This week on Wrestle Buddies, GameSpot’s professional wrestling podcast, Chris E. Hayner and Mat Elfring are joined by a very special guest, look back on one of the best WWE pay-per-view events of all time, and learn all about how referees work–the rules are ridiculous.
First up, ahead of WWE’s Extreme Rules–and the “eye for an eye match” that will surely be a future segment of the podcast–we look back at 2005’s ECW One Night Stand. It’s the show that led to WWE relaunching ECW as its own brand. Don’t hold that against the show, though, because it’s truly one of the best events you’ll ever watch.
Next up, class is back in session as Professor Elfring teaches Chris and the audience about wrestling referees and all of the weird rules that they have to follow–including being incredibly weak. The role of the referee is a strange one, but also possibly more important than any wrestler in a given match.
Finally, we are pleased to welcome WWE superstar The Big Show to the podcast to look back on his time as a member of the Dungeon of Doom. Don’t know what the Dungeon of Doom is? Luckily for you, we covered it in a previous episode. Mat recently interviewed Show about his new Netflix series and couldn’t help himself when it came to talking about this amazing piece of wrestling history.
All of that can be heard in our latest episode above, plus a new installment of Mike or Meg or Dan’s Soapbox with GameSpot’s Dan Auty, your questions, and a look at what noted vampire warrior professional wrestler Gangrel is up to this week in Gangrel watch!
New episodes of Wrestle Buddies are released every Thursday. You can check it out on Spotify, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.
SinoAlice, a mobile RPG with gacha elements from the director of Nier Automata, has reached 1,000,000 players two weeks after its global release. The game also has a Nier Automata crossover event that runs from July 16 to August 6 and you can receive 2B from Nier Automata as a playable character just for logging in.
The story of SinoAlice is set in a dark and twisted fantasy world, retelling more grim versions of fairy tale characters, like Alice (in Wonderland), Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella.
The event features a series of quests written by Yoko Taro–the director of SinoAlice and Nier Automata–and features machine lifeforms as enemies. You can also unlock A2 and Emil in The Puppets’ Feast Grimoire, the games’ loot box-type mechanic for unlocking gear.
After Nier Automata, a crossover with Nier Replicant will start on August 8. The game also added a new character, Little Mermaid, and several new story chapters for existing characters Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.
In an interview with GameSpot, Yoko Taro said the game stands out among other mobile RPGs due to its unique setting and focus on storytelling.
We learned about the Child’s Play TV show Chucky back in January, when Syfy ordered the show to series. Now, with the release of the first Chucky trailer six months later, we’ve learned that the show will also air on USA Network alongside Syfy. The teaser trailer has some fun with this announcement, including the tagline, “An evil too great to play on just one network.”
The trailer isn’t much–it features a lengthy shot of a decrepit Toyland store aisle, looking somewhat ransacked, followed by a shadowy look at the bloodthirsty doll silhouetted against the store’s entrance. Rain trickles down the glass doors as Chucky raises his iconic kitchen knife. One exciting detail for longtime Child’s Play fans is the fact that–as pointed out by YouTube commenter Oscar 3:30–the trailer uses the theme music from Child’s Play 2, which was first released in 1990. And, of course, we hear Chucky’s iconic laugh at the end.
Of course, it’s no surprise that the Child’s Play TV show will make references back to the film series. After all, as we learned back in January, original franchise creator Don Mancini will serve as writer and showrunner on the series, and will also direct the first episode. Syfy described Chucky thusly at the time: “A vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begin to expose the town’s hypocrisies and secrets. Meanwhile, the arrival of enemies–and allies–from Chucky’s past threatens to expose the truth behind the killings, as well as the demon doll’s untold origins as a seemingly ordinary child who somehow became this notorious monster.”
In addition to Mancini, David Kirschner (Hocus Pocus), Nick Antosca (Channel Zero), and Harley Peyton (Twin Peaks) serve as executive producers on the series. Notably, the show apparently has nothing to do with 2019’s Child’s Play reboot, which starred Mark Hamill in the title role.
Chucky will hit TV screens via Syfy and USA Network in 2021.
Wales Interactive, the publisher behind FMV games like The Complex and Late Shift, has announced a new FMV title called Gamer Girl, and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before. The game, which is coming to PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One in September, lets you play as a popular streamer’s chat moderator and personal contact. The game is being developed by FMV Future (The Bunker).
It’ll be up to you to handle a chat log and maintain personal contact with the streamer, Abicake99 (Alexandra Burton). You’ll make decisions about the posts in her chat, respond to DMs from her, and work to help Abi succeed–she can fire you if you mess up.
Interestingly, this is also being positioned as the first “improvised” FMV game, with the press release drawing comparisons to found-footage movies like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. Part of the game will involve protecting Abbi from a predator, and following her as she takes her streaming into dangerous real-world scenarios.
You can watch the trailer below, which hints at the game’s horror elements.
The micromanagement elements of the game will involve managing comments, rewarding or banning Abbi’s community members based on their comments, and the better you do, the more moderator abilities you can unlock.
So it seems like the game will have two goals–help Abbi succeed, and keep her safe. You can also influence what kind of streams she does, or purposefully encourage drama and to help increase her ratings.
Real-life streamers, including CyborgAngel, will also appear within the game as characters. You’ll be able to contact some of them, too, but they may have ulterior motives.
Wales Interactive is promising “hundreds of choices and permutations,” so it should be interesting to see just how many different paths you can go down in Gamer Girl.
American composer Dave Porter created some very memorable music for the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul TV shows, and more recently, he composed new tracks for the Breaking Bad movie, El Camino. Two of those tracks, “Underpass” and “Frozen Money,” have now been released in full.
You can listen to the songs below, through the Spotify link. They are textbook Breaking Bad songs, featuring metallic, driving sound sounds that make you feel tense and uncomfortable–in a good way.
These two tracks were featured in El Camino, but this is the first time they’re being released in full.
El Camino, which was released in October 2019, was a huge success for Netflix. More than 25.5 million people watched it over its first week to become one of the network’s most popular films ever.
“If you love Breaking Bad and Jesse Pinkman, El Camino is a beautifully crafted kindness, and a chance to spend another hour or so with a character you care about,” reviewer Meg Downey said. “If you don’t have strong feelings about either of those things, El Camino may feel like a really spectacularly shot screen saver. Either way, the fact that it exists at all, and that Sony TV and Netflix were willing to put money behind what is so obviously an extremely niche passion project, feels like a good omen for franchise TV.”
A new Game Developers Conference study has been released, and it shines a light on the impact of COVID-19 on the gaming industry. For the study, GDC surveyed almost 2,500 developers, and there are a series of notable takeaways to learn from the report.
First, nearly half of those who responded to the survey said they are working longer hours and are less productive than before the pandemic when they might have been working in an office.
“Poor communication, isolation, and lack of access to critical tools are some of the common challenges devs are dealing with right now,” GDC said. “Nearly half of game makers feel working from home has lowered their productivity and 1/3 of developers said they’ve experienced a decrease in creativity while working from home. While productivity and creativity may have decreased for many developers, the amount of hours worked has increased for nearly half of all the developer respondents.”
On the other side, 19 percent of respondents said they saw an increase in their creativity in their new work-from-home environment. “Fewer distractions means more space to think and act on ideas,” one person said.
One surveyed developer said, “The most difficult part is problem-solving. Not everyone can sit on Zoom all day. We typically would have brainstorming sessions in the office together that would help when we were stuck on an issue.”
Overall, 32 percent of respondents said their productivity “somewhat decreased” due to working from home, while 9 percent said their productivity “greatly decreased.” 24 percent said their productivity somewhat increased, while 8 percent said their productivity greatly increased.
In terms of the number of hours worked, 41 percent of surveyed developers said they were working about the same number of hours as before. About the same percentage said they are working longer hours from home. Of those, 28 percent said they were working “somewhat more” hours, while 11 percent said they were spending “much more” time working than before.
14 percent said they were working less, and 6 percent said they were working much less than before.
The pandemic has also had an impact on business results. 34 percent of respondents saying they saw their business decline, 37 percent said it stayed about the same, and 31 percent said their businesses experienced growth due to the increased time spent playing games.
Less than 10 percent of surveyed developers said they were laid off or furloughed due to the pandemic, while 26 percent said their household income dropped due to the crisis.
70 percent of respondents said they moved to a work-from-home environment, while 27 percent said they were already working from home before the pandemic struck.
As would be expected, a number of game projects have also been delayed due to COVID-19. 33 percent of respondents to the survey said their games were delayed for reasons related to the virus. Another expected result is that mental and emotional health of developers has been impacted.
“My whole family is living with me and sometimes it’s hard to focus on my tasks,” one respondent said.
“Aside from the pressures of home life, not seeing people that work on the game in person has been tough,” another explained. “The lack of a human connection and a physical tangible place to call work just makes you feel like an outsider.”
About 10 percent of surveyed developers said they felt safe about returning to work. “There has been talk of reopening the office for some individuals, with extra cleanliness required,” one respondent said. “I want no part in it.”
Planet Coaster is coming to consoles, and ahead of its late 2020 release, a gameplay trailer has been released to show off the kind of parks you’ll be able to create. This trailer shows off a particularly well-designed park in the game, which is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, and Xbox One.
While the trailer doesn’t show anything of the console UI, it indicates some of the things you’ll be able to do will a controller, including building modifications, drawing paths for walkways, and dropping workers into the park.
Check the trailer out below, and reminisce about when it was safe and fun to visit theme parks before the COVID-19 pandemic (some theme parks are open now, but whether they’re safe to visit is another question entirely).
Whether or not players will be able to make a park that looks this good and runs this well on their first attempt remains to be seen, of course.
Planet Coaster received a 9/10 in GameSpot’s review. Reviewer Edmond Tran wrote that the game is “focused on the positivity that amusement parks can bring, one that fosters even the smallest spark of imagination and creativity.”
The world of Ghost of Tsushima is one in which you’ll often show reverence for nature. Making your way to Inari and Shinto shrines scattered across the island is a way to unlock new Charms that can make you more effective in the game, while also often treating you to environmental puzzles and beautiful vistas that can provide an appreciation of Ghost of Tsushima’s lush world. In addition to the marked shrines throughout Tsushima, you can also find hidden altars that trigger visual flourishes. Find enough of them, and you can unlock a hidden trophy.
To get the Honor the Unseen hidden Trophy, you need to find and bow to 10 hidden altars throughout the island. You’ll find them in various, often unassuming places, usually marked by wooden signs that show the silhouette of someone bowing. Watch for the signs as you climb Shinto Shrines, complete quests, and liberate outposts. While there are more than 10 altars, here’s a list of where you can find 10 to unlock the Trophy.
You’ll go to Golden Temple in Ariake as part of the main story in Act 1. While you’re there, head up the stairs on the west side of the village to find a large Buddha statue. It’s not marked with a sign, but the statue counts as a hidden altar.
Kechi Fishing Village – River Dock
Kechi is an occupied farmstead you’ll find west of Hiyoshi Springs on the river. The hidden altar is on the dock over the river, but activating it is a lot easier after you’ve liberated the village from the Mongols.
Tadayori’s Rest
As you head down to Azamo Bay as part of the Act 1 story, you’ll also unlock the Mythic Tale The Legend of Tadayori. Complete the quest (use our Mythic Tale guide for help) to find Tadayori’s Rest, a grave marked by purple flowers in Houren’s Pasture. In the center of the area is a shrine that counts as a hidden altar.
Yoichi’s Crossroads – Cemetery
This is another Mongol outpost, located southwest of Hiyoshi Springs location in the Hiyoshi region. The Mongol camp is right next to a small cemetery. Climb the steps to the highest point of the cemetery, where you’ll find a group of statues marked as a hidden altar.
Traveler’s Rest Inn – River Dock
Another outpost west of Hiyoshi Springs, Traveler’s Rest Inn is just south of Kechi Fishing Village. It also has a hidden altar spot on the river.
Kaneda Inlet – Pillar of Honor
This Pillar of Honor is at the very north of Izuhara, in the Hiyoshi region, just west of Castle Kaneda. Head to the coast in Kaneda Inlet to find a Pillar of Honor there. It also bears a sign marking it as a hidden altar.
Toyotama
Old Kanazawa Marsh – Pillar Of Honor
You’ll find a Pillar of Honor between Umugi and Akashima in Toyotama. Head southwest of the Old Kanazawa Marsh location on the map to find the Pillar in the middle of a field, with the hidden altar sign standing beside it.
Cloud Ridge Shrine
There’s a Shinto Shrine on the coast of Kushi, north of Yarikawa Stronghold, where you’ll find not one, but two hidden altars right next to each other. Find the shrine and start climbing up until you squeeze between two rocks and come across a statue depicting a frog. Bow to that one, then turn right and on your way out, you’ll find another frog statue that’s also an altar.
Omi Monastery
Head to Otsuna to find Omi Monastery south of Omi Village. It’s a big place, but up the hill from the monastery is a small cemetery. Bow to the large grave there to kick off a musical interlude.
Omi Village – Lord Sakai’s Grave
You’ll venture to Omi Village as part of the Act 2 story tale, Ghosts of the Past. Just north of Omi Village is the Sakai cemetery, where you’ll find the grave of Jin’s father. You’ll create a haiku at the grave, but it also functions as an unmarked hidden altar.
Warning! This last entry is a story spoiler for the end of Act 2’s story. Don’t mouse over it until you’ve completed every story mission before The Fate of Tsushima Tale.
Taka’s Grave
Before you complete the final mission in Act 2, the story will take you to the cliffs outside Yarikawa Stronghold, paying your respects at your friend’s grave. Bow here to trigger an unmarked hidden altar, as well.
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One of the key differentiators between Microsoft and Sony for their next-generation strategies is that Microsoft is not releasing exclusives for its Series X console out of the gate, while Sony plans to do that with PlayStation 5. Microsoft’s strategy and messaging is that Xbox is not tied to one device, but rather a wider ecosystem.
The games you buy should be yours to play no matter what console you play on within the Xbox family, or even beyond to mobile devices with the rise of xCloud. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has now reiterated Microsoft’s stance on this front, confirming that Microsoft will not release any first-party games exclusively on the Series X for the “next couple of years.”
“You won’t be forced into the next generation. We want every Xbox player to play all the new games from Xbox Game Studios,” Spencer said in a blog post. “That’s why Xbox Game Studios titles we release in the next couple of years–like Halo Infinite–will be available and play great on Xbox Series X and Xbox One. We won’t force you to upgrade to Xbox Series X at launch to play Xbox exclusives.”
Spencer’s comments line up with what Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty said earlier in 2020. “As our content comes out over the next year, two years, all of our games, sort of like PC, will play up and down that family of devices,” Booty said. “We want to make sure that if someone invests in Xbox between now and [Series X] that they feel that they made a good investment and that we’re committed to them with content.”
Microsoft’s approach is more akin to a phone upgrade. Games still release across devices, but you’ll get a better performance with the newer hardware. As Booty alluded to, this has been standard on PC for decades.
While Microsoft does not plan to launch Series X exclusives anytime soon, other developers are. Two titles shown during the Microsoft event in May, Scorn and The Medium, will bypass last-generation consoles and release exclusively on new machines and PC.
Spencer said in an earlier interview that he’s so passionate about his strategy because he wants to make Microsoft’s games available to people no matter what device they have. Forcing people to buy new hardware is against what the spirit of gaming is all about, Spencer said.
“As a player you are the centre of our strategy,” Spencer said. “Our device is not the centre of our strategy, our game is not the centre of the strategy. We want to enable you to play the games you want to play, with the friends you want to play with, on any device. On TV, the Xbox console is going to be the best way to play console games.”
He added: “I find it completely counter to what gaming is about to say that part of that is to lock people away from being able to experience those games. Or to force someone to buy my specific device on the day that I want them to go buy it, in order to partake in what gaming is about.”
NPD analyst Mat Piscatella has been predicting for a long time that gaming in the 2020s will be more focused on ecosystems instead of platforms specifically. “By the end of the decade, I doubt any company will tie content exclusively to one device,” he said. “Particular hardware will be a nice to have, not a need to have.”
Psssst… the 2020’s will be about ecosystems, not platforms. By the end of the decade I doubt any company will tie content exclusively to one device. Particular hardware will be a nice to have, not a need to have. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
The Danganronpa games, which are intense and well-liked visual novel titles that all debuted on PlayStation systems, will soon be removed from the PlayStation Store. Publisher NIS America has announced that the entire series will be removed from the PlayStation Vita store, and one game is leaving PS4, too.
The games will be leaving gradually, and it’s unclear if or when they will come back. Spike Chunsoft is now the series’ publisher, and they could theoretically re-release the games after they are removed–but whether it is worth doing is unclear. We’ve reached out to Spike Chunsoft for clarification, and will update if we receive any.
The games are about groups of super-talented school students who are trapped in an elaborate “killing game”–whereby the only way to escape is to kill another student and then not be accused during a class trial. They’re extremely intricately plotted, wild games.
Here are the games being removed, and the dates they’ll no longer be available to purchase from.
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (PS Vita): August 31
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PS Vita): September 4
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (PS Vita): September 4
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (PS Vita): September 25
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (PS4): September 25
The PS4 versions of the first two games and Ultra Despair Girls, which were published by Spike Chunsoft, will remain available.
The trilogy, minus the more action-oriented Ultra Despair Girls, is also coming to mobile. The first game is available now.
GameSpot’s Danganronpa series reviews
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