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CultureHere’s June 2021’s PlayStation Plus Games
June’s PlayStation Plus lineup is a pretty good deal if you missed Star Wars: Squadrons. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active PlayStation Plus membership. June’s PlayStation Plus games are: PS5 Operation: Tango PS4 Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown Star Wars: Squadrons Virtua Fighter 5 is available June 1-August 2.…
By Riley MacLeod Published May 27, 2021 -
CultureBlizzard Sends Cease-And-Desists To Diablo II: Resurrected Modders
Several mods for last month’s Diablo II: Resurrected alpha test were recently pulled offline following a wave of cease-and-desist letters. One creator says Blizzard even went as far as to send a private investigator to his home to serve the warning in person. Blizzard’s “Technical Alpha” for Diablo II: Resurrected—a content-limited, invite-only, single-player experience that…
By Ian Walker Published May 27, 2021 -
CultureOffline Version Of Dragon Quest X Announced
When Dragon Quest X was first released in 2012, it was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. It still is! But now in 2021, an offline version has been announced. It’s called, wait for it, Dragon Quest X: Offline Square Enix has tweaked the visuals and created a stand-alone, offline title. The teaser trailer promised…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 27, 2021 -
CultureDragon Quest III Is Getting Another Remake, And It Looks Glorious
Over the years, there have been a number of versions of Dragon Quest III. Add another one to the list. During a live stream today, Square Enix announced an HD remake with 2D graphics. Square Enix is mixing pixel art with 3D computer graphics to achieve the visual look. There was no release date or specific…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 27, 2021 -
CultureSony Report Says Uncharted 4 Is Coming To PC
Sony’s latest investor relations report is full of numbers and promises, but also some actual video game news, in that it is somehow the first place to officially mention that Uncharted 4 is coming to the PC. Here’s the relevant page, where it’s listed as a “new growth vector” alongside other PlayStation games that have…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureLatest Outriders Patch Pisses Everyone Off Even More
Yesterday, developer People Can Fly released the latest—and repeatedly delayed—patch for Outriders. It was supposed to fix an issue wherein players would get killed instantly, without explanation. Instead, it appears to have irritated everyone under Enoch’s sun. The patch notes for yesterday’s long-awaited update are minimal, purporting to address a bug that miscalculated armor values…
By Ari Notis Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureTensions High At IGN After Management Claims Palestine Post Takedown Was Not Corporate Interference
The weekend before last, IGN published and then pulled a post with links to charities in support of Palestinian victims who’d been devastated by Israeli violence. This spurred over 80 IGN staffers to sign and publish an open letter decrying corporate management’s subversion of their editorial autonomy and demanding accountability. At first it seemed like…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsLet’s Check In On Star Citizen, Shall We
Star Citizen is currently free-to-play as the game enjoys its annual Invictus Launch Week celebration. I figured now would be as good a time as ever to take a peek at the ambitious space sim and see how things are going. Cloud Imperium Games has raised more than $365 million via crowdfunding since starting Star…
By Ian Walker Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureSega’s Tokyo Olympics 2020 Game (The One Without Mario And Sonic) Drops Next Month
With the real games delayed until July of this year due to covid-19, Sega’s had plenty of time to cobble together Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game, coming June 22 to PC, consoles, and Stadia. It’s a collection of 18 sports you can play with your own goofy-looking, costume-sporting avatar. Despite lacking…
By Mike Fahey Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureCall Of Duty Has Banned Over 350,000 Players For Racism And Toxicity In The Past Year
Call of Duty big. Now Call of Duty ban number big, too. Today as part of an anti-toxicity progress report, “Call of Duty staff”—which could include a large portion of the human population, given how many studios work on the series at this point—announced that they’ve banned over 350,000 accounts in the past year for…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureRoger Craig Smith Is Voicing Sonic The Hedgehog Again
Roger Craig Smith announced this morning that he will return as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in future games. “I can’t fully express my gratitude for the [Sonic the Hedgehog] crew and community,” Smith wrote on Twitter alongside a picture of a mended blue heart. “I hope to honor your support and passion.” Smith…
By Ian Walker Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureBlizzCon Is Skipping 2021 Due To Continuing Covid-19 Concerns
Citing the complicated nature of coordinating a live event for thousands of people, evolving California in-person event guidelines, and the fluctuating status of the global covid-19 pandemic, Blizzard has announced BlizzCon will be skipping another year. It was a year ago today that Blizzard canceled BlizzCon 2020 due to covid-19, leading to the all-digital BlizzConline…
By Mike Fahey Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Factory In Resident Evil Village Is So Damn Boring
I’m tired of Heisenberg’s Factory in Resident Evil Village. So much so that I, once again, might quit playing. The difference here from Village’s infamous Dollhouse—that also caused me to almost quit the game prematurely—isn’t because the factory is particularly scary or difficult. It’s just tedious. It’s a labyrinthine place filled with monsters that cause…
By Ash Parrish Published May 26, 2021 -
CulturePokémon Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, And Legends: Arceus Get Release Dates
Make sure to kiss your mom goodbye and stock up on your Max Potions, because the three latest Pokémon games finally have release dates. Today, The Pokémon Company announced that the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes will launch on November 19, and a new open-world game Pokémon Legends: Arceus will come later on January…
By Ash Parrish Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureFollowing One Final Update, Echtra Games Ends Work On Torchlight III
Yesterday Echtra Games released the “Cursed Captain” update for Torchlight III, adding a playable class, new pets, and applying several bug fixes and quality-of-life changes to the dungeon crawler. The developer also announced this update would be its last, due to its acquisition by Zynga in March Founded by original Torchlight studio Runic Games’ co-founder…
By Mike Fahey Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureFinal Fantasy XIV Patch Fixes The Ages Of Non-Playable Characters
Typically, patches correct bugs and glitches or add new features and content. The latest Final Fantasy XIV patch does that, but it also changes the ages of two non-playable characters, Mikoto Jinba and Menenius sas Lanatus Prior to the patch, the character Mikoto (pictured) was 29 years old, but afterwards, her age has been lowered…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureTotal Recall1994 Story On Video Game Crunch Is Brutal Reading
Widescale reporting of terrible working conditions at video game studiosis a relatively recent thing, but crunch has always been with us, and as we can see in this rare story about the practice from the 1990s, when it’s bad it can be life-threatening. Sega historian John Harrison has shared a translated version of a story…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureReport: Valve Is Making A Switch-Like Portable Codenamed SteamPal
If the Nintendo Switch has proven anything, it’s that being able to play previously PC-only indies on the go rules. Soon, though, you might not need to wait for Switch ports of your Steam-powered faves: a new report claims Valve is working on its own handheld. The report comes from Ars Technica and cites “multiple”…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsNintendo Patent Looks Like A Giant Shitpost
On June 5, 1997, Nintendo filed a patent titled “Video game system and method with enhanced three-dimensional character and background control due to environmental conditions.” I can’t even begin to parse what the heck that means on a technical level, but what I do know is that the document’s contents are ripe for absurd internet…
By Ian Walker Published May 25, 2021
