Naughty By Nature – Naughty Dog Leadership Reflects On The Studio’s History

Naughty Dog is one of the most beloved game developers in the industry. Since 1984, the studio has delivered a steady stream of hits, including iconic franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. But making games isn’t getting any easier, so we sat down with Naughty Dog co-presidents Evan Wells and Neil Druckmann to talk about how they’re shepherding the legacy of the studio, working to combat work crunch, and dealing with harsh criticism.

At first hearing, Naughty Dog can come across as kind of a silly name for a company. It definitely has a legacy now, but do you ever wish you could change the name?
Evan Wells: I love it. I think it’s got a great history at this point. When Jason [Rubin] and Andy [Gavin] founded the company, they were called JAM Software, which was maybe cool back in the ’80s but probably not so cool today. They were about to publish their first game with EA and they went, “There’s already a JAM Software, so you’ve got 24 hours to come up with a new name.” That’s where Naughty Dog came from. I think it works. I like the name, and I wouldn’t want to change it now.

Speaking about that legacy, Naughty Dog has had such an interesting history. It started making kid-friendly platformers and almost every project has gotten more mature. Can you talk about that progression?
Evan Wells: A lot of it comes through our staff maturing but also the industry and the medium maturing. Back when we were making Crash Bandicoot, we couldn’t conceive of making a game like the The Last of Us, it just wasn’t technically achievable. As creators we’ve grown through the years and we’ve progressed with the hardware and actually tried to stay ahead of that curve. With Crash Bandicoot, we had to have a big head with big features just so you could read the character expressions. Then when we move to PS2, we could get more detail we could go more humanoid. With the PS3, we could finally get that subtlety where you have emotion between the lines and really get the subtle facial features. Each hardware production has allowed us to delve into more interesting content.

Neil Druckmann: We have more flexibility now. Now we have the luxury of picking and choosing what style, and what kind of story, and what kind of game we want to create.

A look inside the Naughty Dog offices

Do you have any desire to go towards lighter fare or return to your roots, to those kid-friendly games?
Evan Wells: If we had endless resources and time it would be super fun to do that. You look at what Insomniac is doing with Ratchet and Clank and it’s exciting. It’s great to see that stuff. We’re just limited with time, you know, I’m 48 years-old and how many more games do you get to make, so you got to pick and choose.

Neil Druckmann: Once we finish a project, we spend quite a bit of time entertaining all sorts of different directions, whether it’s going to be something new or if we’re going back to some old franchise. We really take our time with it, and if you were to see our folders of concept art you’d see unused concepts that are all over the gamut. Then we look at everything and we ask ourselves what are we excited by? What’s something that’s going to challenge us and push us, and push the medium as far as games that can be? Because that inspiration is so important to carry through years of production.

A lot of fans have this perception of Naughty Dog as this crown jewel in Sony’s cap, like the best of the best in the development world. Do you see yourselves that way?
Evan Wells: That’s a big question. We just try to make games that excite us. We try to make games that are going to be fun to play and received well by our fans, and rewarding for the team to create. We’re not really driven by any pressure from Sony to do anything in particular.

Neil Druckmann: To steal a term from someone, our brand is excellence and people come to Naughty Dog to achieve excellence and we give ourselves the pressure of living up to the kinds of games people expect from us.

You’ve said that you look up to studios like Insomniac, Guerrilla Games, and Sony Santa Monica. What specifically do you see them doing that inspires you?
Neil Druckmann: It might be some particular tech like what Guerrilla was able to achieve with how dense their foliage is. We looked at that, and we talked to them about that.

Evan Wells: You always come out with something that you could do better, even if it’s not something you adopt directly. So many times you’re brainstorming something in the office with your colleagues, and you look at something like, “Yeah, that’s just gonna be too hard to implement. We can’t go down that road.” And then you go talk to another studio, and you see that they’ve done that very thing or something very similar and you’re like, “Oh my God!” And then they talk about how it’s paid off, and you’re instantly inspired.

The Last of Us Part II concept art

Do you have any specific examples of that?
Evan Wells: Very early on in The Last of Us Part II development, we knew that it was taking places in Seattle, and we knew that Sucker Punch had completely modeled Seattle for Infamous Second Son. We said, “We’re not going to use the assets in the game, but we want to quickly feel out the space, so can we get access to those assets?” And they said, “Sure,” and sent it over. We were able to quickly rough out the environment. That was a huge help.

Neil Druckmann: Another thing that comes to mind when we were talking to Sucker Punch is that we were talking about mo-capping a horse for The Last of Us Part II, and we were looking for ways to do it, and they were like, “Oh, we’re about to do the same thing [for Ghost of Tsushima]. Let’s double up our efforts.” Motion capture for a big animal is a big deal, and we were able to just approach the problem together and use similar data, sometimes the same data for both games.

I wouldn’t have even thought about mo-capping a horse. That’s crazy that you did that.
Neil Druckmann: We also mo-capped dogs, and then there’s a sheep sequence in The Last of Us Part II, and that’s actually dogs acting like sheep.

Naughty Dog has such a proven track record, but that hasn’t come without cost. Over the years, you’ve come under fire for studio crunch. Could you speak to your personal experience with crunch and how that’s affected the studio?
Evan Wells: I have definitely personally worked very hard over the years. I think some of that has helped me get to where I am in my career. As a studio, we’ve all worked hard together, and we are working very hard on every project to find the right balance, just like we do in all of our technical aspects of creating a game. We have post mortems and we look at how the animation went and we look at how the design went and we dig really deep into all the things that could have been better and the things we got right. We do the same thing with production. We look at how the whole game was created, and where we can make improvements and how we can strike the right balance between giving people the opportunity to – as I mentioned earlier – leave their mark on the industry and advance their craft in ways that have never been achieved, but also find space along that spectrum.

Neil Druckmann: We have so many talented people that are good at solving problems, whether they’re creative or technical. Let me go back to The Last of Us Part II; some pillars that were important to us were diversity, diversity in the people we hire and the characters that we have in our game as well as accessibility and how do we make our games more accessible. Likewise, we’re looking at quality of life for preventing burnout, to employ the brain power we have in our studio, and we started coming up with working groups to talk about the areas in the studio where we can improve. We worked a particular way when we’re 40 people, now we have to evolve as we keep growing.

Evan Wells: Something else that we’re really focused on is increasing the level of management at the studio. We have more directors and more leads, all with the end goal of giving the entire team more opportunities to provide feedback and check in on their well-being.

Neil Druckmann: Everybody has a different definition of what crunch means. And I guess for us, we think of it as, how do we look out for the well-being of our colleagues and everyone that works at Naughty Dog, which is some combination of how many hours you work and how much stress you’re feeling, whether that’s something that’s going on in the office or at home. We find that there is no one solution that fits everybody. Everybody has a unique situation we might need to address.

One of the things that the industry has talked about as a possible solution is unionization. Do you have thoughts on unionization?
Evan Wells: I haven’t put a lot of thought into that. I don’t know if that would be a solution for crunch. To Neil’s point about making sure that everybody is able to work as hard or as little as they want, we’ve got to create an environment that allows that. If we had some sort of restriction where when the clock strikes 40 hours the servers shut down and you can’t work anymore, that would frustrate people to no end. There are people who really want to put in that extra polish on their own volition, and they would feel handcuffed.

Neil Druckmann: We’ve tried stuff, like Evan is describing, in the past where we’ve said, “Okay, no working past this hour,” or, “It’s mandatory that no one can work on Sunday,” and they’re always a lot of corner cases of someone saying, “Well, I couldn’t work on Friday because I had to be with my kids. It’s actually more convenient for me to come in on Sunday.” When you try to have a silver bullet, like one solution, you’re always leaving someone behind. That’s why we feel like we need multiple solutions. We have to approach this from multiple angles.

A Naughty Dog family shot

You talked about ensuring that the workplace is a fun environment. What does that look like?
Neil Druckmann: We make video games, right? So many of us have dreamed about doing this when we were kids and sometimes you’re in it so long you forget to appreciate it. For me it’s just a constant reminder that the creative process, the putting the thing together, should be fun in itself. That’s about how do you get feedback? How do you realign someone that was working on [an] idea that might not work out, but still inspire them to come back to the vision? There’s an art to that.

Some companies seem to be moving away from the big, story-driven single-player games. For example, Ubisoft recently announced that it would be developing more long-tail, free-to-play games. Do you feel that story-driven, single-player games are still Naughty Dog’s future?
Evan Wells: Absolutely. Yeah, and it’s sort of in our DNA to tell these stories. I think that’s going to continue. Single-player experiences are near and dear to us. It’s what has attracted a lot of people to Naughty Dog, and that’s what inspires them, so I think we’re going to keep at it as long as we can.

Neil Druckmann: And again, going back to who Sony is, there has never been a mandate like, “Oh, this is where we see the winds shifting. Can you start making these kind of games instead?” We know just as they know that when you work on something you’re excited by, something you’re passionate by, you’re going to do great work.

You basically put a bow on the Uncharted series, but you still have that The Last of Us multiplayer project in the works. Do you want to continue to work on the IP you’ve established or do you have a desire to create new properties at this point?
Evan Wells: I think the easy answer is: both. I think there’s excitement to develop new IP, but there is still a ton of love for Uncharted and The Last of Us, and I think you’ll see both kinds of projects from us in the future.

The Last of Us Part II was a big, sprawling project and it was largely well-received, but a certain segment was very critical of various aspects of the game. How did you, as a studio, deal with that?
Neil Druckmann: When we started making The Last of Us Part II, specifically, we knew we were making something that would be controversial for part of the fanbase. That’s not the reason to make it, we made it despite that. Our intention is not to upset people or alienate people, our intention is to tell a story that’s meaningful to us that we think has some value behind it, and is worth spending years of our time making. When we had the leaks, before anybody had a chance to play it, that’s when we got a ton of negativity, and we started questioning, “Is this game going to be successful at all?” We didn’t even know how much the leak really hurt us. That was really the low point for me. And it helped that some people in the studio – like [character art director] Ashley Swidowski reached out to me and said, “I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I am proud of this game. It’s my favorite game I’ve worked on, and you don’t understand how much this means to me.” More than anything, that’s the thing that makes me proud. Sometimes I get asked, “Do you get nervous for interviews or for doing a presentation at E3?” And, I’m an introvert and there is some level of nervousness, but I never get more nervous than when I have to speak in front of all of Naughty Dog, because there’s nobody that Evan and I want to make more proud than everybody else who works on the game, because they put so much of themselves into the game. They’re so excited and they’re so passionate about what they’re making. Those are the people I want to make proud more than anything else. If some percentage of the studio didn’t like the game that would just bum me out beyond repair. As far as people on the outside, I’m like, “That’s unfortunate [you didn’t like The Last of Us Part II], but I stand by the game we made.”

Sounds like you’re saying that some of the biggest fans of Naughty Dog are at Naughty Dog?
Neil Druckmann: I would say that the biggest fans and the biggest critics are within Naughty Dog, and that’s what keeps us as good as we are.


This article originally appeared in Issue 337 of Game Informer.

Destiny 2 Beginner’s Guide For New And Returning Players | Season Of The Lost

Click to watch embedded media

Publisher: Bungie
Developer: Bungie
Release:


(PlayStation 4,
Xbox One,
Stadia,
PC),
(PlayStation 5,
Xbox Series X/S)

Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC

As a long-time Destiny 2 fan, it’s a fantastic sight to see so many returning players and newcomers join the fray thanks to Season of the Lost and the upcoming Witch Queen expansion. While Destiny has always had a story, it truly feels like the Forsaken DLC kicked off a new wave of inspiration from the team. The studio over at Bungie continued that flow with Shadowkeep and the current expansion, Beyond Light. From there, the seasonal content hit a crescendo that is nothing short of inspiring, especially so with Season of the Chosen and Splicer.

With Season of the Lost bringing back a beloved character from the first game, many veteran Destiny players are returning after long hiatuses. That, and newcomers are finally checking out what the space shooter has in store. That being said, the Destiny 2 available today is almost nothing like it was at launch, and that can be very intimidating when looking at all of the different content. Where should you start? What should you skip? What should be your focus? Well, Guardian, strap in, because here’s your Destiny 2 Beginner’s Guide for new and returning players before diving into what Season of the Lost has in store. 

Should I pay for the expansions or try free-to-play first? 

Free is always good but in this case? Paid is way, way better. If you’re looking for story, the expansions are the way to go. Forsaken, Shadowkeep, and Beyond Light are the current expansions you can dive into, with the first being a true pivot for the Destiny 2 experience. When the game first launched, it was rough, which we talked about here, but Forsaken truly acted as a catalyst for positive change. Then Shadowkeep came and took the story into an even darker place with the current expansion, Beyond Light, shattering us in ways (sometimes literally) that are both painful and beautiful. Purchasing the expansions is also a great way to get better gear because it’s assumed that you’ve played the game before now while also granting access to higher-tier content such as Raids. 

The free version isn’t a bad start if you are on the fence about whether or not the style of gameplay is right for you. You can play PvP events like Crucible, PvPvE events like Gambit, and enjoy additional content such as Strikes. You can also enjoy the Vault of Glass raid, the only raid that is free for everyone that has returned from its Destiny 1 glory. Expansion-specific Exotic quests are also limited to paid players. What you will also be missing out on is some of the best storytelling in Destiny history, as well as the seasonal content that adds gut-wrenching lore and tales of inspiring feats. 

Classes and Subclasses

There are three classes to choose from, I recommend running one of each to level faster and to experience the wildly different ways each one approaches combat:

  • Hunter – Perfect for rogue lovers
  • Titan – Perfect for tank lovers
  • Warlock – Perfect for magic lovers
    • Think of Warlocks as a Support character due to healing rift abilities and its Well of Radiance Super 

Each class has four subclasses to master, individually unlocked: 

  • Solar
  • Arc
  • Void
  • Stasis 
    • This can only be unlocked if you have Beyond Light

Each subclass has three skill trees to unlock, which are different from class to class. Play around for different trees depending on the instance. For example, when I run raids as a Warlock, I’ll typically either go top-tree void or Solar for Well of Radiance to keep my fireteam alive. Or, if I want to do massive damage with my Titan, I will go Thundercrash using the Arc subclass. Paired with a unique Exotic chest piece, that damage is increased even more, making this a powerhouse addition to any fire team. Hunters also have a unique Tether ability which is great for clearing large groups of enemies at one time. 

Where should I start?

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed at first, whether you are completely green or a returning player. When dropping into Destiny 2 for the first time, New Light starts you with doing the introduction mission on the Cosmodrome. This is a tutorial segment of the game that shows you the basic ropes, such as Supers, basic combat, weapon types, and varying NPC roles. When you are there, you will be directed to your first NPC that will dole out what are called Bounties. These are specific tasks that give instructions on what players will need to do in order to complete them. They are great for getting XP to level while also earning Pinnacles and Powerfuls, which is something we’ll go into more detail about in the Gear section. 

When running around to get your first ship, it can be a little disorienting because a new player isn’t going to be super familiar with how Destiny works quite yet, which can be a tad overwhelming. Pay attention to what the NPCs that have a marker over them tell you, grab bounties, and then pay attention to your Quest log to track which action items you want to do first. This will get more complicated as you go on, but the start of your journey will focus on catching you up on everything to do in-game. Once the New Light campaign is complete, you’ll then head to the Tower where there will be quest markers for key characters: 

  • Shaxx – Crucible, PvP
  • Banshee – Weapon bounties, consumables, purchasable items with Glimmer (in-game material used as currency), Legendary Shards, etc
  • Drifter – Gambit bounties 
  • Zavala – Titan vanguard for Strike bounties, Strikes in a playlist can be found in the Destinations tab on your menu alongside Gambit and Crucible
  • Ikora Rey – Warlock vanguard 
  • ADA-1 – Armor Synthesis agent for transmogrification, offers unique bounties for materials needed to make cosmetic changes

Eventually, there will be an extension to the Tower called the H.E.L.M, but you don’t need to worry about that until you reach Beyond Light content and continue on with Season of the Chosen and everything after that point. 

Unlocking worlds will be key when first starting out, and this can be a pain in the butt because it depends on your Power Level. New areas will also unlock as you go into each expansion, opening up new content like Strikes and Season-specific activities. Which brings us to our next point: what is a Power Level? 

What is a Power Level?

Power Levels is the current level of your character, an average of the gear levels you have equipped both with armor and weapons. Power Levels are key in knowing which content you should tackle and what you should hold off on. If you dive into an activity that recommends a 1300 Power Level at 1240, you’re going to get crushed and that could ruin your Destiny experience. 

You’ll also deal with what’s called an Artifact, which was introduced in Year 2. Artifacts will be key when leveling up, offering up a boost in your Power level from your Base level (pre-Artifact) while also unlocking powerful mods for your gear. The quickest way to level up your PL is to run three characters of each class and do all of your Pinnacle and Powerful bounties (marked by a gold symbol in your Destination and Map tabs. Hover over where the symbol is marked to see what you need to do, depending on the activity). Pinnacles and Powerfuls will increase your Power Level if you aren’t at that season’s cap yet through completion, dropping weapons and gear at a higher PL. 

Gear and how to approach earning it

Good sources for Legendary gear: 

  • Blue and Purple drops from enemies
  • Decrypting engrams, which are world drops and rewards for bounties
  • Clan bounties
    • Join a clan! There is an XP boost, and you’ll ensure you always have a fire team for those matchmaking activities versus going with randoms you don’t know. 
  • Older raids
  • Nightfall playlists
  • Dungeons 
    • Highly recommend Pit of Heresy and The Shattered Throne
  • Activities
    • Lost Sectors, Strikes, Public Events, Crucible

For Powerful gear: 

  • Exotic quest rewards, which are limited
  • Trials of Osiris, which is hardcore PvP and I recommend avoiding this as a new player
  • Completing eight bounties from vendors that offer Powerfuls, you’ll see this when you hover over the vendors marked with the gold symbol mentioned previously 
  • Europa’s Weekly Exo Challenge
  • Season Pass
  • Prime Engrams (Visit Cryptarch in the Tower to decrypt them)
  • Exotic Engrams
  • Crucible, Gambit, and Nightfalls

For Pinnacle gear (once you’ve reached the Powerful cap): 

  • Weekly playlists
    • Crucible, Strikes, Gambit
  • Clan XP
  • Exotic quest completion like Presage from Season of the Chosen
  • Trials of Osiris (7 wins)
  • Nightfall: The Ordeal (100,000 points or more)
  • Iron Banner
    • A Crucible playlist that rotates in and out of the game 
  • Seasonal Activity reward
  • Newest raid runs, Vault of Glass 
  • Newest Dungeon, Prophecy (Found on the Tower)

Gear types: 

For both weapons and armor, you’ll see the following options: 

  1. Blue (don’t worry about stats if it’s blue, just choose the highest Power Level to level up)
  2. Purple (Legendary)
  3. Gold (Exotic)

Weapon types: 

There are three weapons you’ll see on the left side of your character screen. From top to bottom indicates impact. The first weapon slot is your Kinetic weapon, which means it does not have an energy type attached to it. The second slot is your Energy, which provides bonus energy type damage such as Solar, Arc, and Void. The third slot is your Power weapon, which specifically uses purple ammo bricks. Like armor, there are three color options with Blue, Purple, and Gold. Exotic (Gold) is the best, but you can only equip one Exotic at a time. Legendaries are also powerful and can be made more so with the help of mods. There are mods you can slot in your armor that make it easier to find certain types of ammo. Weapons like Snipers, Fusion Rifles, and Shotguns use green ammo bricks, which work similarly to purple when looking to stay loaded. Purple ammo bricks will always be needed for your Power weapon.

Gear stats: 

For armor, there are various stats to keep in mind, which will vary in importance depending on the class of your choosing:

  • Mobility – Ideal for Hunters
  • Resilience – Ideal for Titans
  • Recovery – Ideal for Warlocks
  • Discipline – Grenade Cooldown reduction
  • Intellect – Super Cooldown reduction
  • Strength – Melee Cooldown reduction

Armor and weapons can also be enhanced with the use of mods:

  • General mods, boosts basic stats
  • Slot-specific mods, increases ammo finds, improved ADS times on weapons, and how combat affects you such as decreased incoming ranged damage
  • Combat-style mods, powerful mods that include Charged with Light, Elemental Wells, and Warmind Cells (which are fun to explode for clearing out enemies)
  • Raid mods, only active for specific raids

Obtain mods by buying them from vendors and seasonal-specific characters.

You can also level your gear, as well, with Legendary Shards, Glimmer, and other materials. Level them all the way up to 10 to Masterwork them, making each piece the most powerful it can be without mods. You can obtain Masterwork material from a few different locations, but Spider on the Tangled Shore is my favorite. There are also consumables that you can purchase with Bright Dust in the store tab seen in the image above that will drop Enhancement Cores and Upgrade Modules from defeating powerful enemies. 

My recommendation: 

There is A LOT in Destiny 2. Focus on the story first, story by story. Each expansion will be marked with a certain symbol: Forsaken, Shadowkeep, and Beyond Light. I recommend finishing each expansion individually to keep the story linear and making sense. This will also naturally level you up while also making you more familiar with the game mechanics and the story thus far. You’ll also unlock Lore tabs in your character screen, read those to see behind-the-scenes instances within the world for even more story and worldbuilding. 

There are certain instances you will need to matchmake for with other players, with the exception of higher-difficulty Strikes, Grandmasters, Raids, and Trials. For the latter three, try to group up with friends, if you can. You can’t solo a Raid, sorry. With crossplay now live, getting with friends is even easier. For other instances like Gambit and Crucible, Bungie provides matchmaking and you don’t have to listen to chat if you don’t want to (I never do during the rare times I play with people other than my clan). 

The story is wonderful but it’s set up in a way that is a little unique to Destiny, which means some elements are easily missed. To avoid this, honestly, do everything – strikes, seasonal content, story missions, etc – especially when limited-time events like Guardian Games and the Halloween event roll around, because they have neat drops and enjoyable breaks from the doom and gloom narrative. 

I hope that helped! Please feel free to reach out to me @DirtyEffinHippy if you have any questions. And remember, gaming is there to enjoy. If you’re not having fun, it’s not worth it. So get out there, Guardian, and show the Darkness what Light can do! 

Young Souls Review – Dungeon Brawling With The Best Of Them

Publisher: The Arcade Crew
Developer: 1P2P
Release:


(Stadia), 2021 (PlayStation 4,
Xbox One,
Switch,
PC)

Reviewed on: Stadia
Also on:
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC

Young Souls stars two orphans who are used to being overlooked, but you shouldn’t ignore their adventure. This RPG brawler sports more depth than your run-of-the-mill beat ‘em up thanks to slick combat, enjoyable customization, and sharp writing. Whether you’re cutting down monsters alone or alongside a buddy, brawler connoisseurs should take notice. 

Orphaned twins Jenn and Tristan feel like they’re up against the world. The foul-mouthed, hot-headed teens are conditioned to fend for themselves, earning a reputation as troublemaking outcasts in their small town. The only person they respect is the Professor, their adoptive father who opened his home to them a year prior. The three enjoy a harmonious though emotionally awkward relationship, but things take a turn for the weird when the twins discover the Professor has been kidnapped. Even stranger, a portal in his laboratory reveals an underground world inhabited by goblins whose leader plans to assault their town. While that’s a problem, Jenn and Tristan’s primary concern is rescuing the Professor, and they are more than eager to pick up swords, shields, and other weapons to cut down goblin after goblin standing in their way.

Click here to watch embedded media

Young Souls’ solid writing treats players to a likable cast and a more emotionally charged story than expected. Seeing Jenn and Tristan ponder over their actions and discover that both sides of a conflict can commit atrocities with good intentions brings welcome self-awareness. I also found it refreshing to see a villain genuinely care that invaders are systemically murdering his subjects. The twins feel earnest and relatable instead of one-dimensional edgelords, especially when asking themselves if they’re ready to call the Professor “dad.”

Kicking goblin butt rocks thanks to combat’s fluidity and the impactful feedback from landing blows. It doesn’t matter if you’re using daggers, swords, hammers, or heavy axes, stringing combos and air-juggling baddies feels great. The timing window for blocks and parries feels inconsistent, which is frustrating, but a successful parry triggers a satisfying slow-motion effect. Upgradable sub-weapons add further depth, such as a bow, a screen-hopping teleportation spell, mob-clearing bombs, and, my favorite, a chain that yanks enemies towards you or vice versa. Young Souls might not break the mold, but it’s an absolute blast to play. 

Goblins pose a more significant threat than the average beat ’em up fodder. They often evade, block, and parry, presenting an enjoyable challenge that kept me from mindlessly swinging my weapon. I was pleasantly surprised at how often I had to consider my offense instead of just mashing the attack button, especially against bosses. A few enemy types are annoying to deal with (shield-wielding spearmen block way too often), but Young Souls brings the fight in the best way. I encourage seasoned players to choose the developer’s recommended difficulty.

Playing alongside a buddy is probably ideal, but co-op is local only, unfortunately. Still, I’m impressed with how much fun Young Souls is to play alone. An awesome tag team system allows you to quickly swap between siblings at a button press which you can use to set up cool combo chains. This is great for making dramatic split-second saves since each sibling has their own health bar and a limited number of revives. I like the fighting game strategy behind constantly tagging in/out to allow the other twin recovery time while mixing up your offense. 

Jenn and Tristan initially play identically, but that changes in fun ways since each has their own loadout. Weapons and armor fundamentally alter their playstyles depending on their weight and type. For example, I had Jenn emphasize swift attacks and evasion while Tristan became my death-dealing tank. The game is at its best when you have two distinct twins to cover your bases against all threats, but having them both play similarly is a valid strategy, too. My Jenn’s speedier build fared better against a slow-moving boss, so doubling up on that strategy helped me take it down quicker. 

Young Souls’ structure resembles a condensed run-based dungeon crawler. You’ll battle your way through rooms of enemies to earn treasure, resources, and keys to unlock new zones and chests. Level design is largely straightforward to a fault. The game mixes things up with boss rush challenges and encounters against a legendary warrior who rewards a new weapon type each time she’s defeated. The most imaginative level pits players against ghosts that you can only kill using a particular weapon; however, the weapon renders you vulnerable to a one-hit kill. Young Souls can stand to shake up its exploration like this more often as most levels feel too mundane. On the plus side, backtracking to nab every item is a breeze thanks to a flexible fast-travel system, plentiful checkpoints, and the fact that the map marks locked chests. Young Souls may be the breeziest game to obtain 100 percent completion in some time. 

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In between dungeon runs, you’ll zip around town on your moped to sell items and buy outfits, including buff-granting sneakers. You can even hit the gym to complete simple but enjoyable exercise mini-games to raise the twins’ physical attributes. However, warping home to level up is a tad annoying, as is the fact that you can’t equip battle gear in the human world. 

As the kind-hearted Professor learned, give Jenn and Tristan a chance, and they’ll impress you in more ways than one. Young Souls is an exceptional adventure you shouldn’t miss if you’re searching for the next great game to tackle with a friend or want a quality RPG brawler to dig into alone. 

Score: 8.5

Summary: Young Souls may not shatter the mold for beat ’em ups, but its well-designed combat and impressive presentation make it a stand-out.

Concept: Wage a two-person war against an underground empire of monsters as a pair of rebellious teenagers

Graphics: Young Souls’ colorful art is sharp and oozes personality. It’s like playing a graphic novel for young adults

Sound: While the soundtrack doesn’t stand out as strongly as the art, solid tunes fit the spirit of adventure on and off the battlefield

Playability: The smooth combat has more depth than the average beat ’em up, and a varied loadout provides several entertaining approaches for laying the smackdown

Entertainment: Kicking butt in Young Souls is a blast and one of the rare co-op brawlers that is as enjoyable to play solo

Replay: Moderate

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Jeff Goldblum Returns To Chat About Jurassic World Evolution 2

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Jeff Goldblum returns to Game Informer! In this face-to-face interview, the iconic actor discusses his role in the upcoming park management game, Jurassic World Evolution 2. Additionally, Jeff shares where in the United States he would build his own Jurassic Park, talks about his process for recording video game voice lines, and mentions that John Hammond, the famous Jurassic Park character, should probably go to therapy. 

Jurassic World Evolution 2 doubles down on the strengths of the first game by introducing a slew of new dinosaurs to study, including the water-dwelling Mosasaurus and Ichthyosaurus, the bird-like Cearadactylus, and more. Frontier Developments is placing more of an emphasis on the overarching narrative of the series by challenging players to complete different story-related scenarios and challenges as they build and customize their own parks across the United States. The game features many new improvements to enclosures, the caged habitats that your dinosaurs abide in, including live hunts that allow predator creatures to chase down their prey in real time.

If you enjoy this Jeff Goldblum interview and would like to learn more about the game, be sure to watch our recent episode of New Gameplay Today, wherein the Game Informer crew shows off the game’s new Lagoon enclosure and terrifying Mosasaurus in action.

 

Hoopa Headlines Pokémon Go’s Season Of Mischief

Coming hot off the heels of the events surrounding Pokémon Go Fest 2021, Hoopa and its antics are continuing into a new season of content for the mobile app. Dubbed the Season of Mischief, trainers will complete Special Research objectives to find the smaller version of the legendary djinn, Confined Hoopa.

Starting on September 1 and running until December 1, the Special Research story in Pokémon Go surrounding Hoopa’s exploits will begin. Throughout the Season of Mischief more will be revealed about the Pokémon as more tasks become available. As research tasks are completed, the Mischief Pokémon will become available to catch. However, Hoopa is not going to be available for transfer to Pokémon Home or other games in the series for the time being.

Coming shortly after, on September 5, is the start of some strange phenomenon around the world. Alternating throughout the day will be distributions of psychic-type or dark- and ghost-type Pokémon. Trainers will be able to find some of these Pokémon and more throughout the day in the wild or attracted with lures: Exeggecute, Jynx, Natu, Spoink, Girafarig, Beldum, Alolan Rattata, Poochyena, Duskull, Purrloin, Sableye, Carvanha, and Drifloon.

Also available in the event:

  • Collection Challenges featuring Pokémon attracted to incense
  • Double candy for Pokémon transfers
  • A free incense bundle in the shop
  • Field Research task rewarding Rare Candy and various kinds of Pokéballs

More events and activities are planned through to November, with the next confirmed dates listed as September 8 and 21.

Being ushered in with the Season of Mischief is a big shake-up to the regularly available Pokémon in each biome, hemisphere, eggs, and Ditto transformations. While more can be found through these means, here’s some Pokémon trainers can find and where they are accessible:

Biomes:

Cities – Shuppet, Trubbish, Gothita

Forests – Teddiursa, Shelmet, Karrablast

Mountains – Geodude, Rhyhorn, Slugma

Water – Krabby, Horsea, Mantine

Hemispheres:

Northern – Jigglypuff, Slowpoke, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Bidoof, Autumn Deerling

Southern – Clefairy, Roselia, Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott, Tympole, Spring Deerling

Eggs:

2km – Nidoran ♂, Nidoran ♀, Barboach, Drifloon

5km – Seel, Pineco, Sableye, Chingling

10km – Audino, Mienfoo

Adventure Sync Eggs:

5km – Shieldon, Cranidos, Frillish

10km – Riolu, Deino, Noibat

Mega Evolution Bonuses (CP Boost when Mega Evolved):

September – Slowbro

October – Gengar

November – Houndoom

Ditto transformations:

Gastly, Drowzee, Remoraid, Teddiursa, Gulpin, Numel, Stunky, Dwebble, Foongus

Niantic looks to be keeping trainers busy throughout the fall with all kinds of events and Pokémon to catch. For the full notes of what’s coming with Season of Mischief, check out the Pokemon Go blog post here. And check out the recent update to the saga of pandemic-era accessibility changes. Good luck to those of you looking to capture a Hoopa and all of the other monsters available in the coming weeks!


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Dying Light Is Leaping To Switch With New Platinum Edition

The first Dying Light is on its way to Switch by way of a new Platinum Edition. The shiny moniker signifies this as the definitive edition of the 2015 zombie open-world game. The best part about the move to Switch; you can now play those scary night missions outside in broad daylight.

Techland announced the port during their Gamescom developer video blog for Dying Light 2. The team describes Platinum Edition as “the most content-packed edition we have ever released”, featuring over 100 hours of gameplay to enjoy alone or in co-op. Though not explicitly stated, one would assume that the title contains every content update and expansion, such as The Following and Hellraid. If so, that’s a whole lot of game on one cartridge. Techland promises to go into details about the port in the near future, so it hopefully won’t be too long before know for sure. 

For fans of owning physical carts, Techland sweetens the deal with a package full of goodies. The boxed version of Platinum Edition includes the base game as well as a survival guide filled with tips and tricks, a two-sided map of Harran, and stickers. Who doesn’t want stickers? 

Unfortunately, there’s no release date for Dying Light Platinum Edition. In the meantime, you can check out the latest gameplay trailer for Dying Light 2 Stay Human that premiered during the Gamescom Xbox showcase. 

Want to catch up with the biggest announcements coming out of Gamescom? Visit our coverage hub to find all of those stories in one, convenient spot. 


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Big Phasmophobia Update Adds New Ghosts, Better Equipment, And More

Exposition is the latest Phasmophobia update, bringing with it a substantial amount of new content for players to enjoy and for me to be terrified by. Not only is the gear in-game getting some much-needed upgrades, but there are new ghosts to scare the pants off of us, as well. 

What’s new in Phasmophobia? 

Let’s get started with one aspect that has never failed to frustrate me: sprinting. By that, I mean in the beginning, you couldn’t do it. Technically, you “could,” but realistically? There was no change in pace. Then that slowly got a little better, but now players can sprint for three seconds with an increased speed at a five-second recharge rate. Walking speed has also changed, now at the same pace as the “old sprinting.”

Two new ghosts have also been added with the Myling and the Goryo, which means new equipment is needed to ensure you survive the hunt. With the DOTS Projector, it will be a little bit easier to discover evidence when trying to narrow down which type of nasty is hunting you, though be careful. The new update also makes it to where if you have electronic equipment on hand, the ghostie will know exacly where you are. 

In addition to the new ghosts, all ghost types have had some evidence changes in order to balance out the new meta. This also includes new UI tweaks, visual changes, and new sound effects. 

To see everything that’s new in the Exposition Phasmophobia update, check out the full patch notes below, courtesy of Steam

Sprinting

  • You can now sprint for 3 seconds at increased speed with a 5-second recharge
  • Player walking speed has been increased to the old sprint speed
  • VR Teleporting: To replicate sprinting we’ve added an inner and outer UI circle to represent teleport range (walking/sprinting), these will adjust in size depending on how far the player has chosen to teleport
  • Increased the acceleration of ghosts during a hunt when they can see you
  • Lowered the ghost’s hunt delay before it moves, from 5 to 3 seconds

New

  • Added two ghost types; The Goryo and Myling.
  • Added new equipment to find a new evidence type: The DOTS Projector
  • Electronic equipment will now alert the ghost of your position during a hunt (similar to voice). Turn them off before hiding!
  • Hunts now affect all electronic equipment with new sounds and visuals
  • The parabolic microphone now allows you to hear “paranormal sounds” when aimed towards the ghost
  • You can now enable Head Bob in the settings
  • All equipment (minus Sound Sensor) has new visuals and effects
  • New post-processing effects for players and CCTV

Changes

  • All ghost types have had their evidence changed to make room for the 2 new ghosts and DOTS projector
  • During a hunt, equipment and lights will only be affected when in range of the ghost
  • Random ghost footsteps can now only be heard with a Parabolic Microphone
  • Glowsticks glow for 30 seconds then fade over next 30 seconds
  • The spirit box text has been replaced with icons to show if the ghost is responding
  • Several sounds have been replaced
  • The Infrared Sensor functionality has been merged into the Motion Sensor
  • Lighting has been improved in most maps
  • The ‘placement helper object’ has new visuals
  • Volumetric lighting has been improved in all maps to reduce fogginess
  • When playing solo, you no longer have to use Push To Talk for the Spirit Box (if turned off in settings)
  • The Ghost will no longer be visible at the start of the hunt until it starts moving
  • Player hand skin colour will now change based on the character you’re playing as
  • The tutorial has been updated with the new evidence type and new visuals
  • VR: The journal will now always be held in the left hand
  • The Parabolic Microphone can now only be used when inside
  • Several visual adjustments
  • Several UI adjustments

Fixes

  • “Show us” phrase no longer makes the ghost interact twice
  • Fixed a bug where you could mute the Spirit Box static by picking it up with a different object in your hand
  • Fixed a bug where ghost events would only lower host’s sanity
  • Fixed a bug where the ghost window knocks were not giving interaction evidence on most windows
  • Fixed a bug where you could get the ghost to interact with objects with voice recognition in quick succession
  • Fixed a common multiplayer crash for the host on Asylum in multiplayer
  • Fixed a bug where you could force the ghost to end the hunt using voice recognition
  • Fixed a bug where you could get the ghost to interact with objects when you were dead with voice recognition
  • Fixed a bug where you wouldn’t always get a small map on the map selection screen
  • Fixed a bug where the sensors couldn’t be placed in certain doorways
  • Fixed a bug where picking up sensors too quickly would keep them turned on in your hand.
  • Fixed occlusion culling issues on several levels
  • Fixed a bug where Danish and Finnish were in the wrong order in the language selection
  • Fixed a bug where certain ghost’s animations would only play if you are the host
  • Fixed a bug where equipment sounds were broken when being held by a female character

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New Metroid Dread Trailer Shows Off A Different Kind Of Enemy

Metroid Dread is just around the corner with a release set for October, and to celebrate its impending launch, Nintendo just dropped a brand new trailer to enjoy. The latest video dives a little deeper into the various enemies that Samus Aran will face, those that aim to come out of the shadows of the planet of ZDR to cause some serious chaos. 

The latest trailer, seen below, shows off more of Samus’ moves while taking down familiar enemies and new foes alike while also showing off her “ability amnesia.” According to Nintendo’s recollection, Samus has been defeated by “a mysterious opponent,” and because of that, she has lost all of her abilities that we’ve become familiar with through the years. Luckily, she managed to escape death, but Metroid Dread will explore exactly how that happened and why she was left behind.

Click here to watch embedded media

The large figure she faces off against in the above video is a Chozo, a race known for its intelligence and technological advancement. With a goal towards achieving galactic peace, the Chozo eventually splintered off, scattering into the galaxy, becoming a rare species to be seen. While largely a peaceful people, this culture still has its own “Chozo warriors,” and from the moves seen above? They are not to be messed with.

The latest video also details some of her new and returning abilities, including Flash Shift, which is an Aeion power, Pulse Radar, and more. Check them out to see how she makes the air around her basically a playground for combat, utilizing her skills and combat prowess to stay on top. 

To learn more about Metroid Dread, check out our dedicated game hub here. You can also see the latest developer update here from Nintendo itself. 


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Three New Starfield Videos Show Off More Locations For Bethesda’s Space RPG

While we do have some more time to wait before getting our hands on Bethesda’s upcoming space RPG, the studio did reveal three new Starfield videos for fans to enjoy. The three latest developer updates share more details about new locations that players will be able to explore.

The latest inside looks at Starfield are pretty short in nature, but it is interesting to see some of the vision that the team has for space exploration. While not gameplay, the concept art shared is intriguing and has us interested in seeing where this game will take us for a new adventure. 

First, we have New Atlantis, seen in the video below: 

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Then we have a location called Neon: 

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And finally, Akila: 

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New Atlantis is the capital for a sect of people known as the United Colonies, a powerful faction that is a major player in the realm of galactic politics. Given what Bethesda has said about New Atlantis, it’s pretty much a given that this will be one of the larger areas explored in-game, and possibly one of the most complex. While cool, Neon is where I am the most excited! Neon is a water world that basically looks like somebody saw an aquarium and thought: yes, this is Utopia. 

Akila is another capital city, but this time for a collective known as Freestar. It also has some major Attack on Titan vibes with that wall, just saying. 

While fans have been understandably frustrated at such an early reveal, Pete Hines and Todd Howard have been very transparent about this title was early on in its development since it was revealed. They have also been very clear that it was only shown off so prematurely in order to assuage fan worries that they were abandoning single-player after the reveal of Fallout 76. That being said, it is nice to finally get something more concrete, especially now with the additional resources that the acquisition has to offer. Luckily, though, at least now we have a date, even if it is a little further off than many might have hoped. 

Starfield officially launches next year for Xbox and PC players on November 11, 2022. 


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Elden Ring Impressions: Exploring The Open World, Dungeons, and More

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Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release:

Rating: Rating Pending
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

We had an opportunity to see a short video of new Elden Ring footage, featuring about 15 minutes of gameplay. In this video, we got some deeper dives and clarification into some of the game’s mechanics and features. Of note, we got a look a the game’s first legacy dungeon, how the map system and fast travel work, open-world exploration, and even a quick response to whether or not the legendary Moonlight Greatsword would make an appearance. So if you’re looking for more on what to expect from Elden Ring, this is absolutely the right place!

Join Daniel Tack and Alex Stadnik as they break down the E3 Elden Ring Trailer – with the new knowledge gleaned from this new video session. A lot of mysteries have been answered since that first trailer was shown, and you can be sure that From Software will hold all the really serious reveals until release. And we wouldn’t want it any other way, the journey going through From Software’s epic action RPGs is one that should never be spoiled. However, a fresh look at some top-level mechanics and features is something that can’t hurt to be armed with going into battle. In this video feature, we break down things that have already been seen – in a whole new light. Come join us!

Elden Ring takes aspects of all of the previous Souls titles, Bloodborne, and even Sekiro, and turns them into something special inside a huge open world. Not to get too far away from its roots, core dungeon crawling is still very much a part of the experience, with a vast area to explore outside of the carefully curated looping levels. Explore with up to two other players, as well as a retinue of summonable spirits and your loyal spirit steed.

What do you think about Elden Ring?


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Exploring The Open World Of Elden Ring

Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release:

Rating: Rating Pending
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

Elden Ring’s open-world contains tons of smaller-scale side dungeons to explore and myriad secrets to discover as you zip around on your spiritual steed. However, these wide-open spaces are quite different than many of the corridor-esque zones that have previously been associated with From Software action RPGs. What does this mean? It means that yes, you can approach the challenges of the world with melee, magic, and ranged options just as you would in other From games, but you can also employ stealth as both an offensive option and a defensive choice. 

Taking on a treasure-filled caravan carefully is a smart choice

As is often the case, many lessons and aspects from older From games make it into their new projects, and Sekiro’s influence is felt here with a bit of stealth and stance-breaking. While breaking an enemy’s stance is somewhat similar to how staggering an opponent would work before, it also offers up a critical strike (similar to Bloodborne’s visceral attack window) opportunity. So if you see a giant lurking around in an open field, you can take the trail less traveled and sneak around them in some bushes if you like. That’s probably the right call as you work around an area for the first time. Like Sekiro, stealth is great for both avoiding dangerous encounters but also for initiating combat, and can make all the difference in success or failure. In a brief video, we saw a player take out a traveling caravan that was stopped for a break. Inside the caravan treasure awaits, but there were many guards in front and to the sides.

These creatures are probably best avoided

The player decided to approach carefully and use a sleep dart to disable and kill the first guard, and then strategically visited the outskirts of the encampment to backstab takedown other guards that were looking down at the valuable payload. Sleep darts are super cool new tools that allow you to disable opponents and execute a crit on their prone form. A little taste of magic was also used to procure the loot, a purple ground blast that’s channeled via item usage and not traditional spellcasting, so even if you choose to go heavy melee or ranged focus you can still access some spot magical effects via items. And speaking of items, let’s talk about a new kind of item that shall prove extremely useful when traveling through these vast areas alone. 

Summoning spirits is a big new component to the From Software action RPG formula in Elden Ring, and these can be acquired, leveled up, and upgraded in different ways that aren’t elaborated on right now. These spirits can take many forms, but one we saw in this demo summoned a small squad of trolls, including a beefy-style tanky troll with a big club and smattering of smaller goblin/orc looking things. What do these do? Well, in addition to dishing out and damage and getting in combat, they fulfill a critical function in battle – they take the enemy’s attention. This can be super helpful in a boss battle to let you get some hits in against a foe without windows of opportunity or in the open world where you may be faced with many different enemies from different directions simultaneously.

Bosses are out there in the open world, too. In the short video we saw, two players carefully maneuvered through the bushes to avoid some huge giant creatures that were sort of similar in design to the cloaked/covered man-serpents of Dark Souls III’s Archdragon Peak. In fact, the field boss they were headed to also shared some similarities. With a long-edged weapon similar to a scythe, the boss of the area was a humanoid shape with a variety of extremely dangerous attacks including wide-multi hit combo swings, point-blank-area-of-effect fire, and more.

The boss creature was wrapped in blankets or a shawl (it was kind of hard to see perfectly and notetaking had to be fast), and featured the uncomfortable elongating nature of the aforementioned Archdragon Peak creatures – as in its neck could pull a Mr. Fantastic and stretch out for both a ghastly visual and a variety of dangerous attacks. This is known as a field boss, and the players were eventually able to triumph against it, and my keen eye noticed that the boss’s demise unveiled a Site of Lost Grace where it was slain, meaning you can acquire checkpoints across the open world by slaying bosses in some areas.

Everything we saw in the short video felt very Soulslike with a touch of Bloodborne and Sekiro sprinkles, but also crisp, clean, fluid, and fantastic. I try not to get excited about games until I’ve actually had hands-on with them, but I’m as optimistic as can be for From’s upcoming title and I cannot wait to see how it lands on January 21, 2022.

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Is The Moonlight Greatsword In Elden Ring?

Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release:

Rating: Rating Pending
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

We had a chance to look at around fifteen minutes of new Elden Ring footage yesterday and also, to ask a few brief questions to From Software’s Yasuhiro Kitao. Of course, one of the questions absolutely had to be – is the Moonlight Greatsword in the game? The glowy, laser-tinged greatsword has been a staple in From Software’s titles since King’s Field, sort of like a mascot weapon, and was noticeably absent in Sekiro.

 This is likely because players only have access to a singular weapon in Sekiro, and a massive glowing greatsword would play a bit differently than The Wolf’s signature katana. The massive blade didn’t show up until Bloodborne’s DLC either, where players had to defeat the massive, dangerous Ludwig in order to obtain it. That battle is possibly the most fanservice-y inclusion of the Moonlight Greatsword, where Ludwig busts out the blade in a cutscene to signal the start of an incredibly intense phase two full of lethal attacks and big range. In Dark Souls 3, the blade is relatively easy to obtain with the Soul of Oceiros, the Consumed King, a dragon boss that’s almost surely inspired by another major character in From Software lore, Seath the Scaleless.

Anyway, we didn’t have a whole lot of time for questions, so we got right to the point and asked about the Moonlight Greatsword in Elden Ring. The answer was quite promising. From Software’s Yasuhiro Kitao remarked “Well, it didn’t show up in Sekiro so it has to show up sooner or later, right?” in a rather jovial tone. While we can’t share the audio or anything here, this response places the likelihood that players can swing around the gigantic, cool-looking moon weapon in Elden Ring as very high. 

Considering there are many secret areas to find and explore in Elden Ring, I wouldn’t be surprised if this weapon was tucked away in a hidden area behind an optional boss that might also wield the legendary weapon. Are you expecting to find the Moonlight Greatsword in Elden Ring? We’ll know if it’s in for sure early next year when the game launches on January 21, 2022.


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Elden Ring’s First Legacy Dungeon Is Stormveil Castle

Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release:

Rating: Rating Pending
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

In a fifteen-minute video we had a chance to view on the upcoming Elden Ring, From Software showcased the first legacy dungeon in the game, Stormveil Castle. What’s a legacy dungeon, anyway? These legacy dungeons are similar in scale and scope to areas that players might be familiar with in terms of Dark Souls dungeon areas and are not part of the open world that Elden Ring embraces. Instead, these legacy dungeons have all the bits and pieces that players can expect from curated From Software dungeon romps, including NPC interactions, looping levels, dropdowns, probably elevators, and various paths to take and secrets to find on the way to a big boss or bosses behind a fog gate. 

In this quick showcase, we’re informed that Stormveil Castle is the first dungeon, though players are not going to be constrained with a certain order of legacy dungeon completion in most cases. However, you cannot go to the final dungeon as straight away as you could in say, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. We don’t know the mechanism behind that, and quite frankly I’d rather not know until the game releases so I’m glad From isn’t talking about that at the moment.

In Stormveil Castle, the player is presented with a choice at the onset via an NPC – Head directly through the front gate or take a longer side route. Storming the gate involves charging head-on into a slew of arrows and meeting a gigantic troll face-to-face, so seasoned veterans are likely going to open the door, roll thirty times, and make their way to the boss. 

The side path is long and winding, up narrow corridors and rickety planks, much like you’d see climbing up Boletaria Castle or any of the other Souls-castle sides. Of course, archers and enemies seek to knock you off the precarious positions and cause you to fall. Along the way, we see some other signature Souls dungeon design elements, like dropping down from positions to find secret rooms. One of these rooms contains treasure and what appears to be yet another From Software staple, the early game knight monster that’s harder than the other enemies around, featuring a shield and some light magical accouterments. After that, our hero sees the same giant troll mini-boss creature that our headstrong warrior did, but by taking the side path, this character gets to tackle the huge problem from behind. With the troll unaware of our hero’s presence, the player uses a sleep dart on it to disable it and dispatch it quickly. Sleep darts are an excellent way to disable an enemy and guarantee a critical strike (similar to a visceral attack in Bloodborne) on a foe. Behind the troll lies a fog gate, a classic indicator in From Software games that a boss area is ahead.

A boss in Stormveil Castle

This boss is a multi-armed, massive humanoid creature that players have seen in previous preview screenshots. The boss is surprisingly fast for being so huge and wields multiple axe weapons. It was difficult to tell from the footage whether or not there is a “heat-up” or transformation as the player damages the boss, but in some of the footage it is easy to notice that one of the arms is actually a dragon head, something I am not sure was present at the onset or happened midbattle as part of a phase transition. The dragon head arm naturally breathes fire and can grab the player and fling them around or kill them. The boss jumps around all over the place, slams the ground, and is generally pretty awesome to behold. The action is incredibly fluid, and this looks like a very by-the-book From Software boss, which is expected for what’s considered the first canonical dungeon crawl in the game. It’s not known if this is actually the end boss of this area or simply one of the multiple bosses in Stormveil Castle.

The dungeon romp looked great, and I can’t wait to try to take on the main entry gate when Elden Ring arrives on January 21, 2022.


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Elden Ring Features A Map And Fast Travel From Almost Anywhere

Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release:

Rating: Rating Pending
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

In Elden Ring, players have access to a huge map showcasing the vast open world of The Lands Between and its legacy dungeon areas. Players unlock checkpoints all over this world, very similar to bonfires in other Souls games, known as Sites of Lost Grace. Here’s the big takeaway – you can fast travel around the map to any of your checkpoints as long as you’re in the open world. You won’t be able to port into or out of legacy dungeons in this way as they seem to be their own sort of closed-off core Souls dungeon experience, but anywhere else in the world you can pop up your map and be at your destination almost instantly.

Now, the map is huge, so how do you even go about navigating it? Well, obviously you are going to be doing tons of exploring and looking for landmarks. But, Elden Ring also features something known as map fragments that players can find in a variety of ways that unlock various special markers on the map, to lead players toward points of interest. These breadcrumb items can point you in the direction of all kinds of things. The open-world features hidden areas, optional bosses, and more. You can party with up to two other players in co-op in Elden Ring.

Melina

Elden Ring features a hub area where NPCs you meet may congregate as well, similar to the Firelink Shrine or Majula in the Souls titles. You can go there between adventures to chat, upgrade, and more. However, many of these functions are available at any Site of Lost Grace via a character called “Melina”(SP). Melina is similar to the Maiden in Black, the Emerald Herald, or the Firelink Keeper, and can be summoned at the vast majority of Sites of Lost Grace in order to power up your character and allocate skills. Unlike other games where an ability may have been weapon dependant, the vast majority of weapon skills in Elden Ring can be slotted into any weapon, leading to a great deal of build variety. You can also replenish your healing items at Sites of Lost Grace, and although we don’t know the exact methodology behind healing at this time, this language sort of indicates that Elden Ring is using an Estus Flask-like system.

The Elden Ring Hub Area

When you’re not teleporting, using your spirit steed allows you to travel all over the open world incredibly fast. Various boost points across the map let you blast off and get the verticality you need to traverse steep cliffs or mountainsides. It sounds a bit ridiculous on paper, but in practice, these jump pads actually look pretty cool in action and I hope From lets players see how they appear visually soon. Of important note, you cannot use your steed in dungeons or while engaged with multiplayer. Oh well. 


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No More Heroes 3 Review – Dead Or Alive

Publisher: Grasshopper Manufacture
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Release:

Reviewed on: Switch

Suda 51 and Grasshopper Manufacture’s nerdy assassin Travis Touchdown returns in the first numbered No More Heroes in over a decade. Many of the series’ telltale features return, including stylish trimmings, Beam Katana battles, and completing mundane yard work to earn a buck. No More Heroes 3 is best when the action is heavy, and the absurdity in cutscenes is full-bore, but the open world padding between each thrilling melee arena or assassin duel hamstrings the experience.

No More Heroes 3 bleeds style, is full of fun references, and takes incredible pleasure in being weird and ostentatious. In the opening hour, the landscape of the cast changes in dramatic and violent ways. Also, I counted no less than four title cards in that timespan, one of which lingered onscreen longer than any in memory. I’m still chuckling about parts of this game’s presentation days later. Suda and his team at Grasshopper effortlessly plaster sound effects and visuals across the UI, menus, and cutscenes that bring countless retro games to mind. Few, if any, of the references feels corny; they’re all part of the game’s DNA.

Our hero, Travis Touchdown, has found himself fighting to become the top-ranked assassin on multiple occasions. After settling into his position at the peak of the global rankings, a gang of aliens arrive on Earth to challenge the otaku warrior. This group is led by a colorful leader and galactic prince named Jess Baptiste VI, better known as FU. A much younger and fluffier FU and his human companion Damon are introduced in the game’s opening moments in a beautifully animated Ghibli-inspired take on ET: The Extra-Terrestrial. FU was once an adorable pile of fluff looking to return home, but 20 years have passed since his last visit to Earth. Now, he’s transformed into a surly and violent kingpin, ready to kill at a moment’s notice.

Boss battles are once again the heart and soul of the No More Heroes experience, and big setpiece battles against FU’s generals cap each episode. Players find themselves fighting among the stars in the depths of space or competing in a deadly game of musical chairs. Some encounters feature surprise moments and battles I won’t spoil, but I found it helpful to have previous series knowledge to get the most of it. Each climatic battle is unique and worth slogging through your mission tasks to complete. Even the final encounter was a blast, which breaks the fourth wall in ways that plastered a grin on my face through the credits.

No More Heroes 3 plays like TV episodes bookended with opening credits introducing the characters and features an ending credit animation reminiscent of ‘80s anime. I felt like I was seeing the world through Travis’ otaku mind, and the devs pull it off wonderfully. Episodes open with Travis hanging out with friends and discussing obscure topics like the production styles used throughout the career of director Takashi Miike. From there, you play with your talking cat Jeanne, pick out new clothes, or head to the basement to buy new skill points to power Travis up.

A relic of previous No More Heroes, Travis must complete a series of Designated Matches before each ranked assassin battle. These alternate between combat arenas against various aliens and mech conflicts in space against massive cosmic threats. Battles are quick and fun, where you’re presented with different enemies to fight with fantastic, diverse alien designs, each requiring a unique strategy. The arsenal at your disposal is limited but adequate. Travis can slash with light or heavy attacks using his trusty beam katana, and he uses a bevy of wrestling suplexes and throws when enemies are stunned. Early in the game, he also acquires Death powers, which allow him to slow time, do AOE damage, and toss aliens back, creating more breathing room. I never felt overwhelmed or underprepared when going into battle, but I continually hoped for more complexity and a greater sense of becoming stronger.

Once meeting the Designated Match requirements, Travis must cough up the registration fee for the United Assassins Association to sanction the match. Our mighty assassin earns money around town through Volunteer Missions, taking odd jobs to mow lawns or protect the oceanfront from invading kaiju alligators. These jobs aren’t as engaging as the combat missions, but they also aren’t a complete bore. Lawn mowing is a surprisingly strategic activity, challenging you to continually boost your engine without overloading. It features its own silliness, letting you be a showoff and ham it up while turning the machine to line up your next path to cut.

While I get this battle and chore loop is tied deeply to the series’ early installments, too much time is spent meandering between objectives in the dull, barren open world. Each chapter sends you to territories surrounding Travis’s home of Santa Destroy, and each one is devoid of interesting sights or activities in the world proper. Call of Battle is a bombed-out battlefield with a grainy sepia filter slapped on the screen. It’s the closest an environment comes to being attractive, though it is still empty and full of frustrating invisible walls. Scattered collectibles entice players to explore, but I felt minimal incentive to look around the eyesore of a world. Performance takes a massive hit in the open, bringing framerates down to near-single digits, which clashes with the more stable battle sequences.

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While the journey to kill FU and his cohorts takes Travis Touchdown to some wild places, the narrative needle doesn’t move much in the end. There’s no natural arc for Travis, and the story merely serves as a setup for future series plans. Most character-building centers on FU and how he treats individual members of his team of space conquerors to their last meal before sending them to face Travis. Even these sequences are short and don’t matter much to the overall tale. I wish something more meaningful took place over the 15 hours I spent in Travis’ shoes.

My time with No More Heroes 3 jumped between the short highs from entertaining bosses and cutscenes to long, ugly stretches in the world. Much of the design is dated, and I wanted to drop it after a few bosses to avoid the mundanity, but I’m happy I saw it to completion. There are many fun moments, and I love how unafraid it is to be strange or referential. Those who are already invested in the tale of Travis Touchdown should be right at home in this new No More Heroes. Still, I’d insist newcomers try out previous entries before diving into this Garden of Insanity.

Score: 7.75

Summary: Travis Touchdown’s return slays in action and presentation, while the world he inhabits is dead on arrival.

Concept: Travis Touchdown defends the Earth against ten ranked alien assassins who want to conquer the planet

Graphics: Battles are beautiful and fluid, but the open world is flat and drab with framerate woes. No More Heroes 3 suffers from performance issues, but is full of fun game references and stylish scenes

Sound: Retro game chimes and tones liven up menus and combat, while touches like the theme songs during the anime-like episodic credit sequences are a nice touch as well

Playability: Battles are easy to mash through, but those who want to be more meticulous won’t be disappointed. However, some side activities are frustrating and ask for more precision than the game allows

Entertainment: No More Heroes cutscenes and boss battles are worth the time investment alone. Its highs greatly outweigh the lows and provide plenty of fun for those who stick it out until the end

Replay: Moderately Low

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Is No More Heroes 3 Worth Playing? | Review Impressions

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We here at Game Informer like to ask the hard questions. What’s the meaning of life? Will we ever get a proper Half-Life 3? Is No More Heroes 3 a worthy successor in the long-running series? While we can’t help you with answers to the first two questions, we sure can assist with the last one.

Join Alex Stadnik and John Carson, the game’s reviewer, to discuss the official Game Informer review for No More Heroes 3! We start our time highlighting the good, for which there is much, according to Mr. Carson. The game is dripping with style and boasts the same wild humor and slick visuals fans have come to know the series for. The combat can also be a lot of fun as players chop their way through a hoard of bizarre and fascinating enemy types. Those fights also culminate in exciting boss fights that epitomize No More Heroes 3’s exhilarating combat experience.

But it’s not all good news, unfortunately. Developer Grasshopper Manufacture misses the mark a bit when it comes to the game’s open world, which suffers from significant performance issues. In between boss fights, Travis will need to accrue money for an entrance fee to continue his quest, resulting in sometimes mundane and uninteresting activities such as picking up trash. 

While there are some hit-or-miss moments, No More Heroes 3 gets most of what fans have been hoping for right in the 2021 series entry. To find out more about the finer points of the game though, be sure to watch the video above and let us know what you think in the YouTube comments (respectfully of course).

If you liked what you saw, then you’re in luck, as No More Heroes 3 drops exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on August 27!


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CatDog And April O’Neil Are Coming To Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl isn’t even out yet and already there are Super Smash Bros. levels of hype for new characters being announced to the roster. Today during the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2021, these characters were both announced. April O’Neil, the famous reporter from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, already had a Gamescom spotlight earlier this week when it was revealed she would be a playable character in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. CatDog, however, is ready to attack with the duality of cat and dogs, together in some sort of absurd amalgamation. What moves do they have? How do they play? You can check out trailers for both characters here.

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These two characters join an already impressive roster of Nickelodeon personalities just bursting with nostalgia. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl features personalities from numerous shows including Spongebob Squarepants, Danny Phantom, Rugrats, Invader Zim (Gir best character? Gir best character…) The Wild Thornberrys, Hey Arnold!, and more. The character roster is of course accompanied by 20 themed locations from the franchises, such as Jellyfish Fields from Spongebob. As with Smash Bros. throughout the years, expect frequent speculation and elaborate fake leaks regarding new additions to the game.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl channels big Super Smash Bros. energy, and is expected to arrive this fall for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. So yeah, you can bop with these brawlers on pretty much everything. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl features up to 4-player local play and online multiplayer.

Which characters are you looking forward to playing with? Are party-brawlers your thing? Let us know which characters you think are coming next!


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Dino Park Simulator Prehistoric Kingdom Enters Closed Beta In December

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Prehistoric Kingdom is out to prove there’s enough room in this town for multiple dinosaur theme park simulators. While the Jurassic World Evolution games tread much of the same ground, Prehistoric Kingdom isn’t bound to a license and offers another choice for fans of raising dinosaurs and charging people to see them. 

As a park manager, you have the tools to craft the dino zoo of your dreams. You can raise mountains, create rivers, and grow jungles to create your ideal terrain. You’ll then construct buildings and enclosures to house staff, entertain guests, and, of course, provide shelter for your collection of extinct critters. The structures you’ll build to keep your patrons happy include various exhibits, restaurants, and, perhaps most important, bathrooms. 

Creatures in your care include reptiles such as brachiosaurus and t-rex, mammals like the woolly mammoth and smilodon (aka saber-toothed tiger), and birds like archaeopteryx. By keeping them well-fed and housed in the biome that best suits them, you’ll be rewarded with a happy animal. You can also collect genetic material from around the globe to uncover new creatures. Unlike Jurassic Park, Prehistoric Kingdom’s dinosaurs appear a little more scientifically accurate; some of them have feathers, for example. Developer Blue Meridian promises 22 animals will be available when the game enters Steal Early Access next year. 

If you’d rather own a dinosaur park that doesn’t come with the baggage of constant disaster,  you can give Prehistoric Kingdom a try on December 6, when its closed beta kicks off. The game will then enter Early Access in April 2022.  For news coming out of this year’s Gamescom, be sure to visit our special coverage hub


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For Fans Of Destiny’s Central Storyline, Now Is The Time To Jump Back In

Destiny 2’s Season of the Lost launched on Tuesday, and like many longtime fans of the franchise, that’s a moment of renewal and excitement for me that merits increased playtime and engagement. The full scope and story of that season remain to be revealed, so it would be unfair to make too many cut-and-dry judgments at this point. But no matter what else this season brings to the game, one thing is clear; after several side treks and setups throughout the last few seasons, the narrative scope has now shifted back to its central thrust. If you’ve been away from the game for a while, it’s an excellent time to jump back in and get up to speed.

I certainly don’t want to sound dismissive of recent seasons, as I think gameplay, investment loops, and storytelling have been in solid places for some time now. The Season of the Hunt set up some intriguing bowling pins with the return of a reborn Uldren Sov, the Season of the Chosen charted a fun deep-dive into the Cabal power structure, and the recent Season of the Splicer helped further the story of the Last City, the Fallen, and humanity’s shifting alliances. These seasons also offered fun new activities and an engaging weekly loop that invited even casual players to feel engaged in a living tale.

With all that said, whether you enjoyed those seasons or not, it was hard not to see the events as preamble or asides. For some years now, Destiny 2 has set up a narrative onramp to its big climactic beats. Bungie has been open about the expansions coming in the next three years, which should conclude the current Light and Darkness Saga that began with the original game’s launch in 2014.  If we think about Destiny 2 as a giant chess game, many recent moves have been about putting pawns, knights, and bishops into play. With Season of the Lost, the players are now moving two literal queens onto the board. If you’ve been waiting for the story to revisit a central thread, that time is now.

The return of the Awoken Queen, Mara Sov, was first meaningfully teased way back in 2018’s Forsaken expansion, while the arrival of the Hive Witch Queen Savathûn could arguably trace to 2015’s The Taken King, though it’s fair to say that recent months have much more aggressively hinted at her presence. Regardless, both characters take center stage in Season of the Lost. Knowing of her impending big-bad status in the upcoming 2022 Witch Queen expansion, it’s amusing to watch the first beats of this season’s storyline play out. After the reveal of who Savathûn’s been hiding as (I won’t spoil on the off chance you haven’t heard yet), players are suddenly and somewhat inexplicably placed into the dubious position of helping her achieve her ends. It’s like watching a car crash in slow-motion, or perhaps more accurately, a venus fly trap slowly closing around the fly; choose your metaphor, but in either case, our Guardians are the ones upon whom the disaster is crashing down.

The presence of these two godlike queens accelerates the story and ratchets up the tension. Bungie has taken its time setting up the characters and conflicts, and those efforts are now beginning to pay off. As a player, maybe Saint-14’s gradual turnaround regarding the Fallen House of Light didn’t capture your interest. Or perhaps you skipped Zavala’s reconciliation to the aid of the man who killed his friend, Cayde. Even if you did, the conflict at hand in the Season of the Lost overrides those prior conflicts, or in some cases, leverages them to move the plot toward its climax. 

If you’ve been away for a bit, the other big thing you’ll notice is the smooth cadence of gameplay that Bungie has finally hit upon. Over the last year, Destiny 2’s seasonal content rewards weekly engagement but simultaneously doesn’t demand dozens of hours to feel fulfilling. For many weeks at the beginning of each season, multiple repeatable activities help to move you through a meaningful adventure and conflict. Revelations, cinematics, and changes to the game world often come along with the experience. It’s an incredibly satisfying way to encourage player engagement, and more than any effort in the franchise’s history, this seasonal structure provides the sense of a living game world.

For this season, the repeatable activities echo the structure of recent seasons. First, a wildly chaotic and active matchmade activity, followed by a more curated mission structure that you can tackle alone or with a couple of friends. This season, the former is the enjoyable Astral Alignment activity, which uses the visual backdrop of the Dreaming City as a setting to let you blast your way through a variety of explosive battles. Much like Override or the three-person Battlegrounds, the fights are big, feature a ton of enemies, and provide just enough light objectives to demand you pay attention. Meanwhile, the new Shattered Realm activity is more constrained but no less enjoyable. Venturing into the shadowy locale, you and your fireteam align beacons and track down lost Awoken witches. Numerous currently inaccessible areas (unlockable through later upgrades during the season), as well as other chests and pick-ups, combine to lend a sense of discovery and mystery, even while you blast away at Taken enemies. It’s a good time. And even in this first week, completing these activities begins to peel back the story about Mara Sov, Savathûn, and the impending sense of doom they each bring to the table.

Beyond story and new activities, there are other reasons to be excited about what Season of the Lost offers, especially to returning players. The biggest is the long-anticipated arrival of cross-play. Over the years, I can’t count the number of acquaintances and friends I’ve made in Destiny who eventually migrated platforms. With one fell swoop, the player base has been reunited into one massive pool of players, so your console (or PC) of choice should have little effect on who you face the Darkness beside. Bungie wisely chose to maintain separate console and PC player pools for competitive matchmade activities, like Crucible and Gambit. But if you’ve longed to go on strikes, explore the world, and experience the story beats with your buddies, now is the time.

I also want to call out another specific quality-of-life change that feels especially welcome: Primary ammo is now infinite. For weapons like most auto rifles, hand cannons, bows, pulse rifles, sidearms, and all the rest, you can now go into battle with confidence that you’ll always have what you need to keep firing. That’s especially important in challenging solo or small-group activities – like Legend and Master Lost Sectors – but it’s a helpful change across the board. Beyond just ensuring you have ammo for your most basic weapons, it’s a move that simplifies the battlefield’s overall economy, getting rid of the need to run over those little white ammo bricks and putting the focus instead on tracking down the more valuable green and purple.

As is common in the early days of a new content patch, Destiny 2’s Season of the Lost still has some kinks to work out. I’ve had run-ending glitches twice in the recent Astral Alignment activity. I’ve dealt with login problems once or twice. And while I like the new matchmade activities, I’m certainly ready for an injection of fresh content in long-standing activities like the Strike playlist, Gambit, and Crucible. Even so, these first couple of days are a solid start for the next several months of play, and I’m especially thrilled that I’m now able to enjoy the game with players outside my primary platform.

If you’ve been a fan of Destiny in the past, and you’ve been waiting for an appropriate time to hop back in, I think it’s an easy recommendation right now. We’ve gotten used to a new major expansion every autumn, and Season of the Lost certainly isn’t that. However, the significance of the story at hand and the culmination of hinted events from the last year are excellent reasons to make the leap. And with cross-play enabled, you can safely gather your friends back together, no matter if they’ve switched their primary gaming platform in recent years. Destiny 2 has had its ups and downs since launch, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Bungie has a clear vision in mind regarding how to land this narrative. If you’re eager to see that final story take shape, now is the time to step into the role of a Guardian again.

Nintendo Console Designer Leaves Company After Nearly 39 Years

You might not be familiar with Lance Barr’s name, but if you are a fan of games, you’re definitely familiar with Barr’s work.

Back in the halcyon days of 1982, Nintendo hired Barr to be the company’s design and brand director. Barr’s first job was actually to design arcade cabinets for the US market. Still, the designer eventually went on to transform Nintendo’s Japanese console designs to better suit the western market. Notedly, Barr was behind the design of the NES.

“The original design of the NES was worked out over several months including a stay of a couple of months while I worked in Japan at NCL,” Barr told Nintendojo in 2005. “The design was conceived as a wireless, modular system, designed to look more like a sleek stereo system rather than an electronic toy. After the first public showing in the US at the Consumer Electronics Show, I was asked to redesign the case based on new engineering requirements. To reduce costs, the wireless function was eliminated, as well as some of the modular components such as the keyboard and data recorder. But the biggest change was the orientation and size requirements to accommodate a new edge connector for inserting the games. The new edge connecter was a ‘zero force’ design that allowed the game to be inserted with low force, and then rotated down into the ‘contact’ position. The case had to be designed around the movement of the game, and required the shape and size of the NES to grow from the earlier concepts.”

Barr went on to work on everything from the NES Zapper lightgun, the NES Advantage arcade stick, the original SNES console, its updated top-loading version, and the Wii Nunchuck, among many, many other things. 

Then, in July of 2021, Barr updated his Linkedin profile to say that he is retired and “moving onto ‘other’ projects.” Thanks for all the memories Barr, and have a good retirement. 

[Source: Linkedin, via Nintendolife]


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Bungie Slide

This Week At Bungie – 8/26/2021

Overwatch Dev Team Changes McCree’s Name In Light of Activision Blizzard Lawsuit

The state of California is currently suing Activision Blizzard following a two-year investigation into the company’s behind closed doors workplace culture. The lawsuit addresses various labor abuse allegations, including sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and a “frat boy” culture regarding internal behavior. The suit also detailed instances of harassment which also allegedly led to one developer committing suicide. Following the announcement that Diablo 4 lead director Jesse McCree has been removed from the company since the allegations became public, the Overwatch developer team has made a noteworthy change to one of the heroes seen in-game, a hero that was named after the developer. 

The official Overwatch Twitter page shared a new message with fans, explaining why the change felt necessary while the company wrestles with where to go next. “We build the Overwatch universe around the idea that inclusivity, equity, and hope are the building blocks of a better future,” begins the letter. “They are central to the game and to the Overwatch team.”

“As we continue to discuss how we best live up to our values and to demonstrate our commitment to creating a game world that reflects them, we believe it’s necessary to change the name of the hero currently known as McCree to something that better represents what Overwatch stands for.”

The message ends, saying, “This will help reinforce that we’re building a fictional universe that is unmistakably different from the real world and better illustrates that the creation of Overwatch is truly a team effort. Work on these updates is underway, and they are just a part of our ongoing commitment to honest reflection and making whatever changes are necessary to build a future worth fighting for. We know that actions speak louder than words, and we hope to show you our commitment to making Overwatch a better experience in-game and continue to make our team the best it can be.”

McCree, the employee, joined the company back in 2005 and has worked on several notable IPs under the Blizzard name. Most recently, he was also one of the developers named in the infamous “Bill Cosby Suite,” which you can learn more about here. Other removals have already occurred, including former Blizzard Entertainment president J. Allen Brack and HR lead Jesse Meschuk. The latter was another developer seen in the photos that surfaced about the Cosby suite and the now-public group chat surrounding it.  

For those that may not be aware of what has transpired since the lawsuit went public, CEO Bobby Kotick released a statement last week addressing the concerns but seemingly skating around the demands listed in a public letter to leadership. That letter was followed by a company-wide walkout of Blizzard employees, a walkout supported by an open letter from Ubisoft employees that have been faced with similar instances noted within the California lawsuit. To learn more about the proceedings thus far, including details listed in the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, please review our previous coverage here


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Gamescom 2021, Psychonauts 2 Review, And Riders Republic | GI Show

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Welcome back to another exciting edition of The Game Informer Show, where we’re breaking down a huge slate of announcements from Gamescom Opening Night Live, including looks at Saints Row, Halo Infinite, and so much more! We even got a February release date for Horizon Forbidden West. We’re also discussing our Psychonauts 2 review and our hands-on time with Riders Republic! 

If that wasn’t enough, The Council of Alexes is joined by GI’s own EIC Andrew Reiner and special guest Jesse Vitelli, editor at Prima Games, for all the fun. 

On top of another excellent section of Community Emails, we also maybe join a cult? You’ll just have to tune in to find out.

Follow the crew on Twitter: Alex Stadnik (@Studnik76), Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Andrew Reiner (@Andrew_Reiner), and Jesse Vitelli (@jessevitelli).

The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join hosts Alex Stadnik and Alex Van Aken every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from all around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Topic of the Show:

Psychonauts 2 Review Discussion

Psychonauts fans have waited 16 long years for another mainline entry in the series but now the pain is over. Psychonauts 2 is here and with it comes a joyful return to what developer Double Fine does best. Join protagonist Raz as he attempts to rise through the ranks of the intern program while trying to solve the mysteries of who kidnapped the head of the psychic spy organization and why someone is trying to bring back one of the world’s most dangerous psychic minds back from the dead. Wrap all that in amazing dream-like worlds and a wonderfully creative and thoughtful story and you’ve got a sequel that was well worth the wait.

Check out our Psychonauts 2 review here.

The Playlist:

Game Informer Staff discuss the games they’re playing.

The Playlist this week is only a single course, but the entree is one we think you’ll like. Join Alex Van Aken as he dives into his hands-on time with Ubisoft’s new extreme sports title and tells you why it may be one of his most anticipated games of 2021!

Listener Questions:

The Game Informer crew answers your burning questions.

This week the Game Informer community asks about The Last of Us TV Show, what spiritual successors we want in the vein of Back 4 Blood, and whether or not a community member should buy a Switch or a Wii U for his nieces and nephew!

Read their questions below, or submit your own via the Official Game Informer Community Discord or by emailing us at Podcast@GameInformer.com

“I enjoyed your discussion a while back on video game movies and TV shows but would like to discuss it a bit more, primarily The Last of US. There seems to be two major opinions on this future show.  Opinion A: I’ve already seen it while playing the game. Why are they bothering? Opinion B: I enjoyed it and want to experience it again, but don’t want to play through the whole thing again. Hooray. Of those two, I am of the mindset of opinion B, but I propose a different view altogether, which I think is a more important way of viewing it. Opinion C: I loved this story and want to share it with people including ones that would never play and complete the game. Now I have a way to enjoy this amazing story with them. My wife plays games, but not this kind of game. (Same goes for Witcher.). The gameplay might be important in experiencing the game, but not that important in a character-driven and story-focused game like The Last of Us. No more than seeing a movie in the theater. It might make it better, but it can be appreciated nonetheless. What are your thoughts on this now? Are you more A, B, or C?” – Andrew Flanagan

Hello, Game Informers I hope all is well. After playing the Back 4 Blood beta and really feeling that Left 4 Dead-style but enjoying the new things that turtle rock added to make back 4 blood its own game. What other franchises would you like to get a spiritual successor of in the same way that back 4 blood is to left 4 dead? – Andre from Toronto Ontario.

I have a brother-in-law that doesn’t play many games and I would like to get my nieces and nephew into gaming. I would like to get everyone’s viewpoint on this matter. I think it would be great to get them a Wii U because it has a great library and it doesn’t break the bank or should I go with the switch and buy only a couple of games. I did this with my kids, and we got the Wii U because it was cheaper and easier for the kids’ controller-wise. I don’t want to spend a lot of money just in case they are not interested. Thanks for the advice. – Mike Peck

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Top 10 Action Games To Play Right Now

Over the years, what defines a game as the “action” category has gotten more ambiguous than ever, as many games now include aspects of multiple core genres. However, one thing remains certain – games in this category give the player a polished, exciting experience. So, what is this list all about? This isn’t a Top 10 Action Games of All Time list or a Top 10 Action Games of a Generation list. Instead, we’re tackling this one from the angle of what’s important, what’s incredible, and what’s fantastic right now. As in today. This week. This month. So when you don’t see a Dark Souls game on this list, that’s why even though I’d recommend a fresh playthrough of Dark Souls 3 every day. This ever-shifting list aims to capture the highlights of the now and what we think you’d love to be playing this very moment. Presented in alphabetical order, this list keeps it fresh. Let’s dive in!

Death’s Door

2021 has delivered several great indies, Death’s Door is among the best. Channeling a bit of Zelda, a bit of Metroid, and a bit of Souls, players take on giant bosses and explore enchanting scenery. The soundtrack is also grand, and hey, you get to play as a bird, which is even cooler. 

Exploring old areas of the world with new equipment and finding out how to use your powers for maximum effect is fun, and a minor progression system keeps you searching for secrets behind every corner and collecting resources from every foe bested. From the tutorial living castle on down the line, the boss battles are highly engaging and a blast to master. Death’s Door is currently available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Check out our entire review here.

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut

Ghost of Tsushima impressed on many levels during its initial 2020 release, letting players explore breathtaking scenery while participating in riveting combat. Little touches like the Kurosawa mode that transforms the game into a black-and-white vision that one might remember from films like Seven Samurai make all the difference here, as you can tell that a deft and practiced hand went into the creation of every element that makes up the whole of Ghost.

The director’s cut is easily the best way to play Ghost today and comes with the new Iki island expansion that gives players plenty of more content to engage with. A director’s commentary is adds significant depth for players that want to learn more about the game’s creation, the real-life events that inspired it, the setting, and so much more. Since its release, Ghost has also received other major updates, including a massive multiplayer experience that you can take on with friends.

Hades

Roguelikes find plenty of appreciation these days, but Hades may be the one that gets everyone chasing their next run and rockets the genre to the spotlight in the coming years. The “just one more run” cycle has never been more apparent, and Hades throwing in some story to unravel and fantastic characters to meet adds a bit of zest to the equation that’s tough to beat. 

Hades has style, it’s got permanent progression to keep things rolling along, weapons to master, and all kinds of secret unlocks to find. So why on earth are we talking about Hades now? You probably already knew this game rocks. However, it just came out for major consoles. Previously, you’d have to play on Switch or PC, but now you can take the trip through hell on PlayStation and Xbox. It’s absolutely a journey worth taking.

It Takes Two

Sometimes, games shake things up or make incredibly bold choices. It Takes Two is a co-op-only romp designed for play with a friend. In fact, you’ll have to have one to get through it! Whether that’s a longtime friend, an acquaintance, a significant other, or just your bud Larry from down at the arcade, It Takes Two presents a host of problems that naturally take two to deal with. 

Conquering each puzzle and challenge is likely to strengthen your bonds both inside and outside the game, and it’s a fairly fascinating design decision. Because of its forced co-op nature, It Takes Two might not get all the attention it deserves. If you have the means, enlist one of your friends to take this enchanting journey with you, or maybe even use this as an opportunity to make a new one!

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

For Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, if you can play it on the PlayStation 5, you should. Suppose PS5’s power isn’t obtainable due to the various factors from how COVID-19 or scalpers have impacted console availability. In that case, you could always go back and play Marvel’s Spider-Man, but if you have the means, Miles Morales on PS5 is the choice of the moment.

While it’s significantly shorter than the original game, it’s packed with epic moments and battles. Miles’ abilities change up the gameplay quite a bit, and zipping around the city is an incredible feeling. In addition to playing exceptionally well, Miles Morales on PlayStation 5 is one of few games available right now that takes advantage of current-gen hardware to show off what video games can do right now

Monster Hunter Rise

While Rise’s endgame and rampage system has been divisive among fans, there’s a lot to love about the latest entry in the Monster Hunter series. The Switch exclusive is eventually making its way to PC, but it’s worth checking out now if you have Nintendo’s portable power.

From making awesome ice-cream combinations to riding around the world on your doggo friend, Rise keeps the systems that everyone loves from previous entries and adds a few new quirks. Crafting new and powerful gear and taking on stronger and stronger monsters is always a good time. Of course, if you don’t want to play Rise or don’t have a Switch, Iceborne should be plenty to tide you over.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is action-packed and challenging, but it’s also an absolute work of art. Featuring stunning visuals to go along with the razor’s edge gameplay, few games ascend to this level of prowess within the neo-Metroidvania genre. Ori might just melt your heart as you maneuver through its best-in-class platforming and combat combo. 

The story and setpieces arc you through wonderful whimsy and fleeting moments of terror, so be ready for an immersive, enchanting adventure that loves showing off and keeping the player completely enthralled. While Ori and the Will of the Wisps can be brutal, progression mechanics help keep things going even when the journey can be tough.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

This early into the console cycle, we’re looking for those big games to pave the way and show off the power of the new systems. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart does this, and how. While there’s nothing new about jumping around and blasting enemies, does it ever look good here as you flip through rifts with absolutely zero load time, something that’s sure to wow even the most hardened game connoisseur. 

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart feels great to play, and more importantly, all of the action feels like it was crafted with fun as the focus. The cartoony world is a cohesive joy to explore, and everything from the DualSense haptics to the impressive graphics makes this a boisterous, festive ride.

Returnal

Terrifying, exhilarating, and epic, Housemarque successfully translates fast-paced arcade action into a mysterious alien shooter. Returnal is one of the best games of the year and brilliantly seams various genres and features together to create something special. From piecing together the mysteries of the alien planet to taking on unforgettable bosses in an atmosphere drenched with dread, Returnal serves up tension with unyielding action. 

The only place you can play Returnal right now is on PlayStation 5, but perhaps we can hold out some hope that it may come to PC in the future. Check out the entire review here.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

The debut title from Ember Labs feels like a throwback to the third-person action platformers of old in the best way. As Kena, an inexperienced spirit guide, you’re fighting to purify a beautiful land from corruption. You aren’t alone; dozens of adorable critters called the Rot join the fray to assist Kena in battle as well as puzzle-solving. Kena’s straightforward combat of chaining light and heavy attacks feels good and gets flashier when you call upon the Rot to distract enemies or turn your staff into an all-powerful hammer. Piercing targets with Kena’s bow feels most satisfying, especially with the real sense of tension generated by PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller. Kena’s whimsical art direction makes it look like a walk in the park, but its boss battles offer a surprising challenge that requires a mastery of your arsenal and sharp reflexes. Kena’s action might not break the mold, but it feels fantastic. 

Punch Monsters In The Face With Street Fighter’s Akuma In Monster Hunter Rise

This week, Monster Hunter Rise has an update adding new event quests for hunters to complete. Those who take on these tasks will be rewarded with an awesome new layered armor styled after Akuma from Street Fighter.

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Styled after the Street Fighter V version of the master of the Satsui no Hado, this skin of Akuma featuring a lion-like mane can be fitted over any armor set. According to the footage in the trailer, hunters wearing the Akuma armor will have access to some of the warrior’s move set. There looks to be a way to throw fireballs on the ground and in the air, a unique trait Akuma has over other Shotos in Street Fighter. He also can do a stationary Tatsumaki Zankukyaku and a jumping palm strike, both moves presumably replacing the animations for a wirebug attack while using a sword and shield.

In May, Monster Hunter Rise had its previous big content update with version 3.0, which added a second ending and new High-Rank monsters like Crimson Glow Valstrax and Apex Zinogre. Hunters had their hands full for a bit, but there’s been a lull in new monsters to hunt since then. In the meantime, Capcom has created collaborations with other games in their library, such as Monster Hunter Stories 2 and Okami. That’s right. There’s layered armor for your Palamute that turns it into Amaterasu!

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An update for Monster Hunter Rise is available now, including bug fixes and adding the Akuma layered armor Event Quests to the game. However, the quest won’t be accessible until tomorrow, August 27. Though, due to my previous experience with Monster Hunter updates, the quests could very well be available tonight. So keep an eye on your available quests to get started on building this exciting new set of armor.


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Let’s Show Off Aliens: Fire Team Elite And The NERF LMTD ALIENS M41-A Blaster | GI Live

Developer Cold Iron Studios’ latest third-person shooter is made for fans of James Cameron’s Aliens film and puts players into the shoes of the space marines as they fight their way through droves of feral Xenomorphs in a few familiar environments.

In today’s livestream, join Andrew Reiner, Alex Van Aken, and Alex Stadnik as they squad up to fight their way through derelict ships, save scientists, and try to avoid any acid-spitting aliens along the way. We’ll be going live at 2:30 p.m. CT, so be sure to join us in chat for all fun and mayhem that usually comes when we stream anything co-op together.

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Today’s stream is brought to you by Nerf. We’ll be showing off a special new blaster that Aliens fans will surely want to take a peek at before it launches later this year. Thank you to Nerf for the support! Since we’re social distancing, we won’t be playing with the Nerf blasters together, but we will be showing off a few of them during the livestream.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is out now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, but if you’re still on the fence about the game, be sure to check out our review and a video discussion where Stadnik, Liana Ruppert, and Jason Guisao talk about what they like about the game and what they wish was better. Thanks as always for watching, and we hope you enjoy the show!


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