RPG is one of the most-loved gaming genres worldwide. And we can’t deny that! There’s something about role-playing games that keeps the gamers coming back to it. 2020 was surely a tough year and it also pushed back the release of several games. But, it’s 2021, and brace yourself because some of the most-awaited games […]
The post Top 7 Much-Awaited RPG Games in 2021 appeared first on Daily Game.
Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator could do some very cool things with thousands of soldiers/ducks/zombies on the battlefield at once, but its upcoming sequel of course has only one place it can go to push the envelope.
The Guardian reports that the British government’s Prevent system, a community terrorism watchdog brimming with baked-in racism, once received a tip about a four-year-old boy who was overheard talking about Fortnite, which resulted in police turning up at the family’s home.
Earlier this year, Platinum rockstar producer Hideki Kamiya explained that they would probably have something to show for Bayonetta 3 at some point this year. So what better time to check in on that than (checks watch) two weeks later?
Speaking to VGC, Kamiya explains that it's still very early in the year yet for updates: "It’s not really our position to say, but… it’s January. We’ve got to have something come out, right? I guess it’s safe to expect that something will come out. There’s still a lot of the year left is what I’m saying."
Bitingly, VGC asks about providing something "more substantial than another CGI logo." At which point Kamiya laughs and responds, "I understand it’s driving the fans crazy! In light of that, my suggestion would be that maybe we should all reset and forget about Bayonetta 3. Then when something finally does happen, it will be a nice surprise, won’t it?"
Truth! But like Square Enix has learned many times before it, showing something far too early can have repercussions. The problem is that Bayonetta 3 is so heavily hitched to the Nintendo wagon, which creates all sorts of problems with expectations. Every time a potential Nintendo Direct "leak" (most of which are bogus or guesses) happens, Bayonetta 3 is almost always on it or speculated on.
That's not necessarily Platinum's fault (especially if it was Nintendo's decision to show it early to drive Switch hype), but that energy is out in the universe now. You can't put it back in the bottle!
Interview: Platinum on PS5 [VGC]
Modder InfernoPlus, the same guy who turned Mario into a battle royale game, has done wonders with Dark Souls, releasing an ambitious mod that transforms the game’s multiplayer and turns the map into something decidedly less horrific.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood comes out later this week for all the consoles and PC. It stars a werewolf. You probably guessed that.
Here we go again!
Final Fantasy VII Remake "Part 2." The name alone probably strikes ire in the heart of many fans. But the original Remake garnered so much good will (way more than I expected it to) that I think a lot of people are willing to see what Square Enix has to offer before getting up in arms.
When is it coming? Well we don't really know. What do we know about it? Vague platitudes! Such is the way of most Final Fantasy game release schedules; with the exception of XV (so far), which thankfully has the upfront and battle hardened Yoshida at the helm. Thankfully, Final Fantasy VII Remake star translator Audrey has some new news for us coming out of CEDEC+ Kyushu 2020 Online.
Although much of the digital event dealt with the history of Part 1 (retreading on some stuff we already knew), Part 2 was brought up eventually. Co-director Naoki Hamaguchi chimed in to state that in terms of "goals" in mind for Part 2, the team "wants players to experience what the rest of the world is like." "Rest of the world," is quite the lofty goal!
But of course, with Remake tinkering with the timeline a bit, producer Yoshinori Kitase thinks there's plenty of room to subvert expectations. Kitase explains "Although those who played the original game know the story, they're probably thinking what will happen now? We want to create something that can surprise them and that they can enjoy that lives up to their expectations. We did something similar in Part 1."
Hamaguchi says that's "all [they] can reveal about Part 2 right now," and the interviewer jokes that they "hope" we'll get to experience the large field map post-Midgar. Hamaguchi laughs and says they'll "take note of that." They do confirm, however, that there is a "new wave of staff" coming on for Part 2, which, mind, is still being made in part, remotely.
It all sounds pretty exciting, and vague! As Audrey points out, it's entirely possible that Part 2 might be way shorter than anticipated. I can easily see that, as Square Enix has the ability to add in all sorts of backstory with Zack and Cloud, as well as new zones and mechanics that eat up a ton of time.
While Part 2 might not cover a large swath of the "old FFVII narrative," it has the power to open up all sorts of fresh doors. As long as it's fun to play and Square Enix doesn't go bankrupt before it's finished, I'll willingly go along for the ride.
Audrey [Twitter]
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout was my introduction to the long-running Atelier series. And while I definitely enjoyed it, it didn’t leave enough of an impact for me to run with it and check out the rest of the millions of other games in the series. That’s a big commitment, and that sort of thing terrifies me.
However, it did leave me thirsty enough for a sequel which has now arrived in the form of Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy. It’s time to hit the cauldron again and stir up some adventure and also find out if anyone has gained some fashion sense since the last game. Spoiler: they haven’t.
One gun in a shooter is boring. Two guns are a bit more interesting, but still nothing new. Three? You got my attention. Four? Five? Eight?! Whoa... Now we’re talking.
I respect Bloober Team's persistence in the realm of psychological horror games. They're not for everyone, and I understand the complaints that their games lack a certain impact, but I like 'em okay.
The Medium, Bloober Team's latest release following the back-to-back Layers of Fear 2 and Blair Witch, feels higher-profile. The horror-adventure game has been pushed quite a bit as an early Xbox Series X/S title due in large part to its distinct "two worlds" split-screen concept, but it's also out on PC.
That's where I played it, and after seeing the recommended specs, I was surprised to have pretty good performance with my setup: an i7-7700K, GTX 1080 Ti, 16 GB RAM, and SSD. I didn't have to make too many visual compromises at 1080p. Whether Marianne was in the spirit world, the real world, or she was inhabiting both realities at the same time side-by-side, the game ran consistently well for me.
But apart from The Medium working on a technical level, is its world worth exploring? Is it actually scary? And what about those stealth encounters with a trash-talking demon voiced by Troy Baker?
2-Pack Mophie Powerstation + Charging Accessory Bundle | $19 | Meh
Recently, we reported on the Nielsen streaming numbers for the end of December, which included a big success story for Disney’s release Soul. In that post, we noted that Nielsen didn’t include HBO Max on its streaming chart numbers. But now, it’s released those numbers anyway— at least, for Wonder Woman 1984.
Love it or hate it, the concept of crowdfunding came into its own last year - at least in regards to video games - with a record-breaking amount of money raised for gaming-related projects on prolific backer site Kickstarter.
As reported by industry analysts Ico Partners, 2020 saw a total of $23 million USD raised specifically for video game-related projects on the crowdfunding site - representing a 35% increase in backer donations when compared to 2019. Ironically, the actual number of projects themselves was slightly down on the previous year, with 1,331 Kickstarter projects accounted for, compared to 2019's 1,403.
Of course, not every project that opens itself up to the crowdfunding market will achieve its goals, and of the aforementioned 1,331 projects, only 408 actually hit their respective targets. Most notable among these are Suikoden spin-off Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, which absolutely shattered its initial Kickstarter goals by raking in a staggering $4.5 million USD in funds.
Despite these impressive numbers, Ico Partners suggests that video games continue to have a rollercoaster ride on Kickstarter, and are yet to return to the same level of prevalence as the medium held in the earliest years of crowdfunding. Regardless, 2020 has seen a definite upturn in both project interest and success stories, which is likely to continue in 2021.
Games projects raised $23m on Kickstarter in 2020 [GamesIndustry.biz / Ico Partners]
On January 28, Immortals Fenyx Rising’s first DLC, A New God, was released. Set after the events of the main game’s original ending, A New God is an odd expansion and epilogue that fans of Immortals might enjoy, but only if you really need more puzzles.
So, the Monster Hunter Rise demo is pretty good! But as a reminder, you only have a certain amount of time to download it.
When, exactly? Well, at 3AM ET on February 1 (that's tomorrow morning, US), it'll be removed from the shop and multiplayer will be shut down. However, you should still be able to play it offline, if the phrase "online play will be disabled after the trial period for this demo, at which point you will have to use local play," at the start of the demo is accurate.
Over the weekend, a tweet sent out by the Game Awards had me feeling like an ancient, decrepit mummy of a man. It asked people to name the best classic Nintendo console from a selection of four: the NES, the SNES, the Nintendo 64, or the GameCube. Four excellent devices with a wealth of treasured gaming experiences, I got hung up not by the difficulty of choosing which one I like the best but by the realization the GameCube is now considered a "classic" gaming console.
Later this year, the GameCube will turn 20 years old, and the world will be treated to a deluge of articles ranting and raving about how it was "forgotten" or "under-appreciated." I still remember lining up at Walmart that November morning to pick up my purple lunchbox along with copies of Luigi's Mansion and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II. It was a great day for me, and because that memory is still so vivid in my mind, it's tough to wrap my head around the idea that it's old enough to be thought of as old.
Maybe it's because I'm 35 and fighting the gray that's trying to take over my scalp, but I still think of classic consoles as the shit I played when I was a young child. The NES, the Sega Master System, the Atari 7800, those are the classics to me, though I guess as time marches on, I'm just going to have to accept that some of my favorite gaming experiences will forever be referred to as retro. It'll be tough, though. I don't think I'm ready for people to start calling Star Fox Adventures a "classic game" in the same way I was never ready for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to be considered old enough to begin airing on TV Land.
But if the GameCube is now a classic, then I guess that makes me a classic gamer. Through the magic of an HDMI adapter, I still have my console hooked up for the once in a blue moon when I'm in the mood for some Chibi-Robo or The Simpsons: Road Rage. It's the oldest console I own. It may not get much play with the PS5, Series S, and Switch all battling for my attention now, but unlike those consoles, I don't see myself selling my GameCube when I move onto the next generation of gaming. This thing is going to be with me until I die or it dies.
That's the oldest piece of gaming equipment I have in my house. Let us know which retro hardware you're still rocking in the comments below.
A few years ago, Amazon seemed like it was taking the correct steps to establish itself as a player in the video game industry. In 2014, it purchased Double Helix Studios, which was then riding high on the successful rebirth of the Killer Instinct franchise. In 2016, it announced a trio of ambitious multiplayer titles: Breakaway, Crucible, and New World. It was Amazon getting its foot in the door in a big way.
But things just haven't panned out. Breakaway never made it out of alpha, and Crucible crashed and burned in less than six months. New World is still on its way and is slated to launch later this year. But if that goes the way the dodo as the other Amazon Game Studios titles have, the world's biggest retailer may already have its back-up plan ready to go: Amazon Luna.
The streaming service launched in Early Access last October by invitation only. Last week, I received my invitation and spent several days seeing what the service is all about during my week-long free trial.
I resisted the siren’s call one week. But this week I can’t again. We need to do a tall lady from Resident Evil Village contest. It has to happen.
Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon.
[Art by Marmalade Mum]
I don't think Capcom knew what they had on their hands with Lady Dimitrescu, Resident Evil Village's long monster lady. In her debut appearance a few weeks ago, she didn't try to look conventionally sexy, or even particularly scary. But she didn't need to. She's exactly what a big chunk of gaming wants right now, so she became a star overnight.
We don't yet know if she's a vampire, a creature based on Hachishakusam (a tall Japanese ghost monster that wears a big hat and stalks children), a bioweapon, or some combination of the three, and we don't need to know. In fact, that mystery allows us to fill in a lot of the blanks with fan art, making her all the more compelling to artists everywhere.
In a lot of ways, she's almost the antitheses of the kind of brooding, macho dudes who starred in nearly every AAA game of the past 20 years (I'm looking at you, Chris Redfield), and she's also better than them. In fact, she can pick them up like babies then eat them without even working up a sweat.
That's true of a lot of women from the Resident Evil series, though, Alexia Ashford and Alex Wesker to name just two. What makes Lady Dimitresu different is that she's motherly and sassy, ready to dom all comers, but in an unabashedly classy way, sporting an old-world charm that'll make you nostalgic for a time before you were even born. Basically, she's Nadja from What We Do In The Shadows, except extremely tall and busty.
Like Bowsette before her, the good lady has become a lightning rod for the imagination of artists everywhere. We've collected some of our favorite tributes to Dimitrescu (Dimitrescbutes?) for you here. Funny, scary, strongly suggestive, and everything in between, these fan arts from the likes of Mariel Cartwright, Alex Ahad, and a host of others are sure to raise a few eyebrows. That one pic of her in the style of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 gave me a particularly strong case of the vapors.
Back in the day, Rare was working on a remake of their popular N64 shooter GoldenEye 007. It was almost done, but due to some rights issues, the game was canned. Over the years footage and screenshots have leaked, but now we have a full 4k/60 FPS longplay to see what might have been.
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Sliggoo!
NIS America has announced that incoming sci-fi shmup R-Type Final 2 will launch in the west on PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch on April 30 - a mere day after the long-in-development title's Japanese release.
R-Type Final 2 is an amalgamation of sorts of everything that has ensured Irem's classic series remains an enduring icon of the shmup genre. Players will select from one of a number of hi-tech spacecraft before jetting off into battle against the might of the evil Bydo Empire. Featuring spruced-up audio/visuals, a huge hosts of gameplay modes, and stacked with explosive weapons and power-ups, R-Type Final 2 looks set to be a fan's dream.
Indeed, the fans have only themselves to thank for this release, having generously donated the equivalent of almost $935,000 USD to developer Granzella's Kickstarter campaign back in June 2019. The dedicated R-Typer might want to check out the official NIS America online store, where a special "Inaugural Flight Edition" is now available to pre-order.
It only took a single (unsuccessful) stab at Dead Cells for me to get back in the swing of things and boy does this game still feel fantastic. Its sense of ferocity and flow is up there with the best of 'em.
I didn't just boot up Dead Cells for the heck of it – there are a few new premium levels to check out today. Following the first paid DLC, The Bad Seed, you can now spice up your Dead Cells runs with Fatal Falls. The first level pack was successful right out of the gate, and this next one proves it wasn't a fluke.
Fractured Shrines, Undying Shores, and The Mausoleum slot right into the mid-game.
The Hitman games have always had some weird secrets and Easter eggs. And Hitman 3 continues the tradition, including some truly strange and cool secrets, like a talking hippo, a UFO abduction, and a hidden ending.
This week we try to understand how stocks work, learn how one of the best areas in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was made, dunk on a dumb troll, check out what free games are coming to PS Plus, and pick out the perfect Game Boy shaped like a state.
Epic Games' Fortnite - which is certainly going into overdrive when it comes to pop culture crossovers - seems to be teasing the next franchise headed to the popular battle royale title. And it appears to be none other than '80s toy-line/TV series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.
Fortnite's official Twitter has posted a new video featuring radio intel from Agent Jonesy, where the hero teases the arrival of some new heroes. The message not only makes reference to the incoming characters' "laser guns" and "cool codenames", but tellingly signs off with the iconic catchphrase "And knowing is half the battle", which you all no doubt will recognize as the catchphrase from G.I. Joe's notorious public service announcements.
In particular, Jonesy references an agent that players "will never hear coming", which sounds a hell of a lot like G.I. Joe's resident ninja master, Snake Eyes. The G.I. Joe brand is pretty much a perfect fit for the world of Fortnite, so now it's just a case of waiting to see which characters make the cut. Of course, if Duke, The Baroness, and Cobra Commander aren't part of the entourage, then I'll be very surprised.
I am a fan of the strange and unusual, so when our Editor-in-Chief Rory Carroll spotted this fascinating story in National Geographic about the Dyatlov Pass incident, he immediately sent it to me. He was right to do so, as this is one of my favorite mysteries and it seems it may have actually finally been solved…
This week, a gang of Redditors broke Wall Street for the lolz. Incredible. That story will become a movie someday, like Boiler Room but with far more memes and emojis. It was a trip, that's for sure, but one that's not for me to take. Once I get beyond my 10 fingers, I've reached my mathematical limit. Playing the stock market is an endeavor that would see me out on my ear in double-quick time. Less "Jordan Belfort," more "Homer Simpson selling his stock before the Germans bought the power plant."
Staying in my lane, I've been bouncing between a few games. Nothing out of the ordinary during this quiet period, just some grinding on Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, some fisticuffs on Street Fighter V, and a quick revisit to some old SNES favorites. I'm currently keeping the slate clear as I might have something rolling in for review in the next day or two, so for the most part my gaming time has been spent treading water.
But we aren't here to talk about me, (even though we have been all article), we're here to talk about you. You know how this works - jump into the comments below and let us know what games you've been playing this week, or have lined up for your weekend. It doesn't matter if it's old, new, or simply new to you, you're our fine community, and we love hearing about it. So bring us up to speed, friends.
Have a safe and pleasant weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.
The PlayStation 5 launched last November, but months later, it’s still hard to snag one, especially in Japan. Early today, the Yodobashi Camera electrics megastore in Akihabara, one of the biggest in the country, sold a huge shipment of PS5. All hell broke loose.
Midway’s NBA Jam and NFL Blitz are two of the greatest sports game franchises thanks to how they both provide fun, over-the-top experiences that require little knowledge of the pastime in question. The company would eventually set its sights on hockey, boxing, and even professional wrestling, but it never quite got…
Samsung Galaxy S21 | $800 | Best Buy
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus | $1,000 | Best Buy
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | $1,200 | Best Buy
Last night, after just over a week of daily playing, I finished Final Fantasy XV. And I realize now why I stopped so near the end during my first run some five years ago. It was a defense mechanism, my body’s way of protecting itself from the emotions that are going to utterly ravage me from now until whenever we are…
In today's contest you can win a Switch copy of Project Warlock from Super Rare Games!
If you slept on picking up a super limited edition of Project Warlock from Super Rare Games, I've got some bad news -- that shit sold out, yo! It's gone. Donezo. Fin. Adios.
Good thing we snuck Mr. Destructoid into their offices (he went up through the toilet like a shitty, reverse Santa) and stole a copy to give away! Win it here, since you can't buy it anymore!
Monster Hunter Rise is now a video game about crafting the best-looking armor for my Palamute.
Forget my Switch Axe, forget the grind, forget the thrill of hunting with strangers – my dog needs to look fresh. Just one problem: there are too many good choices and I'm never going to settle on a single look. I eventually got over that analysis paralysis with my Palico in World, but this will be even tougher.
A Palamute armor round-up surfaced on my Twitter feed this week, and I haven't been able to shake it. Capcom posted a similar recap last November – it didn't wow me. This gear, on the other hand...
This is what it's all about. This is worthy of a half-covered Do it For Her plaque. Eye on the prize.
Like many of you, I got around to playing the demo even though I was pretty sure I'd enjoy this game as is. I like Rise's whole vibe more than expected coming off of the big and bold Iceborne, which is running better and loading faster than ever for me now that I've moved it over to PlayStation 5. There was an adjustment period, for sure – Capcom had to make trade-offs on Switch – but it's nothing I couldn't adapt to during the demo, and that potential concern is no longer sitting in the back of my mind.
Instead, my head is completely filled with these Palamute sets, to say nothing of crossovers Capcom could and should create. I didn't expect to see a Palamute wearing a tie, but if that's the starting point, as it were, imagine where things could go next. There are plenty of monsters left to confirm for Rise.
I'll continually brutalize every last one of these beasts for my pooch. That's the true endgame.
