Month: May 2020

Top New Games Out On Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC This Week — May 24-30, 2020

This is a great week to revisit some games you may have already played. Mortal Kombat 11 is getting an action-packed epilogue with the Aftermath expansion, and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition has new story content on Nintendo Switch as well. That’s not the only game making a comeback on Switch, either. 2K is launching a trio of big game bundles: BioShock: The Collection, the Borderlands Legendary Collection, and the XCOM 2 Collection. The adventure continues in Minecraft Dungeons and Shantae and the Seven Sirens too.

Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath — May 26

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

Aftermath picks up right where the story left off, with Liu Kang setting out to create a new timeline. A new timeline is a great place to introduce new characters, and MK 11 is adding Fujin, Sheeva, and even Robocop, voiced by original actor Peter Weller. If you don’t want to spend money on the new story and characters, good news: May 26 is also when a free update drops for all players. This adds new stages and brings back Friendships.

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Minecraft Dungeons — May 26

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

Minecraft Dungeons
Minecraft Dungeons

It might have the look of Minecraft, but this spin-off is not about resource gathering and crafting. Instead, it gives you randomly generated dungeons to explore as you solve puzzles and fight box-shaped bad guys. There are no classes here since you can choose any gear you want, and you can explore with friends in four-player co-op. Even better, Game Pass subscribers on Xbox One and PC can jump in on day one.

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Shantae and the Seven Sirens — May 28

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

Shantae and the Seven Sirens
Shantae and the Seven Sirens

The fifth game in the Shantae series originally launched on Apple Arcade, and now the whole adventure is coming to consoles and PC. Expect the usual platforming and combat, plus new monster transformations and abilities. If you have a PS4 Pro, Xbox One X, or capable PC, you can experience Seven Sirens in 4K.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition — May 29

Available on: Switch

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

Xenoblade Chronicles is a cult-classic RPG on Wii and 3DS, and now Switch owners are getting a chance to experience the story. If you’ve already played the original, there’s still something fresh for you too thanks to a new epilogue. Of course, the graphics and music have been greatly improved too.

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BioShock: The Collection / Borderlands Legendary Collection / XCOM 2 Collection — May 29

Available on: Switch

BioShock: The Collection, Borderlands Legendary Collection, & XCOM 2 Collection

You’re looking at three images in the graphic above, but there’s a total of seven games available here. BioShock: The Collection includes BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite. The Borderlands Legendary Collection includes Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and The Pre-Sequel. Finally, the XCOM 2 Collection includes XCOM 2, its War of the Chosen expansion, and four additional DLC packs.

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June is fast approaching, and New Releases will return next week to take a look at what the new month has to offer. There are some big games on the horizon, from the full launch of Valorant to the highly anticipated Last of Us Part 2.

Now Playing: Top New Game Releases On Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC This Week — May 24-30, 2020

Insignia Fan Project Looks To Bring Back First-Gen Xbox Live In Late 2020

If you consider yourself an old Xbox head then you’re probably going to be pleased at the fact that a fan project is aiming to resurrect the original Xbox Live experience. We’re talking circa the good old pre-2010 days, when we were all trying to link up on Halo 2.

This original Xbox Live fan project is called Insignia, and it’s being developed by Luke Usher, who has been providing updates for it on his personal Patreon. Usher is based out of the United Kingdom, and is also currently working on an Xbox and Sega Chihiro emulator for Windows.

According to Usher, Insignia is going to be free and it “will not require any modifications or patches to software” for owners of Xbox consoles. The goal for this original Xbox Live project is to have it up and running in Autumn 2020, which would be quite the get if you’re nostalgic for the old days of Microsoft’s multiplayer service.

Insignia aims to bring back to old Xbox Live services. In practice, this will involve users creating accounts on Insignia’s servers which ape connectivity to an ecosystem much like the original Xbox Live. In the video above from the YouTube channel for the fan project, you’ll go through the process of creating an Xbox Live ID, activating an Xbox Live subscription, and enabling connectivity to other users also using Insignia.

Theoretically, if you and some friends are using Insignia, then you should be able to mimic the original Xbox Live’s functionality and enjoy multiplayer shenanigans in legacy games like Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon.

A “private beta” has been planned for the future, and many of Usher’s Patreon supporters have expressed excitement for it in the comments.

The full technical specifications or requirements necessary to run Insignia have not been confirmed yet, but if you’re absolutely keen on running Halo 2 with some friends then the Master Chief Collection for PC currently gives you the option.

On top of that, there’s also a lot of upcoming Xbox news to look forward to. With the Xbox Series X officially unveiled earlier this year and plenty of talk about Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla being pushed as one of the titles to watch, we’ve got our eyes peeled for future announcements.

In the meantime, Usher’s May 22 announcement about Insignia should keep fans of the original Xbox Live service experience ticking along for now. If there are any exciting updates, we’ll do our best to keep you in the loop.

Now Playing: Xbox Series X First Look At Gameplay – Inside Xbox

Valorant Devs Give Update On How Vanguard Anti-Cheat Will Work Post-Release

Riot’s new team-based shooter Valorant is nearing the end of its beta, with only a few days of downtime before its full release. A new blog post from Riot has discussed this transition, and what differences beta players will find upon release–most notably with its Vanguard anti-cheat system.

When developing its new online FPS, Riot chose to take a hard stance on cheaters and griefers, with the cornerstone of this decision being the launch of its own proprietary anti-cheat software. When the closed beta of Valorant released with this software, Vanguard, it immediately caused concern among players for being far too aggressive in blocking drivers–even when the game wasn’t active.

Thanks to the closed beta, Vanguard’s powers have been scaled back, but one big change is in the works when it moves to full release. For the duration of the beta, while Vanguard was used to identify cheaters, those reports were still manually reviewed and ban decisions made by a human team (with this process still resulting in thousands of bans).

With the full release, and the much larger player base it will bring, Vanguard will now be handed the ability to ban without human oversight. “Come launch, we will be more aggressive, widespread, and automated in our ability to detect and ban cheaters,” the blog post reads.

Valorant will launch on June 2 on PC. Check here to see if your PC meets minimum requirements.

Now Playing: How To Get Good At Valorant Without Playing It

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Formula E Esports Racing Driver Disqualified After Cheating

News of foul play has hit the Formula E esports racing scene. Daniel Abt, racing under ABT Schaeffler Audi, was disqualified after cheating allegations against him were substantiated over the weekend.

Suspicions were raised about whether or not Abt was actually the driver behind the wheel for Saturday’s Formula E Race at Home Challenge, with his competition being the first to raise the red flags. Fox Sports reported that two other racers, Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorn, echoed each other’s concerns about Abt when his performance in the Challenge appeared markedly different from previous results.

The organizers of the Formula E Race at Home Challenge investigated the allegations from Abt’s competitors and after cross-referencing IP addresses, were able to confirm that the esports racing driver had not been driving at the time in question.

Formula E’s official ruling on the matter has resulted in the withdrawal of Abt’s sixth-place position in the Formula E Challenge Grid competition. As Round 5 of the Race At Home Challenge was being held in support of UNICEF as per the tweet below, Abt has also been hit with a compulsory €10,000 donation.

The esports racing driver owned up to the cheating and responded by releasing a statement reported by The Race as follows:

“I would like to apologize to Formula E, all of the fans, my team and my fellow drivers for having called in outside help during the race on Saturday.

“I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have. I’m especially sorry about this because I know how much work has gone into this project on the part of the Formula E organization. I am aware that my offence has a bitter aftertaste, but it was never meant with any bad intention.”

No Caption Provided

(img source: Audi)

The driver assisting Abt during this debacle was Lorenz Hoerzing, another professional racing sim driver, and Hoerzing has since been banned from competing in future Formula E Challenge rounds as a consequence of what happened this past weekend. ABT Schaeffler Audi has not commented independently on Abt being disqualified after cheating.

Formula E fans who want to contribute to UNICEF’s appeal to raise money for children affected by the coronavirus can do so using this Tiltify link here. With £50,610 raised so far and counting, hopefully the next round of the Race at Home challenge will be just as fruitful when it goes ahead this week without Abt’s participation.

Now Playing: Xbox One X And The Future Of Racing Games – E3 2017

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Cyberpunk Taxi Game Cloudpunk Is Getting A First-Person Mode

Cloudpunk, the neon-heavy cyberpunk taxi game from Ion Lands, is getting a first-person mode. The game, which is available now for PC and will come to Switch, PS4, and Xbox One in the future, will allow players to explore and collect fares from a new perspective soon.

This new camera option was announced and previewed on Twitter by Marko Dieckmann, studio head at Ion Lands. You can see the new first-person camera in action below.

In a follow-up tweet, Dieckmann stated that players will be able to switch between first-and-third perspective as they play, depending on their preferences. You’ll also be able to unlock the camera after this update.

The first-person camera is currently in beta, but will be added to the main game soon.

Cloudpunk scored a 7/10 in GameSpot’s review. “Cloudpunk is a game with a single core strength so powerful it alone is sufficient to make it an easy game to recommend,” reviewer David Wildgoose wrote. “Thanks to the rare beauty and rich atmosphere of its voxel-driven cityscape, Cloudpunk is a constant joy to explore.”

Now Playing: Let’s Be A Cyberpunk Delivery Driver In Cloudpunk

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Call Of Duty: Mobile Is Adding The Gulag Soon, See A Teaser Now

Call of Duty: Mobile has a battle royale mode, but it’s not quite the same as Call of Duty: Warzone. In particular, Call of Duty: Mobile doesn’t feature Warzone’s most unique and exciting features, the Gulag. It seems that’s going to change very soon. Or it could be something else entirely.

The official Call of Duty: Mobile Twitter account posted a teaser video for what is very clearly the Gulag. The tweet says it’s “coming soon.”

This alert was posted not long after the Call of Duty: Mobile test servers were updated with references to the Gulag. Additionally, entire gameplay videos have been posted on YouTube that appear to show that Gulag will be a new map in Call of Duty: Mobile.

In Warzone, players who die are sent to the Gulag where they face off in 1v1 matches for a chance to re-deploy. It remains to be seen, however, if this feature will also come to Call of Duty: Mobile or if the Gulag is only being added as a new multiplayer map.

Developer TiMi Studios updates Call of Duty: Mobile regularly, most recently adding a new class and more challenges for Season 6. With more than 150 million downloads worldwide, Call of Duty: Mobile is a juggernaut.

Now Playing: Call Of Duty Mobile – Full Match On Crash

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No More Heroes Director Would Like To See More Of His Games On Switch

Suda51’s games have long been synonymous with Nintendo consoles, with each game in the No More Heroes franchise debuting first on Nintendo (including the upcoming No More Heroes III), and cult classic Killer7 originally debuting on the GameCube. As of right now, not many of games developed by his company, Grasshopper Manufacture, are available on Switch, and the eccentric designer says he would like to see that change–although it’s not all up to him.

In a Q&A session during Momocon–as reported by VG247–Suda51 (whose legal name is Goichi Suda) talked about the possibility of bringing his older games to Switch, saying that it is largely up to the publishers. Capcom is in charge of Killer7, which received an updated PC port in 2018. Killer is Dead has split rights between Capcom and Kadokawa Games, which makes things more complicated.

Suda51 singled out another game as a more likely candidate–The Silver Case, which came to PS4 and PC in 2016 (and its sequel, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, followed in 2018). According to Suda51, there has “been discussions” about bringing this game to Switch.

He also alludes to a potential remake of the 2001 PS2 game Rain, Flower, Sun, and Rain, although specific platforms were not discussed.

No More Heroes III will launch as a Switch exclusive later this year. Other Switch games from Grasshopper Manufacture include Sine Mora EX and Travis Strikes Back: No More Heroes.

Now Playing: No More Heroes 3 – “The Return” Cinematic Trailer

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Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Will Talk Xbox Series X And The Pandemic On Reggie’s New Podcast

The new podcast series featuring former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has announced its next guest, and it’s none other than current Xbox boss Phil Spencer.

Spencer will joins Fils-Aime and journalist Harold Goldberg on the “Talking Games with Reggie & Harold” podcast. In a news release, the podcast’s producers said Spencer will chat with Fils-Aime and Goldberg about leadership, the pandemic, the Xbox Series X launch, and Spencer’s “early days” at Microsoft.

Spencer started as an intern at Microsoft all the way back in 1988, and he’s been with the company ever since. He’s held various positions at the company, most recently getting promoted to head of Xbox where he oversees the entire Xbox division and reports to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Spencer is also known for being outspoken and frank, so he certainly seems like a great podcast guest.

The new Talking Games podcast will premiere on May 26 at 12 PM ET. According to Goldberg, Spencer will be sharing some kind of “surprise” for fans during the episode. On the subject of the pandemic, Spencer has said the COVID-19 crisis could lead to game delays. However, the Xbox Series X and its flagship launch title Halo Infinite remain on schedule.

The Talking Games series is a seven-part podcast show featuring Fils-Aime and Goldberg, in addition to special guests.

The podcast was launched to help raise money for the New York Video Game Critics Circle, a non-profit charity that provides scholarships and other help to students in New York. Fils-Aime and Goldberg will call on their audience to donate to a GoFundMe campaign that will give games and consoles to young people in homeless shelters.

People who donate will receive bonuses, including access to an auction where they can bid on rare items such as a copy of Nintendo Power signed by Shigeru Miyamoto.

“Our vision is to create a fun, entertaining, informative podcast with its goal to benefit the nonprofit,” Fils-Aime told The Washington Post. “I was born in the Bronx … where I have spent time mentoring students literally within miles of where I spent the first eight years of my life. I know how challenging it is, but with the right opportunities and the right experiences, we’re looking to create some future leaders.”

The first episode of Talking Games was filled with insights from Fils-Aime about Nintendo in the early 2000s.

Starting June 1, GameSpot will be hosting Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts with the help of our friends from around the gaming world.

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