Feb 19, 2018 | Game ON news

Monday, February 19, 2018

News:: Cities: Skylines is landing mods this week on Xbox One

Mods appear so infrequently in console games that whenever they do pop up, I feel like a quick little shout-out of encouragement is in order. This time, we're talking Cities: Skylines -- the Xbox One version is getting its first batch of player-made creations on February 20. That's tomorrow!

"We've been hoping to share those contributions with our players on the Xbox One since launch, and thanks to the hard work from Tantalus and the great support from the Xbox team, we've got a selection of mods that have been curated, tested, and are ready to drop right into your cities tomorrow – all free of charge with the new update," writes product manager Sandra Neudinger.

Examples include giant hamster statues, pools, and planes modeled after spacecraft. Based on the reception to these and other mods, the team would "love to see about keeping this content growing."

Cities: Skylines on Xbox One is also getting a Content Creator Pack featuring buildings from the "most talented community artists and modelers," according to Neudinger. "The pack will allow you to add some Art Deco flair and technological triumphs to your town -- and we'll also be releasing a free content update that lets your city host its own sports team! Look for that on March 6."

Mods Coming to Your Town in Cities: Skylines – Xbox One Edition [Xbox]

Cities: Skylines is landing mods this week on Xbox One screenshot

News:: Contest: We've got 15 copies of Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten DX to give you

Hi there. Are you looking for a free game for either your PC, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One? Wonderful, because we've got 15 keys (six PC, six PS4, three Xbox) to give away to you, our beloved cheap bastard Dtoiders!

Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten DX is a tactical-RPG-meets-tower-defense game that boasts tons of customization tools and also the ability to name your character Buttface, which is something that speaks directly to my heart. It releases for consoles this week, and to celebrate, developer Level Up Labs wants to give copies away instead of selling them! What a world! Check this serious trailer for serious business about the game.

Contest: We've got 15 copies of Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten DX to give you screenshot

News:: Dark Horse's Mario encyclopedia is coming West in October

After finding success with the Legend of Zelda series, Dark Horse decided to take a crack at the equally iconic Super Mario Bros. series in 2015 with the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia. This previously Japanese exclusive book chronicled all of the Mario releases from the original NES game up to Super Mario 3D World and included tons of concept art alongside maps of specific levels and small tidbits from the development teams.

Now you won't need to brush up on your Japanese, as the publisher has announced that the book is making its way West. You'll be able to nab the encyclopedia on October 23 for $39.99 and it will more than likely be getting a "collector's edition" package like the similar Zelda books have.

While I'm not typically a reader of such things, I love having comprehensive compendiums of my favorite game series. I have both of the currently released Zelda books (when the hell is that third one coming?), so I'll gladly grab this and not think twice about it.

Mario Is Getting His Own Fancy Encyclopedia [Kotaku]

Dark Horse's Mario encyclopedia is coming West in October screenshot

News:: Review: Pinstripe

Some things are worth fighting for. Some things are worth walking through hell for. And whatever you hold dear is all the more precious when you've lost everything else.

Ted has lost everything else. His wife is gone. He's a "disgraced minister" which means the clergy doesn't want him anymore. All he has left is his daughter, Bo, and now she has been taken from him. You can hardly blame Ted for going to such great lengths to get her back. You would too.

Review: Pinstripe screenshot

News:: PSVR's rodent adventure 'Moss' arrives February 27th

PlayStation VR's adorable murine tale Moss finally has a release date. Next Tuesday, February 27th, you'll be able to guide the big-eared rodent Quill along her adventure on your PlayStation 4. When it debuted at E3 last year, developer Polyarc (made up, in part, of former Bungie and Rockstar Games alums) promised the mouse-scale adventure would be out by holiday, but the game was delayed until this spring. If you're curious how it'll play before you drop hard-earned cash, there's a demo version available as part of the free PSVR demo disc on the PlayStation Network Store. Need more convincing? Maybe the new trailer below will do the trick.

Source: PlayStation Blog

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/02/19/psvr-moss-release-date/

News:: Biomutant looks weird as hell and I'm really into it

"What even is this game?" That was my initial reaction to hearing about Biomutant, an open-world action-RPG from Experiment 101 and THQ Nordic. Months later, I'm still trying to process it.

In Biomutant, you can customize your protagonist with mutations and mechanical body parts, and doing so impacts how the game handles and where you can go. You've got guns and swords at your disposal, along with weapon crafting. Also, you can ride a jet ski. Who doesn't love jet skis?

That might not sound particularly out there on its own, but taken as a whole, there's just so much going on in Biomutant. This latest footage bounces from one idea to the next like it's no big deal.

I'm mostly just amazed a game like this exists. Will it all come together? I sure hope so.

Biomutant looks weird as hell and I'm really into it screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/biomutant-looks-weird-as-hell-and-i-m-really-into-it-490551.phtml

News:: The Switch port of Rime is in a much better place now

As promised, Grey Box has revisited the less-than-stellar Nintendo Switch version of Rime.

Today's update offers significant improvements for last year's puzzle-adventure title, from crisper visuals and better textures to a larger draw distance and a more stable frame rate.

Here's a helpful side-by-side comparison from Direct-Feed Games:

Patch 1.0.2

Increased visual fidelity, bloom and post-processing
Sharpened image resolution
Opening Cinematics visually improved
Fixed possible stage exploits that would enable players to skip parts of the stages
Increased texture quality in specific areas
Increased view distance
Fixed an issue with foliage density, shadows, and render distances
Updated texture mipmaps for the Fox
Improved global mipmaps
Improved shadow distance and quality
Fixed instances of foliage pops
Stabilized FPS
Optimized the Boys cape and hair physics
Rebuilt streaming volumes
Fixed an issue that allowed you to see outside of the map in later stages
Updated lighting to prevent bleed through
Updated the quality of trees in earlier stages where they would display poorly

The company expressed concern about the patch potentially being too large to make it through Nintendo's approval process, but clearly they worked something out. The before-and-after is startling.

The Switch port of Rime is in a much better place now screenshot

News:: Black Panther destroys box office expectations, breaks records

Black Panther is getting rightful praise for a ton of reasons based around its cultural importance and quality, but to the studios only one thing matters, and that is money. So it's good to know we can add on top of that praise a box office that broke nearly every February release record on the books. Not only that it is the fifth largest three-day box office in history, beating out every other Marvel film except The Avengers, and coming in behind only two Star Wars films and Jurassic World. Let me point out again that this film opened in February, a month that's traditionally down for movie going.

We can go on. Disney originally believed the film would bring in only $120 million over the entire four-day weekend. The movie beat that in two. It destroyed Deadpool's Presidents' Day weekend record of $152 million. It broke the record for Thursday previews in February, and was the second highest grossing for a Marvel film. It is close to overtaking (and may do so once final counts are in after the holiday) The Force Awakens for the biggest Sunday box office ever. Estimations put its total four-day weekend gross at a staggering $235 million.

Hollywood has long argued that black (or any minority) led films don't make money, but that's pretty clearly bullshit now. It turns out if you make a good movie, put money behind it, and don't just market it to a black audience then people will show up to it. Who would of thought?

There were some other movies that people went to this weekend too.

Black Panther destroys box office expectations, breaks records screenshot

News:: Blizzard is streaming a Puppy Rumble today for Overwatch

Dogs are the greatest. Big, small, fluffy, floppy -- it doesn't matter. They fill my heart with pure joy, and there's a cordoned-off section of my mind devoted to thinking about them and how good they are.

Every once in a while, dogs and games intersect. Whenever that happens, it's bound to be a good day. Blizzard is hosting a "Puppy Rumble" for Overwatch this afternoon to coincide with the game's Year of the Dog Lunar New Year event. (As if we needed justification to watch dogs on-stream.)

In Overwatch, every dog has its day.

2.19.18 pic.twitter.com/5oWvxuFB7r
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) February 17, 2018

The stream is set for 3:00pm Pacific on Twitch.tv/PlayOverwatch and the pups will be adoptable.

Blizzard is streaming a Puppy Rumble today for Overwatch screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/blizzard-is-streaming-a-puppy-rumble-today-for-overwatch-490529.phtml

News:: That cute mouse adventure game Moss is out next week

With a February release planned for Moss, I started wondering what was up. We're running out of days! Thankfully, Polyarc's action-adventure game about a cute little mouse doing cute little mouse stuff is, in fact, coming out this month. The studio has confirmed a February 27 launch for PlayStation VR.

Looking forward to reviewing this one! I have a good feeling about Moss conceptually, and I'm always down for more virtual reality games that aren't simply about shooting things for high scores.

That cute mouse adventure game Moss is out next week screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/that-cute-mouse-adventure-game-moss-is-out-next-week-490495.phtml

News:: Don't expect a Rainbow Six sequel anytime soon

Rainbow Six Siege has been doing pretty well for Ubisoft over the last two and a half years. The game has seen a plethora of DLC that has been offered for free and is even getting a new game mode soon, so it makes sense that a sequel wouldn't be on the table just yet. What gets me worried is some of the statements the dev team is making.

Over the weekend during an Invitational tournament, the dev team laid out some of its plans for the future of Siege and the biggest takeaway is that they plan to support the game for up to 10 years. The team is also shooting to eventually have 100 operators selectable, which would definitely provide a crap ton of accommodation for different playstyles.

Along with that, some quality of life improvements will be coming to both the base game and the "Starter Edition." All owners of the regular game (without any of the season passes) will eventually get all 20 of the original operators unlocked, meaning you can start your grind on the newer characters coming to the game. "Starter Edition" owners will have their initial cast bumped up from four to six operators. Weapon attachments will also be free and unlocked from the get go.

Net stability should also be improving, as more data centers will be created in South Africa and South Europe. This is probably in response to the "27 million players" that the game has, which is definitely mighty impressive for a game you don't hear much about.

I'm just not sure what this 10 year thing is about. We've heard that same kind of promise made from over publishers over the years and it always ends up being baloney. While I'm fine with a single release coming out and being supported for a long time, I'd rather developers and publishers work on a yearly basis instead of claiming they'll stick with one project forever.

The future of Rainbow Six Siege: 100 operators over 10 years, no sequel [VG 24/7]

Don't expect a Rainbow Six sequel anytime soon screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/don-t-expect-a-rainbow-six-sequel-anytime-soon-490470.phtml

News:: 'Mega Man Legacy Collection' is headed to Nintendo Switch May 22

Mega Man fans were likely excited to hear that the next chapter in the venerable video game franchise, Mega Man 11, is slated for a release sometime this year. At the same time, Capcom announced plans to release two new Mega Man Legacy Collection compilations. Now we've got a date for their release on Nintendo Switch: May 22, 2018.

Source: Capcom

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/02/19/mega-man-legacy-collection-nintendo-switch-may-22/

News:: It's heroes and villains galore in the latest Super Robot Wars X trailer

Bandai Namco held a stream this morning to show off the upcoming Super Robot Wars X, debuting a new trailer and highlighting the cast members and original characters.

Firstly: Let's talk about the original characters and the mech. From early translations, the latter is called Zelguard, and is based around magic. As for the former we have two protagonists, which the player will likely have to pick at the start, but who cares about them because did you see that bird co-pilot? Hopus will be present regardless of the pilot, and his voice actor is Keiichi Noda, the original voice actor for Tetsuya Tsurugi from Great Mazinger. Pack it up folks, we found the best character of the year already.

It's heroes and villains galore in the latest Super Robot Wars X trailer screenshot

News:: Man I've been waiting a long time for Blanka in Street Fighter V

Street Fighter V's third season technically started with Sakura and the launch of the Arcade Edition of the game, but Blanka will be its first post-relaunch addition. He'll be the lead in for Falke, Cody, G, and Sagat as V continues to truck on, and you can get a look at his moveset in the overview video below.

He seems more versatile with the addition of V's trappings, but the real reason I love Blanka? His normals are off-the-chain. He has a restrained goofiness to him, which can be hitched to the extreme absurdity of his story mode outfit in V to make him even crazier. He's been one of my top five Street Fighter choices since II and I haven't regretted making him a staple ever since.

Blank will roll into Street Fighter V tomorrow on PC and PS4.

Man I've been waiting a long time for Blanka in Street Fighter V screenshot

News:: Fable Fortune launches free-to-play on PC and Xbox this week

The Fable reunion tour is allegedly under way, as there's something in the works from the Forza Horizon studio. That's not the first stop on the tour though. There's a card game and it's releasing very soon.

Fable Fortune is a collectible card game (not entirely unlike Hearthstone according to our E3 preview) from developers Mediatonic and Flaming Fowls Studios. It went into Early Access on PC (Steam and Windows 10) and Xbox last July where it has been getting mostly positive feedback. The full and finished version launches this Thursday, February 22 as a free-to-play title.

Although it's free-to-play, there's still the opportunity to spend money. For the next three days, you can buy the $15 founder's pack that grants $40 worth of in-game items including 20 card packs, an exclusive Flaming Foul Trophy Card, and a "very rare" Giant Egg card. After launch, there will surely be some sort of different monetized system because that's how free-to-play games exist.

The road back to Albion has officially started. Before we can get to a full-fledged role-playing game, we have a card collecting game.

Fable Fortune launches free-to-play on PC and Xbox this week screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/fable-fortune-launches-free-to-play-on-pc-and-xbox-this-week-490468.phtml

News:: Twitch postpones new rules to clarify vague expectations

Twitch is temporarily putting the brakes on its new rules for hate speech, harassment and sexual material. The livestreaming service has postponed the enforcement of new rules from February 19th to March 5th in order to "better explain some sections" in the wake of feedback. The company hasn't explained just what those sections are (we've asked Twitch to elaborate), but there's a good chance it's addressing both streamers' oversight of their viewers as well as acceptable clothing.

Via: Polygon

Source: Twitch (Twitter)

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/02/19/twitch-postpones-new-rules-to-tackle-vague-expectations/

News:: Development of Shin Megami Tensei V has finally started in earnest

Shin Megami Tensei V was revealed over a year ago, and only just recently has Atlus began to work on it in full swing. In other words, don't expect it anytime soon.

While the Switch-exclusive SMT came as a shock for many, Atlus was biding its time with a skeleton crew. 4Gamer spoke to the game's producer, Kazuyuki Yamai, and gave us more insight as to where the team was with it: "Yes. When the game’s production first started, the project only had a few core members, and we’ve been gradually adding more people to it. While more people will be joining, we now have a solid group of staff members, and I feel like we’ve reached the turning point where we can actually say we’re making it."

He goes on to share this thoughts on the Switch, stating, "Firstly, considering that it’s our first home console title in a good while, I want it to have magnificent content that can be thoroughly enjoyed on a TV. On the other hand, I’d like for it to have a sense of relaxation that will let you enjoy demon fusing while plopped down a bed, as with Shin Megami Tensei IV and Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse on 3DS. There are some other gameplay elements [in mind], but our goal is to make it a proper title for both home console and portable console. Of course, I want it to have many demons, and I want to work on making it suitable for the hardware’s specs. As for the effort we’re putting into demons this time around, I believe we’re putting in about three times the amount of effort for each demon compared to previous titles."

Considering Yamai has spoken about the portable angle multiple times over this past year it's fair to say that he adores it. How many future Atlus projects will arrive on Switch is anyone's guess though -- I'm particularly anxious to see where Persona 6 ends up.

Shin Megami Tensei V [4Gamer.net via Siliconera]

Development of Shin Megami Tensei V has finally started in earnest screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/development-of-shin-megami-tensei-v-has-finally-started-in-earnest-490436.phtml

News:: Mega Man X Ride Armor figures on display at New York Toy Fair

One of the most profound parts of the original Mega Man X (which crazily came out in 1993, super early into the SNES' lifecycle) was its ride armor. There were many vehicular-based games in the past, Blaster Master being one of the most famous examples, but the sheer power and scale of these mechs were a sight to behold.

They were limited in scope and only in a few levels for clear balance reasons, as they'd instantly decimate everything in your path. Everyone who played the X series probably remembers them, and now they're going to be immortalized in figure form. Over at the New York Toy Fair two pieces are on display -- ride armors for Mega Man X and Vile. They'll run you $50 each when they arrive later this year, and will fit the "66 Action" mini-figure line, which retails for $8.

So yeah, $58 gets you a ride and a rider. If I had more shelf space for Mega Man I'd probably oblige.

Preternia [Twitter via Rockman Corner]

Mega Man X Ride Armor figures on display at New York Toy Fair screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/mega-man-x-ride-armor-figures-on-display-at-new-york-toy-fair-490435.phtml

News:: You get to pick the next free games on Twitch Prime

Twitch has been giving away free games with a Prime membership for awhile now, but now you'll have a say in what's handed out each month. With the Indie Amplifier program, users can pick from eight indie games and the one with the most votes will be given away March 15th. Here's what's in the running:

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/02/19/twitch-prime-indie-amplifier/

News:: Review: Rust

There's a fatalistic cycle at the heart of Rust.

Every life begins the same. Players spawn on the shores of an uncaring island, naked and ill-equipped to make it through the day. Every life ends the same, too: with the clinical inevitability of a server wipe. The world-ending reset might come after a week. On another server, it might take longer, but there's no avoiding it. The entirety of Rust is bookended by the chaos of a fresh spawn and an inescapable death-by-reset. They're the only two universal truths in a hostile world. You're born. You try to stay alive. The server wipes itself clean. And then, everything starts over.

It's what happens in between those moments that matter.

Review: Rust screenshot

News:: Remedy's next game should launch in 2019

It's been a few years since Quantum Break came out, so obviously Remedy has been hard at work on something. We already knew the developer was making the single-player portion of the free-to-play shooter CrossFire 2, but what of its untitled seventh project, P7? According to a recent financial statement for 2017, Remedy has stated the game is targeting a 2019 release date.

The very dry report states, "Our other game project, project P7 that is being done with 505 Games S.p.A., proceeded from the pre-production phase to the production phase at the beginning of the period under review. The development of the game has progressed according to our plans. P7 is expected to be released during 2019."

That doesn't mean this is a guaranteed date, but with this news, I'm sure we'll see something of the title at E3 this year. I'm hoping we can finally get the long awaited Alan Wake 2, but this may end up being an original IP (which wouldn't be bad at all). What is very intriguing is the final paragraph of the statement, which reveals another project is in the works.

"One of the projects is the company’s own game brand codenamed P7," reads the report, "in which the company’s own financing plays a significant role. At the same time, the company will launch a third game project." Maybe that is the Alan Wake continuation we've all been dying for. It could also be Quantum Break 2, though I'm not sure Remedy has the money to create that on its own.

Whatever the case, 2018 is going to be a very productive year for the studio. I've enjoyed all of its games and am always eager to see what Sam Lake comes up with, so I hope everything can go without a hitch.

Remedy’s P7 To Launch in 2019; A New Game Project Will Be Started This Year [WCCFTech]

Remedy's next game should launch in 2019 screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/remedy-s-next-game-should-launch-in-2019-490458.phtml

News:: (Update) The original pair of Mega Man Legacy Collections might be one release on Switch

[Update: Capcom confirmed that they will be bundled on Switch at retail and will arrive on May 22. The first collection will be a Switch cart and the second is a digital download code for $39.99.]

Just last week we learned that the Mega Man X Collection might end up being split into two releases. That's not a huge surprise given that the original Legacy duo was divided up to make room for Mega Man 1-10 across two games, but there might be a silver lining to all this for Switch owners.

Based on an ESRB classification, both Legacy Collections could be one release as it's listed as one SKU. The ESRB further supports this claim by stating that "This is a collection of ten games from the Mega Man universe. Players control Mega Man as he jumps and shoots his way through whimsical levels."

As long as the price is right and this page is correct that's good news! There's so many classic games in those collections, and not just classic in the retro sense, but plain old fashioned great platformers.

Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 & 2 [ESRB]

(Update) The original pair of Mega Man Legacy Collections might be one release on Switch screenshot

News:: 'Super Mario Bros.' encyclopedia comes to the US October 23rd

Nintendo did many things to mark the 30th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., but there's been one you couldn't usually get your hands on unless you lived in Japan: the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia. You'll be glad to hear that it's coming to the West, though. Dark Horse Publishing has announced that the official guide to Mario's universe will be available in a standard edition in the US on October 23rd for $40. Amazon is also hinting at releases in the UK and Europe, although we don't have official information as of this writing.

Via: Kotaku

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/02/19/super-mario-bros-encyclopedia-comes-to-us-in-october/

News:: Australian and New Zealand Switch online prices have been confirmed

For those of you who haven't been following along, Nintendo's online service plans for the Switch were confirmed some time ago, after nebulous word that some form of premium online service would arrive by the end of 2017. It's now confirmed for September, and will run you $3.99 a month or $19.99 a year in the US.

Other regions will have their own pricing schemes that may or may not match up with that though, and this week Nintendo unveiled their pricepoints for Australia and New Zealand -- it's going to be AU $5.95 and NZ $6.55 per month or AU $29.95 and NZ $32.95 for a year.

As a reminder it'll be required for online play (mostly Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe) and will come with the small bonus of a limited "classic game selection."

Online [Nintendo]

Australian and New Zealand Switch online prices have been confirmed screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/australian-and-new-zealand-switch-online-prices-have-been-confirmed-490434.phtml

News:: Final Fantasy XIV's Sapporo snow sculpture is gorgeous

Final Fantasy XIV's Realm Reborn reboot has become one of the most famous stories in the gaming sphere. What originally started off as a failed lackluster MMO got a complete overhaul and is now one of the most quality subscription-based games on the market.

To celebrate Square Enix put up a sculpture at the Sapporo Snow Festival this year, which not only looks great during the day, but lights up at night. It's called "The Silver Decisive Battle," named of course after the snow and the song The Decisive Battle from Final Fantasy VI, one of the most iconic tracks from the series history, and prominently featured in the new VI-themed raid in Realm Reborn. The sculpture itself is of Nidhogg, a big bad from the first dragon-centric expansion Heavensward.

Impress Watch has the full video from the show and it's worth watching at least once. Being there would be even better!

Final Fantasy XIV's Sapporo snow sculpture is gorgeous screenshot

News:: The Morning After: Water purification could lead to more electric cars

Hey, good morning!

Welcome back! We hope you had a great weekend. We've been playing with some cool dinosaur toys (we're grown-ups, I promise), hearing about Tesla's next power grid experiment, and the end of free Wikipedia data for developing countries.

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/02/19/the-morning-after-water-purification-could-lead-to-more-electri/

News:: Review: Age of Empires: Definitive Edition

Age of Empires was a fundamental part of my RTS education. Two years before it I was enjoying the futurist spin of Command & Conquer and the fantasy vibes of Warcraft II, but Age of Empires offered up something else entirely -- a middle-ground.

It was a monumental moment in the history of the genre, as the awe-inspiring sprite-work and the sheer scope of the game really spoke to me and spurred my interest in ancient civilizations. Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is still very much a game from the '90s, lacking the panache of its sucessors, but those of you with an open mind and a strategic knack will enjoy it just as I did all those years ago.

Review: Age of Empires: Definitive Edition screenshot

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Monday, February 19, 2018