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Resident Evil Village Release Date, Exclusive PS5 Demo Revealed

During Capcom’s official Resident Evil Village showcase, the developer made a series of announcements, including an official release date, a new PlayStation-exclusive demo, and expanding the line of launch consoles to include the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Resident Evil Village will officially be released on May 7, with pre-orders starting today. When Capcom first announced Resident Evil Village, previously referred to as Resident Evil 8, the company only announced that it will be released on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.

Now, Capcom has announced that alongside next-gen systems, Resident Evil Village will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on the same day as PS5 and Series X. Something Capcom previously said it was looking into, but could not confirm.

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Furthermore, the PS4 owners will receive a free digital upgrade to the PS5 version, and Xbox Smart Delivery will automatically upgrade the Xbox One version for the Series X.

As per usual, Capcom announced multiple versions of Resident Evil Village, starting at a standard edition all the way to a Collector’s Edition complete with collector’s box and Chris statue. These Resident Evil Village pre-order details leaked earlier, but are now official.

Current PS5 owners will also be able to try out an exclusive Resident Evil Village demo today. Producer Pete Fabiano says that the demo is not a slice of the final game, but instead a wholly unique experience.

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Instead of playing as Resident Evil 7 and Village protagonist Ethan Winters, players will take control of a character called the “Maiden.” Fabiano says the demo doesn’t have combat, but like Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour, the events of the demo will likely tie into the events of Resident Evil Village in some way.

The Maiden demo is exclusive to the PS5, and Fabiano says a different demo will be released for other consoles at a later date sometime in the spring.

For more on today’s Resident Evil Village reveal, check out our extensive list of new gameplay details, more about the upcoming multiplayer mode, and our Rewind Theater.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Short-Lived Newegg Raffle Prize Was The Chance To Buy Full-Price PC Parts

Yesterday, online tech storefront Newegg held a brief raffle for their customers where the prize was a slim chance to purchase the latest PC tech, including AMD Ryzen 5000 CPUs and Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics cards.

The event only lasted for a moment and was called the Newegg Shuffle. Luckily, Reddit user LordNazo was able to snag a shot of the contest information before it closed. Newegg had customers go through a process of selecting the items they wished to reserve for purchase on a sort of wishlist. If they were selected as winners, they would have the opportunity to purchase those parts within a reserved window.

The catch on top of this already less-than-ideal situation is that the expensive and more sought after parts that could be selected in this process were only made available as part of bundles with other parts that customers might not even want or need. The bundles featured either a Ryzen 5 5600 CPU, AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU, or ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3080 graphics card paired with a motherboard. The CPUs were bundled with a compatible AM4 board while the graphics card was paired with an Intel Z490.

Consumer reaction to the Newegg Shuffle was less than positive. The Reddit thread about it on r/buildapcsales is full of customers complaining about and making fun of the “prize,” mostly because of the forced bundles it entailed. Others were lamenting the state of the PC part economy being so bleak that people would be willing to win a chance at buying the expensive parts they were looking for, even if they had to buy something they didn’t need in order to do it.

Many were hoping that 2021 would put an end to the PC parts shortage that enthusiasts have been facing, but it looks like those hopes may have been premature. AMD has yet to divulge any details on future restocks for its Ryzen 5000 and Radeon RX 6000 lines, and according to NVIDIA CFO Collette Kress, Nvidia stock probably won’t return to normal until around May.

Resident Evil Games Are Steeply Discounted On Steam

Capcom is showing off gameplay for Resident Evil Village for the first time today at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. If you’re anxiously awaiting the next entry in the long-running survival horror franchise, now’s the perfect time to revisit older Resident Evil games. Multiple digital storefronts are hosting Resident Evil franchise sales, including Steam. Every mainline game and several spinoffs are steeply discounted on Steam through January 25.

The Resident Evil 2 ($16) and Resident Evil 3 ($19.79) remakes are available for great prices. You can also buy them together in the Raccoon City edition bundle for $29.78 to save a few more bucks.

Other mainline games in the franchise are available for even less. Resident Evil 7, which adeptly changed the perspective to first person, is on sale for only $9.89. Resident Evil 6 is slashed to $7.49, while the other numbered entries are only $5 each, including the great Resident Evil 4.

When it comes to Resident Evil spinoffs, the most notable ones featured in the franchise sale are Resident Evil Revelations and Revelations 2. The original is discounted to $6.89, while the sequel’s deluxe edition is down to $15.

For deals on Resident Evil games for consoles, make sure to check out the ongoing sales on the Xbox and PlayStation Stores.

Resident Evil franchise sale on Steam

  • Resident Evil — $5 ($20)
  • Resident Evil 0 — $5 ($20)
  • Resident Evil 2 — $16 ($40)
  • Resident Evil 3 — $19.79 ($60)
  • Resident Evil 4 — $5 ($20)
  • Resident Evil 5 — $5 ($20)
  • Resident Evil 6 — $7.49 ($30)
  • Resident Evil 7 — $9.89 ($30)
  • Resident Evil Revelations — $6.89 ($30)
  • Resident Evil Revelations 2 – Deluxe edition — $15 ($30)

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Deathloop Will Occasionally Trip You Up With Inconsistent Time Loops

As it turns out, Deathloop won’t feature a time loop that acts as a perfect clockwork system–even your best laid plans may become unraveled because of a little déjà vu. In an interview, game director Dinga Bakaba reveals as much, adding that this will result in inconsistencies in the time loop based on your actions.

“This time loop is a dirty process,” Bakaba said in an interview published in PlayStation Official Magazine’s February 2021 issue. “There is a limit to this, so an experienced player will know about all of the computations. These are rare, and most targets have a predictability.”

As an example, the game director talks about how a Visionary–one of the main targets you must kill to end the loop–may go for a gun after you mess with them, only for you to gun them down. In the next loop, this may cause the same enemy to suffer a case of déjà vu and get the funny feeling that hunting you down won’t work out for them. As a result, they may try something else even if you interact with them in the same way, forcing you to enact a contingency plan.

To help you out a bit, there are some ways that you can break the rules of the time loop as well, ensuring you don’t always start out from square one at the outset of every loop. “Very early on Colt will find that this island has a few weird rules and the time loop is not the only thing influencing the island,” Bakaba told POM. The game designer remained coy about what this other force is, only adding that it would allow you to upgrade Colt in more permanent ways before jumping into another loop.

“And because of that ‘thing’ there is some progression, it’s not a roguelike,” Bakaba clarifies. “There are powers, perks, weapons, and upgrades to unlock… you can basically build an arsenal.” We’ll have to wait and see what that something is, though not for much longer as Deathloop is scheduled to launch for PS5 and PC on May 21.

Now Playing: How Deathloop’s Multiplayer Works

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Rainbow Six Siege “Road To SI 2021” Event Now Live

The Rainbow Six Siege “Road to Six Invitational 2020” event has begun, letting you jump in as any operator in the specially designed Stadium map. Once again this year you’ll be able to grab a special battle pass with its own reward track, and some of the revenue will go toward the Six invitational prize pool.

Every weekend during the event, you can play in the competitive Stadium map, which combines elements from the Coastline and Border maps. The Road to SI event runs through February 22, after which you won’t be able to nap the battle pass. It features 100 tiers with 135 rewards. The Premium track goes for 1200 R6 credits, and team captains will get special themed outfits. Up to $3 million USD of the money generated from the battle pass will go into the Six Invitational prize pool.

The kickoff didn’t go off completely as planned, however. The R6 Siege Twitter shared that there was an issue with matchmaking shortly after it began. After a few hours it reported that the problem had been fixed and you no longer need to use a workaround.

The Six Invitational 2021 event will take place February 9-21. It will feature 20 of the best teams in the world competing in Paris, France. No audience will be allowed at this year’s event due to social distancing guidelines, but it will be broadcast on Twitch and YouTube. The event will also once again serve as an overall celebration of R6 Siege, with developer panels.

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WizKids Partners With Critical Role For New Dungeons And Dragons Miniatures

WizKids, the company known for its highly-detailed Dungeons & Dragons miniatures, is partnering with Critical Role to bring characters from the world of Exandria to life–in mini form.

Coming in Q1 of 2021, fans of Critical Role will see some of the monsters and PCs from the series in a physical form–so you can use them on your own battlefield in a game of Dungeons & Dragons. This would include Critical Role’s game master Matthew Mercer’s “gargantuan” sized Udaak. And like many of WizKids’ minis, it will be pre-painted.

“I’ve been a rabid collector of WizKids’ minis for… well, a very long time, and to be able to work directly with them to bring the denizens and dangers of Exandria to life for everyone to use is beyond exciting,” said Matthew Mercer, chief creative officer and cast member of Critical Role. “They bring such skill and expertise to their work, and this upcoming collection really captures the characters and atmosphere of Exandria. I think fans of Critical Role, as well as players new to our world, will greatly enjoy this opportunity for deeper play, collaboration, and imagination.”

In the spring, the first six box sets of premium painted, highly-detailed figures will be released at local gaming stores. Additionally, these sets can be preordered at WizKids, and here are the details for each of the sets below.

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Monsters of Wildemount Set I ($60):

Featuring Core Spawn Crawler, Core Spawn Emissary, Core Spawn Seer, Husk Zombie, Shadowghast, Aeorian Absorber, Aeorian Nullifier, Aeorian Reverser, and Nergalid.

Monsters of Wildemount Set II ($60):

Featuring Sahuagin Warlock of Uk’otoa, Sea Fury, Gearkeeper Construct, Gloomstalker, Merrow Shallowpriest, Moorbounder, and Swavain Basilisk.

Monsters of Wildemount Udaak premium figure ($80):

It’s a single gargantuan figure.

Factions of Wildemount: Dwendalian Empire ($50):

Featuring Volstrucker Agent, Ravenite Dragonborn, Dwendalian Aristocrat, Dwendalian Farmer, Dwendalian Crownsguard, Righteous Brand Soldier, Hills of Pride’s Call Farmer, and Pumat Sol.

Factions of Wildemount: Kryn Dynasty & Xhorhas ($50):

Featuring Lotusden Halfling, Dark Elf Rogue, Echo Knight, Echo, Trader of Kryn, Kryn Noble, Graviturgy Wizard, Chronurgy Wizard, and Dunamancy Wizard.

Factions of Wildemount: Clovis Concord & Menagerie Coast ($50):

Featuring The Hollow One, Fisherman of Clovis, Clovis Noble, Clovis Concord Zhelezo, Shore Warden Soldier, The Grinner, Blood Hunter, and Pallid Elf.

Aside from the Critical Role content, WizKids is producing a lot of other miniatures and collectibles you may want to add to your collection. The Hand and Eye of Vecna may not be something that will land in your weekly D&D game, but the highly-detailed collectible will look cool on your shelf. Also, there are two new dragon “miniatures” you can check out, the Adult Red Dragon and Arveiaturace, and neither of them are very mini.

Tom Hanks Sci-Fi Drama Bios Has Been Delayed To August

It might be a new year, but the coronavirus pandemic persists and movie studios are still reshuffling their plans for theatrical releases. The latest–and surely not the last–such film to be impacted is the upcoming sci-fi drama Bios, starring Tom Hanks. The Hollywood Reporter is indicating that the film will now open August 13, after previously being slated for April, and before that October 2020.

According to IMDb, the film’s synopsis reads: “On a post-apocalyptic earth, a robot, built to protect the life of his creator’s beloved dog, learns about life, love, friendship, and what it means to be human.” Hanks plays one of the few survivors of a cataclysmic solar event that has left the world a wasteland–but apparently he must rise to the challenge to teach a robot dog about companionship. Unfortunately, we’re all going to have to wait a bit longer to see a trailer and get a sense of the film’s tone.

Bios is directed by Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones), and was written by Craig Luck (Sense8). In addition to Hanks, the film’s cast includes Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out), Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale), Laura Harrier (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Skeet Ulrich (Scream).

Meanwhile, in other Tom Hanks news this week–fans have been pointing out online that The Simpsons has yet again continued its impressive streak of predicting the future when the actor “soothed the nation” with his participation during the Biden inauguration special that aired Wednesday night. The prescient animated cameo comes from The Simpsons Movie, which came out in 2007. This is about the most surprising prediction The Simpsons has made since it was accurately clocking Game of Thrones twists years in advance.

Netflix Buys New Film From Spider-Verse Producers, The Mitchells Vs. The Machines

Netflix has acquired The Mitchells vs. the Machines, an original animated sci-fi family film from Oscar-winning producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller–the pair behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The film, which was originally titled Connected, was also originally due out in theaters October 23 but was delayed due to the pandemic. It’s now expected to hit the streaming service sometime later this year.

Directed by Mike Rianda (Gravity Falls), the film is an original animated comedy “about an everyday family’s struggle to relate while technology rises up around the world. When Katie Mitchell (voiced by Abbi Jacobson), a creative outsider, is accepted into the film school of her dreams, her plans to meet “her people” at college are upended when her nature-loving dad Rick (voiced by Danny McBride) determines the whole family should drive Katie to school together and bond as a family one last time).”

In a quote from Rianda in a release announcing the streaming platform’s acquisition of the film, the director explains that the movie is autobiographical. “This is a very personal movie about my very weird family,” says Rianda. “I’m so grateful to all the incredible artists that poured their love and passion into this project to make it a reality, and to everyone at Sony who believed in us and were on board to make a different kind of animated movie.”

In addition to Jacobson and McBride, the film’s cast includes Maya Rudolph (The Good Place) as Linda Mitchell and Rianda as Aaron Mitchell. Jacobson’s Disenchantment co-star Eric Andre and The Crown’s Olivia Colmon also star in the film in undisclosed roles.

RBI Baseball 21’s Cover Athlete Is Chicago White Sox Slugger Tim Anderson

The start of the 2021 MLB season is coming up quickly, and ahead of that, the developers of RBI Baseball 2021 have announced the cover star for this year’s game.

Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox will grace the cover of this year’s game. Anderson is the first White Sox player to appear on the cover of the RBI Baseball franchise.

Anderson was the 2019 AL batting champion with a .322 batting average and other standout statistics like 45 runs scored and 67 hits.

RBI Baseball is an arcade-style, budget-priced baseball series developed internally by Major League Baseball. New for 2021’s game is play-by-play commentary from Fran Charles of the MLB Network, a create-a-player mode, and new environmental effects that showcase the changing light during the day.

“Like a lot of kids, I grew up playing video games,” Anderson said in a release. “When I couldn’t get outside to play ball or we had bad weather, that was a time to have fun with my friends and live out some fantasies. And it was always cool to see who was on the cover every year – those were guys I aspired to be. So now to see myself on the cover of R.B.I. 21 is really part of a dream come true. And I hope that kids will see my picture on the cover and realize they can do this, too. They just have to believe in themselves, follow their dreams and work at it.”

The soundtrack for RBI Baseball 21 has also been announced, and it includes title songs from a variety of famous bands and artists, including All Time Low, American Authors, and Justin Bieber.

RBI Baseball 21 releases in March for PS4, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch; a mobile edition of the game is also in the works.

In other news about baseball video games, Major League Baseball’s exclusivity deal with Sony for its The Show series is ending, paving the way for the franchise to appear on other platforms potentially beginning in 2021.

R.B.I. Baseball 21 Track Listing

  • All Time Low – Wake Up, Sunshine
  • American Authors – Brick By Brick
  • Cypress Hill – Champion Sound
  • Diplo ft. Thomas Rhett & Young Thug – Dance With Me
  • Seeb & Julie Bergan – Don’t You Wanna Play?
  • The Knocks – Get Happy (NVDES Edit with Blu DeTiger)
  • Joel Corry – Head & Heart (feat. MNEK)
  • R3HAB (feat. A R I Z O N A) – I Can Feel Alive
  • blackbear – i feel bad
  • Paul Woolford & Diplo – Looking For Me (featuring Kareen Lomax)
  • Justin Bieber – Second Emotion (feat. Travis Scott)
  • Saint PHNX – Shake
  • Yez Yez ft. Daphne Willis – We’re Back
  • Cold War Kids – Who’s Gonna Love Me Now
  • Jasmine Thompson and Zedd – Funny
  • Marcus King – The Well
  • Gryffin & John Martin – Cry
  • Love Fame Tragedy – Riding A Wave
  • Patrick Martin – Stranger Nights
  • The Chainsmokers, Kygo – Family
  • Conan Gray – Maniac

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Nvidia Releases GPU Hotfix For SteamVR Performance Issues

Nvidia has release a new hotfix for its GeForce desktop graphics cards, addressing several long-standing issues with SteamVR, game crashes, and more.

The hotfix is available to download now, with Nvidia headlining the update with a fix for SteamVR that has been anticipated for some time. Some users have reported stuttering and lag when trying to play VR titles, which Nvidia hopes has been resolved with this latest patch.

Other issues addressed include consistent crashes with games like Detroit: Become Human and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, as well as some optimizations for Adobe Premiere Pro. The full patch notes for the hotfix can be found below.

Nvidia usually reserves GPU updates for big PC releases, such as the last Game Ready Driver that launched with Cyberpunk 2077, but has since been releasing smaller hotfixes. The company does note that the fixes included don’t undergo as rigorous testing as those included in Game Ready Drivers, so keep that in mind before updating.

Now Playing: NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU Announcement – CES 2021