Explaining why Castlevania 3 sounds better in Japan.
Masahiro Sakurai is once again delving into his video game knowledge with a video all about the intricacies of NES and Famicom audio.
What begins as an introduction to the consoles’ different audio processing channels (pulse, triangle, noise and DPCM), soon turns into a history lesson about how audio production developed for the platform as ROM capabilities increased.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
At THQ Nordic, we think of ourselves as a true variety publisher. No matter what kind of gamer you are, there’s a home for you in one of our digital worlds.
For our 2024 Digital Showcase we wanted to demonstrate exactly that, with games including a remake of a beloved Disney classic, a new IP from a team of horror legends, an adrenaline-fuelled wreck racer, and much more. Here’s what is coming to Xbox.
This year’s stream opened with a new 2D adventure platformer from Weappy Studio, developers behind This Is the Police.
Navigate a mysterious archipelago as Goldman, realized in expertly-crafted 2D animation, every frame bursting with the passion injected by devs creating the game they have always wanted to make.
Weappy have put player freedom and a sense of wonder at the core of their design philosophy, rewarding players for exploring the archipelago’s many hidden nooks and crannies. Platforming sections pose a challenge, but a fair one – focused on helping you find the solution that works for you through experimentation.
We’ll have more news on The Eternal Life of Goldman to share before the year is out – until then, make sure to wishlist the game on Xbox to be among the first to receive updates.
The time has almost come to pick up your brush and decide the fate of Wasteland! When Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed releases on September 24, the power to shape the world will be in your hands.
Use paint and thinner to restore harmony to a mysterious world and uncover its secrets in classic 3D platformer action, spending time with beloved characters and exploring side-scrolling levels inspired by Mickey Mouse’s history.
Whether you first journeyed to Wasteland fourteen years ago or it’s your first time taking up the brush, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is unmissable for any Disney fan. We can’t wait for you to join us on this adventure later in the year.
Customize your ride and take your own personal wrecking machine online in a range of events designed for maximum vehicular mayhem! With never-before-seen damage modelling fidelity thanks to the power of Xbox Series consoles, you’ll leave every event with your car’s bodywork telling its own story.
The team at Bugbear Entertainment are devoting themselves to giving you the freedom to wreck how you want – whether it’s trading paint with other speed demons in a traditional race, bombing through obstacle courses, or settling scores in a classic destruction derby grudge match.
Keep the engine running, we’ll be back with more on Wreckfest 2 soon.
When we announced Titan Quest II a year ago, the support we received from the community was incredible, with the reveal trailer quickly becoming one of our most watched ever. We want to thank all of you who have expressed your excitement for the long-awaited sequel to the original mythological ARPG by taking you on the next step in Titan Quest II’s journey to release – our debut gameplay trailer.
In today’s broadcast, we gave ARPG fans their first glimpse of what awaits in the gorgeous Ancient Greek landscapes of Titan Quest II, and the legendary powers you’ll use to fight your way through Nemesis’ vengeful hordes. The team at Grimlore Games are hard at work crafting a world that feels rewarding to explore, with adversaries waiting around every corner, ready to drop meaningful loot that can completely alter your playstyle.
Your hero in Titan Quest II should feel personal to you, with deep customization at the heart of the experience – from how your hero looks, through to their own unique choice from thousands of different skill and equipment combinations. Whether you’re a solo adventurer or you team up with friends online to weave your legend together, Titan Quest II will take you on an odyssey unlike any other, offering a fresh experience for ARPG veterans and newcomers alike.
Since our reveal back in 2020, the support for Alkimia Interactive’s Gothic 1 Remake has been nothing short of amazing. Seeing that not just die-hard Gothic fans, but also RPG players as a whole are excited for Gothic’s return has been the best motivation for the team.
Today, we showed you how Alkimia are crafting a world that feels like it extends far beyond the player, with a fully realized ecosystem and influential groups warring for control of the land.
Gothic 1 Remake will feel familiar to longtime fans, but some crucial updates have been made to harness the power of new gen consoles. Gameplay and visuals have been overhauled, with deeper progression and crafting systems, as well as varied NPC routines and interactions.
No matter which camp you lend your allegiance to – the ore-rich Old Camp, the plotting New Camp, or the Brotherhood of the Sleeper, who swear fealty to a strange new deity – the mysterious, unforgiving world of Gothic 1 Remake will soon be ready to explore.
As with last year, the THQ Nordic Showcase marks release day for the latest DLC for Way of the Hunter, this time taking the hunt to the Scandinavian wilderness.
Venture to Lintukoto Reserve, a fictionalized vision of tranquil forests glowing with magical moonlight, vast meadows bustling with wildlife, and snow-dusted hills. A range of new endemic wildlife populates the beautiful scenery – lynxes, arctic foxes, and many others each with their own range of unique behaviors.
The team at Nine Rocks have spent months meticulously sculpting every inch of this new DLC – we can’t wait to welcome you to Lintukoto Reserve, out now!
They’re coming.
A new vision of horror from the team behind Little Nightmares I & II.
Want to know more? Tune in to Gamescom Opening Night Live, Tuesday August 20, 11am PT/8pm CEST.
It wouldn’t be our yearly showcase without one last tantalizing reveal…
The foreboding rumble of caverns eons old. Embers swirl through the air, cast up from pools of bubbling lava.
Three enormous heads, hewn from otherworldly stone suddenly burst into life with mystical flame. The Charred Council roar a single word in unison: HORSEMAN.
It won’t be long until we reveal more about where the Darksiders series is going next, but for now, know this… the Four Horsemen will ride again.
That concludes our wrap-up for the THQ Nordic Digital Showcase 2024! From the whole team at THQ Nordic and our dev partners – thank you all so much for your passionate support over the last year. We hope to see you soon in one of our digital worlds!
The post THQ Nordic 2024 Digital Showcase – Check Out All the Reveals Coming to Xbox appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Every year, the team here at THQ Nordic puts months into crafting a Digital Showcase we think you’ll love, filled with news on previously announced games and teases of what you can expect from our dev teams in the future.
Variety defines what we do, and that has never been truer than in our 2024 broadcast – including a gorgeous hand-drawn adventure, a fender-bending destruction racer sequel, the much-demanded return of a legendary action-adventure series, and a whole lot more.
We opened this year’s stream with the debut of an all-new 2D adventure platformer from Weappy Studio, developers behind This Is the Police.
As Goldman, with your trusty cane in hand, navigate a mysterious archipelago brought to life with painstakingly handcrafted 2D animation, each frame bursting with the passion that the team have injected into the game they have always wanted to make.
A sense of wonder and freedom to experiment are at the core of Weappy’s design philosophy, with a focus on rewarding players for their inquisitiveness about the world and platforming sections that are challenging but fair. The Eternal Life of Goldman begs you to discover the archipelago’s further reaches, each new ability and artifact you find adding new dimensions to your gameplay.
We can’t wait to tell you more later this year – for now, make sure to follow and wishlist the game at PlayStation Store to be among the first to receive updates.
The time has almost come to pick up your brush and decide the fate of Wasteland! When Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed releases on September 24, the power to shape the world with paint and thinner will be in your hands.
Take control of Mickey Mouse in 3D platforming action, exploring a land peppered with beloved characters to meet and secrets to discover, including classic side-scrolling levels inspired by Mickey Mouse’s history.
Rebuilt from the ground up by the team at Purple Lamp, and for the first time on PS5 and PS4, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a must-play for Disney fans of all ages, whether this is their first venture into Wasteland or a journey down memory lane.
Create the car of your tire-screeching dreams, show it off online, and smash it to pieces in the ultimate range of wrecktastic events. Whether it’s giving it your all to be first past the finish line, hurtling through obstacle courses, or crushing your rivals in a destruction derby free-for-all, Wreckfest 2 is about letting loose in the ultimate playground of vehicular carnage.
PS5 hardware has given the team at Bugbear Entertainment the freedom to model higher crash fidelity than ever, with each chassis-crinkling impact realized in real time.
At the end of each event, your beaten-up vehicle will tell its own unique story – of traded paint, twisted steel, and grudge matches settled on the track.
Last year, we announced Titan Quest II with a trailer that set the stage for the battle against rogue goddess Nemesis and her hordes. Millions of views and thousands of comments later, we’re ready to show you more of the rich, verdant world that the team at Grimlore Games have been hard at work bringing to life.
In our debut gameplay trailer, you can get your first glimpse of the adventures that await you in the sun-drenched landscapes of Ancient Greece, and the godly powers you’ll claim as you take your place amongst the greatest legendary heroes. The team are hand-crafting an experience that encourages you to rise to the challenge, with epic battles against beasts of myth rewarding players with unique loot that changes the way you play.
This is your tale to tell, with deep customization options – from your hero’s appearance, to their combination of a vast range of modifiable skills and equipment loadouts. Whether you choose to embark on this odyssey alone or with friends, Titan Quest II will lead you on an unforgettable journey across a land unlike any other in the ARPG genre.
Since we announced development of Gothic 1 Remake in 2020, the outpouring of support from Gothic fans around the globe, as well as the RPG community at large, has been immense. Every positive comment, each cry of “For Gomez!”, has bolstered the team at Alkimia Interactive as they work to deliver a game that is both a faithful love letter to the Gothic fandom and a welcoming experience full of wonder and fresh discoveries for newcomers.
In today’s trailer, we delved into how Alkimia are crafting a world that is an organism unto itself, with a thriving ecosystem and powerful factions competing for dominance – a world that seems to exist beyond the player, but is ripe to be shaped by your decisions.
Visuals and gameplay have also been completely rebuilt to meet modern standards, with more rewarding progression, more impactful combat, and diverse NPC routines and interactions.
Whether you join the ore-rich Old Camp in league with the King, the New Camp who plan to destroy the magical barrier surrounding the Valley of Mines, or the Brotherhood of the Sleeper who put their faith in a mysterious new deity – the dark world of Gothic 1 Remake will soon be yours to explore.
For the second year in a row, we’ve released a DLC for Way of the Hunter on the same day as our Digital Showcase.
Whereas last year we took the hunt to lush African grasslands, today’s release will let you explore a stunningly-realized Scandinavian landscape populated with lynx, arctic foxes, and a range of other unique wildlife, all with their own realistic behaviors.
Wander through vast magical forests that shimmer under gentle rain, sprawling meadows teeming with life, and snowy hilltops that inspired folklore of ages past. With each tranquil moment that passes in this fictionalized Scandinavian wilderness, so lovingly sculpted by the team at Nine Rocks Games, your harmony with your surroundings increases.
Way of the Hunter: Lintukoto Reserve is out now on PS5.
From the creators of Little Nightmares I & II comes an entirely new vision, unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Find out more at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Tuesday August 20, 11am PT/8pm CEST.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the THQ Nordic Digital Showcase without just one more thing to tantalize you as we close out the stream…
The ominous rumble of a chamber impossibly old. Scorching ash suspended in the air, spewed forth by roiling lava.
Three colossal stone heads, suddenly set ablaze with otherworldly flames. The Charred Council awake, and roar a single word in unison: Horseman.
We’ll have more news to share on where the world of Darksiders is going soon, but for now, know this… the Four Horsemen will ride again.
That’s it for the THQ Nordic Digital Showcase 2024! From all of us at THQ Nordic, as well as our dev partners spread around the world – thank you so much for joining us. We can’t wait to share more with you on each of these titles in the near future and see you soon in our digital worlds.
Following the news that Bungie laid off 220 people, details have reportedly been revealed about the company’s future, including that it isn’t currently working on Destiny 3, that it will shift its focus from larger expansions to smaller updates for Destiny 2 that may be free, and that a Destiny spin-off was canceled.
Bloomberg spoke to ten current and former Bungie employees who asked not to be identified, and they “described a company that grew too fast and tried to develop too many projects at once, spreading resources too thin rather than prioritizing its chief moneymaker, Destiny 2.”
While there may be many who believed Bungie was hard at work on Destiny 3, especially considering Destiny 2 was released in 2017, the studio decided to shift its focus to something completely new called Payback.
Payback, which was described as taking elements from such games as Warframe and Genshin Impact, was set in the Destiny universe but was meant to “shake up the formula in major ways.” Instead of being a first-person shooter, Payback was being developed as a third-person title that would see players using the franchise’s characters to explore a large world and work together to “battle monsters and solve puzzles.”
This was not being billed as a sequel to Destiny 2, but more of a spin-off. Sadly, Payback was canceled just two months ago so Bungie could prioritize its more imminent games. Instead, it moved much of the payback team to work on Marathon, its PvP-focused extraction shooter live-service game which is set to be released in 2025.
With no Payback and no Destiny 3 in the near future, Bungie is planning to continue supporting Destiny 2, albeit in a different way. Despite Destiny 2’s The Final Shape expansion reviewing very well – we gave it a 9/10 – the studio looks to “no longer pursue paid expansions as it did in the past.” According to one of the sources, sales for each expansion have declined year after year.
Instead of this annual release model for big expansions, Bungie looks to “retain and attract players with smaller-scale drops modeled after Into the Light.” For those unfamiliar, Into the Light was released ahead of The Final Shape and added the Onslaught activity, the Hall of Champions social space, Parade Armor 2.0, the return of 12 iconic guns with the BRAVE Arsenal, and much more.
Furthermore, Bungie is aiming to release these updates for free alongside overhauling activities it hopes will keep its hardcord player satisfied. There are also “other vague plans” that include a storyline that “will feature characters and worlds that Destiny has not yet explored.”
So, instead of big new Destiny 2 expansions, Bungie will put resources into these updates, a smoother onboarding process, and more. In one bright spot, some of the sources said they are “optimistic about the vision for Destiny 2 under new director Tyson Green.”
The layoffs have hit the team hard, and most of the people Bloomberg spoke to were critical of Bungie CEO Pete Parsons, saying he “failed to take accountability for his own bad bets” and that he was “overly optimistic in his communication with the staff.”
There is also worry because longtime veterans Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy left Bungie this week, and that has led to a lot of “lingering questions about the future of decision-making at Bungie.” Now, without some of its leaders, a big hit to audio, narrative, and player support teams, and much more, Bungie staff are now looking at creating world-class experiences with a “smaller staff, tighter schedules, and a company that looks significantly different than it did three days ago.”
In addition to the layoffs, Bungie is hoping to move 155 of its employees to Sony Interactive Entertainment, and a seperate group will be part of a team working on an incubation project code-named Gummybears.
Ever since Sony’s $3.6 billion acquisition of Bungie, things have not gotten better. Bungie took that cash and “hired hundreds of new staff members and pursued myriad incubation projects, including mobile versions of Destiny, remakes of old games and new franchises.” Now, it’s most important former and current employees are suffering after some of these plans never saw the light of day or turned out as those in charge hoped. One of the sources even noted that Parsons told staff in a meeting in later 2023 that Bungie had missed its revenue targets by 45% and was losing money.
For more, check out how another former Bungie employee claimed the studio faced insolvency without Sony’s acquistion and the games industry’s criticism of Bungie mangagement and Parsons in wake of these layoffs.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
Following a quick Open Beta period, Riot Games has surprised fans by officially launching Valorant on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.
Valorant Console is now available to players in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Brazil and promises to bring the “same uncompromising, competitive experience that we’ve provided PC players for years: a precise, team-based, tactical shooter.”
🚨 Incursion Imminent 🚨
VALORANT is now LIVE on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. pic.twitter.com/cX5boZXPRI
— VALORANT (@VALORANT) August 2, 2024
As previously discussed, cross-play will not be available between PC and console players as Riot Games wishes to “maintain Valorant’s renowned standard for competitive integrity.” PlayStation and Xbox players will be able to play together, however.
While that may not be the best news for some, Riot Games has reassured fans that their Friends List, Collection (Skins, Player Cards, Gun Buddies, etc.), Battle Pass progress, and Agent unlocks will carry over. Furthermore, both PC and console players will “receive simultaneous platform releases of all live patch balances, new agents, maps, premium content, and additional live service features.”
“We’ve received so much valuable feedback from players during Limited Beta, and feel confident to deliver on our gameplay promise for console player,” Arnar Gylfason, production director of Valorant, said. “Whether it’s hitting that perfect shot, executing a flawless team play, or wiping out the enemy team, we look forward to seeing console players experience the same gameplay thrill as VALORANT PC players.”
Valorant is free-to-play, but Xbox Game Pass members will be happy to know that all current and future Agents will be unlocked.
In our Valorant review for PC from 2020, we said, “Valorant is the most fun I’ve had with a multiplayer FPS since Valve’s Team Fortress 2. The flexibility of its magically-infused cast paired with a deep arsenal makes for a magnificent competitive canvas, if a tricky one to initially pick up. I’m already pondering new strategies to pull off with my friends in the future, and that joyous daydreaming won’t stop anytime soon.”
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
Well, that’s goo-d.
Wait! Stop right there. We see you, with your finger hovering above the purchase link for World of Goo 2 on the Switch eShop. Would you rather wait for a physical edition? Yeah? Well good, because it’s on the way later this year.
Announced by Fireshine Games, the company has partnered up with developer 2D BOY to launch a physical edition of World of Goo 2 on October 29th 2024. Pre-orders are available now at select retailers.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Valorant is now live on Xbox Series X|S– with some serious benefits for Game Pass members. So grab four of your friends and hop into our 5v5 tactical shooter where you’ll need creative strategy, effective communication, and clutch aim to climb up the ranks.
But launch is only the beginning for Valorant on console – here’s how we’ll be supporting the game going forward.
Riot Games was founded with the idea that competition should be enjoyable at any level – whether it’s your first Valorant Competitive game after hitting level 20 or you’re grinding to Radiant, competing in our games should feel fair. Competitive integrity is at the heart of everything we do, and it’s one element that sets Valorant apart from other shooters on console.
One thing we’ve learned after 4+ years of Valorant on PC is that y’all are pretty cracked. The Valorant playerbase constantly innovates around the meta and comes up with new strats that surprise even us. Players consistently find new ability synergy between Agents, new line-ups, new flank watches, new ways to use a weapon, better smoke placements – you get the picture. Honestly, we love to see it. And now we’re so excited to welcome the console community into that space and see what you’ll come up with next.
Because of the ever-changing landscape, we’re constantly monitoring how our maps, Agents, weapons, and abilities are performing across different skill levels.
Sometimes an Agent might skew too powerful as players learn and master their abilities. Or maybe a map becomes one-sided as teams figure out how to optimize Agent utility. Or maybe a certain weapon becomes too strong as players hone their aim and learn how to better synergize with Agent abilities.
Over time, seemingly small imbalances can make a game start to feel stale and predictable. And that’s just not Valorant.
So, what does all this mean for the game long term? For our devs, it means their work is never done. For our players who aren’t familiar, it means live service and live balance.
We put out patches every two weeks across all platforms to address things like game balance, bug fixes, or QoL improvements. And a few times per year, we release larger updates to an Agent’s entire kit when there’s an opportunity to bolster or tamp down their strength. These kinds of updates typically aren’t needed very often and will only be implemented at a time that won’t affect active Pro play schedules.
So far, since Limited Beta started on console two months ago, Valorant has already seen four patch updates. We’re updating the game frequently, but paying attention to the unique needs of each platform. Balance parity between PC and console isn’t necessarily guaranteed.
Why? While the level of competition and skill-expression is the same for Valorant on PC and console, the game needs to be balanced independently between platforms. With different input methods (controller vs. mouse and keyboard) comes different playstyles. Some Agents shine on console but aren’t as effective on PC and vice versa. So our game developers have to test each extensively and adjust only when it makes sense.
Beyond game balance, Valorant features a rotating map pool for Competitive queue to ensure players get more variety while ranking up, and even occasionally to make changes to a map when it’s out of the competitive rotation.
Ultimately, it’s up to you – our passionate community – to let us know how we’re doing and show us how you’d level up the game. We’re so grateful to those of you who helped us prepare for this day by participating in our Limited and Open Beta periods, and we can’t wait to see what you’ll do next. So hop on, queue up, and frag out.
GL HF.
The post Valorant Console Out Now – and We’re Just Getting Started appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Last week, we asked you to share moments when game characters find themselves playing a game using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
lovers_nero shares Leon racking up the points in the shooting gallery from Resident Evil 4 Remake.
MrioMoreno5 shares Joel watching as Ellie stops to admire an arcade deck in The Last of Us Part I.
vp_louie shares Tim Drake spending some time at an arcade game in Gotham Knights.
Lny_Trpr_EE7 shares a game of dominoes being played across Abigail in Red Dead Redemption 2.
WarDaddyPlatine shares May and Cody about to journey across a ball pit in It Takes Two.
secondcapture shares Gary riding a mechanical bull-type machine in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Running
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 7, 2024
Next week, we’re stretching our legs and going for a run. Share moments where your favorite characters are running in the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
Bungie have reportedly cancelled Payback, an unannounced project in the Destiny universe from former Destiny 2 game director Luke Smith and project lead Mark Noseworthy. Both Noseworthy and Smith appear to have lost their jobs in the course of Bungie’s brutal cost-cutting this week, but Payback’s cancellation pre-dates the layoffs. Envisaged as a Destiny spin-off, rather than Destiny 3, it was apparently dropped “a while ago”.
Alongside Elden Ring becoming the best-selling game of June 2024 thanks to its Shadow of Erdtree expansion, Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece’s arrival on Steam launched it from #399 to #3 month over month.
As reported by Circana’s Mat Piscatella, Elden Ring has returned to the top of a monthly best-selling list for the first time since May 2022, and, as we mentioned, that was due to the huge success of Shadow of the Erdtree. For some context, Shadow of the Erdtree sold a massive five million copies in just its first three days on the market.
As for Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece, its astonishing jump was because it was only available on Nintendo Switch via Cloud before it came to Steam in June. For those unfamiliar, this collection includes Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance led the way for new games in June, as it managed to reach fourth place in its first month. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD also performed admirably by cracking the top 10 and placing eighth.
We also want to shout out The Elder Scrolls: Online, as it jumped from #198 to #18 this month thanks to the launch of The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road, and Street Fighter 6, as it jumped from #72 to #20 thanks to promotional pricing.
In the world of hardware, PlayStation 5 claimed the top prize in regard to unit and dollar sales, and Nintendo Switch finished second. Xbox, however, passed Switch in terms of dollar sales. Hardware as a whole dropped 37% when compared to 2023.
Which games do you think will be the best selling of August? Will it be one of the biggest new games of the month, including Star Wars: Outlaws, Madden NFL 25, Concord, Black Myth: Wukong, or something else? Let us know!
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
