News:: Ron Gilbert's 'Thimbleweed Park' adventure is coming to the Switch

Ron Gilbert has had his fingers in quite a few adventure games over the years, including Lucas Arts' Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion, along with Hothead Games' Penny Arcade Adventures, Death Spank, and Dobule Fine Productions' The Cave. He also spent some time at Humongous Games, making educational titles like Blue's 123 Time Activities and Spy Fox in Hold the Mustard. Gilbert's latest genre entry, in collaboration with longtime partner Gary Winnick, is Thimbleweed Park, funded on Kickstarter back in 2014. Released to Windows, Mac and Xbox One in March, the title is coming to PlayStation 4 on August 22nd and Nintendo's Switch sometime in September.

Source: Ron Gilbert

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News:: Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker's Memory gets cool new box art...in Japan!

That's my new champion form, thank you very much. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth was one of the best Digimon games released in years in my opinion. So obviously I was pretty ecstatic to find out it's getting a sequel in the form of Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker's Memory. Better yet, it's getting a limited-edition “Digimon 20th Anniversary Box” which was announced today for Japan during Bandai Namco's reveal of the official box art.

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News:: Starting next week, We Happy Few will cost $50.99

It's not uncommon for Steam Early Access games to raise their price once they're ready for full release. In the case of the tripped-up survival title We Happy Few, though, I had to do a double take. It's $29.99 right now, but come August 16, it's going to cost $50.99. If you've been on the fence, time to get off!

This increased price coincides with a significant update dubbed Life in Technicolour that adds "new Joy effects as well as a brand new UI (still WIP), AI rework, and much more." Full details will be available when it goes live next week, but for now, this is mostly just a heads-up about the price.

"We will explain everything in more detail on the 16th," said Compulsion Games. "As you can imagine, there is more to the story, and we are looking forward to sharing all the juicy details with you. We always do our best to be transparent with you guys, so we felt it was important to provide this pricing information with ample time for you to make a decision."

I always liked the look of this game, but descriptions of what it was like to actually play put me off. Well that, and my general "Be wary of survival games in Early Access no matter how cool they look" rule.

Weekly Journal - August update date and price heads up [Compulsion Games]

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News:: PS4 Pro owners get 60FPS Twitch streaming in next update

Sony has been hinting at a big version 5.0 firmware update for the PlayStation 4, but... what does it entail, exactly? Eurogamer has an idea. The site has obtained release notes that hint at at least a few tangible upgrades. To start, PS4 Pro owners will have the option to broadcast their gaming on Twitch at a brisk 60 frames per second. That's nothing new for the PC crowd, of course, but it's a big deal if you want to showcase a fighting game or shooter at the same frame rate you see on your TV.

Source: Eurogamer

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News:: Dtoid's editors are (not) smart PUBG players

I've started to notice a recurring theme throughout each of these D-Team videos. It isn't our steadily-improving communication, nor is it Jordan's alarming obsession with leaving his head unprotected (put a helmet on, dammit!). Instead, it's our earnest desire to try and pull off as many dumb strategies as possible in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

It's the kind of thing you don't notice until after the fact. When we're recording, Jordan, Brett, Steven, and I always seem to be prepared for a victory. We chat about landing zones and weapon tiers a bunch, as if we're a squad that is capable of overcoming any situation no matter the odds. But after going through today's D-Team video, I've concluded that if anything, we're just a bunch of dummies trying silly tactics in a video game where ninety-some people are determined to kill us.

Maybe one day we'll be able to kick everyone's ass and prove that our first chicken dinner wasn't a fluke. Until then, just have to watch the D-Team pull shenanigans like a boat trip to PUBG's infamous spawn island. We might not be perfect, but shit, I hope you're entertained. There's plenty more of our antics on the Dtoid Fight channel.

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News:: Live Show: The GTFOMLG Show Episode 5.0

Another day, another stroll down memory lane on The GTFOMLG Show. Tonight I'm going to run through one of my favorite classics, ActRaiser for the SNES. I play through this game at least once a year due to its beautiful mix of god-game mechanics and action-platforming. It also doesn't hurt that ActRaiser's graphics and music still hold up today. At least that's what my old eyes and ears tell me, anyways.

Tune into Dtoid.TV tonight at 5pm PST and hang out with myself and the community while we spend a few hours conquering this amazing gem of a game yet again.

As well, don't forget to vote for the games that we'll play live next week, by clicking this lil linkaroo right here. Do you have any classics that you'd like to see on the show? Drop your recommendations in the comments below, and it's more than likely that they'll end up in a future poll, and possibly on the live show should they get voted in!

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News:: With less than a week to go, here's the Sonic Mania mini boss theme

My mind still won't accept that we're now firmly in August, which is worrying, but as far as video games are concerned it's a great thing. For instance: I just realized Sonic Mania is less than a week away.

Sega has shared yet another track from the game. This time, it's the mini boss theme.

If you like this number, you'll probably really like the theme for the Hard-Boiled Heavies.

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News:: The next Friday the 13th update will target team killing

Some Friday the 13th players have a penchant for killing their fellow camp counselors. It's gotten to the point where Gun Media describes the team-killing problem as "rampant," like something out of Battle Royale. With the next update, the developers hope to address the issue. That has a lot of folks worried.

"Our team believes that the ability to hurt other counselors is something that this game should have as it adds tension and requires players to make tough calls," wrote Gun Media. "However, we do not believe this should be a mechanic that is abused by players to the point where the vast majority of our current communications from fans are complaints of rampant/unwarranted team-killing/griefing/trolling."

As of the next patch, team killing will no longer be possible in public matches, except for with cars and bear traps (which will no longer result in an XP penalty for the trap-placer). Simply put, Friday the 13th players won't be able to gun down or slice up their teammates. But team killing will still be a possibility in private matches, at least for the time being. "We will include this mechanic in private matches for now," said Gun Media, "with the hope of better options in the future."

I've seen a whole range of reactions to this development. Some people are understandably worried about the new and potentially far worse opportunities for griefing that might arise when, say, unkillable people purposefully block doors or hold onto key items with no intention of ever using them. Others don't want to lose the ability to team kill because it's their only real recourse against trolls.

And then there are those who would rather have the developers prioritize other issues, like bugs and exploits, before even attempting to do something about team killing. I definitely see their point.

To make a long story short, there isn't going to be an easy fix here, and if the developers rush into this without thinking things all the way through, Friday the 13th could get worse before it gets better.

Upcoming Changes to Team killing for next patch [reddit]

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News:: All the details about PS4's 5.0 update have leaked

Firmware updates are usually revealed by the platform-holder -- a list of bullet points about all the tweaks that are coming with the next patch. Not this time. Eurogamer got a hold of the patch notes for PS4's upcoming 5.0 update before Sony had a chance to release them.

As Eurogamer outlines, the biggest feature in 5.0 is probably that PS4 Pro owners will have the ability to stream from Twitch at 1080p at 60 frames per second. Also noteworthy is that the contact system is getting a bit of an overhaul. Instead of friend requests, now people will be able to follow anyone else (provided that they haven't blocked this function); it seems similar to how Xbox One has handled social connections for a while now.

The rest of the changes are more granular. Notifications will be able to be viewed from the Quick Menu instead of requiring backing out to the home screen. It also addresses family accounts so that multiple adults can have master permissions, and that individual child accounts can be customized for what the parents think is appropriate for each kid.

There's only one crucial bit of information about update 5.0 that we don't yet know: When it will release. Sony hasn't officially confirmed the details of the leak even though it all seems perfectly plausible. But, it's what's almost certainly next for PlayStation 4.

PlayStation 4 firmware update 5.0 will add 1080p60 Twitch streaming [Eurogamer]

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News:: Are you down to play Super Meat Boy again on Nintendo Switch?

As if that image didn't make it clear enough, Super Meat Boy is coming to Nintendo Switch. There aren't any pricing or release details circulating yet, but there it is. It's confirmed!

Oh by the way... http://pic.twitter.com/Wfg1diDSTa

— Team Meat (@SuperMeatBoy) August 9, 2017

In a follow-up tweet, Team Meat made it clear this is in fact Super Meat Boy, not Super Meat Boy Forever (we've heard rumblings about the latter game finally releasing, possibly for Nintendo Switch). The Twitter account is also running a poll regarding a potential physical version by way of Nicalis.

With or without the original soundtrack, I'm liable to buy this game again. It's been too dang long.

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News:: First-person superhero game Megaton Rainfall hits PS4 in September

We've been keeping tabs on Megaton Rainfall for years now. It's a first-person superhero game in which you roam the planet (and even go up into space!) while fending off an alien threat and trying not to inadvertently cause too much destruction. The game is back in the limelight this week with a trailer showcasing more fully realized gameplay. You've got to see the new-and-improved version in motion.

In the game, you're invincible, but the Earth isn't -- cities have health bars. So before you decide to take a page from the Earth Defense Force handbook and go around "accidentally" leveling whole blocks while "saving" the world, maybe don't do that. Even knowing the consequences, I'm still tempted.

Megaton Rainfall is coming to PlayStation 4 with optional PlayStation VR support on September 26, followed by a Steam release. "It can be completed from start to finished in VR mode, and it will infinitely increase the sense of scale and immersion but, in favor of keeping player's comfort, will remove some camera effects like rolls and shakes," notes Pentadimensional Games.

I need this real bad.

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News:: Xbox makes it easier to preview new games and features

If you want to preview upcoming Xbox One user interface changes, you need to be an Xbox One Insider. The tiered program also allows members to check out early alpha and closed beta games on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs. Unfortunately, it hasn't been easy to move between tiers or even really know what you were getting in each one. Microsoft is aiming to fix this issue with a much clearer tier-naming system along with an easier way to opt-in to the different tiers.

Source: Microsoft

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News:: Hell yeah, Rez Infinite is now on PC

I've already bought Rez a few times before. What's one more purchase?

Rez Infinite has come to PC today ($20) with support for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and "unrestricted resolution and up to double the texture resolution of any previous version of Rez." It's incredible.

This game is playable without VR just like it was on PlayStation 4, but man, if you've got a headset, that's the way to go -- not only for the audio-visual immersion, but for the head-tracked aiming.

Every so often I want to drop what I'm doing and fly through Area 5. This is one of those times.

Rez Infinite [Steam]

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News:: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus really doesn't want you to eat the chocolate

Chocolate, an innocent-enough seeming pleasure, does not fly with the Nazis. "It's disgusting and it's dishonorable" Big Nazi tells Little Nazi before smacking him upside the head. I get the disgusting part but dishonorable might be a bit of a stretch.

That's just how it goes in Nazi-occupied America (or at least Bethesda's version of it). Goose step out of line and you'll be swiftly reprimanded. This little chucklehead got a basketball to the gut, a smack upside the head, and a tattletailin'. Probably should've gotten more considering it's his second hunk this week.

All the wild shooting at the end of this trailer paints an explosive picture of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, but it's the alternate-reality world building that might have the biggest impact. Steven played it a few weeks ago and had mostly glowing praise for what he was shown. Video games have done Nazis and bullets to the point where we practically associate seeing Nazis with being asked to kill them; strangely, Nazis and milkshakes are a weightier combo.

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News:: Review: LawBreakers

It's great to see so many shooters making their mark on the industry again. I mean, they never really left, because right after Unreal Tournament stopped being relevant Halo roared onto the scene, but as a general rule there was only several "it" games at a time. Now we have too many to count as Overwatch has spurred a new development surge.

It's a boon that's led to projects like LawBreakers, Cliffy B's new independent venture after departing the Gears of War series. And based on its launch it's a gamble that paid off.

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News:: Capcom accidentally releases Marvel vs. Capcom esports business plan onto YouTube

On Tuesday, a slip-up caused a video, detailing Capcom's entire esports plan regarding Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, to be uploaded to the YouTube account of its esports director, John Diamonon.

The five-minute video, featuring proposals, figures, sponsorship ideas, and profit distribution, was quickly removed, but not before savvy-japesters had already bagged themselves a copy to be reuploaded on NeoGAF and elsewhere (most of these re-uploads and screengrabs have since been removed.)

The video showcased plans for a 16-man tournament to be held at the Capcom Cup this year, with fourteen of the entrants winning a spot via online qualifying sessions. 2018 would see a full year Pro-tour, in the exact same vein as Street Fighter V, with a distributed prize pool of $600,000.

The video goes on to talk marketing and profit budgets, as well as detailing how much profit will to be shared between Capcom USA, Capcom Japan and, of course, Marvel themselves. There were suggestions that both YouTube and Twitch would put money into the cause as part of a recoupable licensing fee.

Aspirations of how to incorporate the annual EVO tournament into sponsorship deals has caused EVO boss Joey Cuellar to leap onto his Twitter, denying that he has even been consulted about such matters and also saying that EVO footage was used without permission.

John Diamonon also took to Twitter to provide some context. "The Capcom esports video that was mistakenly uploaded to my YouTube channel was a proposal and the information included was not final," tweeted Diamonon. "Capcom has lots of exciting esports plans for our fighting games and we look forward to sharing those final details in the future."

I personally think the most surprising aspect of these plans is the thought of holding a Top 16 at the prestigious Capcom Cup made up of competitors who won in an online capacity. Hopefully MvCI will have exceptional netcode at launch, if that is the case.

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News:: Square Enix and AMD are giving away indie games with new GPUs

AMD wants to ensure you always have something unique to play with new graphics card. The new AMD4U program is a partnership with publisher Square Enix exclusively featuring games from the publisher's "Collective" initiative for indie developers. Folks who buy and register their GPU are eligible for up to three free games (PDF) including Tokyo Dark (above) and Black the Fall. The benefits here are twofold: you get free, unique games with your graphics card and smaller developers get their wares in front of a new audience.

Source: AMD

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News:: Goodbye, meatworld -- Gal*Gun VR is available on Steam

When I was a kid, I used to imagine what a VR version of Super Metroid would be like. The picture I had in my head was almost exactly like what Metroid Prime would end up being, a first-person view through the eyes of Samus. We haven't quite gotten to the point where Nintendo is ready to embrace VR and make this a reality, but that's okay, because instead Inti Creates has blessed the world with a VR version of Gal*Gun, a game where you can make anime girls love you while tilting your head painfully low to the ground in an attempt to look under their skirts. (I mean, why not?)

It's not quite what I imagined, but we're getting there.

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News:: Obduction lands on PS4 this month

The crowd-funded spiritual successor to Myst, Obduction, will be heading to PS4 on August 29. The game will include PSVR support for people who actually own the device, though it might not be ready for launch. There isn't any mention of PS4 Pro support, but I would imagine the VR component will include some use of the upgraded console's power.

If you pre-order the game through the PlayStation store right now, you can nab yourself some exclusive avatars and a theme for your console. I don't know if that is really worth it, but if you intend to grab this anyway, why not? The game is priced at $29.99 with no sale price, so you still have some time to think about all of those pictures you'll lose out on.

'Myst' studio's crowdfunded 'Obduction' hits PS4 August 29th [Engadget]

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News:: Teaser sees Allen Snider join Arika's still unnamed fighter

Whilst the upcoming fighting game from Arika still has no title, that hasn't prevented them from revealing new roster members. A (very brief) teaser, uploaded yesterday reveals that Street Fighter EX's Allen Snider is next to return to the ring.

Snider, whose look is reminiscent of a young Chuck Norris, was a secret character in the 1996 spin-off. An American karate expert, Snider has traded in his deep blue karate gi for a flashy 'Murica-themed ensemble. Although from his stance animation it appears his Bruce Lee mannerisms remain intact.

Snider joins fellow EX alumni Skullomania, Kairi, Garuda, Darrun and Hokuto to bring "The Mysterious Fighting Game's" roster up to six characters. No doubt they will be joined by some more familiar faces as Arika reveals more to this enigmatic new title.

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News:: Dragon Quest XI sells another half million while Great Ace Attorney 2 debuts

Dragon Quest is not showing any signs of relinquishing its title as king of games in Japan, as after a 2.5 million opening week, its second week also moved half a million units. It will explode again once the Switch version releases. Splatoon 2 is also still going strong at nearly 75,000, inching its way closer and closer to a million total sales in Japan.

New releases are Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and The Great Ace Attorney 2, the latter of which had a respectable first-week showing. Aside from Dragon Quest eating everyones lunch, it appears Japanese consumers were able to buy a subtitled version of Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy on its June 30 worldwide launch which may have affected the numbers a bit.

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News:: Paris committee open to esports at the 2024 Olympic Games

The co-president of the Paris Olympic bid committee has told the Associated Press that they are reaching out to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and esports representatives about the potential for competitive gaming to feature as part of the 2024 Olympic Games.

"We have to look at it because we can’t say, 'It’s not us. It’s not about Olympics,'" said co-president Tony Estanguet. "The youth, yes they are interested in esports and this kind of thing. Let’s look at it. Let’s meet them. Let’s try if we can find some bridges."

Video games are already confirmed as part of the 2022 programme, which will take place in Beijing and its neighbouring province of Heibei. A successful request in Paris could see video games remain part of the Olympic programme for the ongoing future.

"I think it's interesting to interact with the IOC and the esports family to better understand what the process is and why it is such a success." Estanguet continues. "There is some time to look at it, to interact, to engage. I don't want to say 'No' from the beginning."

Ultimately, the decision whether or not to include esports as part of the 2024 Olympics will lie with the International Olympic Committee, and will be decided in 2019.

Esports for 2024 games [Associated Press]

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News:: LawBreakers on PS4 gets an early patch for stuttering issues

For some odd reason, LawBreakers launched on PS4 yesterday with a stuttering problem. At random intervals, the game would freeze for about a third of a second. While it isn't the worst problem around, since the game is a multiplayer focused shooter, any kind of delay could be deadly. It was only a matter of time that a patch would be pushed out, but the turnaround for this one has been damn fast.

The update should be live for everyone right now and it only clocks in at around 132 MB. How nice to see a patch that doesn't occupy a fifth of a console's hard drive in this day and age. The patch notes are simple and really only address the "hitching" problem, but at least you can now safely buy LawBreakers on PS4 and not worry about performance problems.

LawBreakers Update 1.04 Is Live on PS4, Fixes Hitching Issue [PlayStation Lifestyle]

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News:: Review: Aven Colony

My people are starving.

You'd think, when settling a polar ice cap, Mission HQ would be sure to send you with more food. But nooo, “there is some arable land, you can farm for yourself. Oh, we seem to have dropped you way too far from any of it. Have we mentioned it's an election year?”

Immigrants keep piling into my colony, despite the promises of boredom, toil, and famine. I've finally reached a patch of arable land – but I've run out of food. My approval rating drops from 90% to 30% in less than a minute of subjective god-time, and I am sent packing from the colony in shame on the next outbound shuttle.

Everyone else presumably starves to death.

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News:: ARMS 2.1 update is live, Master Mummy's gotta go fast

Nintendo has dropped a surprise update for Arms, bringing the game up to version 2.1. This continues with the company's promise of free content and support. However, while nothing new was added, the team has been changing a lot under the hood, effectively changing the balance for most of the game.

In addition if you thought "Hey, the hitboxes aren't working right," turns out you were right all along.

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News:: Is this the best Zelda: Breath of the Wild screenshot ever?

A picture says a thousand words, and this one is no exception. A user by the name of Fey_fox shared this particular screen of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Reddit recently, and I was immediately taken by it. Let's break this shot down a bit.

First off it's in Master Mode (as evidenced by the Triforce symbol in the lower left hand corner), and this player has acquired a ton of hearts in it, which is impressive in its own right. Next up, the digs -- the Majora Mask has a shabby retro chic element to it, but it's also juxtaposed to a comically camp glowing skeleton costume that by all rights probably shouldn't even exist.

It really got me thinking though, do you have one better? I'm not the "taking pictures in a game" kind of guy (unless it's for an assignment), but I know a lot if you out there are, which is why Sony, Microsoft, and now Nintendo have built in screenshot capabilities to their consoles. Share away!

I will probably never take a better BOTW screenshot [Zelda]

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News:: Starfire lights up the skies of Injustice 2

NetheRealm Studios have finally added Starfire to the roster of Injustice 2, ready to wreak radioactive mayhem on the superheroes (and villains) of the popular fighting game.

Described as a "beginner-friendly character" Starfire is yet another zoner, using an array of both ground and air projectiles to keep her opponents frustratingly at bay. These projectiles can be meter-burned to create a volley.

Starfire is also equipped with a juggle-setup fireball, cluster bombs and a laser-beam to further extend her reach. Whilst her trailer shows a lot of cool up-close-and-personal combo action. I have a feeling that in reality you'll be seeing this girl through binoculars.

I personally don't like the design of the character, but with the air fireballs, the hair-whip, the floating abilities, and the mumsy face, this is the closest I'm getting to Mortal Kombat's Sindel anytime soon, so I'll probably give her a go at my next meet.

Starfire is available now for Injustice 2, but only for owners of the Ultimate or Deluxe editions of the game, or those who have purchased Fighter Pack #1 or the Ultimate Pack. It stands to reason she will be made available for purchase to everyone else a week from now.

Lord have mercy, Warners...

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