Gaming - Page 385

End of an era: Jeff Gerstmann is leaving Giant Bomb, a site that he helped curate for nearly two decades.

Today Giant Bomb dropped a giant bomb on its audience: Jeff Gerstmann is departing the site. Jeff has been an integral part of Giant Bomb's irreverent but informative video games coverage since the site launched in 2008, and over the last 14 years, Gerstmann has helped lead the site across its myriad of coverage styles: From the beloved Bombcast podcast and commentaries and news blasts to big interviews with Phil Spencer, Gerstmann has been a big part of video games journalism across the last decade and a half.

The Giant Bomb crew will now consist of nine members and more details will be shared on June 7. Gerstmann will host a special Twitch stream tomorrow to possibly discuss what's on the horizon. Also remember that Venture Beat's Jeff Grubb has left, so it's possible we'll see a Jeff x Jeff collaboration of some sort.

Final Fantasy XIV is likely getting a major new expansion throughout 2022 and early 2023.

Square Enix has big plans for Final Fantasy XIV throughout 2022. The MMORPG did extremely well last year--so well that it helped Square Enix make record earnings. FY21's record operating profits were driven by significant increase in MMO segment earnings thanks in part to Final Fantasy XIV's Endwalker expansion. The segment generated $511.176 million throughout the year, and comprised nearly a quarter of all net sales revenues (~22%).

This trend is expected to continue this year, too. This strongly indicates another major expansion is set to release sometime in FY23. "In particular, we are extremely pleased with the performance of Final Fantasy XIV. We are expecting a considerable earnings contribution again in FY2023/3," Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda said in a recent presentation.

A new Just Cause game is in development, Square Enix has confirmed, but it might be very different than other games in the franchise.

Just Cause 5, or possibly some sort of spin-off, is currently in development at Square Enix. Company president Yosuke Matsuda confirmed the news in a recent earnings report, saying "The Just Cause franchise will remain our IP, and we are at work developing a new title in the franchise."

The publisher also says it wants to ramp up more online-driven games in the future. It's possible the new Just Cause game could have live service elements or at least online multiplayer in some form. "We especially revisited our studio and title portfolios from the perspective of stepping up our offering of online titles that we develop for the North American and the European market. We want to focus on creating new titles that align with our strategy, including ones that leverage new IP."

A gamer has taken complaining to a new level as they have decided to seemingly leak classified Chinese military information on a forum in an attempt to get developers to change the game.

Kotaku has reported that OSINTtechnical has found a post on War Thunder's forums that shows classified military documents and an image of armament schematics that showcase a round that is fired by Chinese tanks. Notably, the post was removed from War Thunder's forums, but not before it was shared numerous times across multiple social media such as Twitter and Reddit.

Furthermore, Chinese-speaking gamers have translated the leaked schematics and provided a long list of dimensions, velocity, precision, capabilities, gun caliber, and more. The forums moderators informed Kotaku that community managers decided to immediately ban the user who posted the leak "as the information on this particular shell is still classified in China". Adding to that, the moderators said that posting any classified information on War Thunder's forums is prohibited, and the developers will "never use it in their work."

Diablo Immortal is indeed an intensely grindy, pay-to-win F2P game with intricately-designed layers of monetization. One YouTuber has uncovered the odds of endgame progress, and they're not good.

Diablo Immortal's endgame is gated off by a big paywall. The probability and chances of progression are so low for free-to-play users that it's almost entirely necessary to spend money unlocking Legendary Crests, which infuse Elder Rifts--special portals to enemy zones--with guaranteed chances of finding an endgame Legendary Gem.

So what makes Diablo Immortal's monetization so incredibly controversial? The short answer: An infinite RNG system based around astronomically bad odds. YouTuber Gregg2G did an excellent breakdown on Diablo Immortal's progression and microtransaction systems, complete with probabilities provided by whale-trackers.

SEGA is interested in making Saturn and Dreamcast mini consoles, but the costs are way too high.

SEGA just announced the Mega Drive Mini 2, a new mini console that packs in more Genesis-era and even some SEGA CD games. So what's next on the horizon? A SEGA Saturn mini, or maybe even a Dreamcast Classic re-release? Maybe...once chip production costs start to drop.

In a recent interview with Famitsu, SEGA producer Yosuke Okunari confirms that his team looked into recreating Dreamcast and Saturn micro-consoles but the projects fizzled out early on because they would be too expensive to manufacture because chips are so scarce.

What did Ocarina of Time look like way back in 1996? Not much different that it did on release, actually,

The Old Net.com opens up a temporal wormhole to a distant time far ago--a time when games were feature-complete at launch, and a time when 3D was brand new. It was November 1996, the Nintendo 64 had released months ago, and we just got to see a prototype in-development version of Ocarina of Time at Nintendo Space World in Shoshinkai, Japan. Ah, those were the days.

Using the Old Net website, I was able to travel down a little rabbit hole to the past and uncover some interesting Zelda 64 screenshots from 1996, which was two years before Ocarina of Time launched. It's a fascinating look at one of the best games ever made before it was technically one of the best games ever made, and honestly, the prototype doesn't look much different than the final game.

Love horror movies like The Thing and Even Horizon? Then you should keep The Callisto Protocol on your radar.

Dead Space developer Glen Schofield leads Striking Distance Studios, a team that's making one of the most horrifying video games in recent memory. It's called The Callisto Protocol, and it's a great singleplayer spiritual successor to the Dead Space trilogy that's dripping with a foreboding, haunted atmosphere set amid a madcap scramble for survival.

The game is decidedly cinematic in scope, plunging players into the "dead moon of Callisto" that brings to mind the wasteland of LV-426 from Alien. Tucked away on Jupiter's moon is a high-tech prison that turns upside down as brutal alien monstrosities annihilate everyone around them. Beset by impossible odds, players have to fight their way out tooth and nail in a grisly, terrifying spectacle that blends third-person action with seamless cutscene sequences for a genuine movie-like experience.

Fans asked for it, and Capcom is delivering: Resident Evil 4 is getting fully remade in the powerful RE Engine.

First Resident Evil 2, then RE3, and now the legendary fan-favorite Resident Evil 4 is getting completely rebuilt in Capcom's proprietary and advanced games engine. Resident Evil 4 is being built from the ground up for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, meaning it won't be held back by outdated hardware from 2013. That means ultra-fast loading times, higher-end graphics, effects, and lighting, and possibly even raytraced visuals.

Capcom is targeting a firm March 24, 2023 release date for the fan-favorite sequel which will help kick start game sales for its following fiscal year.

SEGA is releasing a new mini console that includes 50 games across Mega Drive and SEGA CD generations.

Back in the day, there was nothing like SEGA. The console just had its own mystique; it was so bombastic and in your face. Things got even more intense when SEGA started rolling out its expansion consoles. Instead of releasing separate systems, SEGA turned the Genesis/Mega Drive into a Frankenstein's monster abomination, attaching add-on modules like the SEGA CD and the 32X to the base unit. The result was a curious, bewildering, and captivating experiment in gaming technology.

Now that the console wars are behind them, SEGA can joke about the Mega Drive, SEGA CD, and 32X. The new Mega Drive Mini 2 is a humorous nod to a simpler time, an awesome nostalgic throwback that features a bunch of games from the Mega Drive and SEGA CD generation, including Sonic CD Shining Force CD, and arcade hit Virtua Racing. The console will eventually include 50 games but only 11 have been announced.

Guerrilla Games is developing a new update that adds new higher-end optimizations to its new next-gen Horizon game.

Horizon Forbidden West will soon run better than ever on PlayStation 5. The devs plan to release a new patch for Horizon Forbidden West that adds Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support for the game on PS5, which will allow more consistent and smooth frame rates on compatible TVs and monitors. VRR greatly improves sync rates between the console's output and a display's refresh rate. There's also a mysterious 40FPS mode coming soon.

"We've revamped Temporal Anti-Aliasing to improve the visual fidelity of our Performance mode on PS5 and rendering on PS4 Pro. We're already working on an upcoming patch which will include VRR support and a 40FPS Mode, so stay tuned for more," Guerrilla Games wrote on the PlayStation Blog.

Modders and emulation tinkerers are breathing new life into Nintendo 64 classics using higher-end modern technology.

Dedicated modders and coders are adding nifty effects like 60FPS+ frame rates, ray tracing, and HD textures to old-school N64 games. The latest development comes from software developer DarioSamo, who added high-end optimizations like ray-traced lighting effects, motion blur, widescreen, and DLSS support to a handful of N64 titles like Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Paper Mario, and Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards.

Dario used RT64, a path tracer behind sm64rt, to add these effects. The tool is slowly evolving into an actual emulator plugin.

AYANEO has just unveiled yet another portable gaming console that'll find its way into your hands, with the introduction of the AYANEO 2 Geek handheld. Check it out:

The new AYANEO 2 Geek handheld comes in two variants: the first packs an AMD Ryzen 5 6600U + 512GB of storage for $699, while the higher-end variant packs an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U + 512GB of storage for $799. There's a 7-inch 1200 x 800 resolution display, 512GB + 1TB storage options + 16GB of RAM, 3 x USB 4 Type-C ports, fingerprint readers, and even built-in joysticks.

You'll have support for both AYANEO's in-house AYA Neo OS, as well as Windows 11 for operating system choices. As for when it'll be in your hands, if you're in China then it's up for pre-order now, but there'll be more details on pre-ordering outside of China next week.

If you've been waiting for the first game ever made that took playing a cat seriously, you don't have much longer to wait -- Stray is nearly here.

Stray is being made by developer BlueTwelve Studio, and had its release date unveiled at Sony's recent State of Play event: July 19. Stray will debut on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC on July 19... but it'll also be available to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members on the same day.

How did Stray come to be? It all started 7 years ago now that was called "HK Project" internally between BlueTwelve Studio co-founders Koola and Viv. The team explained on the official PlayStation Blog: "It really is amazing to see that it is now an actual full-fledged game and will be experienced and hopefully enjoyed by so many players all across the world very soon. We have developed and learned so much along the way. Of all the unexpected challenges and discoveries we found, creating an interactive cat was definitely the most tricky one!"

Final Fantasy XVI's development team is being led by some interesting talent, including Devil May Cry 5's combat designer.

Square Enix's latest Final Fantasy game may end up being one of the best in the series. It's already a true next-gen spectacle on PlayStation 5 with amazing graphics, visuals, and effects, but judging by the developers involved with the project, the actual gameplay could be just as impressive.

The all-star team is pretty eye-catching. Final Fantasy XVI's combat is being led by Ryota Suzuki, who worked on Devil May Cry 5, Dragon's Dogma, and even Marvel vs Capcom 2--this bodes extremely well for the chaotic hack-and-slash action shown in the recent trailer. What's also interesting is how FF16 is being directed by Hiroshi Takai, who worked on Final Fantasy V, a game with a lot of job-switching. Hopefully this is reflected in this modern game, too.

Thanks to PlayStation 5's graphical power, Final Fantasy XVI is the best-looking game in the series and should deliver a true next-gen moment.

Final Fantasy XVI's latest screenshots and trailer underline one major point: Devs are doing incredible things on the PS5. Yesterday Square Enix announced Final Fantasy XVI would release in Summer 2023 on PlayStation 5 and showcased one of the most amazing game trailers of our era. So far it looks like Final Fantasy XVI is one of the most visually impressive games coming to the system and should help usher in the true era of next-gen PS5 spectacles.

The new batch of in-game screenshots released for Final Fantasy XVI reveal a stunning look at what's to come. The entire wave of screens is eye-opening and illustrates the power of the PS5; from open-world mesas and shadowy swamps to haunted magically-infused interiors, Square Enix's dev team is flexing the full might of the PS5's Zen 2 CPU and Navi 2.0 GPU.

Sony's next-gen PlayStation 5 has achieved 20 million shipments to date, but is still far behind the PS4 in terms of launch-aligned sales.

The PS5 is off to a great start. From launch in Q3 2020 to the present day in Q1 2022, Sony has sold-in (or shipped) 20 million consoles. Before this announcement, PS5 sales were at 19.3 million as of March 31, 2022. A quick bit of math shows that Sony sold about 700,000 PS5s during the Q1 period so far, which is from April - June 30, 2022.

Historically, the PS4 is still beating the PS5 with 25 million shipments in the same comparable timeframe. Sony is currently preparing the largest console shipment in PlayStation history and wants to sell an incredible 18 million consoles this fiscal year. The lack of Q1 shipments indicates that the big PS5 salvo is probably coming during the Q3 holiday period. Sony corporate says the massive console shipment is coming in 2022.

PlayStation console exclusives Spider-Man and Spider-Man Miles Morales are coming to PC in 2022, Sony today announced.

Insomniac's beloved Spider-Man duology is slinging across platforms to land on PC later this year. Marvel's Spider-Man will launch on Steam on August 12, 2022 whereas Spider-Man Miles Morales is coming Fall 2022. Both games will be optimized for PC with upgrades and new features like raytraced reflections, mouse and keyboard controls, a multitude of graphics and rendering settings, and more.

The newly-acquired Nixxes is working with Insomniac to bring both games to PC complete with all the content available on PlayStation consoles--suits, post-release DLC, updates, the works. Nixxes founder Jurjen Katsman says the games will deliver the "best possible PC experience that takes advantage of all the exciting possibilities the PC platform has to offer."

Final Fantasy XVI will not release in 2022 after all, and is now launching Summer 2023 on PlayStation 5.

Sony's latest State of Play event ended with a big explosive reveal of Final Fantasy XVI's combat and gameplay, while also confirming a Summer 2023 release timeline for the game. Combat looks to be a mix of Final Fantasy XV's action-based chaos mixed with a UI lifted out of the high-tech Final Fantasy 13, complete with 1v1 style mechanics and huge hulking summon battles.

Game director Yoshi-P confirms Final Fantasy XVI has entered the "final leg of development" and is currently playable from start to finish, but the team needs more time to optimize and there is still a "mountain of challenges" for polishing. "With the power of the PlayStation 5 behind us, we're looking to take you on a seamless, story-driven, white-knuckle ride that will rival even the most thrilling roller-coaster. So buckle up, the wait is almost over!"

Diablo Immortal is out now on PC...and it's not really something that should exist on the platform.

Today Blizzard released the beta version of Diablo Immortal on PC. The game has a solid place on mobile as a dungeon-delving action RPG looter, but on PC it's incredibly out of place. For one, Immortal's PC version is just the mobile port with PC controls. Two, and the biggest point of all, the game simply doesn't fit on PC. There's no reason for it to exist on this platform except as an extension of Blizzard's incredibly robust monetization options and to serve as a stopgap between Diablo III and Diablo IV (which could be out next year anyway).

Playing Diablo Immortal on PC is a jarring experience. The mechanics are familiar--hack-and-slash enemies, use skills, and pick up tons of loot. It's just Blizzard has already done this, and much, much better with Diablo III. Immortal is an obsolete game at launch whose only real innovations are an intensely layered, mobile-esque grind with lots of opportunities to spend money. Immortal is a pared back and heavily consolidated version of Diablo III that looks and plays like a mobile game, not a streamlined, PC-optimized release. The PC version is clearly an afterthought of the mobile version, and since it's on Battle.net, Blizzard gets to keep any and all revenues generated from in-game purchases.