Mass Effect 3’s Multiplayer Mode Could Return If There’s Demand For It

It turns out that Mass Effect 3’s online multiplayer experience could make some kind of return in the future, according to Mass Effect: Legendary Edition‘s project director.

In an interview with GameSpot sister site CNET, project director Mac Walters was asked if the still-active Mass Effect 3 online multiplayer offering would come back in some capacity. Walters didn’t deliver a straight answer but said it depends on the reception the Legendary Edition receives and if there’s a demand for multiplayer.

Now Playing: Mass Effect Legendary Edition – Official Remastered Comparison Trailer

“I would never say no to that,” Walters said. “We want to see what kind of reception the Legendary Edition gets and what the demand for the multiplayer is. And then we’ll ask ourselves if we have the resources and time to bring it up to the quality level we and fans want.”

This echoes a similar sentiment from earlier this year, in which Walters confirmed that multiplayer would be cut from Mass Effect: Legendary Edition so developer BioWare could focus on overhauling the single-player experience.

Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer was praised at the time for its squad-based, cooperative action and integration into the game’s overarching narrative.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition launches on May 14 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, as well as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S via backward compatibility. It’s currently discounted on Amazon, so be sure to check out our Mass Effect: Legendary Edition preorder guide to learn about the available bonuses and our preloading guide to find out when Mass Effect: Legendary Edition can be downloaded.

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Metalocalypse, And The Venture Bros Movies Are Coming

Adult Swim has greenlit and will be producing three new movies based on its original hit series Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Metalocalypse, and The Venture Bros. According to a release, the movies will be released globally on Blu-ray and DVD and on TVOD (transactional video on demand) services for a 90-day exclusive window, followed by premieres on HBO Max and Adult Swim. No release dates for any of the films have been announced.

“Leveraging the power of WarnerMedia allows us to deliver original content to our amazingly dedicated and not-shy fans, while also giving our talented series creators an opportunity to tell stories in new and interesting ways,” said Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim.

The fact that each of these series is coming back in any form is both incredibly exciting and unexpected–but the biggest shock may go to The Venture Bros., which was canceled last September. The long-running series had Season 7 air in 2018, which unceremoniously ended a run that began with the pilot episode’s release in 2003. It had been a couple more years since anything was last heard about either Aqua Teen Hunger Force or Metalocalypse, which were both canceled in 2015.

Brief synopses for each film were also included in the release, which are as follows:

  • Metalocalypse: The power-hungry TRIBUNAL unveils their secret and deadly “Falconback Project” as the world grows in embattled chaos and the menacing Doomstar breaches the Earth’s atmosphere while the mysterious and twisted dissent of a band member threatens the future of Dethklok. Picking up directly after the heroic rescue of Toki Wartooth: Can Dethklok choose between their egos and the greater good of the world to embark on a gauntlet of dangers that will try their very souls and finally write the song that will be their salvation?
  • The Venture Bros.: Doc’s latest invention will either bankrupt the Ventures or launch them to new heights, as Hank searches for himself, Dean searches for Hank, The Monarch searches for answers, and a mysterious woman from their pasts threatens to bring their entire world crashing down on them.
  • Aqua Teen Hunger Force: A continuation of the hit animated series, fans will find out what happens next with Frylock, Meatwad and Master Shake, who consider themselves crime fighters, but the truth is they never fight crime.

As of this writing, it’s unclear if these movies are intended to give each series the intended finale each creative team intended to provide for their canceled series, or might leave the door open to further sequels.

PlayStation Studios Has Over 25 PS5 Games In Development, Sony Boss Says

PlayStation fans have a lot of new games in their future according to PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst. The Guerrilla Games co-founder, speaking for an interview with Wired, says that there are over 25 PS5 games in development within the group, and half of them are brand new IP.

When asked about the types of games in development–aside from known titles like Horizon Forbidden West and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart–Hulst said there is “an incredible amount of variety originating from different regions.” No specific new titles were mentioned, but the piece goes on to reference Ember Lab’s Kena: Bridge of Spirits and the unannounced game from Jade Raymond’s new Haven Studios as two examples.

Now Playing: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – The Final Preview

Ember Lab is also working on its second game according to co-founder Josh Grier, who mentions the solid state drive inside the PS5 as something the team wants to capitalize on. “I know for sure we haven’t fully taken advantage of how actually fast it is,” Grier says in the Wired piece. “We were getting a lot of benefits of it being just out-of-the-box better. But I think you can push it even more.”

The article also mentions that Horizon Forbidden West is still slated for 2021, while also giving a small preview of how the game utilizes the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback. According to Guerrilla’s studio head Angie Smets, “if you want to take a stealth approach to a combat situation and you dive into long grass, you can feel those long grass leaves.”

The PlayStation 5’s lineup of exclusive games since launch has included some critically acclaimed titles, including Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon’s Souls, and most recently Returnal from Housemarque. Next for the console is the aforementioned Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart on June 11, though that is the last known release date for a first-party PlayStation title as of this writing.

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Scarlet Nexus Demo Coming To Xbox Consoles First Later This Month

A demo for Scarlet Nexus, Bandai Namco’s upcoming anime action-RPG, goes live on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on May 21, a month before its June 25 launch.

The game’s Twitter account shared the news, stating the demo will hit Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S first. There’s no word on whether the demo will hit PC or PlayStation consoles, how long the demo will remain active for, or if progress will carry over to the full game. Further, it’s unclear how much of Scarlet Nexus will be playable when the demo drops later this month.

Now Playing: 11 Minutes of Scarlet Nexus Preview Gameplay

We’ve reached out to Bandai Namco for clarification and will update this post if we hear back.

Scarlet Nexus is a third-person action game in the same vein other Bandai Namco action-RPGs like Code Vein. In a preview after playing about three hours (through the Parsec streaming platform), GameSpot editor Michael Higham walked away impressed but looking for more before being convinced of the game’s potential.

“When reflecting on my short time with Scarlet Nexus, I see potential for a high-quality action game with slick anime-stylings, even if I feel like I’ve seen something like this before,” Higham said. “However, it’s the smaller gripes that accumulate and leave me reluctant to wholly embrace the game right now.”

Scarlet Nexus launches on June 25 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Check out our Scarlet Nexus preorder guide to learn about the available bonuses. Elsewhere, Funimation is developing a spin-off anime series that debuts on June 25 as well.

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Control Studio Remedy Confirms It Now Has Six Games In Development

Control developer Remedy Entertainment has provided some insight into what it’s working on right now, and this includes a brand-new game that the studio is keeping under wraps. In total, Remedy has now six games in the works that we know about.

As part of Remedy’s latest earnings report, the company said nearly all of the developers who worked on Control have now shifted to “other Remedy projects.” One of these is a “new, exciting early-phase project.”

Now Playing: Control: Expansion 2 AWE – Announcement Trailer

CEO Tero Virtala was asked on an earnings call if this game was separate from any of Remedy’s previously announced new games, and he confirmed that it is. “Yes, we have a new project, but it is in very, very early stages. Nothing more to expand on that,” he said, as reported by IGN.

This is now the sixth game that Remedy has confirmed it’s working on. The other projects include the single-player modes for Crossfire X and Crossfire HD. Additionally, Remedy is making two games with Epic Games, including a AAA title that will move into full production soon and a “smaller-scale” title that is now in “full production mode.” Both are said to be set in the Alan Wake/Control universes.

Additionally, Remedy is making a free-to-play co-op game called Vanguard that is still in the early stages. Remedy said Vanguard’s development is progressing “at a good pace,” with internal playtesting happening now and plans to expand the external closed tests soon.

To support all of these projects, Remedy also confirmed in its earnings report that it now employs 281 people, which is an increase compared to last year. Remedy added that it is testing new ways to find talent to join the studio.

Overall, Remedy posted revenue of €8.1. million, which is up 3.4%, while total profit was €900,000, which compares to €1.1 million last year.

“Remedy Entertainment as a company, and our games specifically, are progressing according to our plans. We have a strong cash position, and our global market continues its rapid growth. Supported by all this, we have now started to implement the next phase of our strategy to reach ambitious long-term growth objectives,” the studio said.

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Best PS4 Racing Games For 2021

The best PS4 racing games span numerous sub-genres, from simulation and arcade to cart racers and extreme sports. Whether you’re a car enthusiast who wants to tinker with the smallest of details to perfect your style of racing or you simply want to drive fast (and maybe get into some exciting crashes), there’s a wide range of racing games on PS4 that are well worth checking out. While all of the racing games on this list are for PS4, you can play them on PS5 too thanks to backwards compatibility. Note that our picks for the best PS4 racing games are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked.

For more PlayStation game suggestions, make sure to take a look at our roundups of the best PS4 games, best PS5 games so far, and best split-screen PS4 games. We also have lists dedicated to other platforms, including best Xbox One games, best Xbox Series X games so far, best Nintendo Switch games, and best PC games to play in 2021.

Xbox Series X|S Now Has The Original Xbox Animated Background

The original Xbox animation, with all of its neon-green-and-black vibes, has returned to the Xbox Series X|S. It’s now been added to the current generation of Xbox consoles as a dynamic background.

The new dynamic background is a much higher-resolution version of the laser-green orb, and it’s a free addition as part of the latest Xbox system update. Of course, the original Xbox interface doesn’t come over–no surprise changes to the Xbox Series X|S dashboard–but it’s nonetheless a nice gesture to Xbox nostalgia from Microsoft. Let’s hope that one day Microsoft will let us relive the glory days of the original Xbox’s lava lamp startup animation, as well. You can see video of the dynamic background in action in the embed below, via The Verge.

In addition to this surprise dynamic background and the Motes dynamic background, the latest Xbox Series X|S update brought a number of welcome changes to the Xbox Series X|S user experience. Most notably, it addresses user complaints about the performance of the Quick Resume feature. Following the update, Quick Resume should be, well, quicker and more reliable.

The update also adds a passthrough audio option, letting you switch on a setting that’ll improve audio quality in media apps if you have an external sound system. Finally, it also adds some functionality to parental controls, enabling parents to block multiplayer modes on a title-by-title basis.

New Best Buy Deal Lets You Stock Up On Razer PC Accessories For Less

If you need some new gear for your PC and you like Razer products, now’s a good time to check out Best Buy. The retailer has a pretty nice deal going on Razer peripherals that’ll net you 20% off if you buy two and 25% off if you buy three.

If you’re more interested in headphones, check out the BlackShark V2 Pro, a very comfortable wireless headset with great battery life. And, finally, if you’re in the market for a massive mouse pad, take a look at the Gigantus V2 3XL. There’s no word yet on when the deal will expire, so you might want to check it out soon.

In other Razer news, the company announced a brand-new version of its Razer Blade 15 laptop, called the Advanced Edition. The ultra-thin computer now boasts the new line of Intel CPUs alongside an Nvidia 30-series GPU. While the base model of this edition comes with the Intel Core i7 CPU and RTX 3060 GPU, the laptop can be bumped up to an Intel Core i9 and RTX 3080. The laptop ranges in price from $2300 to $3400.

New PlayStation Store Sales Discount Hundreds Of PS4 And PS5 Games

Sony has kicked off a new pair of game sales on PS4 and PS5 right now. The Extended Play sale runs until May 26 and includes over 400 deals on games and DLC, with games like Celeste to Destiny 2 up for grabs. The second sale is a great option for budget-minded players–the Games Under $15 sale brings a selection of older PlayStation games, such as Infamous: Second Son, down to just $15 or less. That sale runs for an extra day, ending on May 27.

Even if you already own one of the games on sale, you may be able to snag its DLC for cheap. Both the Extended Play and Games Under $15 sales feature various expansions and DLC at a discount. This includes season passes for titles like Dragon Ball FighterZ and Mortal Kombat 11.

The Deal of the Week on PlayStation is an excellent one, featuring Tarsier Studios’ Little Nightmare 2. Until May 19, the critically acclaimed puzzle-platformer is $24. Those looking for the Deluxe Edition, which features The Nome’s Attic DLC and more in-game goodies, costs $30. Both of these include the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game.

Check out some of the best deals on the PlayStation Store this week below. Other retailers like eBay and Best Buy are also holding sales on PlayStation titles.

Best PlayStation Store deals this week

  • Afterparty — $12 ($20)
  • Destiny 2: Beyond Light — $26.79 ($40)
  • Celeste — $6 ($20)
  • Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time — $39 ($60)
  • The Division 2: Warlords of New York Expansion — $9 ($30)
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ: FighterZ Pass 2 — $12.49 ($25)
  • Enter the Gungeon — $7.49 ($15)
  • Little Nightmares — $5 ($20)
  • Little Nightmares 2 — $24 ($30)
  • Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath Expansion — $16 ($40)
  • Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition Digital Deluxe — $37.49 ($50)
  • Naruto To Boruto: Shinobi Striker Season Pass — $15 ($30)
  • Need for Speed: Heat Deluxe Edition — $14 ($70)
  • Shadow Warrior 2 — $10 ($40)
  • Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition — $4.49 ($30)
  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 — $40 ($50)
  • Void Bastards — $15 ($30)

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Is Up for Preorder on Switch

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is set to release on July 27 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC via Steam. The game bundles together two previously Japan-exclusive 3DS games: The Great Ace Attorney from 2015 and its 2017 sequel.

Preorders are starting to go live, though at the moment only the Switch physical version is available (see it at Amazon). Note that the game will be digital-only for PS4 and PC.

Preorder The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

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PS4 (digital only)

  • Not yet available

PC (digital only)

  • Not yet available

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Preorder Bonus

It’s more of an “early order bonus” than a preorder bonus. But! If you buy The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles before the end of August, you’ll get access to additional art and music “from the vaults.” These include the following:

  • 25 additional pieces of art for the Gallery
  • 29 additional pieces of music for the Auditorium

What is The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles?

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As mentioned above, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a collection of two previously Japan-exclusive Nintendo 3DS games. The first is 2015’s The Great Ace Attorney Adventures. The second is 2017’s The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve. Together, they contain 10 cases to solve, plus eight “slice-of-life episodes” called escapades.

The Great Ace Attorney games follow the adventures of Ryunosuke Naruhodo, an ancestor to Phoenix Wright, and take place in Victorian London and Meiji-era Japan. The gameplay is similar to previous games in the series, with investigations and trials, but players also have to convince individual members of the jury as they make their case in court. Capcom says there’s an overarching mystery that’s spread across the two games, which ought to make them fun to play in succession.

The collection also includes a Gallery feature, where you can find artwork for the games and an Auditorium where you can listen to the game’s soundtrack.

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If you get stuck, you can turn on Story mode, which makes the game progress automatically, letting you off the hook about solving the puzzles and performing well in court. Dual audio tracks are also included, so you can choose between the English and Japanese audio.

Finally, the game will also be available in a digital Ace Attorney Turnabout Collection, which includes both The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, as well as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy.

Other Preorder Guides

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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