Sega Reveals Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, And Three Other Olympics Titles

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Sega has announced a range of video games for the Olympic Games being held in Tokyo next year. Among them is Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, a Switch title that will once again reunite the characters from Nintendo and Sega’s most iconic franchises to compete in sporting events.

However, Sega also has Olympic Games: The Official Video Games in development for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch. On top of that there’s an arcade version of Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and Sonic At The Olympic Games — Tokyo 2020 for mobile devices. These games are showcased in a trailer, which you can watch below, albeit briefly.

Obviously, the main differences between the various titles is whether or not they have Mario or Sonic attached to them. Sega is making a standard Olympics video game available on all platforms, and this is currently listed as coming 2020 on the game’s official website. Mario and Sonic will join in on the competition for Switch and Arcade, with the Switch version arriving in Winter 2019 while the arcade version follows in Summer 2020. Finally, on mobile, it’s just Sonic and the game headed to the Olympics, and that game is set for Summer 2020.

In the trailer there are a range of events from the various games shown, including running, swimming, shot put, tennis, basketball, volleyball, motorsports, skateboarding, baseball, hurdles, and long jump, among others. It looks like there’s going to be a nice variety of games for players to check out.

The original Mario and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games launched in November 2007 and proved to be very popular, becoming a sales success. Critically, however, the response was mixed. In GameSpot’s review the Wii version received a 6/10. “The trouble lies in the often uninteresting and occasionally frustrating motion controls combined with some events that are too similar to one another, as well as shallow gameplay that brings the game down,” it concluded.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sega-reveals-mario-and-sonic-at-the-olympic-games-/1100-6465926/

Valve Confirms Its Own VR Headset, Valve Index To Launch In May

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It’s been a long time coming, considering the leaked images and rumors, but today Valve finally revealed its virtual reality headset, the Valve Index. A page dedicated to the Index went live on Steam, Valve’s PC games distribution platform. The page includes the first official image of the VR headset.

As of now, there isn’t much information since no details on price, technical specifications, or its functionality have been given. Index does have a release window, though: May 2019. Judging from the official teaser image, it’ll have at least two built-in sensors (or cameras) on the headset itself, and what appears to be IPD and viewing distance adjustment notches. No indication has been made about whether or not the SteamVR Knuckle controllers will be a part of Index, although an updated prototype was shown last year.

The first look at the Valve Index VR headset.

Valve previously partnered with HTC for the development of Vive the headset and integrating it into the Steam ecosystem. Valve Index isn’t the only new thing coming to VR gaming this year; Oculus announced two new headsets slated for Spring 2019 release. The Oculus Rift S will be an upgraded version of the Rift that’ll feature built-in tracking sensors, a higher resolution, and a more ergonomic head strap. Those looking to go completely untethered will want to lookout for the Oculus Quest, a standalone VR headset powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. Both Oculus headsets will launch at $400 USD.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-confirms-its-own-vr-headset-valve-index-to-l/1100-6465922/

Valve Is Slowing Artifact Updates To Handle The Game’s Larger Issues

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Valve has announced it will slow down on pushing out updates for Artifact in order to start focusing on the digital card game’s larger issues. The company published a blog post on Steam explaining its reasoning.

“Obviously, things didn’t turn out how we hoped,” Valve game programmer Jeep Barnett wrote. “Artifact represents the largest discrepancy between our expectations for how one of our games would be received and the actual outcome. But we don’t think that players misunderstand our game, or that they’re playing it wrong. Artifact now represents an opportunity for us to improve our craft and use that knowledge to build better games.”

“It has become clear that there are deep-rooted issues with the game and that our original update strategy of releasing new features and cards would be insufficient to address them,” Barnett continued. “Instead, we believe the correct course of action is to take larger steps, to re-examine the decisions we’ve made along the way regarding game design, the economy, the social experience of playing, and more.”

Specifics are not listed for which “larger issues” will be addressed outside of the general descriptions supplied in the quote above. Barnett does warn, though, that the “process of experimentation and development” will most likely “take a significant amount of time.” So you probably shouldn’t expect new updates for Artifact anytime soon.

Artifact is Valve’s first new game in years. Conceptually based on Dota 2, Artifact is designed by Richard Garfield, who previously created the Magic: The Gathering card game. Artifact is available on PC, with plans to bring the game to Android and iOS this year. Valve did not announce whether the mobile port will now be delayed on account of the shift in focus to address the game’s larger issues.

Despite the game’s issues, in our Artifact review, we gave the game an 8/10, describing the title as “a capable reimagining of modern trading card games.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-is-slowing-artifact-updates-to-handle-the-ga/1100-6465923/

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Reintroduces Tracks From The Sequel Nitro Kart

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The upcoming remaster for Crash Team Racing channels much of the same energy and cartoonish personality that made the classic PS1 title such a well-loved game. Developed by Beenox, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Refueled also manages to go a bit further than updating the original, including more content than people had anticipated. During PAX East 2019, we spent some time racing on the different tracks in Nitro-Refueled, which included the return of some tracks found from the sequel Nitro Kart.

Speaking with GameSpot at PAX, Beenox co-studio head Thomas Wilson described the approach they took with the remaster, and what sort of content they wanted to include with the game.

“With the name Nitro-Fueled, we wanted to see how we could complement the original experience,” said Wilson. “We did that by adding new tracks that originated from Crash Nitro Kart, and which we decided pretty early on we were going to do that. We felt it was the right decision, and it was all about creating a more well-rounded package for fans.”

During our hands-on time, we got to play across four different tracks pulling from CTR and Nitro Kart. One thing that the original game was known for was its challenging difficulty, and that’s certainly present here. I really found myself struggling to keep up with other opponents–both AI and other players. One sudden hit from an enemy’s missile or driving straight into a vial of chemicals almost inevitably put us in a bad way. With that said, I still felt that Nitro-Fueled managed to recapture that same sense of fun from the original, which was present in the updated art style that looks more vibrant than ever.

This remaster also includes a number of changes and revisions to the core gameplay. For instance, all the anti-gravity sections from Nitro Kart’s tracks have been removed in order to keep it consistent with the courses from the original game. Nitro-Fueled also offers an upgrade to the original’s car combat mode. Featuring only the standard battle mode, the remaster will also incorporate the maps and modes from Nitro Kart as well, bringing it to a total of 12 different battle maps with multiple game types, including standard combat and capture the flag. From our recent hands-on, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled is shaping up to be a solid remaster that will rekindle the fast-pace and fun of the original.

For more from PAX Eat 2019, including the latest on Borderlands 3, and other games that caught our interest in the show, be sure to check out

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/crash-team-racing-nitro-fueled-reintroduces-tracks/1100-6465918/

Mortal Kombat 11 On Switch Doesn’t Compromise What Matters Most

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The announcement of Mortal Kombat 11 wasn’t much of a surprise, but the word that it would be appearing on Nintendo Switch alongside PC, PS4, and Xbox One certainly was. In part because the ultra-violent series has had a checkered history contrasted with Nintendo’s family-friendly image, and in part because the series has recently turned into a fidelity-pushing powerhouse, the Switch wasn’t an expected home for NetherRealm’s latest gore-fest. Following hands-on time at PAX East, it feels perfectly at home on Nintendo’s hybrid platform, even if the visuals are predictably downgraded.

The port isn’t being handled in-house, instead having been handed off to Miami-based Shiver Entertainment with NetherRealm overseeing production. The mission given to the studio was apparently to make sure it runs smoothly at 60 FPS. While we didn’t verify the exact frame rate, the message came through clearly: the priority was the fighting mechanics themselves.

Shiver succeeded, with some visual compromises. One close-up of Sub-Zero’s biceps looked more like painted on musculature than the curves and shadows you’d expect on other platforms. The x-ray effect of the Fatal Blows are less detailed, looking more like a bloody mess than the stomach-churning viscera of the other versions. And naturally, the backgrounds are lacking some of the cool lighting effects that give the game such a moody atmosphere. The result is something not quite as downgraded as the mobile ports of Mortal Kombat X, but the drop in visual quality is still noticeable.

That said, the gameplay itself has made the transition beautifully. Mortal Kombat’s revival is almost rhythmic in its style, with hard-hitting blows pummeling opponents into the ground with a kind of gory grace. Those elements rely on smooth animations and clockwork-tight controls.

If seeing every crunching bone and snapped tendon with perfect clarity is what matters to you, of course, the Nintendo Switch will not be your platform of choice. But NetherRealm and Shiver appear to have succeeded at their apparent mission, to make a Nintendo Switch version that is on-par with the others in the fighting fundamentals. That’s good news for those who want to take their Kombat on the go, and don’t mind a few compromises.

Mortal Kombat 11 launches April 23 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Check out our pre-order guide for more details.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombat-11-on-switch-doesnt-compromise-what-/1100-6465920/

No Elder Scrolls 6 Or Starfield At E3 2019, Says Bethesda

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Bethesda has announced that it will not be showcasing or revealing additional details for either The Elder Scrolls VI or Starfield during E3 2019. Both games were announced and given tiny teasers during E3 2018, alongside more detailed reveals for Fallout 76 and Rage 2.

“That’s just a little sneak peek at the technology that we’ve been building,” Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard said during a PAX East panel, in regards to further details about a new game engine. “People are going to see [the tech] at first, actually, in Starfield. And so that tech will have like the second version of it in TES6, and–before everyone asks–please be patient. It’s going to be a long time. It’s not something we’re going to be talking about at E3–either of those games–this year. And so patience, please. But given the [Elder Scrolls] anniversary, we did want to give everybody a taste.”

It’s not that much of a surprise to hear that neither game will be shown at this year’s E3, given that their showings from last year’s event implied both titles are still in the early stages of development. Howard has said he already knows the release dates for both games, but he’s “not going to tell” as it “would be foolish to say it.”

During PAX Australia 2018, Bethesda marketing boss Pete Hines and ZeniMax Online Studios game director Matt Firor said The Elder Scrolls VI is still a long way off, most likely releasing on the next generation of console hardware. Howard said something similar about Starfield during last year’s E3, but clarified, “I can’t absolutely say yes to [leaving current generation consoles behind]. We’re not going to limit the game that way yet. I’m willing to [leave current generation consoles behind] but it’s not a priority right now. I’d put it that way.”

Next to nothing is known about Starfield, other than it’s the first new IP Bethesda has announced in 25 years. The first and only trailer for the game showcases a planet outlined by a distant sun, only for the camera to pan down and focus on a small space station which is seemingly sucked into some sort of black hole.

Even less is known about The Elder Scrolls VI. According to its trailer, the game takes place in a mountainous region. There are some trees and patches of fog. That’s about it. Even with so little information, though, fans are still theorizing and trying to piece together The Elder Scrolls VI’s setting.

In the meantime, Bethesda has plenty of other games to occupy players as they wait. Fallout 76 has already received the first of three major expansions, and the other two are scheduled for later this year. The Elder Scrolls: Blades has technically released as well. Also, Rage 2, Doom Eternal, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood (all published by Bethesda) are all scheduled to release in 2019–the latter of which comes with a pretty cool incentive to upgrade to the Deluxe Edition.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/no-elder-scrolls-6-or-starfield-at-e3-2019-says-be/1100-6465919/

Celeste Composer Lena Raine Releases New Solo Album “Oneknowing”

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One of the several aspects that make Celeste a superb game is the soundtrack. Its catchy, rhythmic mix of piano and chiptune-style synths masterfully complement the game’s tone, story, and intense platforming at just the right moments. The Celeste soundtrack is also wonderful to simply listen to as a standalone album, and the remixed Piano Collections just as much. But you don’t have to take my word for it. It’s been nominated for multiple awards including Best Music at the upcoming BAFTA Game Awards, and it took home Best Audio at the 2019 GDC Awards. That’s because of the work of composer Lena Raine, and today she released her debut solo album titled Oneknowing.

Oneknowing is now available on multiple music streaming platforms such as Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and much more. While you may recognize a few parallels between that of Celeste’s soundtrack and Raine’s new record, Oneknowing hits a more relaxing, ethereal vibe especially in the songs “Breath” and “Momodani.” Raine also sings in an expressive, artificial language with her voice modified via vocaloid software for tracks like “Tsukuyomi” and “Light Rail.”

Cover art for Lena Raine’s “Oneknowing” done by artist Erica June Lahaie (@aurahack on Twitter)

I caught up with Raine following the win for Best Audio at the GDC Awards this year and asked her about the approach in creating Celeste’s soundtrack. She said, “In a lot of ways, Celeste was sort of me finally claiming my own voice. I had been writing music for other franchises, like Guild Wars 2, that already had an established voice. And so Celeste was finally my chance to actually just go super into the kind of music that excited me. And in a lot of ways, everything that has come since then, that’s where I now need to diversify my sound and keep coming up with new things to challenge myself.”

You may have seen her performing at The Game Awards 2018 alongside renowned composers Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe. Celeste was one of GameSpot’s favorite games last year and we awarded it a spot in our 5 Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2018. In regard to the soundtrack, writer and editor Oscar Dayus said in his Celeste review, “The piano and chiptune-heavy soundtrack adapts in a similar fashion [as the art style and environments], moving from the serene to the spooky at the perfect moment, all while remaining forever catchy.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/celeste-composer-lena-raine-releases-new-solo-albu/1100-6465912/

Borderlands 3: Characters, First Trailer, Impressions, And What We Know

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After countless teasers and subtle misdirections over the years, developer Gearbox has finally lifted the veil over Borderlands 3. The game was revealed at the developer’s PAX East panel, which was met by as much fanfare as it was technical difficulties. Still, the game’s big debut trailer sparked excitement and a ton of questions. If you haven’t watched it already, be sure to check it out in the player above.

To catch you up on all things Borderlands 3, we’ve compiled all the latest news, features, impressions, trailers, and details we know about the game. Be sure to check back often as we update this article with even more new information about this highly anticipated loot shooter.

What Is Borderlands 3?

Borderlands 3 is the highly anticipated third game in the popular Borderlands franchise, a series whose mechanics and conventions predated many of today’s most well-known loot-based shooters, such as Destiny and The Division. Like previous games, it appears that you’ll be taking on the role of one of four treasure-seeking mercenaries known as Vault Hunters. You’ll explore the world and complete missions, which feeds into your overall skill progression and acquisition of new guns and gear. The series is predominantly known for its number of available guns; Borderlands 3 claims there are over a billion guns to collect, some of which are capable of walking and acting autonomously of its user.

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Not much is know about the Borderlands 3’s overall story; though, glimpses of several returning characters and a set of new baddies called the Calypso twins seem to be setting up a much larger conflict than previous games–as noted from the variety of new planets it appears you’ll be visiting this time around.

Release Date

There’s still no confirmed release date for Borderlands 3. More details are set to be announced about the game on April 3, but it’s unclear whether or not we’ll hear a release date during that time. However, we have reason to believe the game will be out in the next year. Coinciding with the other franchise news it had to share, Gearbox has dubbed 2019 the Year of Borderlands, which may suggest Borderlands 3 will be out this year. Beyond that, Take Two has repeatedly referred to a highly anticipated sequel to a 2K franchise during past earnings reports. That game was believed to be Borderlands 3, which–if true–means it is scheduled for release between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020.

Playable Character Classes

The first trailer features a few familiar faces from the series’ past, but much of the focus goes to a group of four new characters in the screenshot above, which are likely the Vault Hunters you’ll get to control. Currently, it’s unclear what specific classes they correspond to or even what their names are.

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The Borderlands games tend to have a mixture of traditional shooter-RPG class archetypes, like Berserker, Hunter, and Soldier. However, the series is also known to utilize several unexpected classes that mash up a variety of interesting skills and abilities. This tradition seems to continue with one of the female Vault Hunters, a Siren who showcases a skill where she summons multiple ethereal arms, possibly alluding to her being a more melee-centric character.

We got brief glimpses of the remaining three that give some detail into what they are. The robotic fella appears to have a pet Skag that follows him around, the grizzled old guy seems to be able to create doppelgangers of himself, and the helmeted girl has a D.Va-like robot that she and other Vault Hunters can jump into.

Confirmed Returning Characters

As stated, many of the series’ characters are returning in Borderlands 3, which includes folks from Borderlands 1, Borderlands 2, and spin-off Tales from the Borderlands. Despite not making an appearance in the first trailer, Gearbox has stated that characters from Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel will appear too. Below you’ll find the confirmed returning characters so far.

  • Brick
  • Claptrap
  • Ellie
  • Lady Aurelia
  • Lillith
  • Marcus
  • Maya
  • Mordecai
  • Moxxi
  • Rhys
  • Sir Hammerlock
  • Tannis
  • Tiny Tina
  • Zero

The First Trailer Impressions

After watching the first trailer, we had a lot of thoughts to share about how the game appears to be shaping up. Check out our breakdown of the trailer and what we think about getting a new Borderlands game in the video above.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-3-characters-first-trailer-impressions/1100-6465916/

Big Star Citizen Update Launches Soon

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Star Citizen‘s been trudging along since it debuted on Kickstarter in 2012. Initially seeking $500,000, Cloud Imperium Games’ space-sim closed its Kickstarter campaign after accruing a little more than $2.1 million in November 2012. Some years later, the studio’s first game has exceeded well over $200 million–and the numbers keep going up. Now it’s announced the game’s biggest update should blast off this weekend.

Titled Alpha 3.5, the update includes a new city-planet, overhauled flight models, and additional character creator options. The new planet is called ArcCorp, a planet with two moons that’s “almost entirely covered in man-made structures.” Players will be able to visit the Area18 landing zone where you’ll find an NPC quest-giver who will dish out new missions.

Alpha 3.5 takes gravity into consideration, as it’s factored into planetary flight. Further, the update adds a new map called Star Marine for the squad FPS mini-game, new guns for pilots and ships, some new vehicles, and additional performance balancing and improvements.

In addition to overhauled flight mechanics and a new planet to explore, Cloud Imperium implemented a new character generator. Now, players will pick two parents when creating a new character–think the character creators from Rockstar’s GTA Online. Women will also (finally!) be playable, getting added to the character creator along with a variety of parents to pick from. Returning pilots can pick a new look and/or gender thanks to this update.

Star Citizen is available now on PC to those who backed the project. Alpha 3.5, similarly, will be available to all backers.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/big-star-citizen-update-launches-soon/1100-6465914/

Red Dead Redemption 2, Country Trap, And The Cowboy Meme Explained

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On the morning of March 29, 2019, a Red Dead Redemption 2 AMV was shown on the news program Good Morning America. You might not have heard of it if you don’t browse TikTok, the short-form video platform colloquially known as “cursed Vine,” but that music video has, as of this writing, nearly 16 million views on YouTube and counting. It got over 80,000 views in the time it took to write this article.

The song, “Old Town Road” by rapper Lil Nas X, is at the center of both an explosively popular cowboy meme and country music drama, and it also slaps. It shot up the Billboard Hot 100 list and on Spotify and iTunes, reaching #1 on global Apple Music by March 26. It was so popular that DJs had to rip it from YouTube in order to play it on the radio. All the while, RDR2 was wrapped up in the hype–Lil Nas X tweeted on March 13 that Rockstar Games had followed him, and when he was signed by Columbia Records, he was welcomed using the Red Dead font.

“Old Town Road” debuted at #19 on the Billboard country charts, but by March 27, Billboard had confirmed that it removed “Old Town Road” from the charts because “it does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music.” This resulted in a bit of an uproar about what genre “Old Town Road” belongs in, be it country, hip-hop, or something else–though Lil Nas X listed it as a country song, and while noting that it’s not as serious, has said that it’s not simply a parody. That’s when the song really hit the mainstream, gaining attention beyond music publications and the meme-literate.

So how did this all happen? Lil Nas X, who was largely unknown before dropping the banger, uploaded “Old Town Road” in December 2018. It took off around February this year thanks in part to TikTok, where people use the opening moments of the song–right when the trap beat hits and the country drawl begins–to transform themselves or their pets into cowboys, among other things. It often involves accidentally drinking “yeehaw” or “yeeyee juice.” (It’s what it sounds like.)

The power of teens making jokes really can’t be overstated. Compared to Vine, TikTok is currently a much more insular meme community, iterating on itself until the trends die out–often before they make it to Twitter or elsewhere. But TikTok has been responsible for songs going viral before, including the origin of the “hit or miss” meme, iLOVEFRiDAY’s “Mia Khalifa.” TikTok is also to thank for Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter saying the phrase “dummy thicc.”

Lil Nas X himself has a strong shitpost vibe on Twitter, where he recently became verified. But jokes aside, “Old Town Road” is simply a banger, and the music video is what’s good about AMVs. No yeehaw juice needed.

If you want more Red Dead 2 goofs, go ahead and check out our let’s play series Dirty Arty, where we do dirty dirty stuff as Arthur Morgan and friends. There are even multiple timelines, somehow.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/red-dead-redemption-2-country-trap-and-the-cowboy-/1100-6465915/