Are you ready? Are you ready for love? Matt is. He’s also very excited to play Final Fantasy 7 Remake after having a bash on 3 hours of it. Joe has the unenviable task of trying to describe exciting new shooter Quantum League, and Cardy has been battering people with carrots and fish in Bloodroots. We also forward to the future of PlayStation by casting our Last of Us TV show leads, as well as reminiscing about our favourite PS2 games following the console’s 20th birthday.
As if this bumper edition wasn’t enough, we’ve got a brand new Endless Search game plus a healthy dose of feedback to read out.
Remember, if you want to get in touch with the podcast, please do: [email protected]
The final trailer for Scoob! is out, and it splits the gang up. Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are captured by an alien spaceship that they later find out is manned by Blue Falcon. The superhero is a Hanna-Barbera character from the 1976 show Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, and will be voiced by Mark Wahlberg. The other members of the investigation squad, Velma, Fred, and Daphne, try to figure out what happened to Shaggy and Scooby-Doo and are determined to get them back.
The trailer also rehashes scenes of Shaggy and Scooby-Doo’s origin story from other previews. Young Shaggy had a picnic on a beach once upon a time, and a sandwich lured Scooby-Doo to him, thus marking the beginning of a wonderful friendship. When a cop attempts to take Scooby-Doo to the pound for being a stray, Shaggy intercedes and claims that Scooby-Doo is his dog. He impromptu comes up with a name for the dog by looking at a box of crackers named Scooby-Doo.
Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Gina Rodriguez, and Will Forte will voice Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy respectively. Frank Welker, who has voiced Scooby Doo since 2002’s A Scooby-Doo! Christmas, will take on the iconic canine role again. Ken Jeong will voice Dynomutt, Dog Wonder.
Over the past few years, March 10 has become a special day for Super Mario fans much like May 4 is a punny celebration for Star Wars fans. It’s unknown who happened upon the fact the platforming hero’s name resembles this date when stylized as MAR10, but Nintendo started embracing the holiday in 2016. Ever since then, Nintendo and major retailers have been offering discounts on Mario games and merchandise throughout Mario Day week. Target’s latest ad reveals the first batch of Mario Day deals that go live Sunday, March 8, which includes discounts on first-party Nintendo games, accessories, and Mario plushies.
Three of the four Switch games that are discounted to $40 released just last year. The big one is Super Mario Maker 2, which rarely goes for under $50. The create-your-own 2D Mario game has a seemingly endless supply of user-created levels while also boasting an impressive single-player campaign designed by Nintendo. Super Mario Maker 2 is joined by the adorable Yoshi’s Crafted World, and a pair of multiplayer-focused titles, Super Mario Party and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Target is also offering a two-pack of Joy-Con wheels ($15 value) with the purchase of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but it appears the game will be sold for its full $60 price.
While Target is the first retailer to reveal its Mario Day game deals, there’s a chance that most major retailers and the Eshop will have discounts on same titles. For Mario Day 2019, all retailers discounted the same five games to $40 each and sold makeshift Switch bundles for $330 that included one of the games. We haven’t seen any Switch console deals for Mario Day 2020 just yet.
In addition to game deals, select Switch accessories and all Nintendo plushies will be 20% off throughout the week at Target. The Super Mario-red Fight Pad Pro from PDP will be roughly $15 (was $18.79). RDS Industries’ well-regarded Game Traveler Deluxe carrying cases will also be on sale, specifically the designs with Super Mario Maker 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe art, which will drop to $16 and $14.40, respectively. Target doesn’t have very many Nintendo plushies in stock at the moment, but you can get this Blooper plush for $10.40 and Mario Kart Mushroom plush for $24.
We’ll update this article as more retailers reveal Mario Day promotions.
Best Mario Day deals
Nintendo Switch games
Nintendo Switch accessories
Mario toys
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Waterfalls in video games are like Groucho glasses. Everyone knows they’re hiding something, but we’re never quite sure what it is. A new Twitter account called Is Something Behind the Waterfall? is helping to solve this problem by curating the best waterfall secrets across all sorts of games.
Created by the same user behind Can You Pet the Dog?, the Is Something Behind the Waterfall? account began a few months ago and not only reveals if there is a secret behind a game’s waterfall, but what that secret happens to be. In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, for instance, you can find a treasure chest behind this particular waterfall.
There are only a few posts on the account so far, but they vary between newer games and retro ones. If you’ve ever missed a waterfall in Earthbound, you can correct that more than 25 years later, and even find a secret skull in the original Halo. The game just came to PC as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
There is a secret passage behind the waterfall in Earthbound — but to access it, you must wait three real-world minutes while standing completely still pic.twitter.com/AUnTEkZD5a
— Is Something Behind the Waterfall? (@VGWaterfalls) March 5, 2020
It’s less adorable than an account about petting dogs, but it’s a neat resource that could give even veteran players more information on their favorite games. We’ll also likely see the account get a little broader with defining “waterfalls” to allow for lava or acid, much as it did with including ghosts and cats on the first account.
With any luck, an account dedicated to whether or not a dark pit leads to death will be next. You can’t trust the notes other players leave in Dark Souls.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are getting big chunks of DLC this year, but Nintendo’s blockbuster monster-catching series isn’t going a year without a new packaged release. This time it’s Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, a remake of the classic Red and Blue Rescue Team games from Game Boy Advance. The new game combines these with a lovely new art style.
As with the other Mystery Dungeon games, Rescue Team DX is a roguelike dungeon-crawler, where you and a companion Pokemon explore areas like caves to defeat monsters and collect treasure. The spin-off series has been secondary to the main Pokemon RPGs, but GameSpot’s Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX review argues that it deserves its own place in our hearts.
“When the original pair of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games were released in 2006, they were received as the ugly Duckletts of Pokemon spin-offs,” wrote Cian Maher. “Now, almost 15 years later, it is clear how wrong we were to write off Spike Chunsoft’s ambitious take on the titanic series: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX for Switch is wondrous to play and, in a way, boasts a substantially more resonant fable than most other recent Pokemon games.”
We’ve collected a variety of critical opinions below. For an even broader range of opinions, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic. A demo is available on the Nintendo Eshop that lets you carry your progress into the main game. For more, be sure to read our pre-order guide. The game is still being offered at a release discount at some locations.
Game: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Release date: March 6
Price: $60 / £45 / $62 AUD
GameSpot – 8/10
“Whether or not you’re an old-school Mystery Dungeon aficionado or a total newcomer to the long-derelict spin-off series doesn’t necessarily matter: Mystery Dungeon on Switch improves upon the originals with some valuable quality-of-life tweaks, making it a worthwhile play regardless of your familiarity with the series. It features a distinct combat system that provides an intriguing alternative to the mainline Pokemon formula with tile-based strategizing, humanizes the Pokemon you’ve fallen in love with over the years, tells a riveting and emotional story that will make you view the franchise in a totally different light, and does so with a stylish suite of visuals and music.” – Cian Maher [Full Review]
US Gamer – 4/5
“Though still imperfect, Mystery Dungeon more than makes up for its stumblings through one of the most sweet-hearted stories in the Pokemon franchise, backed by a solid dungeoneering system and a gorgeous aesthetic. If all Pokemon games were as forward-thinking and adventurous as this one, who knows what the franchise could be by now?” – Joel Franey [Full Review]
RPG Site – 8/10
“Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is going to end up surprising a lot of people. Once you get past the initial few hours, it becomes clear why the series has sustained such a fan-base over a long period of time. Although it has its share of annoying faults, the entertaining story, the huge amount of content to complete, and the fun, simplistic gameplay makes it a great choice for Pokemon fans and dungeon-crawler fans alike.” – George Foster [Full Review]
Trusted Reviews – 3.5/5
“Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is an excellent remake which improves upon the original duo of games in myriad ways, yet still remains woefully underbaked when it comes to meaningful mechanics with enough depth to keep you going. As a roguelite dungeon crawler for young players it’s really impressive, but genre purists might be let down. Beyond that, this is yet another delightful game which works a treat on Nintendo Switch.” – Jade King [Full Review]
Games Radar – 3/5
“Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a wonderfully crafted remake of a painfully average game. Every new addition here improves the game considerably but there’s no denying that the original Mystery Dungeon relied on the Pokemon license to carry its repetitive gameplay. If you played and adored the 2006 release, experiencing this game again will be a heavy blast of nostalgia that will keep you engrossed for some time. Unfortunately aside from that, the game is very much aimed at the younger generations, even more so than the main Pokemon games. Strip away the cute visuals and Pokemon theme, and you’ll find a mediocre turn-based strategy game with somewhat shallow mechanics. This is one of those games that isn’t great, but you’ll remember fondly if you play through it.” – Ford James [Full Review]
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Final Fantasy 7 was home to one of the most famous video game love triangles of all time, between Cloud and the two female leads, Tifa and Aerith. For the FF7 Remake, the introduction of these characters and their blossoming friendship has been further fleshed out with an extended period in Midgar. In an interview with GameSpot, the voices behind the characters say, as a result, the story and relationship feel refreshingly current.
“I asked a lot of questions cause I didn’t understand. Are we rivals, competing for Cloud? What’s happening?” said Britt Baron, who voices Tifa. “And what I ended up learning, at least in this iteration, I love the relationship that they have. They’re friends. They’re on the same team. It’s not about these two women who could hate each other and be at each other’s throats. [They] end up working together and becoming friends and fighting side by side. So I think coming out at a time like this, I was so happy for it and it’s a really good lesson that women don’t have to tear other women down.”
Erica Lindbeck, who voices Jessie, added that the friendship between her character and Tifa is similar in tone. “I loved the relationship between Jessie and Tifa too,” she said. “It was so sweet. I was like, ‘Oh, this is dope. Girlfriends, girl power.'”
The Final Fantasy 7 Remake demo is out now, and if you want more insights about what happens just after the demo ends, check out our hands-on preview. Be sure to read our full interview for much more from the cast. The FF7 Remake releases on PS4 on April 10.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Few projects have amassed the level of expectation as Final Fantasy VII Remake. The highly-anticipated reimagining of the classic RPG is finally coming–at least, as a first piece in the multi-part saga–on April 10 for PS4. Unlike the original, it will feature a full voice cast to help imbue the iconic journey with a more cinematic quality. At PAX East, GameSpot spoke with four of the upcoming remake’s cast members–Erica Lindbeck (Jessie), Gideon Emery (Biggs), Briana White (Aerith), and Britt Baron (Tifa). They each shared their thoughts on stepping into the roles of such beloved characters, the challenges of getting their performances just right, and how some parts of the story are timeless.
For some of the voice cast, the journey started years ago with the second trailer shown at the PlayStation Experience in 2015. That trailer will look familiar to those who have played the now-public demo, which heavily features the opening bombing run organized by the Avalanche revolutionary group. It uses the resistance members Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge to introduce the world and the stoic Cloud, and so their voice actors were brought on early.
“Gideon [Emery] and I have been on this project for about five years now because we had to do that trailer that premiered at the PlayStation Experience, so I remember auditioning for Jessie and booking her,” Lindbeck said. “I didn’t know a ton about FFVII barring the main characters, but I’d seen it in other forms, like in Advent Children or Crisis Core. And I just assumed that she wasn’t a very big character. A couple of my friends like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s Jessie, she’s basically in the first quarter of the game.’ Then the trailer premiered and she was the first English line of the first English trailer for FFVII. So I did some research and found out that her story was being expanded. The team Avalanche story was being expanded a lot and that was really exciting because I remember being so excited to just be in a Final Fantasy game.”
Emery himself added that he particularly enjoyed the change of pace in being a secondary character, having voiced other famous voices for the series like Balthier in Final Fantasy XII and Urianger Augurelt in Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward.
“I think what was fresh for me honestly, was getting out of my comfortable leading man lane, which I do for some stuff, but maybe 40% of the stuff I do,” said Emery. “So it was kind of cool to be American. Some good wisecracks back and forth with Jessie and Wedge. And so it’s been cool. I totally removed the whole expectations [issue] because it doesn’t help to have that stuff in my head, so I didn’t even think about it at all.”
That feeling of taking the first steps into a massive world is a common one, especially since the Final Fantasy VII Remake is just the start of a multi-part saga. Square Enix has not yet revealed just how many parts it will be. So for the actors, this is just the beginning of a journey that will continue for a while. For some, that meant immediately learning about some of their characters’ most memorable moments.
“Aerith has a pretty big moment in gaming history,” said White. “It’s iconic enough that everyone knows exactly what they were doing. Everyone remembers, ‘it made me cry’ or ‘I was sitting next to my cousin’ or ‘I had the guide open, thinking this can’t be right.’ They know exactly where they were when that moment happened. And so from the very get-go, beginning my research for this project, that’s the first thing I saw. Knowing that she has that place in people’s hearts was a lot of pressure from the very beginning. To actually take on that challenge of giving this character life, it’s been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my entire life.”
White’s female lead counterpart, Baron, similarly came at her role fresh and unfamiliar with the world, and she quickly fell in love with the character.
“I grew up in a house where video games weren’t really encouraged or allowed,” said Baron, “so I felt a little in the dark and with a lot of catching up to do. However, as an actor I can only be myself and I can only bring who I am to the characters. So it was this fine line between honoring who Tifa is and trying to do her justice for this massive fan base that is expecting so much, but also just making my own choices and trying to be who I am because that’s really all I can do.”
“Tifa is my goal–hashtag goals–she’s who I want to be,” Baron continued. “So first of all, she’s beautiful, obviously, that’s the first thing. She’s gorgeous, she’s athletic, she’s so strong. But then her personality is surprising–cool, calm, collected, empathetic, kind. So caring, especially with Cloud. So I fell in love with her because I think she is very unique. In other video game characters I’ve played that are athletic or tough, usually their personality also is very tough and mean and aggressive, and she’s not. But then she also kicks ass! So I fell in love with her. I want to be Tifa.”
The actual recording of the voice-overs was done individually. In fact, many of the actors had never met face-to-face before PAX. So the key to the performances, they say, came down to the direction of the sound engineers. It was especially tricky to match their own English voice lines to animation that had been originally created for Japanese voices, and they agreed that the engineers were exacting in their approach.
“With Final Fantasy XII we had all the animation, but obviously what we had there was, we were fitting English lines to Japanese flaps,” Emery said. “So that required a lot of nuancing lines in the booth, whereas this by-and-large–there was some animated reference, but then also for timing, there were oftentimes phrases to work to. If you’re a frame over we would do it again. In my mind I’m thinking… It’s a frame! It’s a frame. But then I think that’s a testament to the care that’s been taken.”
“It was a new challenge doing this Final Fantasy because we did have to fit it in prerecorded times and sometimes the translated English doesn’t fit so we have to either speed it up or slow it down,” Baron said. White added that the engineers were “meticulous” about timing.
Click To Unmute
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Vs. Original (Bombing Mission)
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
But while the technology has certainly changed in this remake when compared to the 1997 game, elements of the original’s story are both timeless and timely. The plot as originally envisioned incorporates elements of climate change and corporate responsibility, among other heady themes. The relationships, too, felt very modern for the voice cast, who noticed that for an ostensible love triangle between Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa, the female characters didn’t fall into familiar rivalry tropes.
“I was very confused by that relationship. I asked a lot of questions because I didn’t understand. Are we rivals, competing for Cloud? What’s happening?” Baron said. “And what I ended up learning, at least in this iteration, I love the relationship that they have. They’re friends. They’re on the same team. It’s not about these two women who could hate each other and be at each other’s throats. [They] end up working together and becoming friends and fighting side by side. So I think coming out at a time like this, I was so happy for it. It’s a really good lesson that women don’t have to tear other women down.”
“I loved the relationship between Jessie and Tifa too,” Lindbeck added. “It was so sweet. I was like, ‘Oh, this is dope. Girlfriends, girl power.'”
That doesn’t mean the voice actors don’t expect fans to take sides in the love triangle, however.
“Cloud has his various friends and all the dates he can go on as well, in the original game,” White said. “So the way that it’s written is that you fall in love with every single character no matter who you are. And everyone has their favorites of course. But each character is given something that makes you just go, ‘Oh my gosh, I just love this character.’ And you fall in love with them. And so I know a lot of people have Cloud, Tifa or Aerith, which is it? But truthfully all of the characters are amazing and worthy of falling in love with. And Cloud could end up with any one of them, and I’d be happy, honestly.”
Mostly, though, the actors are pleased to see long-time fans so excited for this re-envisioned classic, and the welcoming tone they’ve experienced so far.
“Obviously it’s a very intimidating universe, for me at least, to walk into,” Baron said. “But I think especially today, meeting the fans and social media engagement has been incredible. I feel I’ve done a lot of projects and Final Fantasy, by far, has been the most fans have ever engaged with me. So in a really positive way, even just from one or two lines in a trailer, ‘You did an amazing job.’ It’s been a really warm welcome.”
White, who began playing through the original game after finishing her voice work for the Remake, has been seeing scenes she recognizes in a totally different context.
“When I was working on Remake I was like, ‘Okay, I’m specifically not going to play VII while I’m working on Remake because I wanted to keep it separate enough,'” White said. “So I played VII after and it’s just been really interesting how people are watching the trailers for remake and going, ‘It’s exactly how I imagined it.’ I have the exact opposite experience because I’m seeing remake for the first time and then going back and seeing VII the reference material, which is absolutely wild. And I’m like, ‘Wow, that line is exactly the same. Or this scene happens exactly how it does or looks a little bit different in this way.'”
The enduring appeal of Final Fantasy 7 has to do with the elements that appeal across generations, to both veterans and newcomers alike. While the Remake has a number of updates to make it sharp and modern, the cast is giving a new voice to characters and scenarios that continue to be timeless. That will ultimately determine how well Remake captures the spirit of its predecessors.
The creative director of E3 2020 has decided to step down from being involved in this year’s show.
Merchandise and event production company Iam8bit has resigned from its position as creative director “with mixed emotions” as revealed in a tweet, but the reason why hasn’t been given.
It’s with mixed emotions that @iam8bit has decided to resign as Creative Directors of what was to be an evolutionary #E32020 floor experience. We’ve produced hundreds of gaming + community events and it was a dream to be involved with E3. We wish the organizers the best of luck.
Iam8bit was originally brought on to “reinvigorate the show and, frankly, to shake things up,” as it said in the announcement earlier this year.
The idea at this year’s E3 was to create a showfloor that “celebrates gaming culture in exciting new ways.” This would be shared with the world through new streaming and digital programming.
While Iam8bit isn’t giving any explanation of why it has resigned from its position, the organiser of E3, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), has given a statement to GI.biz.
“We can confirm that Iam8bit is no longer part of the inter-agency group working on E3 2020. We greatly value their passion for the video game industry and the contributions they brought toward our vision for this year’s show,” the ESA said to GI.biz.
“We have an innovative and experienced team in place including Endeavor’s creative agency 160over90, event innovators Mat+Lo and longtime E3 partners, GES, Dolaher Events and Double Forte — all collaborating to bring to life an exciting and authentic experience for fans, the media and the industry.”
The ESA has confirmed that it still plans to go ahead with E3 2020 despite the city of Los Angeles declaring a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Many of the game events meant to be happening in the first half of this year have already been cancelled due to concerns surrounding the spread of the virus.
Today, Frictional Games announced their next horror project and it’s a return to the series that made them famous. Amnesia: Rebirth will be released on PC and PS4 later this year, 10 years after the release of Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
Amnesia: Rebirth follows a new character Tasi Trianon as they try to survive a deadly creature stalking her in the Algerian desert. This creature apparently feeds of Trianon’s terror, and players must be careful not to breathe lest they alert the hunter. You can watch the full announcement trailer below.
The trailer is light on details but it’s immediately clear that Trianon finds herself in hostile territory. There are what appears to be caverns outfitted with traps, and you can briefly see the silhouette of a creature in a sandstorm.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent was released in 2010 where it became a viral hit online. The no-combat horror game was a popular mainstay for YouTubers and streamers to show how brave (or not) they could be while playing the game. Frictional would publish a sequel called Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs that was developed by The Chinese Room.
Frictional would develop their own follow-up in 2015 called Soma, which isn’t set in the Amnesia universe but features many of Frictional’s hallmarks such as having an unreliable protagonist and ambiguous memory.
Prior to today’s announcement, Frictional began drip-feeding several mysterious videos hidden online that led up to today’s reveal. Some of the past videos included references to Algeria, and hinted at the desert location.
Amnesia: Rebirth will be released in autumn 2020 for PC and PlayStation 4. It is already available to wishlist on Steam. For more, check out IGN’s review of the first Amnesia here.
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]
Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.