There was a time when Microsoft eagerly pushed the Xbox Kinect. Initially a peripheral add-on for the Xbox One and Xbox 360, it was meant to be the company’s answer to the Nintendo Wii, offering motion controls without the use of a controller. Rather, Xbox owners can play games using their entire body.
While definitely creative, its fame ultimately died out, leading to Microsoft discontinuing the Kinect. Of course, this meant no more Kinect games, but shockingly, a forthcoming 2021 game launch has been confirmed to feature support for the Kinect and it’s not even a console game.
Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator is a Steam game that was developed by Strange Scaffold and is generally what the name implies. Described as a sci-fi body horror market tycoon game, players will be forced to trade, buy, and sell human and alien organs. While the game can be played with just a mouse and keyboard, for unknown reasons, the developers decided to make it possible to play the game using the Kinect.
Its official Steam page doesn’t state anything about Kinect support, with this information exclusively announced by Rock Paper Shotgun. This might effectively make the game as the last Kinect title ever created, provided no other gaming studio decides to follow suit and integrate it into their own game.
Though the Xbox Kinect is no longer utilized for games in an official capacity, several modders have gone out of the way to add it to titles such as Super Mario 64 and Grand Theft Auto 5.
Pokemon-themed manhole covers, each with their own special designs, are being installed all over Japan. The Japanese government is using this one of a kind promotional campaign to use Pokemon Go’s massive popularity in order to boost tourism and business within different prefectures throughout the region. While this is not the first time Japan has witnessed these monsters being put into sewer lids, this addition features new designs being added.
Pokemon Go launched back in 2016 to massive popularity, seeing players from every region imaginable coming out to participate in the cultural phenomenon. While not every player stuck with the trend, the game has seen huge player numbers remain stable in the years since its launch.
The augmented reality mobile game has gotten a constant stream of support from its developer, Niantic, in the form of different events, content additions, and unique features that have only enhanced the game for its millions of players.
In a blog posted by Twinfinite, unique and fresh designs have been revealed for the next batch of sewer lids to be installed in the Ikaruga prefecture. While these are not the first Pokemon sewer lids fans have seen, they do have new one-of-a-kind designs featuring the likes of Simisear paired with Bronzong and the Legendary Entei, among others.
These will also serve as markers or physical locations of different Pokestops all over the town. The government of Ikaruga hopes that this move will boost tourism and business in the area with elevated traffic from players of the game considering that every manhole cover’s design is unique to its particular position.
Back in 2018, the first Poke-lid featuring an Eevee design was installed in Ibusuki, Kagoshima. Since then, more than 148 sewer lids have been added all throughout Japan, including the ones mentioned here. These span thirteen various towns in Japan, showing the entire country’s support for the extremely popular game. While Pokemon Go has proved a high level of play across the world, the game brags the most players within Japan.
Developer Niantic has had to make improvements to the community-driven game since the start of the global coronavirus pandemic, such as removing restrictions that were recently placed on some content like trainer battles.
This lets players fight one another inside the safety of their homes. The developers continued with the ongoing addition of new Pokemon from the mainline games as well as an exclusive event that saw the introduction of cosmetic items from popular North Face and Gucci.
Regardless, the game has witnessed another spike in popularity since the global pandemic began, seeing as most people have a lengthy amount of free time and many feel like one of the only safe activities they can participate in is going on socially distanced walks with their friends and family.
The Predator has finally touched down in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5 bringing with him a whole cosmetic set and Jungle Hunter Challenges that are free to those who purchase this season’s Battle Pass. Joining Jonesy’s team of super bounty hunters, the Predator skin set lets Fortnite players take control of one of the most iconic intergalactic bounty hunters.
Each season following Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 1 has featured a secret character on the Battle Pass. This is an accredited character that usually emerges in the season’s release trailer and is teased all throughout the season leading up to that exclusive skin’s release.
The skin can be acquired by finishing a set of challenges exclusive to owners of the Battle Pass. However, in the case of Predator, players were left to expect that The Mandalorian was this season’s only licensed Battle Pass cosmetic and that Fortnite Season 5 would not have a secret Battle Pass skin.
That was until last week when a pod crashed in Stealthy Stronghold, and an array of other teasers was posted announcing that Fortnite Season 5 has more in store for players. Now, the Predator has appeared from his mystical pod and is craving for blood.
Alongside the Predator turning up to be a mini-boss in the game, players who purchased the Battle Pass will have access to the new Jungle Hunter Challenges that reward players with different cosmetics including an emote, pickaxe, back bling, and the Predator skin.
Like other mini-bosses, the Predator will also introduce a new powerful item that will definitely spice up the battle. The Predator’s Cloaking Device is a utility item that will be dropped when players defeat the Predator mini-boss roaming around Stealthy Stronghold.
This device will be a utility item that will let players become invisible for 30 seconds similar to the Predator’s signature ability in the films. In order for Battle Pass owners to get their free skin, they will have to go head to head with the Predator himself.
With just a bit of over a month to go before Fortnite Season 5 ends, there are still a few crossover skins to come. A lot of fans are theorizing that The Terminator or Lara Croft will make their arrival, but anything now is just the icing on the cake for the ending season.
Kratos, Master Chief, and The Mandalorian were enough to make the season memorable, but the arrival of Predator once again proves that Fortnite is willing to risk anything to make each season a great one.
Apex Legends Season 8 is expected to release very soon, and to retain the hype, developer Respawn Entertainment recently revealed who the next Legend is going to be. Fuse is the upcoming new playable hero for Season 8, who has a distinct robotic arm and eyepatch, making him stand out from the rest of the options.
While many Apex Legends fans are looking forward to testing out Fuse as soon as Season 8 goes live, it appears that his introduction won’t be smooth sailing like the others, as his existence is already part of a controversy.
More specifically, an indie studio has accused Respawn Entertainment for copying one of its characters in order to create who we now know as Fuse. NOWWA is an indie team currently working on a third-person multiplayer hero shooter called BulletVille, and it claims that the character design of one of its characters, Hunter, was used by Respawn Entertainment for the creation of Fuse.
According to the small indie group, its upcoming game had playtests with publisher Electronic Arts last year in October and November. Not only that, the general public already knew about its character Hunter more or less two years ago. Speaking with Nintendo Life, NOWWA’s statement basically conveys the studio’s fear of being accused of copying Respawn Entertainment due to how similar both characters look.
NOWWA’s statement says, “We are happy that the Apex Legends team liked Hunter’s style to the point of wanting to recreate it in Apex Legends.” The studio goes on to say that it was even hoping that both studios will have a crossover of games someday. “Nonetheless, we are afraid that, as a small indie game producer whose game hasn’t been launched yet, we’ll be called a ripoff of Apex Legends, which is certainly not true.”
Asides from their physical appearances, another similarity between Fuse and Hunter is their weapon of choice. Namely, both characters utilize a weapon that works similarly to a rocket launcher.
As of this moment, Respawn Entertainment hasn’t made any comments regarding this accusation. It’s also worth noting that there hasn’t been any proof just yet as to whether Respawn Entertainment truly copied NOWWA’s Hunter to create Fuse. There’s a chance that this is all just some kind of coincidence, so bear that in mind.
That being said, it’s up to you to formulate your own opinions regarding this issue. Here’s what BulletVille’s Hunter looks like:
On the other hand, this is what Apex Legends’ Fuse looks like:
NOWWA’s fear of being called a character design thief is understandable, given how Apex Legends’ developer is a big name in the industry already, whereas NOWWA is just starting out. Besides, it’s fairly common for popular games to have copies. For instance, at the peak of their popularity, games like PUBG or Overwatch had a bunch of clones that started popping up.
It would be interesting to see how Respawn Entertainment will react to this, or if it will even acknowledge the issue at all. It would be difficult for NOWWA to prove that Respawn ripped off Hunter’s character design, especially since it’s a fairly common or generic design to begin with.
Developer IO Interactive revealed on Twitter that Hitman 3’s IOI Account servers crashed during release day, and the studio is doing its best in fixing the problem to alleviate its impact on players. Hitman 3 is the latest and final entry in the World of Assassination trilogy, a myriad of rebooted Hitman games that helped reinvigorate the character of Agent 47 and modernize the game.
IO Interactive’s work on the Hitman series has been critically acclaimed, and Hitman 3 continued this trend, with the game getting impressive positive feedback when its review prohibition was lifted a few hours ago.
Hitman 3 reviews massively praised the game’s environmental design which brings six comprehensively crafted levels to life with a swarm of assassination options. Hitman 3 will also carry over progress from past installments in the trilogy, allowing unlocks from the previous games to come to the newest game.
We're hard at work on getting IOI Account back online to enable progression carryover.
We'll tell you when it's fully operational again. Please press F5 on Twitter instead of our site. We want it back up and running just as much as you do. Thanks! pic.twitter.com/4St0a2hYtQ
The harmony between the games is another selling point for Hitman 3 that has succeeded in rejuvenating the brand, and so the game’s carry over progression is a huge element of the new release and a preference for fans.
This is why the development team is working hard to fix this unanticipated issue. According to the company’s official Twitter account, the IOI Account servers have crashed, which means progression carryover is currently not possible for Hitman 3 players.
The developer posted two tweets, with the first gladly recognizing that the team is working on the problem and that “everyone wants to play at once,” but in a couple of hours that have passed since then, no repair has been enforced successfully.
IO Interactive then followed up a few minutes after the first tweet about the IOI Account servers being down, discussing that they were still figuring it out and that it will remind its players on Twitter if the issue has been fixed. The developer also reminded players to refresh their Twitter feeds instead of the IOI account site to help hasten the repair and not flood the servers even further.
It’s definitely bad timing for the development team as Hitman 3 is coming off some remarkably good buzz thanks to its positive feedbacks. Hopefully, the problem gets fixed soon and does not hurt what should be a release period filled with excitement for both IO Interactive that worked so diligently on the game, and the players that are keen to see how that work has paid off.
We can’t imagine it either, but there was once a time when InnerSloth’s Among Us wasn’t as popular as it is today. In fact, not a lot of people knew what the game was or that it even existed. However, thanks to Twitch streamers and other similar content creators, the social deduction game quickly rose in popularity during the summer of last year—and remains popular even today.
As a matter of fact, it’s considered to be one of the most played multiplayers as of late, and even reached half a billion active players in November 2020 alone. That said, the sudden surge in popularity caught developer InnerSloth by surprise, which meant that it had to do a lot of adjustments and changes to accommodate all the players and make the game better overall.
Although the developer plans on releasing more updates this year, fans will have to be patient and wait a little longer. InnerSloth posted an explanation on its official website for why the updates are taking so long to go live. For one thing, the small team of developers had to go back and support a game which they once thought was already over and done with.
After all, Among Us was released in 2018 and InnerSloth was already working on a sequel to the game before deciding to cancel it. However, the developer also had to overhaul the game in order for them to efficiently keep on working and improving the current title. Two months have been used up on restructuring the game alone, as well as other miscellaneous behind-the-scenes work, which meant that the team had to work on other things outside of the game.
Although this resulted in slower updates, this could mean that InnerSloth’s efforts in the future will be easier and more streamlined in the future. At the moment, the next major updated for the game that many have been looking forward to is the Airship map, which was announced during The Game Awards 2020 with a trailer.
https://youtu.be/ixfokUG711U
InnerSloth didn’t set a specific date for when the update containing the new map will launch, but the team is hoping to release it by early 2021. So, fans can rest easy knowing that they have Among Us-related content to look forward to at the beginning of this year, possibly within the next few months.
Among other things, the developer will also be introducing accounts to Among Us. It wanted to implement this feature sooner, but it’s finally almost ready. InnerSloth also mentions that it plans to release a public roadmap to its fans, so that dedicated players will remain informed about what the developer has in store for the game.
While this roadmap will contain information about new and upcoming features, InnerSloth won’t be including specific dates at least until it’s completely sure that it will be able to meet those dates.
ICYMI, the Nintendo Switch port of Among Us was also launched late last year. As expected, the game was also quite popular with Switch users, so much so that the game even became a part of the eShop’s bestsellers list.
Toby Fox, creator of the critically acclaimed indie RPG Undertale, recently shared a small development update on the game’s follow-up entitled Deltarune. The Chapter 1 of the upcoming title was released over two years ago, which allowed new and old fans to test out what Deltarune offers so far. Now, the developer is working on Chapter 2, which will hopefully be released soon.
Undertale was quick to become a cult classic when its crowdfunding received an overflowing amount of financial support. The game’s Kickstarter goal was initially only $5,000, however, Toby Fox received $51,124 in the end thanks to the thousands of people supporting the game.
Although Undertale was only in development for about 32 months, it appears that Deltarune is taking much longer to finish. There’s a really good reason for this, though. Fox previously stated that he plans on making Deltarune an even bigger game than the first title. Also another major difference between the two games is the fact that Deltarune is being developed by episodes, though Fox plans on compiling and releasing everything in one full game once it’s fully done.
Fox’s last Deltarune update was in September of last year, where he shared screenshots and offered a more comprehensive progress update. He said back then that Deltarune Chapter 2 was about 80% done already. This time around, Fox posts a follow-up on one of his old tweets saying that “Chapter 2’s development is going well!” He then says, “Not sure what else to say, but I feel positive about it.”
By the way, the Chapter 2's development is going well! Not sure what else to say, but I feel positive about it.
Deltarune Chapter 1 was released back in 2018, and interested parties could download and play it for free. However, the upcoming title doesn’t have a release date or window just yet, although Fox estimated that the second chapter would be complete before the end of 2020. Obviously, that didn’t turn out to be the case.
Not only that, we have yet to know just how many episodes or chapters Deltarune is going to have. If the game is going to have several more, then this could mean that it could be a few more years before Undertale fans can finally experience the highly awaited follow-up in its complete form.
In any case, all we can do for now is hope that this small development update by Fox is a hint that Deltarune Chapter 2 will be released soon. As for what the game has to offer so far, critics generally had a positive response to Deltarune Chapter 1.
However, as expected of any game that serves as a follow-up, many compared Deltarune to Undertale. And while most had good things to say, some think that the upcoming title is essentially just like Undertale, but in a different skin.
These days, PlayStation 5 users have been looking forward to the release of several highly anticipated first-party titles such as God of War: Ragnarok, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon Forbidden West, and Gran Turismo 7. However, an unannounced project by one popular studio seems to have secured the spotlight as of late.
Developer of Uncharted and The Last of Us, Naughty Dog, is apparently working on a brand-new project right now. While this new game has yet to be announced, the studio’s Senior Concept Artist, Hyoung Nam, recently posted a set of concept art that could hint at the kind of PS5 game fans can look forward to.
Many would assume that Naughty Dog’s next title would be tied to either Uncharted or The Last of Us. However, this may not be the case, as there’s a chance that the studio is actually working on a fantasy game. In Hyoung Nam’s recent post on his ArtStation account, he shares three different pieces of concept art featuring women who look like they’re within a fantasy setting.
To further cement this rumor, Hyoung Nam’s caption of the post reads: “Inspire from new game. You know what I’m talking about…”
The first art piece showcases a woman with a sword sitting beside a defeat dragon or lizard—basically some kind of reptilian creature. It’s safe to assume that she’s the one who defeated it.
Artist: Hyoung Nam
The second piece is a sepia portrait of another woman who may or may not fit into the fantasy genre, depending on your perspective. Specifically, this second woman looks more like an NPC from one of the tribes in Horizon Zero Dawn.
Last but not least, the third image is of a woman wearing a headpiece that looks like a goat’s skull while holding a staff embellished with a human skull. Without a doubt, she could easily pass as a character from Dungeons & Dragons.
It’s clear to see that these three characters are completely different from the previous games released by Naughty Dog. However, it’s worth noting that we can’t be so sure that these three women are directly related to the new project that the developer is currently working on.
For one thing, there’s just something off about Hyoung Nam’s description of the post and the fact that he uploaded these images in the first place. Naughty Dog hasn’t made any official announcements just yet about any upcoming projects, so it wouldn’t make sense for the studio’s Senior Concept Artist to discreetly reveal a major game on their ArtStation account.
If we analyze the way he structured his sentence, the artist says that the concept art were inspired by “a” new game. As such, it’s also possible that he’s not necessarily talking about a new game by Naughty Dog. Perhaps Hyoung Nam just wanted to create fan art of other fantasy titles like Horizon Forbidden West or maybe even Dragon Age 4.
For now, it’s best to take this rumor with a pinch of salt. While it would definitely be interesting if Naughty Dog is currently working on a fantasy IP, we still need further evidence to verify these rumors.
A new Valorant update has just dropped, which contains various changes and bug fixes that will make the game even better. Although a bunch of tweaks and adjustments have been made with the release of Patch 2.01, the heroes and maps are the ones experiencing the major changes.
Seeing as Valorant is a live service title, developer Riot Games will be consistently updating the game and regularly releasing those updates to provide fans with a constantly improving gameplay experience. This time around, it appears that Riot Games has been releasing updates quicker than anticipated, as the game’s official Twitter account suggests that fans probably didn’t expect one this soon.
While most of the time, patches of this caliber are usually for minor bug fixes, it appears that Patch 2.01 will be implementing several adjustments that could change the game as a whole.
Now, the major thing being changed in this update has to do with the controversial Split map. As a matter of fact, the developer calls this an overhaul patch. That being said, the main focus is to make the attacker options even better on Split and lessen 50/50 checks.
Not only that, the layout of the map has been changed as well. Specifically, certain corners of the map have been tweaked, and particular areas have been opened up as well. For example, the main doorway on Split has been widened so that stalling by defenders will be more difficult. Riot Games notes down the complete details of this in the patch notes.
That being said, the developer made more changes to Valorant with this new patch asides from map changes. Patch 2.01 also nerfs Jett, the Agent from South Korea. From 7 seconds, Jett’s smoke duration has been nerfed down to 4.5 seconds. By making her Cloudburst ability longer, this allows her to become a Controller in the game.
The developer doesn’t want the respective roles of the different Agents to intertwine, which is why this update was released. Some of the changes made that are worth mentioning include queue restrictions for being AFK, as well as the ability to hide custom games from the player’s history.
From what we can tell, Riot Games is more than aware of the different issues that players have with the game, and it’s working hard to remedy them as best as possible. The fact that the developer made a major update to one of Valorant’s maps is a big deal, and the patch notes states that the team thought about it long and hard before pushing through.
The development team also included references in the patch notes that players can check if they want to see what the specific map changes are. While there are many live service games out there that no longer receive major updates after a while, it’s great that this isn’t the case for Valorant. Even though Patch 2.01 could have just focused on changing maps, Riot Games still included other tweaks as well that improves the game as a whole.
That being said, it’s to be expected that some players would be frustrated by the Jett nerf. On the other hand, it’s great that the developer wants to punish those who are AFK without negatively impacting those who truly have connection issues. Although, we have yet to see if this feature will truly work as it’s supposed to.
Arguably still one of the best MMORPGs of today, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 14 has consistently produced unique in-game content and new expansions, much to its players’ delight. With the developers working hard to stay committed to their promise of announcing more Final Fantasy news this year, Square Enix has unsuspectingly disclosed a worldwide schedule for a Final Fantasy 14 reveal showcase.
Most Final Fantasy 14 players have been preoccupied with the recent Shadowbringers 5.4 update, with the new content being launched just last December 2020. However, with rumors of Square Enix trademarking a new game that coincidentally appears to be related to the Final Fantasy 14 expansion naming trend, speculations have spread online, and players are eager to hear official announcements to finally stop all the theories and guesses. And, it looks like the development team might have decided it was about time to put these speculations to rest, by hosting an online showcase.
Shared on all of the game’s social media accounts, and on the official Lodestone website, Square Enix confirmed that they will be holding a Final Fantasy 14 Announcement Showcase. The event will occur simultaneously across various time zones, on February 5, 2021, at 5:30 PM PST. Fans and players alike can watch the showcase live online through the game’s official channels including Twitch, YouTube, and Niconico Live – Japan’s famous streaming service.
The developers appear incredibly tight-lipped about the upcoming event, as the announcement gave little detail on what players should anticipate when they watch the livestream. With other games like Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise recently utilizing live online events to bring huge reveals and good news, it is very probable that the Final Fantasy 14 development team is waiting to dump a big amount of highly awaited updates onto its player base.
The game’s official posts have also mentioned that the livestream will be translated live, from Japanese to English. This encourages players to theorize that the showcase will provide more than the average developer updates, and may provide interesting information like a new expansion, new content update, or a new character job or class.
However, until the online showcase actually happens next month, Final Fantasy 14 fans will have to wait and be contented with the bits of information they currently have. And with only a few weeks left until the event, fans won’t have to wait that long before their questions about the future of the game are finally answered.
