to the modder, the "heat spreader bowed a tiny bit," but the system appeared to work fine. Valve's Lawrence Yang chimed in and warned users not go do this because internal component thermals could change as a result of the mods.

Fall Guys has amassed even more popularity after going free-to-play on all platforms.

Mediatonic recently confirmed that Fall Guys now has 20 million active players on consoles and PC, which is a meteoric jump from its previous figures. Back in December, Mediatonic confirmed its battle royale party game Fall Guys had sold about 11 million copies. The jump from 11 million to 20 million is a 81% rise in players, which corresponds with the game's new free-99 price tag.

Extras like full cross-play and cross-progression on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC makes Fall Guys an even more attractive proposition. Billion-dollar titan Epic Games is responsible for making Fall Guys a F2P sensation, which follows in the footsteps of Fortnite, one of the most popular games of all time, as well as sports racer Rocket League. It also significantly helps the game is available across practically every gaming system besides mobiles (which is probably happening at some point).

SEGA is supporting its new Mega Drive Mini 2 micro-console with a ton of nifty nostalgic additions...including a pretty beefy flight stick.

SEGA's new Mega Drive Mini 2 console is one of the coolest things the company has ever done. We haven't seen a new SEGA console since the Dreamcast from the 90s, but that hasn't stopped them from bringing back classic hardware using emulators and cheaper micro-console hardware.

First there was the SEGA Genesis Mini, and now the Mega Drive Mini 2 is coming this October in Japan (no word on a Western release, but it's not likely given chip shortages). This new system, which can be imported from Japan via Amazon, features a ton of awesome add-ons. It has 50 built-in games, and can be attached to replicas of the SEGA CD, 32X, and Mega Drive CD-ROM, complete with little mock discs and cartridges (add-ons sold separately).

Hello Games has teamed up with Bandai Namco to distribute and publish No Man's Sky on Nintendo Switch, and also confirmed some surprising metrics for the space sim.

No Man's Sky is one of the biggest comeback stories in all of gaming. Since 2016, gamers have spent over half a billion hours in Hello Games' constantly-evolving sci-fi exploration indie. This includes all platforms and updates from release to present--all 25 free expansions, tweaks, and content drops that have significantly evolved and changed the game over time.

"The No Man's Sky community is one of the largest and most welcoming in all of gaming. For many it is their 'forever game', with over half a billion hours played, across millions of players,"reads a press release from Bandai Namco.

Steam's Summer Sale is here to bulk up your backlog.

If you're gaming on a budget, you can get some serious deals on Steam's annual summer sale event. The sales are legendary for their massive savings, and you can make out like a bandit on some amazing yesteryear classics. Sure there's a bunch of newer AAA games on sale, but the real savings are in the $5 or less bargain bin.

Make no mistake, though. There's some real bangers in the clearance aisle, especially if you have yet to play older games. You can grab just a handful of titles and be set for a month or two--especially if you get Castlevania Collection, Grim Dawn, or even the mega-moddable Fallout New Vegas. All of Valve's PC games are also $1.99 a piece. Below we've collected a list of noteworthy favorites that you should pick up in the $5 section.

Today Bungie lamented the United States' Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade and promises to assist employees who are seeking healthcare options that are not available in their states.

Today the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a landmark case that made abortion a constitutional right in the United States. Now states have individual discretion on whether or not to ban or allow abortions. Missouri was the first state to ban abortions, and many others are expected to follow. Bungie, among other game developers, are speaking out against this decision and plan to support their employees.

Bungie has announced a new healthcare benefit that will reimburse employees (and/or their dependents) for any interstate travel costs associated with healthcare. If an employee lives in a state where abortion or gender reconstruction surgery is not allowed, Bungie will pay for all travel costs for trips to states where these procedures are offered.

FromSoftware's next game is almost complete, and it's likely to be the new Armored Core game that was teased in 2016.

In a recent interview with 4Gamer, Hidetaka Miyazaki talks about the future of FromSoftware. The studio is currently laying finishing touches on its next game; Miyazaki says "development is in the final stages," but offers no exact clarity on what's next.

Back in 2016, Miyzaki said that FromSoftware was working on 3 new projects. One of them is Elden Ring, another is an Armored Core game, and the third is a mysterious "weird" game that, well, could be anything. Miyazaki also tells 4Gamer that he won't be directing all games, hinting that he might not have led the new Armored Core's development.

It was only days ago that we were reporting on the world's first PlayStation 5 slim -- at least kinda -- with a new custom water-cooled design that looks awesome. But now... we have the world's largest Xbox Series X console.

The world's largest Xbox Series X console was built by engineer Michael Pick, which is a massive behemoth: 600% bigger than the actual physical Xbox Series X console. Not only that, but it is over 6.5 feet tall (2m) and over 3 feet wide (1m) and weighs in at over 250 pounds (112kg).

It's not just some fancy huge Xbox Series X console, but it is actually fully functional as well -- inside, there is a real Xbox Series X console -- an Arduino unit that lets you use the gigantic buttons on the ridiculously large Xbox Series X console, which actually work -- very cool to see.

Despite offering distinct pay-to-win advantages in games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Ubisoft says it follows an internal "Fair Monetization" policy for its games.

Starting in 2017, Ubisoft became a digital-first company that started baking in live services and microtransactions into all of its games. Starting with Origins, then with Odyssey and now Valhalla, singleplayer-only Assassin's Creed games have seen monetized gear and storefronts. While Ubisoft's microtransactions have typically been controversial, the publisher says it follows what it calls a "Fair Monetization" charter to help guide its mTX practices.

In its recent 2021 annual report, Ubisoft outlined its monetization policies for investors. The company acknowledges that monetization carries risks of potentially "distorting the gaming experience" and could actually harm reputation, but says it is committed to "adopting monetization and engagement policies that respect the player experience and are sustainable over the long term."

343 Industries announces new armor cosmetics that are coming to Halo Master Chief Collection, and they look very similar to id's demon-slaughtering shooter.

In what can be aptly described as an identity crises, Halo is getting more non-canon armor sets that seem to borrow from other Microsoft franchises. 343i today revealed a sneak peek at MCC armor skins that look like they're borrowed right from Doom.

Similar to the cool-but-extremely-unfitting Greek and Norse mythology armor sets, the new demon skins are quizzical additions to the Master Chief Collection. According to 343i, the new skins aren't demonic, but are called "bioroid" and more like Guyver than Doomslayer. The armors are usable in Halo 2 Anniversary and may roll out with the new Spartan Points microtransaction store coming to MCC (yes, 343i is adding microtransactions to the Master Chief Collection).

Halo The Master Chief Collection is getting microtransactions, 343 Industries today announced.

It's finally happening. After 8 years, microtransactions are coming to Halo MCC. 343 has confirmed that a new premium currency called Spartan Points is coming to the Master Chief Collection that will allow players to directly purchase cosmetics and skins throughout the six-game collection.

"For players who are new to the MCC, or who may not have dedicated much time specifically to unlocking items during the seasonal updates, or are simply completionists looking to catch the last outstanding items they need, we are internally exploring a potential new feature for the future in the form of purchasable Spartan Points," 343i's Alex Wakeford said in a recent post.

Blizzard continues its support for World of Warcraft Classic, this time with Wrath of the Lich King's expansion release from way back in 2008.

WoW Classic has helped revitalize the flagging MMORPG and provide a separate monetization platform for Blizzard. Right now Blizzard needs all the help it can get; the publisher's MAUs have dropped significantly to 22 million monthly active users in Q1'22, the lowest point in the last six years. New WoW Classic content like the Wrath of the Lich King should help boost these numbers.

To kick things off, Blizzard has opened up beta invites for the Wrath of the Lich King over Battle.net: "The Wrath of the Lich King Classic beta test has begun! Over the course of the test, we'll be inviting opt-in beta testers, community veterans, press, fansites, and friends and family to check out the upcoming classic expansion and give us feedback," Blizzard said on the announcement post.

Square Enix lays out peculiar-sounding NFT plans that include using non-fungible tokens to tell stories in its upcoming games.

In a recent shareholders meeting spotted by Suzuki Online and Siliconera, Square Enix talked about its new strategy with NFTs. The company is going ahead with its blockchain entertainment segment but plans are still early.

According to slides that we ran through an online PDF machine translator, Square Enix has ambitious to create NFTs that tell some sort of story. The company has plans on "launching a new brand/IP of creative NFT that emphasizes world view and story." There's no further details on exactly what this means.

Final Fantasy XVI will leverage the full power of the PlayStation 5's ultra-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD to eradicate in-game loading sequences.

Having been built specifically for the PS5 on day one, Final Fantasy XVI aims to harness the console's new high-end upgrades--especially its 5.5GB/sec SSD. In a recent interview with the PlayStation Blog, game producer Naoki Yoshida said he is most impressed by the PlayStation 5's storage technology and how it essentially destroys all loading sequences within Final Fantasy XVI.

"With the boost in processing power, we can obviously make the graphics even richer than we could before, but it's the super-fast loading times that really impress me," Yoshi-P told the PlayStation Blog.

Final Fantasy XVI will not have a singular open-world area to explore and discover, will instead be carved up into more meaningful and condensed game zones.

Square Enix is releasing a new round of press info on Final Fantasy XVI, and this time we get more information on the in-game world of Valisthea. According to game producer Noaki Yoshida, the in-game fantasy world will not be a gigantic persistent open environment similar to Final Fantasy 15 or Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Instead, Final Fantasy XVI will incorporate more isolated and independent zones and areas throughout the world. This could make each area feel more meaningful and engaging.

"To bring a story that feels like it spans an entire globe and beyond, we decided to avoid an open world design that limits us to a single open world space and instead focus on an independent area-based game design that can give players a better feel of a truly 'global' scale," Yoshida told IGN.

Sony plans to reveal its new line of PlayStation 5 gaming accessories and hardware during a special stream on June 28.

Sony will soon release a new brand of enthusiast gaming peripherals specifically for the PlayStation 5, complete with interoperability on PC. Reports indicate that the new line will be called INZONE, and will feature gaming headsets, high-end monitors, and a new PlayStation 5 DualSense controller aimed at pro gamers.

The INZONE line is expected to be revealed during a new showcase on June 28 at 5PM EST. Sony has released a new YouTube countdown video with the teaser "Find your new ZONE," an obvious reference to the leaked INZONE products.

Creative Assembly has finally revealed the mysterious shooter game it's been working on for the past 5 years.

SEGA just announced a new shooter called HYENAS. It's the new IP that Creative Assembly has been working on for many years, and is described as a new 15-player (4x teams of 3) "ballsy entry" into PVP FPS with unique "escape-to-win" mechanics. HYENAS captures the irreverent style of Watch Dogs 2, mixes it with Fortnite-style crossovers, adds a spice of FPS carnage, and throws in some Payday space heisting for good measure.

Creative Assembly says HYENAS is "an audacious new project from a multi-award-winning studio, aiming to do to shooters what they did to horror with Alien: Isolation."

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 will have a new online gametype inspired by Escape From Tarkov, new reports from leaker Ralph's Valve indicate.

According to latest reports from trusted a trusted leaker, Modern Warfare 2's new Tarkov-like gametype will release as a free-to-play experience sometime in 2023. The mode is reportedly codenamed Project Nexus, and quite ambitious in scope. Nexus has been in development for four years or so and will combine campaign elements with PVPVE action, complete with distinct RPG elements.

Modern Warfare 2's launch in 2022 will see the release of three included modes: Singleplayer campaign, multiplayer, and co-op. Warzone 2 will be a separate, standalone release that resets all progress and starts fresh. The new inclusion of Nexus, also described as a DMZ mode, will mean Activision could have five monetized free-to-play online Call of Duty experiences on the market in 2023: COD Mobile, Warzone, Warzone 2, Warzone mobile, and Project Nexus.