Monday, June 14, 2021

The Verge - Entertainments

The Verge - Entertainments

The six coolest games from the PC Gaming Show at E3 2021

Posted: 13 Jun 2021 04:50 PM PDT

They Always Run.

The second day of E3 2021 has been busy with Xbox and Bethesda's joint conference followed by Square Enix's showcase, but plenty more game announcements came from the PC Gaming Show. If you don't have time to catch up on the whole 90 minutes, we've rounded up a few of our highlights of intriguing and upcoming games that you'll want to wishlist on Steam.

Rawmen

Basically Splatoon but with food, Rawmen is a third-person arena shooter where instead of guns, you fight with food against up to two to eight players. Sling soup at your opponents, become a human meatball by jumping into meat juice and rolling your way back home, or launch yourself in the air with doughnut bombs.

They Always Run

This space Western 2D action game sees you playing a three-armed mutant hunting dangerous bounties across the galaxy. From the visuals, the animation, the music, it's just dripping with style, and plenty of ultra-violence as you hack and slash your way through each level.

Far: Changing Tides

Far: Lone Sails was a minimal, lonely, but powerfully meditative experience as you charted journey across a post-apocalyptic environment with nothing but yourself and a unique hunk of a junk of a vehicle. So a sequel, Far: Changing Tides comes as a lovely surprise. It looks even more beautiful, and this time you're piloting a ship across a flooded world, while still trying to keep your machine moving forward by salvaging ship parts during your travels.

Next Space Rebels

A space rocket-building sim with a narrative, Next Space Rebels has the feel of a DIY amateur's Kerbal Space Program, as you try to put together a rocket engine that can actually launch. Tied to this simulation however is a story conveyed through FMV cutscenes, as fictitious hacker group Next Space Rebels urge the global community to build and launch rockets themselves, and "democratize the universe."

Soulstice

The name may imply a shameless Souls clone, but Italian developer Reply Game Studios is also taking inspiration from Japanese character-action games like Devil May Cry, as well as early '80s anime. Another influence may be PlatinumGames' Astral Chain, as you're controlling two characters simultaneously; two sisters called Briar and Lute, one possessing superhuman strength, the other a ghost with mystical powers.

Lemnis Gate

This turn-based time-looping first-person shooter tasks you to take control of each of your team members one at a time playing a round that lasts just 25 seconds. It was first announced last year but its release is just around the corner as the latest trailer has confirmed Lemnis Gate is coming on August 3rd to PC, as well as PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. An open beta is also coming in July, so players can get their heads around just how this time-bending gameplay works.

Black Panther is coming to Marvel’s Avengers this August

Posted: 13 Jun 2021 01:32 PM PDT

Previously announced for Marvel's Avengers, today's Square Enix E3 Showcase gave a first proper look at Black Panther who joins the superhero roster in a brand new expansion, War For Wakanda.

A new cinematic trailer introduces the King of Wakanda himself — although his face is not shown clearly until he puts on his Black Panther mask. He will be defending Wakanda from Klaw, who has infiltrated Wakanda in order to steal Vibranium for his own plans.

The trailer page indicates that War For Wakanda will release this August. The Black Panther expansion will be free to players who already own Marvel's Avengers on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. The expansion had supposedly been planned for release earlier but was delayed due to the sad and sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman, who played the superhero in the Marvel film.

Elsewhere in Marvel, Square Enix also announced today that Eidos Montreal is making a Guardians of the Galaxy game, slated to launch this October.

Co-op action game Babylon’s Fall finally gets gameplay trailer

Posted: 13 Jun 2021 01:25 PM PDT

Babylon's Fall finally has a substantial gameplay trailer, which was revealed at Square Enix's E3 2021 Showcase. The new trailer is the first time it's been seen since the game was first announced in 2018. Players will team up tackling challenging dungeons in an attempt to scale the titular tower.

The co-op title is developed by PlatinumGames and can be played solo or with up to four players. Besides the studio's trademark hi-octane melee action, the new footage from the fantasy title shows that players can wield ranged weapons like magic staffs and bows. Their powers and customization is also based on a special equipment called the Gideon Coffin worn on their backs.

The developers confirmed that Babylon's Fall is a live-service title that will feature a range of post launch game modes at no additional cost. Sign-ups are also taking place for a closed beta, which you can register via the official website.

Babylon's Fall was first announced at Square Enix's E3 conference in 2018, where it was confirmed for PS4 and PC. Little else has been heard about the game, apart from another teaser over a year later, while PlatinumGames assured fans last year that the game was still in development. The game is now also coming to PS5.

Square Enix announces action-heavy spinoff Final Fantasy Origin

Posted: 13 Jun 2021 01:14 PM PDT

The next Final Fantasy spinoff is heavy on the action, and certainly doesn't skimp when it comes to giant swords. At its E3 2021 keynote, Square Enix revealed Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin — yes, that's the actual full title — which is billed as a collaboration between Final Fantasy veterans Tetsuya Nomura and Kazushige Nojima, and renowned action game studio Team Ninja. You can get a sense of the action in the trailer above.

It's not clear how, exactly, the game ties back to the rest of the franchise, but the description certainly sounds very Final Fantasy:

With the memory of their struggle buried deep in their hearts... Jack and his allies, Ash and Jed, burn with resolve to defeat Chaos as they throw open the gates to the Chaos Shrine. Yet doubts remain — are they truly the Warriors of Light the prophecy foretold?  Step into a world of dark fantasy and revel in the exhilarating, action-packed battles.

In a statement, Nomura said that "While it is Final Fantasy, it feels different — but there's no doubt that the blood of Final Fantasy runs through its veins. We've undertaken the challenge of finding this difficult middle ground for this mature and stylish title. We need a little time until we're able to complete it, and while the battle system is a bloody one, it does link to the story, so I hope you'll use this opportunity to give it a try."

The game is slated to launch in 2022 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, though a PS5 demo will be available from now until June 24th.

Final Fantasy 1-6 are being rereleased for new ‘pixel remaster series’

Posted: 13 Jun 2021 12:57 PM PDT

Image: Square Enix

Square Enix announced that the first six mainline Final Fantasy games are getting remasters for Steam, Android, and iOS. The games will each be released individually as part of the "Pixel Remaster Series," but Square Enix hasn't shared release timing beyond the fact that they're "coming soon."

In a tweet, Square Enix said that the games will be getting a "pixel-perfect makeover," which makes it sound as if these games will be improved versions of the originals that retain the original visual style (as opposed to the 3D remasters). But because Square Enix hasn't shared much info just yet, we'll just have to wait for the company to announce more information until we can be sure.

Eidos Montreal is making a Guardians of the Galaxy game

Posted: 13 Jun 2021 12:24 PM PDT

The team behind the Deus Ex games is tackling one of Marvel's most famous superhero groups next. At its E3 2021 keynote, publisher Square Enix revealed that Eidos Montreal, the studio behind games like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, is working on a game titled simply Guardians of the Galaxy.

The game puts players in the role of Star Lord (aka Peter Quill) in a third-person action-adventure experience. In a unique twist, Peter will be joined by the rest of the Guardians at all times, with the likes of Groot and Rocket being AI companions. The story takes place several years after some kind of intergalactic war, when the Guardians are still a relatively fresh group, having been together for less than a year.

Eidos also says that choice will play a large part: as the team's de factor leader, you'll have to make decisions that impact the story. During one sequence, for instance, you'll have to decide whether to sell Rocket or Groot to some kind of monster collector. (Curiously, the Guardians were previously featured in a choice-based adventure game from Telltale back in 2017.) Early gameplay footage shows a game filled with big shooter battles, colorful worlds, plenty of '80s music, weird alien monsters, sleek starships, and lots of banter.

This isn't Square Enix's first foray into Marvel, as the publisher previously released an Avengers game primarily developed by Crystal Dynamics (Eidos Montreal also assisted on that game). Despite a well-received single-player campaign, the game was saddled with live-service elements and microtransactions that were largely criticized. Guardians of the Galaxy, meanwhile, will be entirely single-player, with no add-on DLC or microtransactions.

Marvel games don't necessarily have the strongest track record, though that has been slowly changing. Most notably, Sony studio Insomniac released an excellent take on Spider-Man, and followed it up with an equally excellent spinoff starring Miles Morales.

Guardians of the Galaxy launches on October 26th for the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

Among Us expands to 15 player lobbies on June 15th

Posted: 13 Jun 2021 12:10 PM PDT

Image: Xbox

Among Us lobbies will be expanding from a maximum of 10 to 15 players as part of a new update coming out on June 15th (a date that happens to be the game's third birthday). The update will also bring new colors for crewmates, support for mobile controllers, and the ability to honk the horn on the game's airship level.

Here's a look at all of the player colors being added to the game: tan, coral, banana, rose, gray, and maroon. (I'm a big fan of the coral and maroon colors, personally.)

The update will be available on all platforms where you can currently play Among Us, which include PC, iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch. PlayStation and Xbox versions are also in the works and are expected to be released this year.

As part of Thursday's Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live event, developer Innersloth also shared some future updates coming to the game, including a new hide and seek mode, visor cosmetics, achievements, and a fifth map. The developer hasn't shared any details about when those updates might hit, though.

The Xbox Series X mini fridge will be available this holiday season

Posted: 13 Jun 2021 11:44 AM PDT

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft's concluded its E3 2021 showcase with a rather cool announcement: the Xbox Series X-shaped mini fridge, which the company promised to make after defeating Skittles in a Twitter poll, will be released in holiday 2021.

Microsoft is promising that the upcoming Xbox Mini Fridge (the official name) is "the world's most powerful mini fridge," an obvious play on one of the company's key marketing points for the Xbox Series X console. But Microsoft took the joke further, spotlighting the fridge's "Xbox Velocity Cooling Architecture" (a pun on the Xbox Series X's "Velocity Architecture") in a trailer.

When the Xbox Series X was first announced in 2019, people instantly memed on its boxy shape and compared it to a refrigerator — a meme that Microsoft eventually leaned into itself on social media. And the upcoming Xbox Mini Fridge actually isn't the first refrigerator shaped like an Xbox Series X. The company gave away a real, full-sized, Series X-shaped fridge in November.

Microsoft just launched a bunch of new games on Xbox Game Pass at E3 2021

Posted: 13 Jun 2021 11:38 AM PDT

Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

Microsoft has announced a whole slate of games that will be joining Xbox Game Pass today, with 11 new titles available on the subscription service via Xbox and PC.

The new Game Pass titles were announced during Microsoft and Bethesda's joint E3 conference on Sunday. The lion's share comes from Bethesda, which adds 10 more titles to the service, in addition to the 20 Bethesda titles added to the service since it was acquired by Microsoft earlier this year. Six of these titles will also be accessible via Xbox, PC, and xCloud. PC players will also have access to Fallout: New Vegas starting today.

In addition, Yakuza: Like A Dragon has also been added to Xbox Game Pass, which is available today. The entire mainline Yakuza series is also already available on the service.

Here's the full list of newly announced Xbox Game Pass games:

  • Arx Fatalis (PC)
  • Fallout (PC)
  • Fallout 2 (PC)
  • Fallout: Tactics (PC)
  • Fallout 3 (console, PC, Cloud)
  • Fallout: New Vegas (PC)
  • Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (console, PC, Cloud)
  • The Evil Within 2 (console, PC, Cloud)
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (console, PC, Cloud)
  • RAGE (console, PC, Cloud)
  • Doom (2016) (console, Cloud)
  • Yakuza: Like A Dragon (console, PC, Cloud)

In addition to these games, Back 4 Blood has also been announced for Xbox Game Pass when it launches on October 12th.
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