Gaming - Page 701

During E3 2019 we heard about a secret Nintendo Switch project brewing in PlatinumGames' development labs. We then learned this project was ASTRAL CHAIN, and that the release is not far off from us at all.

Now things have been really turned on its head. Originally, fans were more than happy to get their hands-on a new PlatinumGames title, but now we have learned that ASTRAL CHAIN is just part 1 in what has been planned as a trilogy for the franchise.

According to an interview with IGN Benelux, and director of the title Takahisa Taura, ASTRAL CHAIN is being made with a trilogy of games in mind. For this reason there, ASTRAL CHAIN has no plans for DLC content and instead what would of been DLC content will arrive in the sequel. The sequels for ASTRAL CHAIN will only be created if the sales of the first title meet the studio's expectations. ASTRAL CHAIN will release exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on August 30th, 2019.

With all of the Age of Empires Remasters that are in Microsoft's pipeline, some fans have wondered whether or not the company has forgotten about one of their other popular spin-off titles, Age of Mythology.

We already have the remaster for the first Age of Empires and now we are currently waiting for the remaster of the second game, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. At the moment, Microsoft are conducting an Insiders Program that will allow lucky fans to get an early taste of Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. The program is invite only and can be signed up for here, and the release is scheduled for sometime this fall.

With all this news swirling around Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, some fans wondered whether or not Age of Mythology would be getting some love. In a recent interview with Eurogamer at E3 2019, ADam Isgreen, the Creative Director for the Age of Empires franchise at Xbox Game Studios mentioned that Microsoft hasn't forgotten about the title. Here is what he had to say: "It's great to see how much love there is for Age of Mythology, 'cause I love it too - it's more of a... less accurate history. It's super loose, people just have fun, and I love that too."

Yesterday it was confirmed that the missing YouTuber Desmond 'Etika' Amofah has been found dead in Manhatten's East River. Fans of the YouTuber/streamer have now started a petition to reinstate his once deleted YouTube Channel.

If this is fresh news to you that Etika has passed, here is quick summary of the events. Etika had a history of mental health issues and expressed his struggle with internet fame and the negativity that comes with it many times in the past. Last October, Etika's channel was terminated due to him uploading pornography to it, effectively he was sabotaging himself.

Amofah's last communication with people was on June 19, and on June 20 the New York Police department declared it a missing persons case. On Sunday night Amofah's belongings was found on Manhattan Bridge and his body was found a day later near the South Street Seaport. Fans are now rallying a petition together to get his channel reinstated so they can enjoy Etika's past content. The petition already has 380,000 signatures as of the time I'm writing this.

Twitch gives creators a new way to reward subscribers with exclusive content.

Today Twitch announced Subscriber Streams, a new feature that essentially locks specific streams behind a paygate. Only users who enlist in a creator's subscription plan can view the streams as they go live and on VOD. Subscriptions start off at $4.99 a month, then rise to $9.99 in the second tier and $24.99 for the third tier. Amazon Prime users can subscribe to their favorite content creators for free, but only the first time is free.

The idea here is to reward fans while actively incentivizing paid recurring subscriptions to access broadcasts. It's billed as a way to give back to fans and supporters with specific streams not available to everyday users, creating a kind of club that gives more direct exposure to a creator. All Subscriber Streams are marked as such on the main Twitch page, and anyone can see a 5-minute preview of the footage before they buy in.

After a falling-out with Activision, Sledgehammer Games co-founder Glen Schofield has found a new home full of chicken dinners.

Today PUBG Corp announced it's opening a new game studio called Striking Distance, with Dead Space producer and Call of Duty veteran Glen Schofield at the helm.

Striking Distance will evolve PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds beyond a multiplayer shooter and into the realm of narrative-driven story campaigns. "Schofield is building a world class development team from the ground up to create an original narrative experience within the PUBG universe," the announcement reads. Schofield's past work in games like Dead Space and Call of Duty WWII hints the PUBG story will be quite visceral and gritty.

A new expose from Kotaku reveals the harsh working conditions Treyarch employees face while making big Call of Duty games like Black Ops 4.

The games industry and its major players have a severe problem with crunch, or the practice of accelerating development on games way beyond normal time frames. In the months leading up to a game's release, developers work long, arduous hours at the cost of their personal lives and psychological well-being. The paychecks are good--or at least bigger than normal--but the workloads, lack of communication, and reboots typically grind morale into dust. Treyarch, one of the leading studios behind gaming's most lucrative shooter franchise, has been particularly affected by this practice. One dev even described the studio as a "nightmare" during crunch its periods.

Black Ops 4's massive success came at a real cost for Treyarch. Speaking to Kotaku, one dev said they endured "perpetual crunch" to get the game finished. Contractors, who make the bulk of the dev team for these projects, were treated as ancillary workers, almost interlopers, who fed the human-chomping machine of game crunch. Q&A testers were slammed with insane hours. Big development shifts exacerbated things considerably. Like most big AAA games, Black Ops 4 was quite different at the beginning. The team originally envisioned an interesting-sounding new 2v2 campaign mode that shifted into a normal, linear singleplayer endeavor.

If U.S. President Trump's proposed Chinese tariffs aren't amended to exclude games consoles, the entire precious console industry could come unraveled.

Today Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony issued a thorough letter to the U.S. government that exhaustively details just how badly tariffs will disrupt the console games industry. The missive warns the tariffs will cause console prices to rise well past their current MSRP, and dramatically interrupt the critical supply chains needed to facilitate the market.

In short, the tariffs could permanently alter the $47.9 billion console games industry by throwing a wrench in the finely-oiled gearworks. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo will have to delay manufacturing as they find new facilities and make big multi-year deals for component creation, shipping, and hardware assembly. As costs rise, they'll in turn pass those costs to consumers, which will lead to lower sales. And lower sales means the companies will make less money, and pay less taxes on consoles sold in the United States. No one wins here.

A new batch of gameplay footage has been released for The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening, this time round we can see a cameo of Ocarina of Time.

The new footage has been released onto the GameXplain YouTube Channel and is a combination of the E3 2019 demo, and some new areas which weren't shown off in the original demo. We also get a great cameo of Ocarina of Time as well as some brand new music to enjoy.

While some might think that The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening is just a simple remake of the classic title, that just isn't the case. The remake will add some brand new features which can't be found in the original game. Some of these new features include the new Chamer Dugeon which gives players the opportunity to create and play their own dungeon levels.

A very well-known gaming YouTuber has been found floating dead in Manhatten's East River yesterday evening, police have confirmed the body is Desmond 'Etika' Amofah, age 29.

Etika began his YouTube career back in 2012 and gained quick popularity over the seven years he was active. He was known for his reaction videos towards new game announcements such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and some other large Nintendo titles. Etika amassed quite the following around 800,000 fans who he referred to as his JoyCon Boyz - this number is an approximation of all of his social media channels such as YouTube, Twitch, Twitter and Instagram.

After sometime being in the social media spotlight, Amofah announced his struggle with mental health last October when he self-destructed his own YouTube Channel. Amofah then went on to make references to suicidal tenancies and in April police had to detain him in his apartment. Police told Kotaku that Amofah's urges were due to his "psych history".

A new announcement from Bandai Namco has revealed that the iconic anime fighter One-Punch Man will soon be getting his very own fighting game. How boring for him if there is no challenge...

The above trailer has been released onto the official Bandai Namco YouTube Channel and depicts the popular over-powered fighter in a brand new setting. the game is titled One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody is a 3v3 fighting game developed by Jump Force developers Spike Chunsoft.

For those who don't know who One-Punch Man is, the characters actual name is Saitama and he is a trained fighter who defeats most - if not all his foes in one simple punch. One-Punch Man's persona revolves around of how bored Saitama is fighting due to him not being able to find a challenging opponent. Once you understand this you will get why he looks so calm and not bothered by all of the foes that challenge him.

Nintendo Switch fans can rejoice as a Terraria will be soon be coming to the handheld console in only a few days. Venture the world of Terraria on the Switch on June 27th.

According to a recent forum announcement on the official Terraria website, the Nintendo Switch version of Terraria is due for an imminent release. The post reads as follows; "Terraria Switch will be live to the world for digital download in 2 days!" The post also mentions the physical release for the game, saying "It will take us a bit more time to get out the physical retail version, but until then we hope you will enjoy the full game available for download via Nintendo eShop".

To celebrate the launch on the Nintendo Switch, developers Re-Logic will be hosting daily events for prizes on their Discord channel. Prizes will also be given to fans who drop into content creator Twitch livestreams. For those who wish to attend an AMA meeting with Terraria Switch developer, Pipework Studios on their Discord at Wednesday June 26 at 12:00PM PST.

The on-going tensions between the US and Iran have extended to the world of gaming, with League of Legends now blocked in both Iran and Syria at the request of the Trump administration. The game can't be accessed "due to US laws and regulations" according to an in-game message when loaded up in Iran or Syria.

An Iranian gamer screenshotted the message, which read: "Due to U.S. laws and regulations, players in your country cannot access League of Legends at this time. Such restrictions are subject to change by the U.S. government, so if and when that happens, we look forward to having you back on the Rift". Pretty crazy move, seeing League of Legends banned in these two middle eastern countries.

It seems that developer Riot Games didn't have much to do about the decision of banning League of Legends in Iran and Syria, as it was pushed onto them by the US government. As the source DOTesports says: "Multiple Iranian and Syrian players have expressed despair about this situation. A common theme is that this won't hurt the politicians or those with the power to do something, but instead, it'll affect the civilians whose lives in a war-torn country already offer little comfort and access to video games". I totally agree with that, very sad to see for gamers wanting an escape.

Microsoft blew gamers away with its surprise reveal of a new Flight Simulator game at E3 2019, which is due out on both the PC and Xbox One in 2020 and now the company has confirmed some great news.

Flight Simulator will work with third-party content as well as community-created add ons, with Microsoft saying it is aware of the issues surrounding the current ecosystem and that the team is working on it. Microsoft has said they want to work closely with the community during the development of Flight Simulator, adding: "Whatever your abilities are, if you want to fly, we are going to do whatever we can to make that happen. Yoke and pedals, mouse and keyboard, controller, etc. No pilot should be left behind".

The company has promised that we'll hear more about Flight Simulator in the coming months, with updates to the preview build as well as insider programs kicking off in August. If you're a Flight Simulator fan, you'll want to keep on top of this news -- as the game simply looks freaking incredible. Day one for me on a big screen TV and kick ass gaming PC.

Alienware co-founder, Vice President and General Manager Frank Azor announced he was leaving the company for unknown adventures, but now WCCFTech is reporting that Azor has joined AMD as its freshly minted Chief Gaming Officer.

Azor recently tweeted that he would be leaving Dell "as of July 3 to take on a new challenge", adding: "A little over 21 years ago, I met a couple of lunatics who had an idea they called Alienware. When I met them and learned about the company they were trying to build, I thought to myself, "This would be the coolest job ever." I was right, but none of us ever dreamed the brand would come this far - which is a result of all of you, your hard work and passion".

He added: "So, yes, leaving is hard. But I do so with confidence knowing the talent here is the industry's best and will take this business even farther. Love, Frank Azor".

Jedi: Fallen Order has always been described as an exploration game with Metroidvania-style elements, like revisiting areas with new powers to unlock goodies or gear. But those features really haven't been demonstrated very well.

Today Respawn released the full Jedi: Fallen Order gameplay shown to press at E3 2019. Many say this footage better illustrates the game's Metroid-style level traversal, which implies forking paths, unlockable areas, and secrets. But we didn't really see much difference than the original footage; the game still looks quite linear, even if it gave small glimpses and affirmations of off-world travel (which is something that was already confirmed a bit ago).

If anything, the footage underlines the cinematic scope of the game and further brings to mind Uncharted's larger-than-life action sequences and puzzle solving (albeit in a more light manner). Not the confusing, often-gated labyrinthine exploration of a Metroid game.

CD Projekt RED reveals a bunch of new details about Cyberpunk 2077, including day-to-night cycles, augmentations, cosmetics and regions of Night City.

In a big Q&A series on the Cyberpunk 2077 Tumblr, senior level designer Miles Tost and quest designer Pawel Sasko discussed a lot of details surrounding the team's new sci-fi RPG FPS hybrid. Topics are wide and varied, and some new tidbits slipped through like being able to recruit people to your team, more details on the murderous gangs roaming the neon-lit city streets, and even a nifty eye augmentation that allows real-time translations of other languages.

"Cyberpunk is all about you being your own boss, right. You finding your own path against a system that's constantly trying to bring you down," said senior level designer Miles Tost. "That's where the whole punk attitude of the name also comes from. Perhaps you'll want other people to join you, like Jackie, for example."

Cyberpunk 2077 is a huge sprawling sci-fi FPS built around massive reactivity and choice, and courting other superhuman cyborgs will be no different.

CD Projekt RED aims to go above and beyond with Cyberpunk 2077, making Night City a bustling haven of gritty crime, glamor, and colorful excitement. It's a pretty nasty place that harbors prostitutes, murderous gangs, and the high-tech seedy underbelly of society. You'll kill, hack, destroy, and manipulate your way across the living, breathing wonderland with its real-time AI. But that doesn't mean true love doesn't exist.

In Cyberpunk 2077, players will have lots of options of who they romance and attach themselves to. The studio confirms that as V., the pivotal protagonist, players can woo both male and female NPCs to create a vast inter-connected web of connections that will aid (or perhaps even hinder) your progression.

Official console themes are a big opportunity to bring awareness to any game with some signature style, but CD Projekt RED didn't do much with their new Cyberpunk 2077 theme.

Today CDPR released a new Cyberpunk 2077 theme for the PS4. It's not very good. Instead of bringing to mind an exotic world of gritty sci-fi mayhem and next-gen immersion, it's just a big advertisement banner for the rather simplified but eye-catching blazing yellow cover art. "Transform your PlayStation 4 home screen into a netrunner's terminal with this official Cyberpunk 2077 theme​! Head over to PS Store and grab it while it's hot!" CD Projekt RED said on Twitter.

The real tragedy here is CDPR didn't use any of the game's amazing concept art, posters, or even screenshots in the theme itself. It feels rushed out the door. Yes, it's a free theme and obviously not that much thought was put into it, but like I said it's still an opportunity to engage your playerbase with some nifty bit of interactive kit. Themes are something you see every time you start up and use your PS4 so they can be pretty powerful mechanisms.

The next entry in the popular Nintendo series 'Fire Emblem' will soon be getting a new title added to the franchise, Fire Emblem Three Houses.

The game is set to release on the Nintendo Switch a month from today, and as we move closer to the release we are starting to learn more pieces of information surrounding the title. Today, we learned about the digital version of the game as the Japanese download card has revealed information about the games size, weighing in at 11.9GB.

The download card also touched on the coming DLC, saying that the game's size will expand considerably once the DLC is released. The DLC will include brand new content for players to enjoy in the form of new missions, paralogues, outfits, cosmetics and characters. Fire Emblem Three Houses will launch onto the Nintendo Switch on July 26th in all locations.

The official trailer for Hitman 2's first Expansion Pass location has been released, and we get a great display of New York and what will be featured there.

Owners of the Expansion Pass or Expansion Pack 1 will be able to take their Hitman skills to The Bank in a new campaign mission. Not only will players be able to enjoy a new campaign mission but they will also be able to dive into some brand new contracts, new challenges, unlocks, and acquire achievements and more.

According to the official description, "New York will also include its own Mastery Progression system, and each level of location mastery reached will unlock either a new starting point, agency pickup, tool or weapon." Players cans also unlock a new "double-breasted trench coat for Agent 47 (The New Yorker), along with a customized Bartoli 12G shotgun and additional new items, which can all be carried over to other locations and missions." Hitman 2 is available for PS4, Xbox One and PC.