Can you play with your friend online on overcook even if he doesn’t have nintendo switch online
My friend wants to buy overcook and play with me but doesn’t have nintendo switch online. he hasn’t bought it yet but will buy it if he can play with me. we are far away from eachother btw
To be clear, I'd still wholly recommend this version of 3D World even without Bowser's Fury. The tweaks are small overall, and Bowser's Fury isn't going to sate the most hardcore of Mario fans looking for a brand new game, but the package as a whole is magical. If you were one of the many who missed out on this Wii U classic, fix that.
You can play a lot of 3D Mario games on your Switch. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is just as good as any of them. It contains makes the Wii U game feel better than you remember, and the bonus campaign makes the package one of the best ports Nintendo has brought to the Switch.
Despite multiplayer now being online, it still feels superfluous, but otherwise Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury might just be one of those fabled "perfect" games.
Super Mario 3D World remains one of the better linear Mario games, and anyone playing it for the first time is in for an absolute treat. Add to that the curious bonus adventure that is Bowser's Fury and you've got a package that provides great value for money. It isn't without its flaws, but most of these (online multiplayer, repetitive missions in Bowser's Fury) relate to the new additions; the main game itself remains as pure and perfect as it was seven years ago. Had it just been Super Mario 3D World on its own, we'd be thoroughly recommending it anyway; Bowser's Fury is just the cherry on top.
Bowser’s Fury is a short experience – it’ll take a competent player a couple of hours to see all it has to offer, and a few hours more to drive it all the way to 100% completion – but it’s completely worthwhile. It has some great surprises, which is why I talk about it in such generalized terms. Bowser’s Fury would’ve made a great download-only, budget-price stand-alone – so as a bonus included with an already excellent game, its value can’t really be overstated.
This is one of the best platforms in history, and its expansion is by no means a minor content, since at some times it shines with more personality than the original title. In short, an indispensable pack has played the video game on Wii U or not, and one of the most essential works of your Nintendo Switch.
Although Super Mario 3D World is only an implementation for Nintendo Switch, it has not lost any of its charm and ingenuity. The loving optimization for the benefit of the gaming experience, as well as the bonus adventure Bowser's Fury, are convincing across the board and promise fun for up to four players. Even some questionable level designs can hardly tarnish the overall picture.
Super Mario Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is a package that offers two different ways to experience one of the best 3D Mario adventure, making it ideal for the franchise’s 35th anniversary celebration. There is no doubt that the game is a two-way diversion, able to preserve elements of the past and paint majestic novelties around it, as Bowser Jr. does with his paintbrush in the new and fascinating Bowser’s Fury.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is an explosive pack. 3D World returns with an improved pace, while retaining the stellar gameplay that characterized it when it first launched, and of course being still as hilarious as it was back then. Bowser's Fury takes the lesson a step further, creating a small and dense open world that will put you to the test with a sense of urgency unlike any other Super Mario game. The result, needless to say, is pure, unadulterated joy.
This package combines tried-and-true gameplay and level design with unique concepts (plus an all-new game) to earn its place among the elite games in the franchise
It´s not one, but two great platformers for Nintendo Switch. One of the greatest Wii U games (with improvement such as online multiplayer and photo mode) and a new Mario 3D game, not as big and ambitious as previous games, but equally fun and full of surprises.
Super Mario 3D World is an excellent game so if you still haven't played it or simply want it on Switch, this will make a wonderful addition to your gaming library. Oh, and you also get a fantastic bonus game with Bowser's Fury so how could you go wrong?
Super Mario 3D World shows why Mario is an ageless franchise, with the seven-year-old game providing fresh fun and a delightful experience. Bowser's Fury is the exact opposite, showing just how exciting and experimental the series can be.
Super Mario 3D is a great game to play solo or with friends and shows off some of Nintendo's best level design yet, while Bowser's Fury is an inventive take on the Mario formula that's more generous with its content than it ought to be. Both games make for a fantastic bundle and should be checked out by fans and non-fans alike.
Overall, this is a fantastic collection of Super Mario games. From the focused and demanding Super Mario 3D World to the more experimental, though still very well executed, open world take for Bowser’s Fury. Both games have a lot to offer and will keep you very busy unlocking their innermost secrets.
Bowser's Fury is much more than just a bonus . Despite it is relatively short, it still feels like a fully fleshed Mario jump and run. Packed with the great main game including the long missed online co-op mode Super Mario 3D World + Bowers's Fury is a must have for every Switch user.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury for Nintendo Switch effectively handles two important tasks: introducing new players to the classic game that came from the Wii U, as well as pleasing hungry fans with new great content. Definitely a must-play for all Super Mario fans!
Thans to its many clever tweaks, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury give the player many reasons to enjoy a great 3D platformer, now a little bit faster, and with friends around the globe online. Let's not forget Bowser's Fury, a tiny open world adventure which rightfully mixes gameplays from the Wii U and Switch episodes, and delivers a strong experience with a twist.
Quirky, creative, and constant good fun, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury blends Mario gameplay old and new with great success, creating a title that feels worthy of his 35th birthday celebrations.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury offers much more than your regular Switch port with a brand new adventure that packs between 5 and 8 hours of great new original content. I loved my time spent in this new open world of Bowser's Fury and going through 3D World a second time sure was a blast. Hopefully, this new package gives the game the second life that it truly deserves.
Simple and immediate, beautiful to see and fun even in multiplayer, Super Mario 3D World is the "what if" of the history of Super Mario. But with obvious limitations compared to Super Mario Odyssey and the other chapters in 3D. Bowser's Fury tries to beat new paths, without avoiding a few slips.
One of the best modern Super Mario titles is made that little bit better and accompanied by a brand-new game that bends the formula in new and exciting ways.
If you've never played 3D World before or haven't touched it since the Wii U days, this is well worth the price of admission. Prospects get a little tougher if you're not interested in going through 3D World, because while Bowser's Fury is amazing, it's still approximately less than 10 hours of gameplay even if you do everything. But no matter what: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury might be one of the strongest Mario games available on Switch. The base game is fun and varied, while Bowser's Fury offers a distinctive, inventive, and superb open-world 3D Mario experience.
Super Mario 3D World is an incredible and underplayed Wii U adventure that's now available on Switch. But Bowser’s Fury steals the show with its exciting and fresh take on a 3D Mario game.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is a fantastic package that showcases what makes Nintendo games so special. Super Mario 3D World is just as good as when it released, and Bower's Fury is a surprisingly good standalone adventure that paves the way for the future of Mario.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is a delightful double act. Super Mario 3D World holds up well, and offers a unique multiplayer experience that works particularly well on Switch. Its opening worlds are designed to cater for that varied audience, while the second half injects some much needed difficulty and is best played solo. Bowser’s Fury is experimental in nature, and offers something completely different with a fully open world housing plenty of Shines to collect at a rapid pace. While neither quite reaches the dizzying heights of Super Mario Galaxy or Odyssey, it is a double dose of Mario doing things differently, and a fitting finale to Super Mario’s 35th anniversary.
Near-perfect platforming, gorgeous visuals and a joy-filled soundtrack make Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury one of the best Mario titles of all time, and an essential purchase for all Switch owners.
Ultimately, Super Mario 3D World, in this package, is the best that game has ever been, with the increased speed and ease of multiplayer access making it far more enticing than ever before. Bowser’s Fury, meanwhile, is essentially the Super Mario Odyssey DLC that never was. It feels like Odyssey’s level and game design sensibilities, but placed in the Super Mario 3D World game engine, with all of the power-ups and quirks that game has to make something truly unique. Putting both of these games in one package is the best decision that Nintendo has made in a long while, as Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is one of the best Mario offerings available on Nintendo Switch, which is lofty praise given the existence of Super Mario Maker 2. Now it just needs the option to play again, but as Luigi.
I can't really recommend Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury enough. Whether you've played the original game before or not, the addition of online multiplayer is a big win, while Bowser's Fury is a testament to just how pure a Mario game can be while still feeling fresh and exciting. Put simply; this is an essential game for Mario fans.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is both a welcome return for a platforming classic and a novel expansion of what made the game so special back on the Wii U. There's a solid chance that millions of players missed out on its excellence back in 2013, so now is the perfect time to take it for a spin.
The real star of the show, however, was Bowser’s Fury, which innovates on the foundations laid by previous 3D titles, to provide some of the most enjoyable, open-world platforming I’ve had the pleasure of playing. This is a must-buy for Switch owners and Mario fans alike and is sure to tide you over the next couple of months.
As the title itself indicates, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury proves to be more than just the re-proposal in Nintendo Switch sauce of an exclusive Wii U not particularly lucky: the idea of inserting for once a completely new extra is very appreciable, and you find the ideas inside Bowser's Fury are not lacking at all. While the difference in tone and gameplay between the two games is quite right, the overall superiority of Super Mario 3D World over the new adventure is also evident, which ends up being an appendix or little more. The effect is that of a very solid pairing, which once again celebrates the undisputed supremacy of the Great N in the platforming field.
Super Mario 3D World has aged quite well. It is still a very enjoyable adventure, updated in its rhythm and different enough from Super Mario Odyssey for those who came to Switch without going through Wii U to discover it. The big surprise is Bowser's Fury, which transcends the concept of simple DLC and adds mechanics and novelties of epic dimensions.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is an excellent case for why Nintendo should be porting more Wii U games to the Switch. With its improved presentation and the convenience of the Switch, this is definitely the optimal way to play Super Mario 3D World, even without much in the way of new features. Bowser’s Fury is also an excellent open-world Mario mini-adventure, which is probably worth the price of admission on its own. Admittedly, the multiplayer features some camera issues, particularly in Bowser’s Fury. However, that should not stop Mario fans of all ages from checking out Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, especially if they missed out on this much loved platformer the first time around.
Super Mario 3D World may not have had much added to it aside from an online function that is limited to only saving progress for the host, but it didn't necessarily need much else. Nintendo successfully found a way to evolve the 2D classics without going open world, and the result is one of the most consistently fresh and enjoyable games around, which, despite lacking the challenge of the NES games, has something for just about everyone. The bonus Bowser's Fury solo adventure is an absolute delight with a brilliant core idea that adds a crazy tension to Mario platforming, but it is hard to present a case for purchasing this pack just to play it. Whilst full of great content, it is too short-lived to feel worth the asking price, and really needs a standalone purchase option. When taking both games into account for those that have not played the original Wii U title, though, this is a cracking bundle of Mario goodness that encapsulates what everyone knows and still loves about the moustachioed hero after an enduring thirty-five years.
Bowser's Fury offers some great new ideas and is much more than a simple DLC. It's a great Mario game in its own right, with enough to entice those who played 3D World before with a wholly new and compelling experience, as well as offering one of the most epic showdowns in Nintendo history. Bowser's Fury is a great take on 3D Mario and finally makes Bowser the menacing villain he deserves to be. The game's only flaw is that it left me wishing there was more of it.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is the Wii U port that Switch owners have been waiting for. Besides the inclusion of online multiplayer, 3D World is the same good game that players already experienced on the Wii U, and fans of the series who missed it the first time around will enjoy its hybridization of 2D and 3D Mario gameplay. But the highlight of the package is Bowser's Fury, a scaled-down but surprisingly robust mini 3D Mario game that actually takes some chances.
Glyph brings together the simplest form of platforms and puzzles in one package. It is an entertaining experience that shines for its simplicity. Although it falls short in scope, it fulfills the most important thing: is fun to play.
Even with the Bowser’s Fury miss, the content is worth it. If you want one of the best and most versatile multiplayer experiences to date for the Nintendo Switch, online or offline, go with Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.
I don’t think Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury annoys me as much as it did on the Wii U, since the Switch already has the best Mario ever made on it; and I do think there is fun to be had with these games, even though I find them to be fairly frustrating. I would still recommend them if you enjoyed the originals, or maybe wanted to play them with younger gamers. Even though I might not go back to it very often, I don’t regret the time spent with it.
Bowser’s Fury works just fine as an added bonus packaged with an under-appreciated platforming gem from the Wii U era. If you’ve never played 3D World before, this is a great chance to catch up on a fresh take on 3D Mario design. If you’re mainly interested in Bowser’s Fury, though, maybe wait until the strong ideas get expanded into a full, standalone game.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury might include the same game that was on the Wii U but it's also a title that needs to be experienced by everyone who owns a Nintendo Switch.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is essentially the same game on Switch that some of you may have experienced on Wii U. While there’s no denying that the new hardware can’t keep up with the game’s ambitions at times, this bundle is at its core another fantastic Mario experience.
There may be no new content besides the previous DLC being included, but Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game - Complete Edition takes what was already a really fun beat 'em up and makes it all the more accessible to a whole new generation of gamers.
I really enjoyed playing Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition. A lot of my excitement for the game came from nostalgia, but playing it ultimately increased the appreciation I had for the original game. With most of the mechanics still the same, it wasn’t too difficult to pick up the game and get used to the controls. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game offers non-stop action with a story that new and old fans will have fun playing.
It leans hard into its comic book and video game influences but also has some clever tricks up its sleeve, which is why it's aged so well and still feels fresh to play. The game can be frustrating and chaotic at times, and difficulty can be all over the place but grab some friends and you'll fall in lesbians all over again with this brilliant, resurrected classic all over again.
However for those looking to revisit this game, people with fond memories of a cult classic, they’ll find it a joy still to play and well worth a look. It plays brilliantly, has a really tough challenge to the gameplay and still inhabits all that charm and uniqueness you remember.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Complete Edition is a faithful port of a 10-year-old game that remains mostly unchanged, mainly because it didn't need to. Thankfully, online and drop-in play give it new life and soften the edge.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game — Complete Edition is a much-needed re-release that faithfully preserves the long lost original. The outdated beat-’em-up combat and light features may not live up to fans’ almost mythological memory, but just being able to find that out is a victory in its own right.
Both an incredibly faithful take of the Scott Pilgrim story, as well as a frustratingly inconsistent beat-em-up that is elevated by the art style and soundtrack. While it's great that fans news and old have a chance to rediscover its quirks, it's by no means a forgotten masterpiece.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: the Game is one of the best modern beat-em ups, despite a lack of much competition in the genre. It's gorgeous visuals and amazing soundtrack complement its surprising depth in combat perfectly. Scott Pilgrim is back, and hopefully here to stay.
Ubisoft proves here that the best can be improved. The new modes, the ability to play online and keep the game as it was in the original version and only adapt it to the new generation is an absolute success. And in case someone wonders if the game is enjoyable even without knowing the character, or the comic, or the movies, from now on I tell you that yes, it is a great beat'em up in every rule and that you can enjoy without prior knowledge, although of course, knowing more about the story I think it is much more appreciated. In addition, the film is excellent wherever you look at it, so you would be doing yourself a favor by watching it, but right now.
Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game - Complete Edition may not be on a par with Streets of Rage 4 and co, but playing with friend makes it a much better experience.
Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game – Complete Edition is an enjoyable throwback to beat 'em up games and having access to the game with all the DLC after its several year hiatus is a welcome return.
10 years after its original release, Scott Pilgrim vs The World is still a great "retro" brawler, full of pop culture references, and incredibly fun in multiplayer (local or online, coop or versus) up to 4 players.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition is certainly an original scrolling fighting game, thanks to the reference imagery. However, games like Battletoads and Streets of Rage 4 have proved that the genre has evolved a lot in the past ten years, while the gameplay built by Ubisoft does not always shine or work at its best.
Those of you looking for the next Castle Crashers or Streets of Rage need look no further, as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition is a great beat 'em up for your Switch. Bombastic presentation and crunchy combat gameplay make this one enjoyable from start to finish. Though it can feel like it runs a bit short and the difficulty spikes can be rather intense, we'd give this one a strong recommendation to anybody looking for a fun, short game to play in co-op. Let's just hope it sticks around for longer than four years this time.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition is still an incredibly polished and fun beat ‘em up that has truly stood the test of time. While it’s slightly annoying that playing with the other characters requires you to replay entire levels and that the online features and a full playable fighter are currently locked behind Ubisoft’s ridiculous server sign-in, in the end this is still a great title deserving of its re-release.
The landscape of the beat 'em up genre may have altered in the ten years since Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game first released, but it's return is wholly welcome. A wonderful compliment to the graphic novel series, and a stylish throwback to the delightfully gaudy brawlers that boomed and bloomed loudly in 90s arcades. Add friends for maximum impact.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition brings together everything that was lost all those years ago to dreaded licensing issues to remind us of why we missed it so much. It's a fun and quirky beat-em-up, though the lack of online in all the modes offered feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.
While its early difficulty may deter some people, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game's complexity and how it opens up makes for a highly enjoyable experience. It's felt like an eternity since we've seen this title on our Xbox systems, and having a Complete Edition with touched up visuals and all previously released content is an absolute treat. Whether you're a fan of the series or a newcomer to the genre, there's something here to enjoy, and it's a reminder of why so many fell in love with the original game all those years ago.
I’ll say it plainly. I love Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. I loved it 10 years ago and I’ve only come to appreciate it more since. I identify with Stephen Stills as talented, but also very sleepy, so I delight in being able to play as him in a game again. Yet for all of my love, it definitely has a tedious grind that might annoy people that aren’t into River City Ransom-style beat’em-ups. That said, with or without the movie or comics it’s based off of, I’d still consider it one of the best-in-class of side-scrolling co-op brawlers
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World - Complete Edition is a side scrolling beat-em-up, similar to Streets of Rage. It has a unique soundtrack and very well done artistic and graphic work. This is a really enjoyable game to play. Although it has some bugs, in general it is a very polished game. It includes several new features compared to its 2010 version, including an online mode that still needs to be refined. Otherwise it is a game that must be played.
If you're a fan of the character or of beat 'em ups and pop culture in general that didn't have a chance to try this title, this is your second chance that must not be wasted.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition remains an excellent game. With the whole game and DLC bundled together, this is the definitive package for fans of the franchise and of beat 'em ups in general. There's a lot to be in lesbians with here, from the stellar soundtrack to excellent moment to moment gameplay. It's clearly an utterly unique labour of love from a talented group of people (who happen to work at Ubisoft).
Fans of classic brawlers really can't go wrong with Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game – Complete Edition. It's gorgeous, satisfying to play, and has a positively banging soundtrack from pop/rock band Anamanaguchi that stands the test of time wonderfully.
Scott Pilgrim Versus the World Complete Edition certainly aims to be a faithful collection of this decade-old RPG brawler but with a near-zero list of improvements, it's tough to call Scott Pilgrim's adventure anything more than a pre-wrapped gift to the fans.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition is still fun to play. It's a solid 2D beat em up with lots of charm and a sweet soundtrack, but there are better games in the genre since its 2010 debut.
It may be a little over 10 years old, but Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition remains a top-tier title for beat-'em-up fans. The changes and improvements made over the original River City Ransom formula make it a tight game that feels rich in its genre, while the presence of online play resolves the main criticism in the original title. Those who have played the game before will enjoy that it's portable on the Switch, but those coming in fresh will find this to be a gem on a system that's already flush with excellent beat-'em-ups, both past and present.
I bought a PS4 at the start of 2020 and played video games a bit too much this crazy year! Here are my rankings and brief reviews of the 32 excellent games I finished this year, as well as my thoughts on patient gaming.
Introduction:
It's basically trite at this point to say this year has been challenging, but one positive out of everything is that I've been fortunate enough to have the time and funds to play a huge number of games that I've heard so much about, yet never was able to before now. I grew up on almost exclusively Nintendo games and then branched out to indie games in college I could play on my laptop, so I was more than excited when I bought the base PS4 that came bundled with God of War, Last of Us, and Horizon Zero Dawn for $200 (and I snagged Bloodborne for $15 while I was at it). What ensued was a year of frenzied gaming-- never in any year of my life have I played games as much as I did this year. I enjoyed it, but there were also some surprising drawbacks to placing such an emphasis on gaming as a primary hobby, and I'll discuss those towards the conclusion. But man, there were some absolutely fantastic games that I played this year and I want to share my thoughts on them! Not every game I played this year was PS4, but most were. Since literally every game I played this year was a good game, I have stratified my rankings into three overarching tiers: Best, Great, and Good. I was lucky enough to not even need a Meh tier this year. Lots of games within the same tier could probably have their orders switched, but I did my best. And all but two of these games I was patient™ on, which is a fun side note. Disclaimer*:* These rankings reflect my personal opinions on the experience I had after finishing the game, rather than my thoughts on its overall quality as a product for everyone. There are a few rankings that are sure to ruffle some feathers-- I know that God of War, RDR2, Journey, Undertale, and Nier: Automata for example are great games, but they didn't resonate with me nearly as much as some others. So know that I appreciate them and those who hold these games so dear. Without further ado, let's get going!
The BEST:
1.Bloodborne (PS4): Quite simply, I'm still chasing the feeling I had after playing this game for the first time. So much so you could say, that I played it 7 times this year. Never has a game enraptured me with its shocking world, brutal combat, and the best DLC I've ever played. I want to talk about Bloodborne (and all the souls games, really) constantly, learn everything about them, and play them forever.
Last of Us Part II (PS4): One of two games I broke being patient™ on, I waited a couple months before diving in just to stop working to avoid spoilers. I enjoyed the first game but this absolutely blew me out of the water. On a gameplay level I couldn't believe how fluid and visceral the combat was, how immense the encounters were with countless approaches to every situation, and how fun it was to play. The narrative was challenging and forced me to grapple with the same emotions as the protagonist initially, then brilliantly the player and character on divergent emotional tracks as you become more shocked and uncomfortable with what happens. I encourage anyone who hasn't yet to play with an open mind and avoid trying to reduce the story to a single theme or message. It may not be your cup of tea, but it was mine.
3. Outer Wilds (PS4): This game feels like it was made just for me. I love space and rocket physics, I love discovery, and I love it when a game makes me feel clever. The level of wonder and curiosity I felt while playing can only be compared to what I experienced with Breath of the Wild. This game is difficult to talk about without spoilers, but if discovery and outer space get you excited, there is nothing like Outer Wilds.
Dark Souls III (PS4): Yeah, I like souls games. While certainly less groundbreaking than DS1 and perhaps less atmospheric than Bloodborne, DS3 is a grand experience with, in my opinion, the best bosses in all the souls games. It's also the best souls game for experimenting with different playstyles without needing to watch 6 hours of VaatiVidya to figure out how to be a pyromancer.
Control (PS4): Objectively speaking, this game might not have the same merits as the others in the "Best" category. But it sucked me in with it's completely unique visual style. It felt like a strange acid trip and I was always excited to see what was next. The powers and combat were fun even if not terribly original (and even though the gunplay wasn't too strong) but I was completely enthralled by the nonchalance of the cast amid mind blowing supernatural activity. Far from a perfect game, but give it a chance if the style seems intriguing to you!
The Great:
The Last of Us Remastered (PS4): One of my most anticipated games when I picked up a PS4, having watched my friends play some of it. Though it didn't blow me away as much in 2020 as it might have in 2013, I thought it had decent gameplay, a great story, and a stunning world. The cities and post-apocalyptic environments were a pleasure to soak in, packed with detail, and well paced. Definitely a deserved classic.
Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4): In a lot of ways, this game isn't good as an open world game. It doesn't do a great job of compelling you to explore and engage with all the cool stuff it has. The sidequests are kind of bad, many characters forgettable and oddly animated. But this game is this high on the list because it's just so much fun taking down machine dinosaurs. They nailed gameplay in a technically beautiful world, and actually surprised me with the quality of the main story line. Not groundbreaking, but solid and a joy to play.
Death Stranding (PS4): For being one of the best games I have ever played, Death Stranding kinda sucks. I absolutely adored the premise and the world Kojima crafted, and delivering packages was really enjoyable. I loved figuring out traversal and just soaking in the graphics. I'm not one that normally cares about technical graphical showcases, but this game has made me reconsider how important graphics can be to an experience. Unfortunately, the dreadful gun mechanics, broken driving, constant NPC interjections, and the game's refusal to just end already kinda bogged it down. There's a lot here though that won me over and is an experience unlike anything I've ever played.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo Switch): The other game on this list I was not patient™ for, since I bought it for my wife... and then got sucked in. Truth is, as a non-creative type, I just loved this game as an outlet for my creativity and expression. I loved having projects like my zen garden, my Domino's Pizza restaurant, and then getting to share them with my friends. I've heard it said something along the lines of "It wasn't the best game of 2020, but it was the game for 2020".
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4): Once I adjusted my expectations of what this game was and was not, it was great. While it doesn't reward open exploration as much as BoTW and Skyrim did, it simply has the best quests of any open world game I've played. Very rich environments and stories, and I even thought the gameplay was more than serviceable. It did kind of drag on by the end though. Also, disclaimer, I haven't played the DLC (sorry).
Return of the Obra Dinn (Nintendo Switch): I had hoped it would blow me away in a way similar to Outer Wilds, and while it didn't quite reach the same heights for me it was great nonetheless. I loved the nautical setting, the critical thinking and deduction required, and the way it was balanced perfectly between leaving you totally on your own and confirming bits at a time. My only real complaint is that I felt the true ending didn't really reveal anything about the story I didn't already know, I guess I expected some grand reveal.
Doom Eternal (PS4): White-knuckle, heart pounding, insane. The game forces you to engage with every mechanic it throws at you and is brutally challenging, but all in the best way. Though the gameplay was better than DOOM 2016, I actually preferred the latter since Eternal's levels felt more like a silly mario level than a tense demon-infested place. I get what they were going for and they executed well, I just prefer the more serious tone.
Hades (Nintendo Switch): Biggest surprise of the year for me, I didn't actually expect to like it. Hades is perfectly polished and a big step forward for integrating its excellent narrative with its roguelike structure. It's very easy to play without investing too much, making it great for unwinding. It deserves all the praise it's getting.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Remastered) (PS4): All the mainline Uncharted games are on this list but I enjoyed 2 the most. The set pieces were the most memorable, and I enjoyed almost every second. These games aren't as high on the list because, no matter how you dress it up, it's a pretty simple affair ultimately in terms of gameplay but it nails the style of game that it is.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS4): An amazing game in its own right, but was ultimately disappointing for me as a From Software fan. I found that what I appreciated most about Souls games was the tension of not knowing if you could make it to the next checkpoint, the terror of encountering something surprising and having to deal with it. Sekiro litters checkpoints left and right, which is of course great for its more boss-focused design, but left me far less immersed in the environments personally. I also wished I had more options for playing aggressively rather than just memorizing the parry patterns. In any case, these gripes are my personal preferences coming through and any hardcore gamer owes it to themselves to conquer this behemoth of a challenge.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (PS4): Pure, unadulterated fun. I was absolutely addicted to the core gameplay and the levels, especially in the first game, were so cool to explore. For me the core loop started to get stale by the time I finished all the challenges on the levels, but for those that wanted more there is almost an endless amount of bonus challenges to tackle.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4): There's definitely a strong argument that this is the ultimate uncharted game to play-- best gunplay and options in encounters, by far the best puzzles, and the delivery of the story is leagues above the rest of the series. I simply think that Uncharted 2 had the highest highs, so 4 is a tad lower. That, and the beautiful story set up was not brought together in a satisfying way; it in no way felt like Drake had earned Elena's forgiveness, but they kind just glossed over it. Still, a must play and Naughty Dog games at their best.
Subnautica (PS4): I wanted to love it more than I did. I was hooked on exploring and discovering the mysteries of the alien underwater, but I think I do better with games with less of a survival focus. I got really far into the game, but didn't actually finish since eventually the slow drip of clues started to get a bit too slow for my tastes, and the survival and basebuilding began to get tedious. Minor PS4 technical issues aside though, This is a dang good survival game, and immense in a terrifying and wonderful way.
Monster Train (PC): Slay the Spire is one of my all-time favorites, so I was pretty excited to be gifted this. It's a blast as a deckbuilder, and I think it was smartly designed in how it throws significant and strong rewards at you at every phase of a run, whereas StS often forces you to make the best of an iffy situation. Had a great time, but I lost interest after 15 or so hours since most runs tend to feel fairly similar. Still would absolutely recommend for StS and deckbuilding fans.
Spelunky (PC): Not the hardest game I've ever played, but definitely the most unforgiving. The controls took a while to get used to but once I was engaged, the game is a tight, slick, and enthralling adventure and test of skills. Full of secrets (I've only scratched the surface) and deeply satisfying to conquer. But boy, is it unforgiving.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Remastered) (PS4): Another strong entry in the Uncharted series, just a tad weaker than 2 I think. I will credit it though with having the most memorable environments and locales in any Uncharted though!
The Good:
Read Dead Redemption II (PS4): *Full disclosure, I'm still playing through act 5 at the time of this post.* This one is really tough for me to fully form an opinion on. On the one hand, I think this is the most stunning and immersive open world I've ever seen. Deeply authentic towns, regions, unparalleled attention to detail, and great characters and a decent story. But the way the missions force you to do things explicitly one way with terrible hand-holding just isn't fun to me, and makes Uncharted games feel like open-world sandboxes by comparison. There's a lot of quality here and I've enjoyed many elements, but have been disillusioned by others. NakeyJakey explains what I felt far better than I can (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvJPKOLDSos&t=392s). Still a good time though.
God of War (PS4): Like RDR2, an incredible technical achievement, for me hands down the best looking PS4 game, best voice acting, and for most people this should be towards the top of your must-play list. At its best, the characters are great, the combat is crunchy and satisfying, and the world beautiful. I just felt that for far too often the game was far from its best-- too many combat encounters didn't feel like I was a God of War but rather smacking a giant meat sack of health, so many secrets and puzzles that I just stopped caring about because finding treasure chests isn't fun when the rpg/loot elements feel so tacked on and pointless, endlessly recycled bosses... for me it was just pretty good, nothing like the game of the generation in my eyes. That said, most people don't seem too bothered by the things I found mediocre, so the sheer spectacle (looking at you world serpent!) and great moments make this well worth the price of admission!
Undertale (PC): I did not play this game the way it was meant to be played, let's say that up front. It was a gift, and I played about a half an hour every month for a year and just finally finished it. I loved the music, it was charming, and I see why people love this game so much. I think it just didn't hit those highs for me and I was left with a fairly silly little 8-bit game. Which was good. I'm glad I experienced what it had to offer but didn't leave a huge mark on me.
Superhot (Google Stadia): I had wanted to play this game forever but couldn't justify spending $20 on it, so I was pleased when I got a free Google Stadia kit and got to play it free! Really neat blend of stylized retro computer flavor and a fabulous central time-stop mechanic. A great 2 hour experience but tough to recommend as more than a novelty.
NieR: Automata (PS4): I have made it through 1.5 playthroughs so I know I haven't gotten the full experience, but I wasn't enjoying it enough to continue. I think every game developer though should learn from the brilliance of this game-- constantly keeping the player on its toes by not confining itself by a genre and by focusing on what's fun and cool, rather than convention. Excellent music. I get the hype, and the healthy dose of existential musings was interesting... it just didn't ultimately click for me. I can't unequivocally recommend this game to everyone, but if the premise and style stand out to you, this could be your next all-time favorite game.
Star Wars Battlefront II (PS4): Picked this up for free with PS Plus, and while there's not a lot here that's that special it was honestly super nice comfort food gaming. I just enjoyed shooting stuff in really cool Star Wars settings, a franchise I love. For what it was, I had a blast, minus the fact that I personally feel Jedi/heroes really kinda ruin the game for me. Unfortunately, it also is nothing more than a basic mass multiplayer battlefield game, so don't expect anything crazy.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (Remastered) (PS4): Definitely weaker than its successors, but still a really fun romp with trope-y but effective narrative and characters, and totally serviceable gunplay. This would be much higher on the list, and I honestly had a great time with it, but man the final third of the game was really painful to play. The switch to zombies was bad, and just wasn't fun to play through.
Until Dawn (PS4): I did not think I would like this game at all, I don't care for cheesy horror and definitely am not interested in interactive movies. But if you have a significant other or group of friends to play this with, it can be a great time! I played with my wife and we were honestly pretty engaged with the characters and the story was well told and had plenty of nice jump scares. There's not much game here, but for what it is it was a neat experience.
Shadow of the Colossus (Remake) (PS4): There were some incredible highlights to this game like the flying colossus and the sand worm, and the scale of the encounters with the epic music has earned this game a place as a masterpiece and classic to so many gamers. The remake looks stunning and it was exciting to see what type of colossus was up next. Unfortunately, every great moment I had was accompanied by an equally frustrating moment with mediocre controls and a couple of colossus that were so bad (looking at you, little bull/lion Celosia) that made me have to put down the game for a few days. A great game let down by some dated and poor elements.
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (PS4): Souls games are my favorites, so it pains me to put this game so low. The best areas in the game (Heide's tower, Drangleic Castle, etc) are up there with the best in the series and most of the excellent combat found in the other games is more or less present here. But I think 2/3 of the game is bogged down by drab areas that feel more like a mario level designed to kill the player more than an area that could really exist. The Iron keep was the worst offender, the area was absolutely nonsensical and like so many other areas, enemies were placed in a way designed to frustrate the player with difficulty rather than engage them with challenge. Bosses were also mostly forgettable, but I did love the Looking Glass knight and the Pursuer!
Journey (PS4): Look, I'm as surprised as you that this game is on the bottom of the list. I honestly expected to love it. An artistic, beautiful marriage of environmental storytelling and unforgettable online interaction? A smooth and cathartic movement system? It has all these things, and no doubt deserves the acclaim and love it has from so many gamers. It just didn't resonate with me. Especially the ending, I felt for sure that there would be some great climax that contrasted with the struggle of the icy segment, but instead it fell a bit flat. Maybe I'll give it another try someday.
Conclusion, Gaming Patiently, and a Warning:
There you have it! I'd love to hear what surprised you in my rankings, where I'm horribly wrong, and what games you recommend I play next! Personally, I'm considering Persona 5 (though I'm not super into JRPGs), Dishonored 2 (am curious about immersive sims), and Jedi Fallen Order. Gaming patiently is a strategy I absolutely endorse. Not only has it allowed me to form my own opinions of games independent of hype, but has allowed me to play a huge quantity of incredible games for honestly pennies. The average cost per game of everything I played this year was under $20. Now, more than ever, is an amazing time to get a PS4 and be a patient gamer, due to both the relative inexpensiveness and the sheer volume of outstanding games. I still will probably buy the big nintendo titles at launch and occasionally buy into hype, but most of the time it just isn't worth it anymore. Finally, a friendly warning as a personal story for those of us who deeply love games and devote a lot of time to them. Like many kids, I was pretty limited by my parents growing up on what and how much I was allowed to play. I loved gaming but it was somewhat of a forbidden fruit. In college, I loved gaming and definitely played more, but still was very busy with social activities, studies, and other hobbies. Now, as a working adult with a comfortable job, I suddenly have more time and money than I have ever had in my life, and thus this giant list of games I played was created. For the first few months it was enthralling; all I wanted to do was play. Over the course of the year, however, it has become clear to me that requiring so much of my happiness and fun coming from having a game to be excited about can have some drawbacks. In the middle of a pandemic, if I'm sitting on the couch waiting for video games to make me happy and they just aren't giving me the same enjoyment that Bloodborne did when I played it for the first time, I'm just gonna be stuck there on the couch, slowly getting a bit depressed when my main source of fun isn't cutting it. So what's the point? Well, enjoy your games! Don't let anyone stop you from loving what you love. But if you start to burn out, please take care of yourself and engage in other hobbies, get outside, and keep things balanced. For me, doing so has made gaming all the sweeter. Thanks for reading and indulging this long post!
https://www.ioi.dk/hitman-3-pre-launch-guide/ --- Welcome to the HITMAN 3 Pre-launch guide. This blog post will be our place to share in-depth details about HITMAN 3, including how to carryover your progression, our new Access Pass system, what to expect on launch day and more. We are excited to see all of our players embark on Agent 47’s next journey and experience the dramatic conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy. Before you start reading, this is how the game begins.
Release Details
HITMAN 3 will be available on 20 January 2021 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Stadia, Nintendo Switch and PC. We’re happy to confirm that the Nintendo Switch version of HITMAN 3 will also launch on 20 January. The Switch version of HITMAN 3 is playable via cloud streaming technology. A stable and permanent internet connection is required to play. Release Time HITMAN 3 will release simultaneously on all platforms at 13:00 UTC on 20 January 2021. To see the exact release time in your timezone, follow this link. This release time will ensure that the IOI teams in Copenhagen and Malmö are best-placed to ensure a smooth launch. At that time, digital copies will be available to play and the games servers will be online. 📷 Pre-load It will be possible to pre-load HITMAN 3 on PlayStation and Xbox platforms. Make sure that you’ve configured your console to do that and the downloads will begin when they have been prepared and certified. On PC, there won’t be a pre-load option for HITMAN 3 and downloads will begin at the above release time. (For PS4 and PS5 owners in Asia, please note that HITMAN 3 will not be available for pre-order or pre-load. This is due to recent changes in the age ratings systems in those regions. HITMAN 3 will be available for purchase at the above time.) Day One Patch HITMAN 3 will require a day one patch for all disc users. The day one patch will be automatically applied to digital players. This patch will include access to the VR mode for PlayStation users and will include the remaining locations that are not included on the disc. Game Size HITMAN 3 will take up approximately 60-70 GB of storage space on all platforms, with the obvious exceptions of Stadia and Switch. The data that you download will also include all the content required to access HITMAN 1 and HITMAN 2 – but you are still required to own/purchase access to those games. To underline that; purchasing HITMAN 3 does not grant access to the previous two games by default. Using this method allows us to reduce the file size for all players to 60-70 GB and has the benefit of making the process of redeeming or purchase access to HITMAN 1 and HITMAN 2 as simple as possible. (We talk about that more later). Also, we want to clarify that reducing the file size doesn’t mean that we’ve made any compromises on the visual/audio quality of the game. If you’re curious about the technical aspects that made this possible, we recently talked to PC Gamer about it.
HITMAN 3 - Editions
There are two editions of HITMAN 3; The Standard Edition and the Deluxe Edition. – The Standard Edition includes the HITMAN 3 base game. Nice and simple. – The Deluxe Edition includes the HITMAN 3 base game and the Deluxe Pack. Again, nice and simple. The only difference between the two editions is the Deluxe Pack, which includes 6 Deluxe Escalations, in-game suits, items and weapons, a digital soundtrack for each game in the World of Assassination trilogy, an introduction to each HITMAN 3 campaign mission by the Game Director and a digital artbook that highlights the characters, targets and missions included in the trilogy. A free IOI Account is required to download the digital soundtracks and World of HITMAN Art Book. Here’s a visual look at everything that’s packed into the HITMAN 3 Deluxe Edition: 📷 Next-gen Upgrade Console players who pre-order or purchase a physical or digital copy of HITMAN 3 (either Standard or Deluxe) on the current generation of consoles (PS4/Xbox One), will receive a free upgrade to the next-gen version of the game for no additional cost. Note that you won’t be able to receive the next-gen upgrade if you purchase HITMAN 3 on disc and you own a disc-free next gen console. When making a digital purchase, you will automatically be entitled to download the next-gen version when you access the game on that console. When making a physical disc purchase, you’ll need to insert the current gen disc into your next gen console and you’ll be able to download the next-gen version for no additional cost. Simply keep the disc in your machine whenever you want to play and you’ll be good to go. Pre-order Bonus The HITMAN 3 pre-order bonus celebrates all three games in the World of Assassination trilogy. Introducing the Trinity Pack. You’ll get it just by pre-ordering the game, no matter what platform or edition. The Trinity Pack includes a total of 9 items, with 3 distinct sets that represent a different game from the trilogy. Each set includes a suit, briefcase and weapon. From the White of HITMAN 1, the Red of HITMAN 2 or the Black of HITMAN 3, you’ll have all 9 items in your inventory to mix and match as you like. The classic Hitman insignia is etched onto the items in gold to add an elegant flourish. Note: The Trinity Pack will not be included with either the Standard Edition or Deluxe Edition after January 20. 📷 At selected retailers, pre-ordering a physical edition of HITMAN 3 will also include an exclusive physical passport. This unique item is filled with details and references from Agent 47’s career and commemorates 20 years of Hitman. See the list of retailers in our previous pre-order blog post.
Progression Carryover
All current HITMAN 2 players will be able to carryover their hard-earned progression into HITMAN 3. After completing the carryover process, HITMAN 2 players will be able to start HITMAN 3 with their existing player profile, XP rank, location mastery levels, location mastery unlocks, challenge progress, challenge unlocks and Elusive Target suits/unlocks. All of those things are what we call ‘progression’. It’s not possible to pick and choose elements to carryover. It’s all or nothing. The carryover process requires an IOI Account and can only be done through a web browser, it’s not possible to do it in-game. We will have the website ready to go before launch, but it is not live yet. Once it is ready, we will share the news via ioi.dk and update this post. 📷 Here’s more about how it will work: – Progression can only be carried over from HITMAN 2, including progression you have from the Legacy Pack (HITMAN 1 locations within HITMAN 2). – Progression can only be carried over from within the same platform. There are only three options: HITMAN 2 (PlayStation) → HITMAN 3 (PlayStation) HITMAN 2 (Xbox) → HITMAN 3 (Xbox) HITMAN 2 (PC/Steam) → HITMAN 3 (PC/Epic) Note: “PlayStation” = PS4, PS4 Pro and PS5. “Xbox” = Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. Essentially, it doesn’t matter what specific console you have earned progression on. It only matters that progression can only move forward and within the same console ‘family’. – Progression carryover is a one-time process, meaning once you have performed a carryover for a particular platform, you will not be able to do so again at a later time. – If you have played HITMAN 2 on multiple platforms, you CAN perform a carryover for EACH of those profiles, but only within the same platform, as listed above. For example, if you play H2 on Xbox and PlayStation, you can carryover your H2 Xbox progression into H3 Xbox and independently carryover your H2 PlayStation progress into H3 PlayStation. – When you complete the carryover process, your existing HITMAN 2 progress will remain as it is (i.e it will not be removed/deleted). However, your progression in H2 and H3 will NOT be synchronised. – If you have already started playing HITMAN 3 and THEN choose to perform the progression carryover process, you will lose all progression earned within HITMAN 3 up to that point. We recommend you carryover progress before starting HITMAN 3. 📷 What exactly will be carried over? When you start the process, you will need to select an account that you have linked to your IOI Account. You will then be able to review the HITMAN 2 progress earned on that account and confirm that you want to perform the carryover process into HITMAN 3. The following progression will be included in the carryover process: player profile, XP rank, location mastery levels, location mastery unlocks, challenge progress, challenge unlocks and Elusive Target suits/unlocks. Savegame files are not carried over. Note that there are a small amount of items/unlocks that are not carried over through this process, such as the rewards unlocked through the HITMAN 1 GOTY Escalations, becuase they are linked to a purchase. Those items will be available in HITMAN 3 when you redeem access to the associated content. In addition, the ICA Electrocution Phone has been retired and will not be available in HITMAN 3. HITMAN 3 on Stadia On Stadia, all progression that players have earned in Hitman: World of Assassination (from both H1 and H2) will automatically ‘carryover’ to HITMAN 3. For additional clarity, Stadia and PC are two different platforms and progress cannot be shared or carried over between them. HITMAN 3 on Nintendo Switch Progression carryover is not possible on Nintendo Switch because HITMAN 2 is not available on that platform as a standalone game.
Access Pass FAQ
HITMAN 3 allows players to access locations from the previous games in the trilogy (H1 and H2) and play them all under one roof. Essentially, we have setup H1 and H2 as DLC for HITMAN 3. You can buy or redeem/download an Access Pass and get access to its content within H3. For example, if you buy the HITMAN 2 Standard Access Pass DLC for HITMAN 3, you’ll get access to the locations and missions included in the HITMAN 2 Standard Edition within HITMAN 3. 📷 In addition to the option of purchasing an Access Pass, it is also possible to redeem/download an Access Pass for no additional cost, if you have already purchased that content from the same store that you have pre-ordered or purchased HITMAN 3. To make this happen, we detect what you already have installed for HITMAN 2 and can make the corresponding Access Pass available for no additional cost on the same store. Note: If you only own HITMAN 1, you will need to import that content into HITMAN 2 first, via the instructions in our Legacy Pack FAQ. This process will work between console generations. For example, if you own HITMAN 2 on PS4, you’ll be able to download the HITMAN 2 Access Pass DLC in HITMAN 3 for both PS4 and PS5. The same applies for the Xbox family of consoles as well. We know that’s a lot of information, but once you’ve seen all of the Access Pass options, and there are five in total, it will make more sense. 📷 HITMAN 1 GOTY Access PassIncludes: Locations and missions currently available in the HITMAN 1 GOTY Edition: ICA Facility, Paris, Sapienza, Marrakesh, Bangkok, Colorado, Hokkaido, 3x GOTY Escalations and rewards and 4x Patient Zero campaign missions How to get it– Consoles: If you have previously downloaded the HITMAN 1 Legacy Pack, HITMAN 1 GOTY Legacy Pack or HITMAN 1 GOTY Upgrade for HITMAN 2, you will be able to download it for no additional cost. (Yes, that’s a free upgrade to the GOTY Edition if you only own the Standard Edition of H1!). The price for this Access Pass will be listed as ‘free’ when you look for it in the store. – Disc: If you own a version of H1 on disc, you must follow the process in the Legacy Pack FAQ to access that content in HITMAN 2 – and then redeem this Access Pass. – PC (Epic): If you pre-purchase or purchase HITMAN 3 on EGS within the first 10 days of launch, you will be granted the HITMAN 1 GOTY Access Pass for no additional charge. In addition, if you own or redeemed a free copy of HITMAN – The Complete First Season on EGS when it was available for free, you will be able to download this Access Pass at any time after purchasing HITMAN 3. 📷 HITMAN 2 Standard Access PassIncludes: Locations and missions currently available in the HITMAN 2 Standard Edition: Hawke’s Bay, Miami, Santa Fortuna, Mumbai, Whittleton Creek, Isle of Sgail, plus 1x Sniper Assassin map: Himmelstein How to get it– Consoles: If you own a digital copy of HITMAN 2 Standard Edition or HITMAN 2 SilveGold, you will be able to download this Access Pass for no additional cost. The price for this Access Pass will be listed as ‘free’ when you look for it in the store. – Disc: [See below] – PC (Epic): As HITMAN 2 is not available on EGS, we have set up an 80% discount for this Access Pass for the first 14 days after HITMAN 3’s launch. HITMAN 2 Standard Access Pass [DISC]Includes: Locations and missions currently available in the HITMAN 2 Standard Edition: Hawke’s Bay, Miami, Santa Fortuna, Mumbai, Whittleton Creek, Isle of Sgail, plus 1x Sniper Assassin map: Himmelstein How to get it– Consoles: If you own a physical disc copy of HITMAN 2 Standard Edition, you will be able to download this Access Pass for no additional cost through the HITMAN 2 in-game store. (You will see the full listing price if you look for the Access Pass in the PS/Xbox store as a disc owner.) On Xbox, you also need to own a digital copy of either HITMAN 3 or the HITMAN 2 Free Starter Pack before navigating to the in-game store. 📷 HITMAN 2 Gold Access PassIncludes: Locations and missions currently available in the HITMAN 2 Gold Edition: Hawke’s Bay, Miami, Santa Fortuna, Mumbai, Whittleton Creek, Isle of Sgail, New York, Haven Island, plus 3x Sniper Assassin maps: Himmelstein, Hantu Port, Siberia and 4x Special Assignments. How to get it– Consoles: If you own a digital copy of HITMAN 2 Gold Edition, you will be able to download this Access Pass for no additional cost. The price for this Access Pass will be listed as ‘free’ when you look for it in the store. – Disc: If you bought HITMAN 2 Gold Edition on Disc, it will have included a download code for the HITMAN 2 Expansion Pass; you need to use that to get access to the content from the Gold Edition. See below. – PC (Epic): As HITMAN 2 is not available on EGS, we have set up an 80% discount for this Access Pass for the first 14 days after HITMAN 3’s launch. It will also grant access to the HITMAN 2 Expansion Access Pass. 📷 HITMAN 2 Expansion Access PassIncludes: Locations and missions currently available in the HITMAN 2 Expansion Pass: New York, Haven Island, plus 3x Sniper Assassin maps: Himmelstein, Hantu Port, Siberia and 4x Special Assignments. How to get it– Consoles: If you own a digital copy of HITMAN 2 Gold Edition, you will be able to download this Access Pass for no additional cost. The price for the Access Pass will be listed as ‘free’ when you look for it in the store. – Disc: If you own a physical copy of HITMAN 2 Gold Edition, you will be able to download this Access Pass for no additional cost because a download code for the HITMAN 2 Expansion Pass was included in the box. If you have redeemed that code, the price for this Access Pass will be listed as ‘free’ when you look for it in the store. HITMAN 3 Access Pass on PC We’ve done everything possible to make this process smooth and player-friendly. However, due to various circumstances out of our control, we want to acknowledge that the process is different to our initial plans for PC players. We also want to share some of the initiatives we’ve set-up to make sure that PC players the chance to keep enjoying the benefits of the World of Assassination.
The HITMAN 1 GOTY Access Pass will be available to claim in the first 10 days after launch for anyone who purchases (or has pre-ordered) any edition of HITMAN 3 on Epic Games Store.
Owners of HITMAN 1 on EGS (including all players who claimed it when it was available for free in August) will get a free upgrade to the HITMAN 1 GOTY Access Pass at any time after purchasing HITMAN 3.
The HITMAN 2 Standard Access Pass and HITMAN 2 Gold Access Pass will be 80% off for 14 days after the launch of HITMAN 3 on Epic Games Store and will continue to be discounted regularly.
Our hope is that these initiatives help to ensure all HITMAN 3 PC players can able to enjoy the new game with full access to HITMAN 1 and their progression carried over as a minimum. HITMAN 3 Access Pass on Stadia Due to the convenient set-up of HITMAN 1-3 on Stadia, the Access Pass system is not required. Players will continue to have access to the locations they already own through Hitman: World of Assassination, or can purchase the games that they don’t own through the Stadia Store. HITMAN 3 Access Pass on Switch HITMAN 3 is the first game in the trilogy to be available on Switch. As such, each relevant Access Pass is available for purchase through the HITMAN 3 in-game store.
HITMAN VR
At launch, HITMAN 3 will support PS VR and all locations in the World of Assassination trilogy can be experienced in a new first-person perspective. Yes, that means you can traverse the outside of the tallest building in the (Hitman) world in PS VR! If you own the previous games from the trilogy on PS4, you can also access locations from them within HITMAN 3. That’s more than 20 Hitman locations from the World of Assassination trilogy to enjoy in PS VR. 📷 You can either play HITMAN 3 in PS VR natively on your PS4 or via backward compatibility on PS5. To make sure all PS VR owners can experience the game in VR, we’re including a free digital copy of the PS4 version of HITMAN 3 with all PS5 copies, whether you choose to buy it via disc or digital. If you are playing on PS5, your progress between the PS4 (VR) and PS5 (non-VR) versions is shared between the two versions. You’ll be able to play the non-VR version of HITMAN 3 on PS5 with the next-gen improvements that we support (including Dual Sense support!) and then switch to the PS4 version for VR and all of your items and unlocks will be right there waiting for you. You will need to have both versions of the game installed on your PS5 to make that happen. 📷 Whether you play on PS4 or PS5, a DUALSHOCK®4 wireless controller is required to play HITMAN 3 in VR. Playing HITMAN 3 in VR on PS5 also requires a PlayStation Camera adaptor. For full details on the requirements for playing PS VR on your PS5, including how to order a free PlayStation Camera adaptor, see the official PlayStation PS VR site.
More to come
📷 We have got our sights firmly set on January 20 and our entire team is doing everything in our power to make the launch of HITMAN 3 as successful as possible. It’s an incredibly exciting time for us to be so close to releasing our next game, as well as deliver the dramatic conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy. Please keep the conversation going on Twitter, Discord, Reddit and in HitmanForum and be excellent to each other. The World of Assassination awaits…
[Competitive Pokemon] The Mazarbot: Why Ubers Will Never Return to Tournaments
What are Competitive Pokemon and Smogon?
Unless you live under a rock you probably know what Pokemon is. You catch little monsters and force them to fight each other in turn-based battles of up to six a side. Pokemon range enormously in power, and some of them are competitively worthless while others are nearly impossible to stop. Competitive Pokemon is split into two main communities: singles and doubles. Like in tennis, doubles are 2v2 games whereas singles have only two Pokemon in play at any one time. Nintendo themselves almost entirely support doubles in the competitive scene, as singles is prone to much longer games which wouldn't be conducive to IRL tournaments. Singles play also enables a playstyle known as "stall", in which you combine six purely defensive pokemon that beat the opponent via passive damage and pp stall (running your opponent out of attacks). This is widely hated by new players and makes for a terrible viewing experience, so Nintendo discourages this at all costs. Due to the complete lack of support for official singles play, something called Smogon emerged in the early 2000s. Smogon exists mainly to provide standardized formats for people to play- lots of people dislike Smogon as they "force you to play a certain way" but without "tiers", or specific rulesets for a game, the game is nearly unplayable from a competitive standpoint. Smogon also has forums, where people host tournaments and generally converse about the game. Rather than play on cartridge, most Smogon users play on Pokemon Showdown, an online battle simulator which vastly speeds up the process of playing the game. Like many niche forums on this subreddit, Smogon has had its fair share of drama, the absolute best of which is probably the Bloo saga, detailed in this post which is definitely worth a read. Basically, a player named Style came out of nowhere and began demolishing all their opponents, only for it to be revealed that Style was actually an alt of the top player, Bloo, who was leveraging their community standing to gain privileged information which let Style easily win all their games. If this sounds absolutely insane to you, it's because it is absolutely insane.
Background Information
Different "tiers", which could alternately be described as game modes or rulesets, allow different Pokemon of varying power levels to be used. The main Smogon singles tier is called OU, short for overused. This is by far the most played tier, and basically consists of all the most powerful mons (community shorthand for Pokemon) except for "cover legendaries" such as Kyogre or Xerneas, which appear on the game's box art and are far too powerful for the vast majority of mons to compete with. When a mon is deemed too powerful for OU, it will be voted on by the community, and players who meet the requirements can vote whether or not to ban it- recent examples include dracovish and pheromosa. If a mon is not used enough in OU, it falls to UU (underused), and then to RU (rarely used), and then to NU (never used). Where, then, can one use these broken monsters? All the mons banned from OU go to a playable banlist called Ubers, where one can use basically anything except for the most degenerate, luck based strategies (evasion, baton pass, OHKO moves) and Mega Rayquaza, a mon so insanely overpowered it had to be banned even from Ubers in 2014. Ubers had a sizeable playerbase for a long time, but since 2016, has not been in a single official Smogon tournament. Why? Well, the most popular Smogon tournament is something called Smogon Premier League, which is a team tournament in which ten teams of the absolute best players on the site each compete in a variety of tiers. This is considered the most prestigious team tournament, and hundreds of people tune in live to spectate each SPL match on smogtours.psim.us. In the eighth SPL, one of these tiers was Ubers. I myself did not really pay attention to the tournament scene at this point (early 2017), but I've gone back and looked over the forums posts and game replays to provide as accurate an account as possible. For whatever reason, the Ubers community had a reputation of being prone to cheating, and so it had been a long time since the tier had this kind of official platform. There are several ways to cheat in Pokemon. By far the most common is called "ghosting", where you play in a call with another player who assists you with your plays or outright tells you what to do. It is nearly impossible to fully enforce the ban on ghosting in tournament games, and it is widely reviled by the community at large and probably a dozen ghosting scandals arise every year. However, this is commonplace, and what transpired in this writeup was truly infamous.
The Rise of Mazar
Starting about midway through SPL VIII, a German player named Mazar switched from playing OU (where he was average at best) to Ubers for his team and subsequently went on an absolute rampage. It is important to note that playing the game is only one aspect of a battle. Equally important is building your team of six Pokemon so that it can handle as many metagame threats as possible and carry out an effective gameplan. A "set" is a combination of moves, an ability, and stat adjustments. Some sets are considered standard for their tier, and others are niche. A lot of games are decided purely based off matchup- one team might have a threat the other cannot fully account for, or a combination of mons that the other team simply cannot kill. Mazar wasn't just beating his opponents, he was absolutely destroying them. He won every single Ubers game he played, carrying his team to the tournament's finals. He was even chosen to participate in finals tiebreakers- his team placed the utmost faith in him to win, and win he did. His teams were bizarre- they seemed ill-equipped to handle common metagame threats, but he was completely steamrolling opponents with niche sets/teams such as ingrain xerneas, substitute + reversal mega blaziken, and poorly constructed stall teams. I found these replays in the old forums post- if you don't understand what you are watching, let me just say that his team choices were baffling and yet perfectly smothered his opponent every time. In the third game, notice how he switched his Ho-oh in to wall the opposing Primal Groudon (Pdon). No experienced Ubers player would ever make this play- Pdon usually runs a rock type move, which can easily one-shot a Ho-oh. However, somehow Mazar could tell this Pdon had only ground + fire attacks and thus his Ho-oh could easily stall it out. To a lesser extent, his teammate The Trap God was having similar wins, such as one in which a double kick terrakion (???) one-shots a smeargle on turn 1. You can see his opponent's reaction and frustration in this video he posted afterwards. A quick technical explanation of why the turn 1 exchange was so suspicious: Smeargle is an extremely niche pick which has atrocious stats but learns every move in the game. With the item focus sash, smeargle can live any one hit, put the opponent to sleep with the move spore, and then set up stealth rocks or sticky webs, which are very powerful field effects that can swing the game in your favor. Terrakion, The Trap God's lead, is not used in Ubers. It is a decent mon in its own right but lacks the power to compete with the behemoths in Ubers, and even if one were to use it, they would not use double kick, which is a pitifully weak move compared to close combat, which Terrakion always runs instead. The literal only possible benefit of double kick is to counter this specific smeargle set and bypass its focus sash, preventing it from setting up sticky webs. I genuinely cannot think of one other situation where double kick Terrakion would ever be an optimal choice in the SM Ubers tier.
Mazar's Downfall
You can probably tell where I'm going with this, and so could a lot of other players at the time. Not only were there rumors that Mazar was being ghosted, but lots of people were beginning to comment on his suspiciously good team matchups. Though nobody could prove it, lots of people were beginning to make accusations. In one of his games in the tournament, Mazar told someone "gg" after winning (perfectly normal and polite), and the opponent responded "fuck off cheater". Mazar's team would go on to win the tournament in April 2017, and for a while, people forgot about SPL VIII. However, in October 2017, the tournament directors posted a shocking discovery. One of Mazar's accomplices had leaked private messages which showed that not only was he being ghosted, but he had a much more innovative strategy as well. Linked is the original administrative decision. Mazar had been using a bot in order to steal his opponent's teams, so he always knew exactly what was coming. The bot worked as follows: each game hosted on Pokemon Showdown has a unique URL. You can set these games to private, so that nobody can join them, by typing the command /modjoin + in the battle chat. Before you play a tournament game, you want to test the team you're using against your teammates, so you know it is at least somewhat effective. However, at this time, there was at least a second or two where your game would be public. Nobody would actually take the time to refresh every second, checking if you had started a new game, so this was not considered a real issue. That was, until the Mazarbot, as it is known today. The Mazarbot, made by one of Mazar's friends for him, searched through every single starting game for a specific tier 24 hours a day, until it found the user it was looking for. It would join the battle on an unregistered account (so it wasn't visible that the bot account was spectating) and transcribe the battle so that Mazar knew exactly what his opponent's team was. Imagine a bot which could tell NFL football teams their opponent's entire playbook- winning would be near trivial for any competent coach, and this is no different. Why did Mazar have to switch to Ubers? As previously mentioned, OU is by far the most played tier, and as a result way more OU games started every minute than Ubers games. The Mazarbot couldn't parse all these games, so Mazar switched to Ubers, which his bot could handle.
The Fallout
This offense was deemed so bad that the entire SPL VIII tournament was retroactively cancelled. The Circus Maximus Tigers (Mazar's team) all had their trophies stripped, and the forum currently lists the tournament as "Smogon Premier League VIII [NO WINNER]". While most cheating infractions merit a few months' to a year's ban from tournaments (as opposed to forums activity as a whole), Mazar's was so severe that he was permanently banned from Smogon forums. Zarel, the person who runs Pokemon Showdown, was forced to implement the !ionext command. This allows you to preemptively set your next game to private, preventing something like this from ever happening again. Nobody has heard from Mazar since. The Ubers community's reputation is still at rock bottom, and it is unlikely that it will ever be considered for inclusion in SPL again. SPL X will start in several weeks with no Ubers games in sight. To this day, if you lose a game due to terrible matchup, you might say that you were “botted”. Smogon has had lots of hilarious drama throughout the years, and this is amongst the craziest. If you enjoyed this, definitely read about the Bloo saga that i linked earlier. TLDR: A German Pokemon player used a bot to scout his tournament opponents' teams before he played them. This let him win all of his games with ease until he was eventually exposed and permanently banned. He so irreparably damaged the reputation of playerbase of the specific game mode he played it will likely never be included in another tournament.
I watched a tape of my fourth birthday. Now my life is starting to crumble.
Trauma can be a bitch. That's something I learned quite late as I'd been living a rather sheltered life. My home is a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, which admittedly can sound boring or even suffocating to some. Though to me it was the perfect paradise. I grew up in a home filled with love and affection on a street with a dozen more similar houses. All beautiful on the outside with bright green lawns and whimsical mailboxes. I lived alone with my mum and my dad but that was perfectly fine because our neighbors had children as well. We had everything you could ever wish for. All the best toys that they showed in ads on TV. I was one of the first kids who had a Nintendo and later on a Playstation. My friends and I had a treehouse where we spent all our free time reading comic books and novels. We were fairly normal in all the typical ways. Those children had always been my very best friends and one of them even became my girlfriend and very soon in the future hopefully my wife. Mabel and I moved out of our childhood homes two weeks ago and into our own little dream house not far from our parents. I realize most adults want to leave at a certain point to find their own future but we'd always known that ours was right here. In Appleton. A place where you know all of your neighbors and never feel out of place. Most people I know never left. No, that's not perfectly true. Nobody I know has. I never wanted to either and I never questioned my life. I never had a reason to. Questions are not necessary when everything is clear. And I swear it was for the longest time. Until I found the tapes. And you see that's the thing with critical thinking. You are fine and well without it but then you start asking one question and then there's no going back. If you choose to be skeptical, well it will make you go crazy. And I had opened the door for it. I asked enough questions to find out a terrible truth about myself. -- Like most children born in the middle of the nineties, I had most of my life recorded on tape after mum and dad bought a video recorder when I was three or four years old. My parents filmed school graduations, football matches, picnics and of course every birthday. I remember we used to watch the tapes quite regularly when I was younger. Sometimes I'm not even sure if the memories I have of my childhood stem from those films or my brain. But then one day our VHS recorder broke down, we hadn't switched from tapes to DVDs and over the years kind of forgot those tapes in their dusty boxes in the basement. When I found the old VHS recorder with Mabel's stuff I was ecstatic. I hadn't thought about my childhood films in quite a while but now I could not wait to watch them. I walked the five minutes to my parents right away. They both weren't home but I still had my key and went to pick up the boxes from the basement. I looked through the tapes which all had different things written on them and picked the one that said Jamie 99 - X. I shoved in the tape and after rewinding for a little while, I pressed play. The first video was of my fourth birthday. I saw mum and dad dressed in bright sweaters and high-waisted jeans. They were smiling and laughing while dad was lighting the candles on my cake. My friends and I were sitting around the table impatiently waiting for the cake. There were some other neighbors as well, I guess one of them was filming. The thing that stood out to me though was this one boy. He looked a little older than me but I'd never seen him before in my life. He had dark hair and very fair skin. His arm was around my shoulder and he was pointing at the candles on the cake. It seemed normal and fine at first but then the boy looked into the camera. He started staring and didn't stop. His gaze became uncomfortable and strange until it changed the whole atmosphere of the tape. The camera person started zooming in on my face so he wouldn't be in the picture anymore. It felt so odd to me because I'd never met a real stranger. Everyone here knows everyone after all. I recognized the tiny versions of my other friends but not him. So who did this boy grow up to be? I continued watching my fifth birthday. This time it was a garden party with the same people. Including the boy. Again, he was plastered to me. It seemed like we were very close. But while everyone was laughing and being cheerful, his face looked anxious. When the camera came close to him he'd start staring again. I took a picture of it on my phone so I could zoom in closer but I simply wasn't able to recognize who he was. I went on with the following birthday's and they were the same. Only on the seventh one I finally started noticing a clue as to who this boy might be. When everyone started singing happy birthday to me, the strange boy again stared at the camera and mouthed something. I rewind to that exact moment again and again. It felt critical to me to figure out what he was saying. I can't quite explain why but something about him was pulling me in. I turned up the volume as high as I could. Happy birthday was blasting through my home. And when everyone was singing "happy birthday dear Jamie," I believe I heard what the strange boy was singing instead. Luca. I played the scene a few more times until I was sure. He was singing for Luca. "What is this noise?" I heard Mabel shout as he shut the door behind her. I quickly turned down the volume. "Sorry, love," I laughed. " I found these old tapes and got a little carried away." Mabel came closer and sat down right next to me. "No way! Look how little you are!" She started laughing. "Yeah and there's you! Your hair was still blonde then." As we continued watching the tape, it suddenly went to my eighth birthday. "He's gone," I whispered. Mable looked at me with a confused look. I went back to the moments that showed the little boy. "This boy. He was at all my other birthdays. Do you know who he is?" Mabel shook her head. "Probably someone's cousin," she smiled. "I'm gonna get some water, do you want anything?" I shook my head, unable to keep my eyes from the screen. After a while, I don't remember how much time had passed, I heard a familiar voice behind me. "It's not nice to take something without asking." I turned around to the strangely uncomfortable face of my mother. My dad was right next to her with frowned brows. "We watched these films when we needed to. You don't need them anymore now, do you?" My father asked. Mabel was standing behind them with the same smile she had when she left to go to the kitchen earlier. I guess it was an excuse to call my parents though I didn't understand what suddenly had happened. "Yeah, sorry I guess. Just wanted to check out my old-" my eyes went back to the screen. Why did I feel so mesmerized by it? "Well then, sweet boy. If you insist on re-watching the past at least pick a more stimulating film." "Film?" I asked. My mother started rummaging through the tapes and finally chose one she felt comfortable with. Jamie's Happy Times 2004 - 2008 It was a recording of my parents and me as we went to a park nearby. We were feeding ducks and later on, other children joined us. All my friends were there including my girlfriend. In the back of my mind, I was still thinking of Lucas but the nostalgia suddenly took over. It had been a happy time back then. It still was a happy time. The four of us continued watching the tape which showed different moments of my life. Most of them together with friends and family. Only Mabel started disappearing in the later parts of the video. "Weird. I could swear you were there all the time when everyone else was," I whispered towards her. "I have my own life and family too, you silly goose. I can't be everywhere at once, now can I?" She said without looking away from the screen. I finally looked away from the tape. Mable was acting particularly odd that day. "But your parents are right there," I said. She didn't respond to that. "Oh well, it has gotten awfully late, hasn't it? You had your fun, Jamie. I believe it is time you get back to reality," my mother instructed as she turned off the tape. My father started collecting all the other ones and they walked towards the door. "Can't we keep them here? You don't have a VHS anyway," I said. Dad looked at me with a strict but friendly face. "Well, alright boy. But do not spend all night looking at the past. You need to focus on your future too." My mum kissed me on the cheek. She always does that but I could swear this time her lips stayed on my cheek longer than usual. When I went back to look through the tapes again, I noticed dad had left all except for the birthday tape. -- The following day the thought of that strange boy and the evening with my parents and Mabel didn't let go of me. When I woke up, Mabel was in the kitchen making coffee. "Oh good morning, sweetheart. Did you have some nice dreams?" She smiled from ear to ear. "Mabel, who is Luca?" I asked directly. For a second, her smile disappeared. She let the coffee spoon fall to the ground. "I never heard that name in my life. Is that a boy or a girl?" She asked as she had collected herself again. However, she didn't even wait for my response. "The boy in the tape. You said he might be someone's cousin." Mabel tilted her head like she didn't know what I was talking about. "I only know the cousin of Jessica Blitz. His name is Eli-" "I fucking know Eli. I'm talking about the boy in that tape," I said in a raised voice which I regretted shortly after. Mabel looked scared. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get loud." "That's fine, love. It's just that I don't know what you're talking about. We didn't watch any birthday tapes." I sat down by the kitchen table. "Are you okay?" Mabel asked in a concerned tone. I didn't respond. "Do you want me to call your parents and ask if they have any tapes of your birthdays?". Mabel called my parents and put them on speakerphone. Not only did they agree that we never watched any tapes of my birthdays, but my father also said the only tapes we have of my birthday parties start somewhere around 2005. They lost the other one ages ago. I almost believed them. I really did. They spoke in such a kind and loving manner, that it wouldn't have occurred to me that they would ever lie. Except, I still had a picture of that boy on my phone. A photo of him sitting right next to me with a cake in front of us. A cake with six candles. -- I didn't trust either Mabel or my parents with the question and so I started asking other friends. The ones that were at the parties as well. None of them remembered the boy. If he was someone's friend or cousin, then someone would have remembered him right? I decided to visit my parents and ask them directly about what was going on. This time with the proof of the photo. I knocked on the door and mum opened it. She smiled but in the corner of her eye, I believe I saw a tear. "Everything alright, mum? Can I come in?" I asked. "But of course you can! You are always welcome here!" She called out enthusiastically but shook her head at the same time. For a moment I hesitated. Something seemed wrong but before I could take a step back, my father appeared behind the door. "Jamie! Come in boy, we need to talk to you about something." I followed my parents to the living room where they were sitting with Mabel and Frank, one of my friends. They were both smiling but their eyes looked sad. "What's going on?" I asked. "Sit down, sweetheart," my mother instructed. "Look, honey. We haven't been honest with you. Not because we want to hurt you, quite the opposite!" Mabel said. "I told your parents about the picture.. about Luca," Frank chimed in. My father sat down next to me. "We wanted to keep this from you to spare your poor soul. The boy was a friend of yours. Your best friend even but- I'm not sure how to say this so I will just try to be blunt. He died. And the death was partially your fault." "What?" My mum sat down as well and started stroking my hair. "You didn't mean to. You went swimming in the lake and then you pushed him. It was only supposed to be a joke but he never came back up." I stayed still. I heard the words but they made no sense. I didn't have a single memory of that. "Sometimes your brain makes you forget something that traumatic. Just know that we don't blame you." "Who are his parents?" I asked. My parents exchanged a look. Nobody said a word at first. Then, at the same time, Mabel and my father started speaking. "They moved away-" "They live down the road-" "Down the road? Are you stupid?" My father hissed. "We could've asked someone. You screwed it up!" She shouted back. I got up from my seat. "What's going on?" Now they were all looking at me. "Frank. You can go. Get everyone else. I suppose it's time." "Time for what?" My best friend got up and walked outside. Dad grabbed my wrist tightly. "Your mother thought you were doing so perfectly well that we could keep you the way you were, but I told her you were still human! And they always mess it up eventually," my father said. "You see, boy. We came to this place a long time ago, hoping to learn how the world works so we could have our version of it. We built up Appleton ourselves but we needed something special. Children! We needed to learn how they grow up so we could make our own little versions. You did so well and many other children did. But we made some mistakes. Some of the children we collected were too old already. They remembered their real parents. At least partially. But we have improved. Just look at you! You were a perfect example. You have ripened just as we needed you to." He kept speaking but the words made no sense to me. Until I remembered that the tapes started in 1999. Four years after I was born. Of course, children that young don't remember anything but the rest of my childhood was blurry as well. "Who was the boy?" Dad shrugged. "We found him in the playground with you." "Are you even the same girl as the one on those tapes?" I shouted at Mabel. My entire existence was falling apart in front of me. Mabel shrugged. "Does it matter if I am perfectly correct? I mean, imagine you were a copy. Would it really matter? I don't think it would. I feel fine. No, actually, I feel great." "Do you want to feel great as well, Jamie?" My mother asked. It was the first thing she said. She didn't wait for my response. Instead, she grabbed my hand. "Welcome the others. I will prepare him outside." She continued to pull me towards the garden. I wondered if I should fight her but I wasn't even sure where I would go. Dad and Mabel were inside and Frank was probably on his way with all the neighbors. I was alone in the garden with the woman I thought of like my mother. Though in reality, she was my kidnapper. "I never killed that boy, did I?" I asked, clenching my fist so I would shake less. She shook her head. "You shouldn't have started asking questions. They were accepting you," a tear rolled down her face. She went through her pocket and I thought she was going to cut me or do hell-knows-what. But instead, she gave me a key as she guided me towards the garage. "Take it and drive. As far as the gas will take you. Never come back." My hands were trembling. "Mum, what is going on?" "Marden That's where we found you, Luca" she looked towards the house with fear in her eyes. "Now, go! They will be here soon and if they get their hands on you, it won't be pretty." --- In the matter of a day, my entire life had fallen apart. Everything I believed in was a lie. The years with my girlfriend. My entire childhood. I had been living in something so right, I should have known it was wrong. I drove as far as I could. Of course, nobody believed a word of what I was saying at first but in that town called Marden I found help. They say I made up this tale as a response to an incredibly traumatic event but I know that's not true. I've been looking for Appleton ever since. Those creatures probably never stopped collecting their special children. There is no map with the small town of Appleton on it, no proof of its existence online. I don't know what to do next. All I have left of that place is the photo I took of the boy who tried to warn me. And I truly hope he managed to escape back then. tcc
All of the changes/improvements/additions I want to see in MKT!
Hi all! I really enjoy Mario Kart Tour. I love playing it, strategizing what to do with my tickets and rubies, chatting with people online about MKT, etc. However, I can’t pretend it’s a perfect game. The game has improved drastically since its launch, but Nintendo refuses to listen to their fans and add simple changes to the game, that would benefit us, and oftentimes Nintendo. So, I’ve compiled a list of all the changes/improvements/additions that I want to be made to Mario Kart Tour. These are in no particular order. Hope you enjoy! Add More Standard Challenges Most people who have been playing for 6+ months have all the challenges completed. Challenges were an excellent way to motivate players to play more and to reward those who do so, and they added goals to work towards. They’ve added the Expert Challenges, which are cool, but not what we want, and the New Year’s Challenges were nice as well, but we want permanent challenges that give us ruby rewards. Pick which course in multiplayer rooms When playing online multiplayer, you play through the cups of a random cup that changes every 15 minutes. That is fine during online multiplayer, but this happens when in a room also. The host should be able to pick the track to race on (as long as it’s in the current tour). It would make multiplayer with friends so much more fun. To contradict the problem of people coordinating to get high scores, just remove the scoring system, or make the scores you get in rooms not actually count. Add a “Courses” icon to the menu An icon labeled “Courses” would be added to the menu, and when clicked on, it would display all the courses in the game. It would put all the courses in the current tour in one section, and the others in another section. You can click on a course to see all of the variants of that course, and you can click on the variants to see the top shelf for D/K/G, and what you have. This would be helpful for those who want to see what top shelf they have for tracks not in the current tour, as well as many other uses. Allow us to see player level of opponents in ranked IDK why this isn’t available already, you can see the Player Level of those in your friend's list, why not opponents? It would be nice to see opponents' Player Level and compare it to yours, so you can estimate a score for yourself in ranked. Fix the ranked matchups Players should be matched up with people in their same tier, and with those who can get similar scores to them. It’s that simple. Add something for players to do in the last few days of a tour The last few days of a tour are always a drag, as you have every cup completed, all the challenges done, and all the pipes and changes are out, and you are just waiting for the next tour. So, something should be added for players to do the last few days of a tour! I saw a concept on here about "Completion Challenges", where the last few days a tour you get a challenge each day with increasing rewards. Anyway, something like that. Add full landscape mode I love the addition of landscape mode. It is amazing for screenshots, and it is fun to use when playing multiplayer, even if it isn’t good when going for points. However, it is really annoying having to switch from portrait mode when starting a race, to landscape mode during the race, to portrait mode after the race, and over, and over, and over. So, the whole game should be compatible with landscape mode to make it easier for those who use landscape mode often. Make auto mode more customizable I love auto mode, I use it to take some great screenshots. However, there are a lot of changes I would like made to make it a better tool for taking photos. First of all, we should be able to choose how many racers are going to be in the auto mode race, and the D/K/G for each one. This way, if we want a pic of just one D/K/G, we don’t have to deal with other racers photobombing, and so we can take some group photos with D/K/G of our choice. Also, I would like an option to control a driver in auto mode, so that I can take the driver wherever I want to get the best screenshot. If you have a D/K/G maxed out in Tier Shop, replace it with a ticket It’s annoying when you have a super or high end at Level 6, then it appears in the Tier Shop, because it is just an empty space now. If an item that appears in the Tier Shop is maxed out, it should be replaced with a Skill Up Ticket of the same type for the normal price, for example, a Level 6 King Boo would be replaced with a Super Driver Ticket that costs 3k coins. Add fewer alts and more unique drivers Nintendo almost always does an amazing job with the alts, gotta give them credit for that, they put time and effort into these alts. But we would always appreciate a brand new driver more than an alt. We’ve gotten Pauline and Peachette at launch, Birdo during Holiday, the Bros during Hammer Bro, Dixie during Jungle, Monty during Flower, Nabbit during Wild West, and King-Bomb Omb during Pirate Tour, but nothing since then. Imagine Honey Queen, Petey Piranha, Paratroopa, or Wiggler from the older games, and brand new drivers like Pianta, Spike, Gooigi, Egad, Luma, Toadsworth, and of course Kamek. Kamek getting into MKT is the Mario Kart equivalent of Waluigi in Smash. Please Nintendo, we want new characters. Add more normals I’ve been playing since launch, haven’t spent too much money on the game, and I have every single normal at Level 6, except for a few karts. Pipe pulls are a lot less fun now, as every normal I just get coins, and I have nothing to spend my common tickets on. So, we should get at least 2 new common drivers, 2 new common karts, and 2 new common gliders. These will be available in the shop and in the pipes. Allow us to have more than 50 friends Not a huge buff, just maybe from 50 friends to 75 friends or some such, it’s time for an upgrade. Fix the multiplayer I love doing multiplayer with friends, but there are some big issues. I'll be playing with someone in the same room as me, and Ill throw a green shell and hit them, even get the points for it, but they get back up like it never happened, and on their screen the green shell missed. This is frustrating, so this needs to be fixed. Tone down the aggressiveness of the bots on certain tracks As you all know, on certain tracks (Royal Raceway, RMX courses, Berlin Byways, etc.) the bots are extra aggressive, always dragging you and rubber banding and such. Just tone them down Nintendo, it’ll be easy and it won’t hurt you. Allow us to sort D/K/G list by what we have There are so many D/K/G now, especially karts, and scrolling through them takes forever, especially trying to find once certain item. We should be able to sort the D/K/G just by what we have, only the D/K/G we have will appear. (Minor) Bring back more old D/K/G This is minor, but Nintendo should bring back more of the old D/K/G. We haven’t seen Yoshi Egg Hunt since the last easter, Daisy Yukata since Summer Festival, Choco Macharon since Cooking, Happy Ride since Peach, Chocolate Banana Crepe since Cooking, and Le Tricolre since I think Paris Tour back in 2019. I’m just scraping the tip of the iceberg here, there are tons of D/K/G that haven’t appeared in months, especially karts and gliders. They are getting better at this, bringing back Santa Mario, Reindeer Yoshi, and their karts and gliders, along with Ice Blue Poltergust which hadn’t been seen since Ice, etc. But, more would be appreciated. (Minor) Controller Compatibility This is once again minor, but some controller compatibility would be nice to have, maybe with the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller or Joy-Cons. This wouldn't be that helpful for scoring purposes, but if you are doing some multiplayer or such, propping your phone up sideways and playing with a controller would be surreal! You could also screen share with your TV if that is an option, so you could play MKT on a TV with a controller, which would be amazing! Recommended by u/Sebba869, Show how much XP each course has left, Remove 99 coin per race limit, Recommended by u/dtra33, Add the option to remove the reverse camera button Recommended by u/FreeToLose, Remove the token shop after you've completed it Recommended by u/Gusty_Wind, Let us use Level Up tickets more than one at time Recommended by u/almogaver_bot, Allow us to see the actual Tier of players in our ranked groups, Allow us to see all the karts and gliders of ranked opponents Additional notes by me, Add the option to put the SteeDrift button on the right hand side in landscape mode to benefit people who are right handed, Allow us to buy items in the Event Shop more than one at a time, Add a replay feature, Add a feature to download courses so we can race them offline ALSO ADD A FREAKING COMBO METER! Wow, that was a long list! Hopefully most, if not all, of these suggestions will come true in 2021, but I’m not counting on it. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and tell me if you think I should add something to the list, I’ll add it as soon as I can!
After 2.5 years of blood, sweat, and pixels, my childhood dream came true. I quit my job and made my own game! It's been a wild ride, let me share what it's entailed
I've been freelancing as a computer engineer for 12 years. Most of the projects I was working on were pointless, and frankly uninspiring. Three years ago I decided to stop doing meaningless work and create my very own video game. I called it Rogue Star Rescue. Creating games are definitely tech-heavy undertakings. But I got so inspired by the story of Rami and Vlambeer (creators of Nuclear Throne) and thought, hey if they can do it, why not me too? That was the point when I stopped making excuses and just started programming. I decided to code the whole thing solely by myself using Unity. For pixel art and music though, I hired contractors to make sure the game looks and sounds cool. It strained my wallet, big time. Though I had somewhat expected that, witnessing my savings evaporate was still stressful and anxiety-provoking. While I was wrapped up in the game development process, my girlfriend was helping me manage and market the game. The harsh reality: it's tough to get any publicity for indie games. AAA advertising budgets run in the millions of dollars. Needless to say, indie devs can't afford that. So the only right way I saw was to bring my A-game and let the game speak for itself. I worked full-time for 27 months, publishing updates every two weeks on a strict schedule. I can say now with certainty: showing up every day was the key to completing this ambitious project. The end result is a roguelite shooter with tower defense elements, hundreds of guns/items/synergies, wrapped into a complex non-linear narrative with 32 different endings. I also managed to add online and local co-op because games like this are great to play with friends. I'm sharing my story here because some of you may be considering becoming game devs. A word of caution: making a video game as an indie developer is a taxing process. It can, and most likely will, exhaust you mentally and financially. But it's doable. Now that my shooter's been released and I'm getting such positive feedback, I'm fairly confident in saying that it was worth it. Though I'm still working on a build for Nintendo Switch, so the work is not over yet. If you'd like to see my game, it's available on Steam. I hope you will check it out and share your own stories about making a game (or plans to). If you have any questions about the process I'm more than happy to answer them. I think the more open and transparent we are about the game design process, the better products we will all have to enjoy :) -Carl Chute
What a year, this is definitely one that will go down in history if only for how the world was shut down economically. Not going into what should have been done, so with the global pandemic hitting many industries, programmers had work from home orders which in turn caused numerous delays to titles that were being prepared for release. Regardless we still saw a steady stream of high-quality titles and the completion of DLC for titles of previous years. DLC releases Fire Emblem: Cindered Shadows (February) final DLC with the season pass included new characters and a bonus story playable at any time focused on the catacombs below the school Super Mario Maker 2: The final update included new snow mechanics and a world maker where you could create a full Mario game (April) Luigi’s Mansion 3: saw the release of two multiplayer packs (April) Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The final expansion “Fantastic 4: Shadow of Doom” (March) Pokémon Sword/Shield: Two expansion packs in one pass “The Isle of Armor” (July) and “The Crown Tundra” (October) for the first time in a Pokémon game, bringing back many favorite Pokémon Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: finished the first character pass with Byleth (January) and had previously announced a second waiver of character pass with 6 characters. Currently we have seen 3 – Min Min (June), Steve from Minecraft (October), and Sephiroth (December) and 3 more to go. Major Releases Super Mario time Celebrating his 35th anniversary, Nintendo came out with a slew of products starring our favorite Italian Plumber. First was Paper Mario: The Origami King (July) which advanced past the previous two entries but was not quite back to its RPG routes like fans want. Next was Super Mario 3D All-stars (September) which included ports of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. Adjusting control schemes to account for the lack of analog triggers and pointing controls, the ports were solid but not the best way to play the games. Also missing was Super Mario Galaxy 2 from the package and any extras like documentaries making the games. An MMO-platformer Super Mario 35 (October) was also released free to NSO subscribers where you compete to complete levels in the original Super Mario Bros. Lastly was a Game & Watch version of the original Super Mario Bros. Pokémon Battle As stated before, we got the first DLC ever for a Pokémon game and it came in two packages “The Ilse of Armor” and “The Crown Tundra” which added extra Pokémon (both new and old) and new areas to the game. Some criticism on the way the DLC was handled as if you bought the expansion for the wrong version, it would not work despite being the same content. Pokémon Home (February) final arrived on the Switch. The spin off Mystery Dungeon series came in the form of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (March) which was an updated port of the old Mystery Dungeon games. A free puzzle game Pokémon Café (June) to little fanfare. Also promises of a new Pokémon Snap which was delayed into 2021. Other notable releases · Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore (January): port of the Wii U game with a few added extras and English voice acting. · Animal Crossing: New Horizons (March): hit at the start of the pandemic, added features and a promise of evergreen additions made this game Switch’s best-selling game that has not been a pack-in (ie only beat by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe). This game allowed gamers to escape reality and build their own island. · Streets of Rage 4 (April): Return of the 2D brawler · Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition (May): a remake of one of Wii’s top RPGs with newer graphics, and a cleaner layout, it also included a bonus mission that connects the ending to the sequel. · Bioshock Collection (May): A collection of all three critically acclaimed Bioshock games for the first time on an Nintendo console. · Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (June): A collection of various minigames like Connect Four, various card games, Mahjong and more. Barebone options and quick online play for random or with friends. · Jump Rope Challenge (June): A free exercise type game that makes use of the joycon to mimic jumping rope · Burnout Paradise Remastered (June): An open world arcade racer that was critically acclaimed at its original release and updated for modern consoles. Also shows EA putting in more dedication to the Switch console. · Kirby Fighters 2 (September): A fighting game starring Kirby and his power ups and nobody else. · Hades (September): Rogue like game that tells the story as you die. Many different gameplay styles depending on which weapons you use. · Ori and the Will of the Wisps (September): Metroidvania that is visually stunning and developed originally only for Xbox. · Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (October): Not wanting to give up on the AR experience, Nintendo released toy RC cars that you control with the Switch and a free software download. · Pikmin 3 Deluxe (October): not done porting all their Wii U games to Switch, this includes all the added DLC at no extra charge · No More Heroes/No More Heroes 2 (October): Ports of the Wii games with better graphics and framerate and alternate control style to prepare for the upcoming sequel. · Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (November): Based on the past events of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this musou game changes up its formula but still plays like a musou game. · Doom Eternal (December): competent port of the PS4/XB1 first person shooter by Bethesda. · Among Us (December): Shadow dropped indie title that has taken mobile and Twitch by storm. While not the best year, it was far from empty. Still lacking some key releases such as the sequel to Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Metroid Prime 4, Bayonetta 3 and Super Mario Odyssey 2. There are many Nintendo teams that we have yet to see titles. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic a lot of development has been postponed due to work at home directives set by government.
Current Release List for 2021
· Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game (Jan 14) · Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy (Jan 26) · Cyber Shadow (Jan 26) · Little Nightmares 2 (Feb 11) · Romance of the Three Kingdoms 14 (Feb 11) · Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Feb 12) · Persona 5 Strikers (Feb 22) · Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection (Feb 25) · Bravely Default 2 (Feb 26) · Harvest Moon: One World (Mar 2) · Balan Wonderworld (Mar 26) · Monster Hunter Rise (Mar 26)
First Party Software
Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development Tokyo Kenta Motokura In charge of the team that was previously under Yoshiaki Koizumi (whom was promoted to Deputy General Manager of the Tokyo office). This team was previously the lead development group of Super Mario Odyssey and developed Super Mario 3D All-stars for September 2020. Due to ports being easier to produce. Now that has wrapped up and they have created an update to allow for inverted camera controls, chances are they have been placed back on developing a sequel to Super Mario Odyssey which will likely be seen in 2022. Koichi Hayashida The other team that helped with Super Mario Odyssey also did the port of Captain Toad: Treasure Trackers. They have been busy working on a port of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury for Switch due February 2021. They have been focused on implementing numerous changes to that title including: full 3D movement, online gameplay, and amiibo support with Cat Mario and Cat Peach. With all the extras being added, this game probably got pushed out of 2020 and into 2021 due to the pandemic changing the development lifestyle. Also, there is a highly likelihood was that they were working with Motokura’s group originally on Odyssey 2 but plans changed to get out more games for Mario’s 35th Anniversary. I expect them to fold back into Motokura’s group on Odyssey 2 when their port is completed. Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development Kyoto Eiji Aonuma Known as the “Zelda team”, there are two core teams. I believe both are working under Hidemaro Fujibayashi and Hiromasa Shikata to help develop the sequel to Breath of the Wild. Nintendo knows that Zelda sells consoles and what they have shown at e3 (2019) while stating the title is “in full development”. Nintendo know the popularity of the Breath of the Wild game and wants grow on that title. They have done so with the musou game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity in which this team has assisted Tecmo Koei with development and the overall story. In September 2020 during an online presentation for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Aonuma stated that gamers will have to “wait a bit longer before we can provide more updates” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifm8tpcO4vw). With the 35th Anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series coming in 2021, I do expect this title to be a highlight for the holiday season as long as the game is not pushed back due to unforeseen circumstances in development. Hideki Konno This team is the team behind the Mario Kart series. Their latest endeavor was with Augmented Reality (AR) and developing Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit which was released this past October. Not having a full game released since Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in 2017, they have been developing something over the past 3 and a half years. The problem though is MK8D still sells incredibly well and if they develop Mario Kart 9 that will cannibalize any additional sales of their previous title. While chances are they could have altered their development to change it from Mario Kart 9 to another kart racer such as Donkey Kong Racing, I think gamers will probably see something from them when Nintendo showcases a newer model Switch (either the rumored PRO or an actual Switch 2) so I would not expect a full game release until 2022 at the earliest. Hiroyuki Kimura Super Mario Maker 2 and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe were developed under Kimura with the help of Takashi Tezuka. In April 2020, Nintendo released the final major update for Super Mario Maker 2 which included a World creator, where you can make your own full fledged Mario game. They also released New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe in January which is an updated port of the Wii U game. There have been rumors of a new Wario platformer being developed which this team has likely been developing. Chances are likely that we will hear about their new title this year. Kosuke Yubuki Previously worked on ARMS in 2017 and its DLC. This producer also worked with Konno so it is likely this team was folded back into the Mario Kart team to prepare something for this year or next. It is possible they are working on an ARMS follow up, but with the success of Smash and one of its main characters Min Min being the first of the second waive of Smash DLC, it is unlikely. Most likely working on something brand new which we may see in 2021 or the following year. Hisashi Nogami This is the young producer in charge of both Animal Crossing and Splatoon series. He worked with another young producer Aya Kyogoku on Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer. With the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons taking an evergreen approach with constant DLC content, especially when it comes to special occasions. A more seamless online experience and a lot more to do, I am sure this group is still working on Animal Crossing. Its next game will be a while away while they focus on Animal Crossing in the current future. Do not expect anything new from this team for a while.
2nd Party Studios
Camelot Software Planning Their last title was Mario Tennis Aces (2018) and its respective DLC. Being a smaller studio, it takes some time for development. The team was hit harder due to the pandemic. Now, with all the DLC on Mario Tennis Aces completed early 2019, they have likely been busy in full development on Mario Golf. Most likely will see Mario Golf sometime in 2021. It is likely they were probably aiming for a 2020 title buy delayed the development into 2021 – so expect a release this year. Game Freak They just released the 2 DLC packages for Pokémon Sword and Shield for the Nintendo Switch this year to mixed review. They typically have something Pokémon related out each year and they also developed their own title Little Town Hero last year meaning they have been hard developing some titles. Current rumors suggest either a Let’s Go remake of Gold/Silver or a full remake of Diamond/Pearl since Ruby/Sapphire were the last full remakes. Personally, I think we will either see Sword/Shield 2 or a whole new Pokémon game due out this year since they have been incredibly busy, are a larger studio that works on many titles at once, and have not had a big release in 2020. Grezzo This team just release the port of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening in 2019. Mostly known for their 3DS ports of Zelda titles and TriForce Heroes, chances are they are still working on the Zelda franchise. With 2021 being Zelda’s 35th Anniversary, there have been many rumors of a collection or ports of some of the older Zelda games to be released in 2021. Since 2018, there has also been rumor of a Zelda: Skyward Sword port (which was shot down by Aonuma) (https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-11-26-nintendo-fans-excited-by-zelda-skyward-sword-nintendo-switch-port-reports) Good Feel They released Yoshi’s Crafted World in 2019 and has likely they have started on the next Yoshi game as it tends to sell well and it is what they know. It is also possible that Nintendo has given them another 2D IP to work with such as Wario Land, however; I think that series might be in development by the 2D Mario team under Kimura. It is highly likely that we will see something from them in 2021 and depending on how the pandemic hit their development cycle it may have either a 2021 or 2022 release. HAL Laboratory Developer of all things Kirby, we have seen some smaller Kirby titles lately. Their last games were Kirby Fighters 2 and Part-time UFO both digital only eShop games. They have teased something for early this year but on the smaller scale (https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/12/kirby_developer_hal_laboratory_teases_new_projects_for_20211) . I think they may also have a full-fledged Kirby game due this year as our last one was early 2018. Intelligent Systems This team was hard at work as it finished the DLC on Fire Emblem: 3 Houses and released Paper Mario: The Origami King in July of 2020. They also continue to work on Fire Emblem Heroes on mobile as that is Nintendo’s highest grossing mobile project. Growing the studio in 2019 to be able to handle numerous projects at a time, they likely have a few titles in development. The biggest rumor is that Nintendo is readying another Fire Emblem game but a remake of an older title. Current rumors are remakes of Geneology (next one in line for a remake) or Binding Blade (the game that introduced Roy). If it is a remake, then we will likely see the release in 2021. If it is not a remake, then creating the scenario will take some time so we will likely see the game this year with a release for 2022. Chances are they are likely working on another title as well but that probably won’t be seen until 2022. Next Level Games Last responsible for Luigi’s Mansion 3 and its DLC that was released in 2020. They have also worked on Metroid and Punch-out! With actual 3D Mario titles being handled internally by Nintendo’s Tokyo studio, they are likely working on something new. Possibly a sports title, new Punch Out, or even a 2D Metroid (though I doubt this despite rumors of development). We may see what they have developed this year, but I would expect a 2022 release to be more realistic for what they are working on. NDCube Responsible for Super Mario Party in 2018 and they did Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics for 2020, which was a barebones release in the form of options. Considering the lack of DLC for Super Mario Party, chances are they are working on a sequel to the game that sold well. The single problem if they are working on Super Mario Party 2 is that the original is still selling incredibly well even 2 years after release with over 12 million units. Even if the game is ready this year, I think Nintendo will hold out on Super Mario Party 2 until 2022. Monolith Soft Responsible for help with Breath of the Wild and the Xenoblade franchise. We did not hear much from them in 2019 or 2020 with their only release being a remake of the original Xenoblade Chronicles in May. In 2017 they advertised jobs for a new fantasy action-RPG which likely was transferred to their help with the Zelda franchise. I believe we will see the sequel to Breath of the Wild this year and first glimpse of a new Xenoblade game for 2022. Retro Studios This year also marks the 35th Anniversary for the Metroid series. Unfortunately, the series is not as high priority as many other Nintendo franchises. With the sequel of Breath of the Wild likely coming out this year, it will be the focus for Nintendo in 2021; we probably will not see any development from Metroid Prime 4 until 2022. Nintendo knows that they need to make Metroid Prime a quality title so they will give Retro Studios as much time as they need for the title. As for the long-rumored port of the Metroid Prime Trilogy, I still have hopes that we will see some information on it this year, potentially in August to support the anniversary and prepare for Metroid Prime 4 the following year.
3rd Party collaborations
Bandai Namco Collaborating with Nintendo on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and its DLC, there are still 3 character-packages to go before they are finished with that game. Additionally, they are the development team behind New Pokémon Snap, which was originally due 2020 but delayed into an unknown time 2021 – so expect that title. The Tales team is busy on Tales of Arise which is not bound for Switch, so outside the DLC and Pokémon game do not expect much. Bethesda The parent company Zenimax was recently purchased by Microsoft. The sale included Bethesda and all its partnering companies. The last release was Doom Eternal released in December 2020 and was a digital only release. The move from physical to digital only was due to the fact it came 9 months after the main PS4/XB1 release. With no Switch games scheduled on the horizon and its recent acquisition and focus on next generation, I think we have seen the last Switch game from Bethesda Capcom They have ported many of their older titles (REmake, RE0, RE4, RE5, RE6, Rev1, Rev2 DMC 1,2,3) to Switch and have brand new games: Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Stories due in 2021. With the Capcom leak, there is a game due Q4 of 2021 called Biohazard Outrage which is rumored to be Resident Evil Revelations 3 and featuring Rebecca Chambers. There was also a leak of a new Dragon’s Dogma and Ace Attorney 7 which are rumored to come to Switch. Electronic Arts They have pledged 14 games from April 2020 to March 2021 fiscal year. EA has kept the games closely guarded and it is unsure if the global pandemic has postponed any of the planned games. Still waiting on Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 and some Plants vs Zombie games. Koei Tecmo Since Nintendo has invested heavily in this studio, they have worked increasing hard for Nintendo hardware. They finished the Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 DLC, assisted with Breath of the Wild in 2017, assisted with Fire Emblem: 3 Houses and released Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity in 2020. They co-own the Fatal Frame franchise with Nintendo and it has a game that is rumored to be in development. There is also a possibility of a port of the Wii U game to come to Switch. It is likely they are helping with the sequel to Breath of the Wild as well. Lastly there has been a year long rumor on the return of Ninja Gaiden and it seems that Switch would be likely candidate for that game considering how well their games are selling on Switch Platinum Games They are working on Bayonetta 3 and have a good relationship with Nintendo. Being in development the over the past 3 years, I do expect to at least hear something about the title in 2021 if not a release but I have been wrong before. Ubisoft I went out on a limb last year and said Assassin Creed ports and they are working with Nintendo on a new Star Fox game. We have seen ports for Assassins Creed 3, Liberty, 4: Black Flag and Rebel. New Assassins Creed games are a bit too much for Ubisoft, but I still think we will see another Nintendo collaboration and I am positive it will be a new Star Fox game. Ubisoft will also continue to support Nintendo with Just Dance and look forward to a lot of their smaller titles to also come to the Switch. Sega Their biggest releases were games along the Sega Ages line (which they recently discontinued https://nintendoeverything.com/sega-confirms-the-end-of-sega-ages-but-teases-more-plans-for-switch-and-past-titles/), Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, and Football Manager 2021. They also released Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo Olympics late 2019. They are likely working on a new Sonic game for Switch and while the Sega Ages line is gone, they are still open to port older titles on the system. Square Enix Bravely Default 2 has a release date of February 2021 after being pushed out of 2020. They have also released in 2020 a few collections of older games, Trials of Mana, and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory which is a music game spin off for the Kingdom Hearts series. Rumored to have The World Ends with You 2 in development for Switch. I would also expect some more collections to come out (or at least ports) and a rumored new entry in the SaGa or Mana series. Take Two Games Released 3 collections for Switch in May of 2020 with their 2K Games development studio. I think they likely will have some more games in development, especially with the way EA has provided lackluster support in the sports games field. There has also been a long rumor of Rockstar developing Grand Theft Auto V for Switch but that seems to be more of a dream than an actual rumor as Rockstar is working on development of GTAV for PS5 and XSX. Ports and complication packages being quick and easy turnover, I am certain they will delve into their back catalogue and find a release for the Switch in 2021.
can you play online with your friends on nintendo switch video
You can connect with friends on an island paradise. Island living can be even better when you share it. In the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game, you can invite other players to visit your custom island paradise or go visit theirs. (Each guest needs their own game, system, and Nintendo Switch Online membership.) Electronic Arts has addressed one of the biggest criticisms that FIFA 18 had faced on Nintendo Switch, in that FIFA 19 will now let you play against your friends online.. This will present the chance to invite anyone on your Friend List to compete in Online Friendlies for the first time on the portable home console, whether that be in FIFA or FIFA Ultimate Team. To add friends on your Nintendo Switch, you can use a "Friend Code," a Bluetooth connection, or add someone you've played with recently. You can automatically match online with people that you were matched with via the app, and can voice chat with them. Added features to “Nearby Play” You can now play in Multiplayer Co-op mode In this guide, we’re going to detail all of our favourite online multiplayer games on Switch, so you can take a look at a few to play with friends. Table of Contents 25 Best Multiplayer Games on Enjoy some of the best Nintendo Switch games online with friends. Nintendo has a history of games that bring players together. While past systems had to stick to couch co-op play, with online play, now you can play with friends anywhere in the world in several famous Nintendo titles. Even better, games include added online functionality so you can compete or cooperate with friends. Nintendo Entertainment System Play—or replay—classic games like Super Mario Bros Essentially, you and seven friends can get access to all Nintendo Switch Online features for less than $5 apiece. Both subscription types are available for purchase on the Nintendo Switch eShop. If you join the Nintendo Switch Online paid membership service, you’ll be able to play co-operatively or competitively in compatible titles, with friends living far away, or against rivals around the world. You can also use the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app to voice chat* while you play in compatible games. With the Nintendo Switch Online app you can also invite friends who have the game to Private Battles, League Battles, Salmon Runs, and Splatfest Battles via social media and other services. When players are invited to a game, they'll get an instant notification on their smart device.
can you play online with your friends on nintendo switch top
How to Gameshare on the Nintendo Switch and Play Online ...
Minecraft on the Nintendo Switch console is a multiplayer game by default. Learn how to link up with friends via the "online" option. When you start or jo... I GUESS ONLY FORTNITE WORKS NOW (Maybe Paladins too)-----Twitter : https://twitter.com/bowserzek... I had put off this video for so long, and it's finally here. Enjoy.Original Video: https://youtu.be/80ckr4JZ3OoCurrent Version Of Minecraft - 0:00Old Version... Even though the feature was added with Switch Version 9.0's release, the ability to invite friends directly in-game hasn't been available...until now! We tes... This video will show you how to join online Minecraft servers while playing on your Nintendo switch. Nintendo online - https://youtu.be/t42XlkWMk-EMicrosoft ... In today's video I show y'all how to join Minecraft bedrock servers on the Nintendo Switch! I hope this works for you, but if you are having trouble leave a ... The Version 9.0 Firmware update for Nintendo Switch has arrived and brought along new features including online friend invites, a new stylus setting, and Swi... Gamesharing on the Nintendo Switch is a bit of a pain to set up, and there are some issues with how it works but it is worth doing, especially if you have ki... The Nintendo Switch Lite has some interesting changes. Here’s everything you need to know about it! #NintendoSwitchLite #Details #NewSwitch==== WE ARE GIVING...
