Hideo Kojima and his studio, Kojima Productions, are currently in the early stages of planning their next big project after plans for a recent one got cancelled.
Kojima, who was interview by Japanese publication Livedoor (translated by Video Games Chronicle), expressed his frustration at having a major project cancelled. He also explained that the studio’s next game is in its planning stages, and as such he can’t reveal any details about it just yet.
“It’s still in the early planning stages so I can’t say much, but on the down-low I’m actively working on it,” Kojima said. “Recently a major project of mine got cancelled so I’m pretty pissed, but that’s the games industry for you.”
Kojima also revealed that Death Stranding, Kojima Productions’ first title, has recouped its development costs and secured enough for the studio to comfortably pursue their next big game. Death Stranding is still coming to PC this year, but was recently slightly delayed due to logistical issues brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kojima has expressed the desire to work on smaller games in tandem with the studio’s larger projects, with the creator even hinting at a return to horror after the messy cancellation of Silent Hills prior to his departure from Konami. He did, however, refute rumors suggesting that he had revived the project, saying “that’s completely false.”
Death Stranding told the story of Sam Bridges and his journey to reconnecting a fractured America in the wake of a cataclysmic event. It was thought-provoking adventure, which earned a 9/10 in our Death Stranding review, with critic Kallie Plagge writing, “It’s positive without ignoring pain; in fact, it argues in both its story and its gameplay that adversity itself is what makes things worth doing and life worth living. It’s a game that requires patience, compassion, and love, and it’s also one we really need right now.”
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June is nearly here, and it’s another exciting month for games. Despite the cancellation of E3 2020, the month is sure to be packed with big news and game reveals from various channels within the industry–GameSpot even has its own special festivities booked for the occasion called Play For All. But alongside the numerous announcements that are bound to start coming this month, including a confirmed PS5 reveal event, is a slate of new releases, which includes a handful of engrossing experiences, some revisits to the past, and one of the year’s most hotly anticipated PS4 games.
To give you a look at what’s ahead for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch, we’ve rounded up all the biggest games of June 2020 below. For a wider look at the titles still to come this year, be sure to check out our list of game release dates in 2020. Otherwise, be sure to check this article often for the latest during this month, as we’ll be sure to update it with more new release dates that get announced.
Disintegration (PS4, Xbox One, PC) — June 16
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Disintegration – Official Story Trailer
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Disintegration is an upcoming first-person shooter that incorporates elements of real-time strategy games. directed by the co-creator of Halo, Marcus Lehto, the game is shaping up to have similarly intriguing sci-fi elements, where you play as a group of humans-turned-robotic outlaws striving to reclaim control over society from a militant superpower bent on converting humanity into robots.
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The Last Of Us Part II (PS4) — June 19
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The Last Of Us Part 2 – Official Story Trailer
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Set five years after the events of its universally loved predecessor, Naughty Dog’s The Last Of Us Part II follows an older Ellie and Joel, who have finally found a life of peace among a thriving community of survivors. That is until a violent event forces Ellie to embark on a new journey in search for vengeance, justice, and closure. On June 19, you can experience this beautiful, but dangerous, world for yourself. And thanks to the newest iteration of the Naughty Dog engine, the characters and world are more realistic and meticulously detailed than ever before.
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Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated (PS4, Xbox One, PC) — June 23
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12 Minutes Of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated Gameplay
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Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is a remaster of the 2003 licensed platformer of the same name. Much like Activision’s work on the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon remakes, Battle for Bikini Bottom will have completely redone visuals, textures, and character models. Also, it will feature a new multiplayer mode and new content cut from the original.
R.L. Stine’s popular children’s horror book series Goosebumps is coming to consoles in video game form. Cosmic Forces is partnering with Sony Pictures and Scholastic to create Goosebumps: Dead of Night, which will be released this Summer for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
As you can see in the official announcement trailer above, Goosebumps: Dead of Night is a first-person survival horror game, and its premise involves known Goosebumps villain Slappy the Dummy stealing classic pages from the book series, resulting in a horde of monsters setting out to look for you. Expect puzzle solving and the occasional jump-scare, and actor Jack Black, who is no stranger to video games (Brutal Legend), voices RL Stine.
Cosmic Forces calls Dead of Night a “reimagining” of their mobile VR game, Goosebumps: Night of Scares. This console version adds improved graphics, additional gameplay chapters, new monsters, and expanded Stine House, improved AI, and more. Check out IGN’s reviews of Goosebumps’ “scary-good” 2015 film adaptation, along with the “slapdash” 2018 sequel, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween.
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Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
Turns out a lot of you are VERY passionate about The Snyder Cut. Joe, Dale and Matt read out a bunch of your feedback and carry on the debate. Normal service then resumes with Matt sharing his thoughts on the new People Can Fly game, Outriders, and Joe and Dale explain their disappointment with Maneater.
We’re also back with the Endless Search, MORE of your near death stories and mad food combos.
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Arkane has revealed that the original story of the Dishonored series is “complete”, but the franchise has not been put on hold, as per previous reports.
In an interview with IGN Middle East, Arkane Studio’s Co-Creative Director Dinga Bakaba set the record straight about a previous quote from Arkane’s Ricardo Bare, who said in 2018 that Dishonored was “resting for now.” This led fans to believe that the future of the series was uncertain, with outlets reporting that the series had been put on hold.
”It’s weird because for us as a studio, we never did a sequel to a game we made before,” Bakaba told IGN Middle East. “It was interesting to make and everything, but the rumors of putting the IP on hold was highly exaggerated and was misquoted”
Bakaba believes that Bare’s quote was ”over-interpreted.” “I don’t think there was a decision to put [the] Dishonored series on hold,“ he explained. While Arkane has wrapped up the storyline concerning Emily Kaldwin and Corvo Attano and believes the narrative to be complete, this doesn’t mean that there can’t be any more games in the Dishonored universe in the future. “It’s something where we had a story to tell about the Kaldwins and the Outsider, and that story is over,” he said
“So, whatever happens, that Dishonored is complete. This is the best, and most honest answer we can give but, in any case, I don’t think we will be revisiting that [the Kaldwin storyline]. Bakaba goes on to explain that the decision not to revisit “that part” of the Dishonored world was a creative choice and speaks to Arkane’s intentions as a studio.
Bakaba goes on to explain that Arkane is “not a studio of one game, and I don’t think we ever will be.” In the years since Dishonored, we’ve seen Arkane turn to new projects like Prey, and supporting Machinegames in making Wolfenstein: Youngblood.
It’s unclear what’s next for Arkane as far as Dishonored is concerned, but this leaves the door open should they wish to return to the game’s atmospheric world in some respect. We also have Deathloop to look forward to, an action-adventure game directed by Bakaba himself. The game is yet to receive a release date, but we’ll be sure to update you if we hear anything more about it.
Sony has reportedly told developers that PS4 games submitted for certification from July 13 onwards must be forwards compatible with PS5. PS4 versions of The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima will also apparently be compatible with PS5.
Per a report from Eurogamer, developer documentation on Sony’s internal Partner website now includes a step that must be checked, saying that the game has been tested for compatibility with PS5. That compatibility apparently means that the PS4 game’s code must run without issues on a PS5, and the game must include all the same features.
Sony is also seemingly “strongly” recommending that any patch or remaster for a game submitted before July 13 would allow for PS5 compatibility. Any patch for a game submitted after that cut-off must ensure the game remains compatible with PS5.
There’s a difference between submission and release – games are submitted for certification well before release, so some games arriving after that cut-off date could still be non-compatible with PS5.
However, Eurogamer also reports that it has heard that The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima – Sony’s final major PS4 exclusives, and neither of which will have hit that cut-off point – will be supported on PS5.
2K has released seven different games from three franchises on the Nintendo Switch today, all of them beloved titles. BioShock: The Collection, Borderlands Legendary Collection and XCOM 2 Collection are now available, and the individual titles within the first two collections can also be bought separately. Each game comes with all previously released DLC.
If you’re buying these games digitally, you’ll want to hope that you have plenty of space on your SD card–the smallest game in the bunch weighs in at 10.4GB. In total, the seven games weigh in at 103.1 GB.
BioShock 2, which originally launched with a multiplayer mode, features just the campaign, along with the Minerva’s Den and Protector Trials DLC packs.
Here’s the complete list, including Switch Eshop prices and file sizes.
BioShock Remastered: $20 (12.5GB)
BioShock 2 Remastered: $20 (10.4GB)
BioShock Infinite: The Complete Collection: $20 (20.7GB)
BioShock: The Collection: $50 (features the three games above)
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition: $30 (13.7GB)
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection: $40 (21.5GB)
Borderlands: Legendary Collection: $60 (features both games above)
We quickly loaded up XCOM 2–theoretically the most complicated port, as the only game in this list not released on PS3 and Xbox 360–and first impressions suggest a strong port of the 2016 game, with the most notable cutbacks coming in the barracks menus. The screenshots below are taken from an undocked personal Switch unit.
A quick test of BioShock Infinite suggests that it has similarly received a good port, one that performs well and looks fantastic on the Switch’s portable screen. Some shots, again taken from a personal undocked Switch, are below.
There’s a new BioShock in the works right now, although platforms for it have not been announced. If you’re a PC user, you can also nab Borderlands: The Handsome Collection for free on the Epic Store right now.
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Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition has arrived on the Nintendo Switch, adding another sprawling adventure to the hybrid system’s library. It can also be an overwhelming one between its vast environments and numerous complex systems, particularly if you’ve never played the Wii original or the New 3DS port.
While this version of Xenoblade Chronicles greatly cleans up the UI and makes other tweaks to improve its accessibility, there are still some aspects of the game that aren’t fully explained by its tutorials. To help you out, we’ve rounded up some essential tips and other things to be aware of before you set out on your adventure across the Bionis.
We gave the remastered RPG a 9/10 in our Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition review. Critic Jake Dekker called it “just as vast and fantastical as it was in 2010” and said, “Although not every aspect of Xenoblade Chronicles has aged as well as others, Definitive Edition proves that Xenoblade Chronicles is still a fantastic JRPG with an immense amount of strategic depth that’s still impressive in 2020.”
Ahead of Xenoblade’s launch, Nintendo has released a small 1.1.1 update that patches up a few specific issues with Chain Attacks. If you’ve played the latest entry in the series, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, you’ll also find a nice gift waiting for you when you first boot up the game: 100,000 gold.
As enticing as it may be to follow the main storyline, it’s a good idea to spend some time just exploring the world. Each landmark you discover around the Bionis and the Mechonis opens up a new quick travel point, allowing you to warp instantly to places you’ve previously visited. On top of that, you’ll earn experience points each time you discover a new landmark or location, which makes simply exploring the world rewarding in its own right.
Complete Sidequests To Level Up Quickly
Like other RPGs, Xenoblade Chronicles is rife with sidequests. While many of these send you off on typical RPG errands like defeating a certain number of monsters or collecting specific materials, there’s a good incentive to complete them: You’ll earn experience points along with some very helpful rewards, including new gear and money.
In fact, completing sidequests is a much more expedient way to level your party up than by just battling monsters, and you shouldn’t have much need to grind so long as you’ve been regularly clearing sidequests. Moreover, many of these missions don’t require you to return to their quest giver to collect your rewards, so you’ll reap their benefits right upon their completion.
Buy Manuals To Fully Level Up Your Arts
As you battle your way across the Bionis, each character in your party will gradually amass Art Points, which can be used to level up their Arts. Unlike experience points, Art Points are not automatically distributed, so you’ll need to go into the menu and manually divvy them up as you see fit. Remember to periodically level up your party’s Arts as you play; doing so will reduce the attacks’ cooldown timers and improve their efficacy, which will be necessary to deal with the escalating threats you’ll face as you progress through the story.
However, one thing the game doesn’t explicitly tell you is that you can initially only power up an Art to level 4. To improve an attack beyond that, you’ll need to purchase Art Manuals from vendors at the different settlements you visit on your journey. Once you’ve purchased a manual for a specific Art, you’ll be able to level it up past its initial ceiling. Intermediate Manuals allow you to power an Art up to level 7, while Advanced Manuals raise that Art’s level cap to 10.
Hunt Down Unique Monsters
Roaming the world amongst the normal assortment of fauna are a special breed of enemies called Unique Monsters. These foes are typically larger than standard monsters and all have a distinct name like Evil Rhangrot or Territorial Rotbart. They’re also much tougher, making them more akin to minibosses.
While you likely won’t be able to defeat every Unique Monster when you first encounter them, it’s a good idea to remember where they lurk and return to battle them when you’re sufficiently prepared. If you can slay the Unique Monster, it’ll drop some great items, including Affinity Coins (which can be used to set up Skill Links–more on that in a bit) and new gear. In fact, the gear you can obtain from Unique Monsters is typically better than what you’d find at vendors in the area, making it worth your while to hunt these enemies down.
Craft And Equip Gems
On the outskirts of the Commercial District in Colony 9 is the Gem Man’s stall, where you can forge new gems for free. These can be equipped on any piece of gear that has an open slot to bestow additional perks on your party members; some gems reduce the amount of aggro that’s drawn by auto attacks, for instance, while others increase your max HP.
Before you can craft these gems, however, you’ll need to have ether crystals. These can be mined from ether deposits scattered all around the Bionis, so it’s a good idea to make a note of where a deposit is and return to it periodically to mine more crystals and forge those into gems.
Register Items In The Collectopaedia
As you explore the Bionis and the Mechonis, you’ll frequently come across glowing blue orbs scattered around the environment. Pick up one of these and you’ll receive a bizarrely named item like a Dance Apple or Sweet Wasabi, and while their purpose isn’t immediately apparent, these collectables will come in handy at various points in the game. You can trade these items with named NPCs, for example, which will improve their town’s Affinity rating, opening up additional sidequests and other benefits. On top of that, you can also register the items to receive some extra rewards.
Nestled within the Collectables menu is an option called the Collectopaedia. Each page in this repository is devoted to one of the areas you visit on your adventure, and it contains slots for all of the different collectables you can find scattered about that area. Each time you register a collectable here, you’ll receive a helpful reward like a gem. If you can complete an entire page, you’ll get even more rewards, including new weapons and armor, making it a good idea to collect every blue orb you come across as you play.
Build Up Your Affinity And Set Skill Links
As your party members complete sidequests together and battle alongside each other, they’ll gradually improve their Affinity. This opens up numerous benefits; not only will you craft better gems if your party members have a higher Affinity, you’ll also be able to set up Skill Links.
Using Affinity Coins, you can set a Skill from one character’s Skill Tree to another character, letting both take advantage of its perks. For example, linking Sharla’s Adrenaline Skill to Reyn will cause his tension to increase as he takes damage, which ties in well to his role as tank. Remember to also periodically switch up a character’s Skill Tree, which will unlock additional Skills that you’ll then be able to link.
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