Sony just provided an update on their PlayStation Blog about the company’s planned PAX East 2020 participation and it’s not a good one.
UPDATE: Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to cancel its participation at PAX East in Boston this year due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as “novel coronavirus”). We felt this was the safest option as the situation is changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation in this event, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern.
Sony’s PAX East 2020 participation was particularly important to fans since it would have been the first and only way for them to try The Last of Us Part II ahead of the game’s late May release date.
There were many more exciting PlayStation games available at Sony’s booths, though, such as:
Below
Cloudpunk
Doom Eternal
Dreams (#18003)
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Genshin Impact
Gorn (PS VR)
Haven
The Last of Us Part II (#10047)
Marvel’s Iron Man VR (PS VR)
MLB The Show 20
Mosaic
Moving Out
Nioh 2
One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
Paper Beast (PS VR)
Persona 5 Royal
Pixel Ripped 1995
Predator: Hunting Grounds
Remnant: From the Ashes
The Room VR: A Dark Matter (PS VR)
Space Channel 5 (PS VR)
Spelunky 2
Trials of Mana
Zombie Army 4
With the Mobile World Congress 2020 also recently canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak, we have to wonder whether the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) will be next.
Switch developer Saber Interactive for a deal potentially worth over a half a billion dollars.
“Saber has been on our radar for a very long time because of their deep history of consistently high-quality work,” said Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors in a statement. Saber is best known as a support studio but also for high-quality ports including the impressive Witcher 3 port for the Nintendo Switch.
Saber also branched into original projects and self-publishing including developing World War Z in 2019.
The Witcher 3 on Switch Screenshots
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“Over the course of 19 years as an independe3nt developer, Saber has had its share of suitors. With Embracer Group, we’ve at last found the perfect partner,” said Saber co-founder and CEO Matthew Karch.
The deal involves Embracer paying 150 million dollars upfront for Saber, plus up to 375 million over the next three years based on performance. This means the deal could potentially reach $525 million. For context, Sony bought Insomniac for $229 million, though business acquisitions are rarely a one-to-one comparison and there could be many factors for Saber’s valuation.
THQ Nordic AB, the parent of companies like THQ Nordic and Deep Silver, renamed itself Embracer Group in August 2019. The Embracer Group holds the rights to games like Darksiders, Saints Row, and more from studios like Volition, THQ, and Coffee Stain Studios.
By acquiring Saber, Embracer Group adds a renowned but rarely seen, studio to its portfolio. And after critically-acclaimed work, it seems Embracer is promoting Saber’s strategy of self-publishing games.
In This Article
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
DeveloperCD Projekt Red
PublisherCD Projekt
Release DateMay 19, 2015
PlatformsXbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
The upcoming game explores the “industrial swamplands and decaying suburbs of South Louisiana.”
With Kentucky Route Zero finally released in full, another long-awaited adventure through American decay has caught my eye: Norco: Faraway Lights, a point-and-click mystery that takes place in a pixel art rendition of Louisiana’s swamps, suburbs, and oil refineries—with robots.
As you search for your missing brother, you’ll “bust into a refinery with your robot friends,” “recruit a wild-eyed river dog,” and “skulk around downtown New Orleans on a desolate weeknight,” according to the Steam page. A Norco demo has been around on itch.io for years, and the first act is finally scheduled to release this year.
Developer Geography of Robots (made up of pixel artist Yutsi and composer Gewgawly I) frequently posts art on Twitter, where I noticed the game’s progress. Whatever the pointing-and-clicking ends up being about, the art should carry Norco a long way. You can just about smell the air in its scenes, whose limited palettes seem to pop off the screen, radiating through the dithered skies.
I’ve dropped a few stills below, and you can see more on Steam and at Norco’s official site. There’s no firm release date yet, but spring or summer of this year is the plan.
If the robot below’s need of “semiotic weapons” is any indication, there’s a whiff or two of cultural theory emanating from Louisiana’s burning stacks, too.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors released in 1993 for 16-bit consoles, and it was as straightforward as games come: you kill a bunch of monsters (not all of them are zombies) and rescue survivors. That very same year another game concerning the slaying of monsters released, and while it was arguably even more straightforward, it was a much bigger deal.
That game was Doom, and now in 2020, Doom and Zombies Ate My Neighbors are together at last. Modder Dude27th has been working on a Zombies Ate My Neighbors total conversion .wad for GZDOOM since at least 2016, and a demo was released last year. I only learned about it today (thanks, Destructoid), but it’s worth drawing attention to, because the ye olde formula works remarkably well in a first-person game.
A lot of the textures in the .wad perfectly mirror those in the original game. Indeed, the modder has seemingly nailed the mood of the top-down shooter if the footage above is anything to go by. The modder says on ModDB that another demo is “coming soon-ish” (hopefully this year).
Our first in-depth look at Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming on February 27, 2020 at 15:30 EST/20:30 GMT. Creative director Swen Vincke will be playing the RPG on stage at PAX East. He’ll be talking about the story and mechanics while joined by a “very special guest.” If you’re not going to PAX East, don’t fret, as the whole event will be streamed live to the rest of the world on YouTube.
This announcement also comes with a teaser of what’s to come. It reads: “You are burdened with a great power devouring you from within. How far down the path of darkness will you let it take you? The fate of Faerûn is on your party’s shoulders. Will you carry it to salvation, or descend with it to hell?”
That seems to imply that we’ll be able to take different paths through the game’s story. You gonna be naughty or nice? Decisions, decisions.
While this doesn’t reveal much about the story we do already know that the main enemies in Baldur’s Gate 3 are the mindflayers. The ones that look like squids for heads? Yeah, them. They’re looking to restore their empire and to help them do that they’ve rediscovered the secret of nautiloids—flying ships that can travel between worlds . That’s pretty bad.
Larian has been growing the studio to 350 people and developing new technology to support the game. This, apparently, allows Larian to “create a truly next-generation RPG, spanning 100+ hours of content.” I’m still playing through Divinity: Original Sin 2, so by the time I’ve finished, I’ll probably be able to dive straight into Baldur’s Gate 3. Fine by me.
Now is a good time to catch up on everything we know about Baldur’s Gate 3 so far. There’s potential for it to even be released in 2020. Get ready for a lot more info to come during PAX East next week.
After four years of development, CCP Games is giving up on its current plans for an EVE FPS, but a new one is brewing.
Project Nova, the in-development FPS spin-off to EVE Online, is officially dead according to CCP Games. The news was originally announced during a Pearl Abyss (CCP Games’ parent company) earnings call over the weekend, but since then developers have taken to a few different forums to confirm the news and elaborate on what’s happening.
To anyone who has followed Project Nova, the news probably isn’t surprising. Originally announced over four years ago, Project Nova was CCP Games’ second crack at making an FPS set in the EVE Online universe—though it wouldn’t be connected to the MMO like its first FPS, Dust 514. CCP was obviously struggling to come up with exciting ideas, however, and after a disappointing hands-on session in October of 2018, Project Nova was put on hold indefinitely.
Given Project Nova’s permanent delay, this weekend’s announcement feels more like a formality than anything. But, amazingly, CCP Games still isn’t giving up on making an EVE Online-based FPS. The London-based development team is going to try again under a different codename, and it sounds like the scope is going to be much more ambitious that Project Nova ever was.
“We’re continuing to develop our sci-fi multiplayer shooter game concept actively evolving it beyond the original scope for what was formerly codenamed Project Nova,” said George Kellion, CCP Games’ head of public relations, on Reddit. “Development efforts on this concept are now the full focus of CCP’s London studio. Project Nova team members based in Iceland have been moved onto other projects at our Reykjavík studio.”
Kellion explained this decision was motivated both by the poor reception of Project Nova’s 2018 hands-on reveal and because the scope of the new idea for an EVE Online FPS is now much bigger. “It is very common for games in active development to evolve over time, often substantially,” Kellion said. “We remain committed to offering a rock-solid, action-oriented gameplay experience with stellar visuals, but due to significant changes in the scope and direction of our sci-fi multiplayer shooter game concept, it also made sense to update how we refer to this project internally. So, we are no longer using the codename Project Nova for this game concept.”
But don’t expect news on this new project any time soon. Kellion also said CCP Games would refrain from revealing projects too early in the future. “We want to show you rather than tell you how we have evolved this concept and we’re looking forward to doing so when the time comes to present this concept as a fully-fledged game.”
Nearly half of the list launched without English language support, too.
Valve’s rundown of the top 20 games released on Steam in January 2020 comes with a fun little side of trivia: The top 20 games released in January 2010. The 2010 list isn’t actually a top 20, though, but just a top 11, because there were only 11 new games released on the platform that month—and of that 11, only three would have made it into the top 20 list in 2020.
Which three? Valve didn’t say, but we can probably make some reasonable guesses. Here’s the list from 2010, in order of release, since Valve doesn’t share revenue data:
Wings of Prey
Zero Gear
Gothic II: Gold Edition
Greed: Black Border
Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy
Aliens versus Predator Classic 2000
Dark Void
Bob Came in Pieces
Hotel Giant 2
Mass Effect 2
Toki Tori
As for the current list, Valve emphasized the diversity of the development teams represented in the new top 20, noting that more than half were developed in Asia, including eight in Japan. Even more interesting is that nearly half of the games in the list were released without English language support, likely reflecting the fact that Simplified Chinese is now the most popular language on Steam.
“Not too long ago, including English support at launch was a requirement for success on Steam,” Valve wrote. “English-speakers are still a huge part of Steam’s audience, but the success of January’s top releases reinforces the fact that now, more than ever, Steam players come from all over the world and will support a huge variety of language options.”
Without further ado, the top 20 new releases on Steam for January 2020, in order of release:
部落与弯刀 / Sands of Salzaar – 汉家松鼠 Han-Squirrel Studio (China)
港詭實錄 / Paranormal HK – Ghostpie Studio (China)
SUPER ROBOT WARS X – B.B.STUDIO CO.,LTD. (Japan)
GemCraft – Frostborn Wrath – Game in a Bottle (Hungary)
Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk DX – KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. (Japan)
Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky DX – KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. (Japan)
Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea DX – KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. (Japan)
some some convenience store 썸썸 편의점 – TALESSHOP Co., Ltd. (Republic of Korea)
Join Tom Nook and friends for a 25-minute presentation
The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct is finally happening this Thursday, Nintendo has announced. Beginning at 6 am PT / 9 am ET / 2 pm GMT, you can tune into Nintendo’s YouTube channel to catch a 25-minute livestream exclusively about Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Nintendo says the presentation will include an “in-depth look at Nook Inc.’s Deserted Island Getaway Package.” This is likely to be the last major piece of marketing for the much-anticipated game before its release one month later on March 20.
There’s still a lot to learn about Animal Crossing: New Horizons. One thing on many people’s minds is how the new island setting will shape up, and it sounds like we’ll see plenty of that this Thursday. Other questions people have include what kind of new activities we may be able to take part in and how player-to-player interactions will work, especially if only one island is allowed per console
We recently caught a glimpse of new characters we may meet on our island, so it’s safe to expect some news about these neighbors and more this Thursday as well. There’s also the recently revealed Animal Crossing Switch, which sold out too quickly for most would-be buyers. Might Nintendo share more about that limited edition console? With more emphasis on crafting, there’s surely a lot to learn there too, especially if you’re a diehard fan who pours hours into every release.
There’s still a lot we don’t know, but this week’s livestream should help paint a more vivid picture of one of the year’s most exciting games. .
Today we’ve got something special for you. A hands-on with the first two stages of the Steam version of Langrisser I from the upcoming Langrisser I & II. In fact, we’re throwing up both a commentated and non-commentated version for you all. So, if you just want to listen to the awesome soundtrack, we got you covered.
Langrisser I – Commentated
Langrisser I – Non-commentated
For those of you who want to know a bit about the specs of the gaming rig that we were playing on, here’s they are:
If you’re wondering why the video is at 720P despite those awesome specs, that’s because of a setting error in OBS on my part. My apologies for that. As for my thoughts on the game and build itself?
Well, for one I’m quite impressed with how smooth everything felt to me. I’m not a big PC-gamer, but this felt indistinguishable from a console to me. While I have the Switch version on preorder personally, I may end up picking the Steam version at some point just to grind for the achievements. Gameplay-wise, I see a lot of potential.
As last year’s Super Robot WarsT can attest, I love turn-based strategy games! While I never had Warsong (the original Genesis/Mega Drive release of Langrisser I), I can already tell I missed out on something special. The soundtrack alone is just amazing, and I’ve only played two stages. There’s just something about that SEGA Synth that gets your blood pumping. That said, the remastered soundtrack is worth a listen as well. While I prefer the original soundtrack a bit more, that’s also the old-school gamer in me coming through. As for the gameplay? Lots of possibilities.
Langrisser I may have come out in 1991 originally, but for its time, it feels pretty in-depth. From having your character’s stats be determined from answering questions at the beginning. To hiring mercenaries to fill out your ranks. To even having a magic system, there’s a lot you can do here. Sure, this is a remake of an almost 20-year old game, but I can already start to see why this series went on for several more games. I’m eager to give this one a shot.
If you want to try it out for yourself, then check out the demo coming to the Nintendo eShop and PlayStation Store on Thursday, February 20th. Sadly, no Steam demo will be available. Though, if you want more Langrisser then consider taking part in NIS America’s Trial of Morality which can have you winning some very cool stuff:
A signed hand-drawn shikishi by Satoshi Urushihara, the artist of the original Langrisser I and Langrisser II
An exclusive Langrisser engraved pen case and pen
A Langrisser I & II “Genesis of Langrisser” Wall Scroll
Finally, I’d like to thank NIS America and their PR rep, Laura, for inviting us to their HQ to demo this awesome title. Be sure to keep it tuned to Hey Poor Player though since Langrisser I & II weren’t the only games we played while there.
Super Mario Bros. 2 is a major part of Nintendo’s history, but it seems scared to dish out relevant nostalgia.
When I think of people applying to work at Nintendo of Japan, I think of Eric Andre clutching the gates of the 2016 Democratic National Convention while screaming “Let me in! Let me innnnn!” There’s no way a company like Nintendo is hurting for potential employees, which is why I’m impressed it goes the extra mile with its annual recruitment books.
Nintendo’s recruitment books highlight the company’s history, outlines its properties, and tries to entice young developers into entering the fold. 2020’s recently distributed book is particularly fun because it features original watercolor illustrations of Nintendo characters at “work.” We get to see Wiggler help Pauline and Luigi compose music while Donkey Kong tries his best at providing customer service at a call center. Meanwhile, Bowser Jr. is off in some corner smashing the hell out of his minions. It’s all very cute (minus Bowser Jr.’s violence), but there’s an interesting appearance in the book that’s generated a bit of buzz: Wart, the main bad guy in 1988’s Super Mario Bros. 2. On one of the pages, we see the usurper King of Subcon chatting with Princess Daisy over the telephone.
Despite being the villain of a mainline Super Mario game, Wart very rarely makes appearances in other Mario titles. He doesn’t even cameo often. In fact, one of his best-known cameos is as an NPC in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Wart’s domain, Subcon, is also practically a no-show in modern Mario mythos. It’s no wonder Wart’s surprise visit in Nintendo’s recruitment book has Mario fans talking. I’m forced to ask myself, and not for the first time: Why is Nintendo scared of paying tribute to Super Mario Bros. 2?
The easy answer might lie with Super Mario Bros. 2’s origins as a modified version of another Nintendo game, Doki Doki Panic. What we call Super Mario Bros. 2 didn’t hit Japan as Super Mario USA until 1992—long after the launch of the Super Famicom. It’s possible Japanese audiences don’t share North America’s nostalgia for Super Mario Bros. 2, and since Nintendo of Japan is ultimately the gate through which new Mario content passes, that’s that.
This take doesn’t hold up under scrutiny, though. Super Mario USA was a latecomer to the Famicom, yes, but Japan still got to play the game on the Super Famicom with the Super Mario All-Stars collection. Nintendo also welcomed some elements of Super Mario Bros. 2 into Mario canon while curiously ignoring the rest. Shyguys, the masked baddies who debuted in Doki Doki Panic and Super Mario Bros. 2, are everywhere in modern Mario games. (My li’l nephew is a huge fan.) Same goes for Pokeys and Ninjis. Birdo the egg-spitting dinosaur started life as a Super Mario Bros. 2 mini-boss. Nintendo just seems to hold off on exploring where these characters first came from—or acknowledging the boss amphibian they first served.
Maybe the reason lies with how Super Mario Bros. 2 still plays differently from traditional Mario games. Mario is known for bonking and stomping, but in Super Mario Bros. 2, he plucks and digs. I’ll never forget the first time I jumped on a Shyguy. I expected the minion to cave under Mario’s boots, but instead it just kept on marching, unperturbed by the 200 pounds of plumber hitching a ride on its head. I was gobsmacked; I had no idea I was supposed to pick up the Shyguy from under me and hurl its struggling form at other enemies.
It was a weird way to play a Mario game. It still is, but that’s part of why Super Mario Bros. 2’s appeal endures. No, Subcon and Wart don’t fit neatly into Nintendo’s carefully manicured image for modern Mario, but I think most fans would be stoked to visit Subcon and go up against the Big W again.
Heck, if Nintendo doesn’t want to take point, it can let its fans do the heavy lifting by adding Super Mario Bros 2. physics, sprites, and tilesets to Super Mario Maker 2. Some Mario Maker 2 fans are convinced it’s only a matter of time before Nintendo drops the news. There’s even speculation that’s the reason why Wart features in Nintendo’s 2020 Recruitment Book to begin with. I’m on board for any kind of Subcon rep. Let’s have it, Nintendo. Super Mario Bros. 2 is a little strange, but we love it anyway.
And before you slip on a pair of spectacles and whip out the Super Mario Logic Checklist: I know Super Mario Bros. 2 technically takes place within a dream, and therefore might fade out of existence when Mario wakes up at the end of the game. Well, Princess Daisy is supposed to be the sole monarch of the far away Sarashaland, but she still manages to instantly teleport to Luigi’s side when he needs a tennis partner. The Mario series always finds a way to bring its friends—and foes—together.
It’s not a mirage: TMS is finally coming to the Switch. | Atlus/Nintendo
Major Game Releases: January 13 to January 17
Here are the major releases for the week of January 6 to January 10. Want to see the complete list? Check out our full list of video game release dates for 2020.
A Long Way Down [January 16, PC]: Don’t expect any mercy from this deck-building roguelike. If you’re a fan of Slay the Spire or Darkest Dungeon, you already know what to expect. In fact, you’re probably champing at the bit to get started. Down, down to Goblin Town you go, my lad. Have fun, and give our regards to the Devil.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot [January 17, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC]: Gosh, I hope this game plays as good as it looks. I’m a fan of the Dragon Ball universe, and re-experiencing Goku’s biggest adventures in an RPG setting sounds like a dream game. Guess we’ll find out how it plays soon enough.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore [January 17, Switch]: This overlooked Wii U RPG is getting top billing on the Switch. Tokyo Mirage Sessions is part Shin Megami Tensei, part Persona, part Fire Emblem, part idol culture, part Glee, part—you know what, I’ll just go ahead and say there’s nothing quite like it. Look for our review later this week, and read our preview in the meantime.
Five Things You Should Know Heading Into This Week in Gaming
Awesome Games Done Quick wrapped up over the weekend, and it raised $3.13 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation! We plan to have a summary of the coolest speedruns from the event, so keep an eye out for that later this week. Summer Games Done Quick will run from June 21 through 28.
The Xbox Series X intends to play things fast and loose with first-party game exclusively. For a couple of years, anyway.
Sony says it has yet to show us everything that’s cool and sweet about the PlayStation 5. Patience, young Jedi.
If you’re curious about the acclaimed multi-part indie game Kentucky Route Zero but have no idea where to start, we have a primer for you.
Video games might play a big part in moving the Star Wars canon forward, and that’s a pretty big deal.
Who needs Final Fantasy 7 when you have Quest 64? [Muffled weeping] | Imagineer
Axe of the Blood God for January 13
Axe of the Blood God is our official RPG podcast releasing every single Monday. You can find subscription info here. We also put out an Axe of the Blood God newsletter every Wednesday, which you can subscribe to here.
The Console RPG Quest continues with the Nintendo 64! We discuss Nintendo’s break with Square; why it was an important turning point in Nintendo’s history, and why its RPG library ended up being so light [23:50]. Plus: We talk about Pokemon Sword and Shield’s newly-announced DLC and what it means for the series going forward!
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