Lego Teases Collaboration With Nintendo; Reports For Super Mario Lego Sets Follow
Time and time again, we see collaborations between video game companies and Lego for inspired sets translated from the respected property into tangible reality. The most recent report of this comes from Lego Ideas with a pitch suggesting a potential set based on House House’s September-released Untitled Goose Game. Now in a recent announcement made by Lego alongside Nintendo, something similar looks to be arriving for Super Mario in the coming future. While we do have confirmation of there being new detail regarding the partnership between the two companies, it is undetermined what exactly will come to fruition. Following the announcement, a statement made by Lego told that the reveal was disclosed during “the latest Nintendo Direct,” but was later reworded in the pretense to being a mistake by the user who made the post. The suspicious act led many to believe that there was a presentation scheduled for today, but was cancelled instead. However, it was later reported by Niko Partners analyst David “ZhugeEX” Ahmad that the speculation is incorrect as Nintendo did not intend to host a Direct at all today. Elsewhere, Brick Inquirer’s Jason Inquires on Twitter translated a report from Danish website StoneWars which disclosed that the tease implies Lego sets to be on the horizon. Although not fully disclosing the details in particular, it is shared to be 13 complete sets ranging in price from €3.99 to €99.99. Would you pick up a Lego set for Super Mario?
SIE Worldwide Studios Head Reassures That Not All Exclusive Properties Will Be Ported To PC
In an announcement made earlier today, it was revealed by Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios head Hermen Hulst that Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn will officially be arriving to PC later this summer. Hulst goes on to tell that the game will be shipping via the ‘Complete Edition’ which will arrive with unique content alongside The Frozen Wilds expansion that launched for the game. Reflecting on other properties that has or will be launching on PC in the coming future, titles like Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding slated for this summer as well or the already released Detroit Become Human are some to name a few. But Hurst does clarify that not all exclusive projects under Sony are expected to arrive to PC later on. In the interview with PlayStation Blog, Hurst explains that the release of one unique PlayStation 4 title will not trigger a snowball effect for all games only available on the platform. And to maybe put a few minds at ease, releasing one first-party AAA title to PC doesn’t necessarily mean that every game now will come to PC. In my mind, Horizon Zero Dawn was just a great fit in this particular instance. We don’t have plans for day and date [PC releases], and we remain 100% committed to dedicated hardware. Aside from the already acknowledged confirmations of PlayStation 4 titles that will be hitting PC later on, there is still word of another IP to hit the market later on. Around the same time that Horizon Zero Dawn was reported to be hitting PC in 2020, Digital Foundry’s Tom Phillips disclosed that Media Molecule’s Dreams is also expected to hit the platform through an indirect tease. The statement made by Hurst is reaffirming for the diehard fans that grew worried following the announcement. In contrast to Microsoft’s approach to PC, the company will only release a select few to hit PC, while still supporting the in-house hardware from Sony. This terminology to support both platforms to some extent is tasteful to satisfy whilst promoting software to drive sales for consoles. Are you fine with only a handful of PlayStation exclusive games coming to PC? Source: PlayStation Blog
Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn Confirmed To Arrive To PC This Summer
Today, PlayStation Blog conducted an interview with Hermen Hurst, the standing President for Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios. Although Hurst has only been appointed his position since November of last year, he has a slew of new details regarding what the future holds for current properties alongside what is to come for upcoming titles. One piece of information that surely grabbed many fans by surprise is that Hurst in the latter of the discussion did confirm that Guerrilla Games’s Horizon Zero Dawn will be coming to PC later this year. Hurst shares that alongside the game to debut on the platform this coming summer, he tells that new information will be disclosed by the studio’s head operatives “pretty soon.” Yes, I can confirm that Horizon Zero Dawn is coming to PC this summer…. There will be more information coming from Guerrilla, from the new studio directors [Michiel van der Leeuw, JB van Beek, and Angie Smets] pretty soon. The validation of the 2015 title arriving to PC is no stranger as rumors of the port have been tossed around quite a bit last year. Even more, there was a report made by Kotaku earlier this year which only fueled the chances of Horizon Zero Dawn to debut on the platform according to three unnamed sources familiar with the port’s development. It should be noted that this approach taken by Sony has also be a firm approach that Microsoft has taken throughout the course of this generation. Noted, Sony Interactive Entertainment has followed suit with the release of Yakuza Kiwami and Quantic Dream also did the same later on following the minor acquisition made by NetEase last January. For fans interested in picking the game up on Steam, the game’s respected page is live now. Listing the ‘Complete Edition,’ this version will include the base game, unique cosmetics, and The Frozen Wilds story expansion. Do you plan on picking Horizon Zero Dawn on PC later this year? Horizon Zero Dawn is coming to PC sometime in Summer 2020; out now on PlayStation 4. Source: PlayStation Blog
Unannounced Tony Hawk Game Supposedly Leaked By Punk Rock Band
The Tony Hawk arcade-styled skateboarding series has become a staple for most players who indulged in the expanding franchise more than a decade prior. However, as the branching line of titles continued to release in the latter of last generation, many fans have felt the value of the titles to be inefficient of the entries that release previously. But when the series did make a debut for this current console hardware, the return of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series failed to recapture the initial momentum of earlier installments and further dug a hole deeper for any hope of a refreshing title to launch. Despite the unflattering news that is associated with Pro Skater 5, followers of the franchise are still anticipating that there might be something else planned later down the line. According to a post made by Australian Punk Rock group The Death Set, the band has made a Facebook post potentially leaking there being a new game s heduled to release later this year. Twitter user @TheNathanNS made the initial discovery which you can view in the tweet below: Following the information breaking the surface and spreading online, the post was immediately taken down and can no longer be accessed. But remnants of the post itself has been preserved on the internet and still can be viewed thanks to the instance being screenshot. The musician group shares to have recorded five different songs for “Tony Hawk 2020” and suggests more information to be disclosed really soon. Alike the comment made by the Twitter user, the band deciding to share about the unnamed title publically ahead of the game’s announcement might break criteria that the performers agreed to when signing an Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). News surrounding the Tony Hawk video game series has been tossed around prior to this new batch of information; back in November actually. Noteworthy industry leaker that goes by @SabiWabii told of prototypes for a remake for both Pro Skater 1 & Pro Skater 2 to being tested at Activision. The user adds that both Neversoft alongside Robomodo are out of the picture, only leaving Disruptive Games to be a likely candidate behind development for this supposed title, Do you think this Tony Hawk rumor is true or now?
NFL & 2K New Partnership Will Spark New Games After 15 Years
In a new announcement made earlier today, publisher 2K alongside the National Football League (NFL) have published a multi-year partnership to reintroduce a new slew of sports games from the company after more than a decade since the last title release. The video game publisher has released six mainline entries of the series since the turn of the millennium, but the last title launched actually arrive in 2007 with All Pro Football 2K8. In the press release, 2K discloses that this new agreement between the two parties will spawn “multiple future video games.” Adding on, the post also tells that fan-favorite series will be making a return atop of a new intellectual property that will emerge from this new plan for 2K and the NFL. President of 2K, David Ismailer shares that fans of the publisher alongside the franchises that will be reappearing from the partnership are surely in for a treat in the coming future. We’re thrilled to be back in business with the NFL in a partnership that will span multiple video games centered on fun, approachable and social experiences. It’s exciting to bring together 2K’s expertise in creating award-winning sports games with the NFL’s renowned status as a world-class entertainment and sports organization. In contrast to the new emerging competition that publisher Electronic Arts will face now that 2K is returning to produce new games, the company released a statement on the matter. The press release citing that the new partnership between the NFL and 2K has virtually unphased the current structure for the company’s Madden franchise. “EA SPORTS is the exclusive publisher of NFL simulation games, and our partnership with the NFL and NFLPA remains unchanged. Our agreements have always allowed for non-exclusive development of non-simulation games on various platforms. Our commitment to NFL fans, which spans almost 30 years, has never been stronger, and we’re having our biggest year yet. Madden NFL 20 is the most successful game ever in the franchise, and new modes like Superstar KO and our Madden NFL esports broadcasts are growing the fan base. We’ll be building on that momentum with more new and different experiences, on more platforms and with new ways to play, in the years to come.” In other sports-related news, it was reported that Sony Interactive Entertainment and Major League baseball have extended the partnership between both companies. However, in contrast to how the titles were constructed for only the PlayStation platform, the series will instead be arriving to multiple platforms later on. What are you most excited to see return from 2K? 2K states that the first byproduct of this agreement will arrive sometime in 2021. Source: 2K Newsroom
Review: Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Developer –Moon Studios Publisher – Xbox Game Studios Release Date – March 11th, 2020 Platforms – Xbox One, Windows 10 A sequel to a great game must be a difficult job. Do you try and enhance what you had, at the risk of being called more of the same? Do you completely innovate and perhaps disrupt a delicate balance that will alienate fans of the original? Sometimes the right answer comes out of nowhere, and what ends up working is something fans of the original may not have even known they wanted to begin with. Gaming has seen many successful sequels and many more that just failed to hit the mark. One-hit wonders are not just a musical phenomenon, as gaming history is littered with games that could never recapture the original games magic. Ori and the Will of the Wisps thankfully avoids that problem entirely. Will of the Wisps actually reminds me of Super Metroid. No I don’t mean to make the same Metroidvania comparison that’s become so common, I mean in terms of how they approached Ori and the Blind Forest and how to follow it up. The opening of Will and the Wisps will quickly remind players of everything they loved from the original. The absolutely stunning music and visuals, the adorable characters, it’s emotional story and tight controls. Not long after the opening moments, Will of the Wisps finds Ori lost deep in a new world, separated from Kuro’s child Ku, and once again a new adventure starts. Despite seeming similar on the surface, Will of the Wisps quickly moves to differentiate itself from it’s predecessor. In a brilliant move, the very first ability Ori gains isn’t anything from the original game, instead it’s a sword. Right away the inclusion of a more direct form of combat really sets the mood and changes the moment to moment encounter design through the entire experience. Shortly after that, you come across some NPC’s. Then slowly you gain new combat abilities, vendors, side quests, and a whole slew of new items, upgrades and mechanics. Each area you visit through most of the games first act carefully adds another layer for players to experience. The various abilities add some nice wrinkles to Ori’s arsenal, and a couple of styles are reminiscent of some of the genre’s best. Dead Cells and Hollow Knight for example, influences from the modern age of this genre are all seen and felt in Will of the Wisps without it feeling derivative. All of these additions wouldn’t be much to speak of without this genre’s most important feature. The map and level design have to be exceptional for any game like this to stand out, especially as we’ve seen some true classics mixed in with the dozens of forgettable titles tossing their hat into the ring over the last several years. Each new section is completely breathtaking. Moon Studios finds a way to create absolutely stunning locales and always keep the action presentable. Carefully designed visuals make sure area’s with tricky platforming or heavy combat aren’t obstructed with heavy foreground elements. Like wise they build with such care and finesse, each area seamlessly bleeding into the next. The layout also impresses, as even without the map the various environments are easy to remember because they are built so well together. The plot also picks up the themes from the previous Ori and moves them forward in some spectacular ways. The amount of new characters and enemies you will encounter are all unique, and I don’t want to spoil anything here. One of the best new features is a hub that you can slowly build out as the game progresses. This new home will be the centerpiece of your travels, as every new ally you make will come and make it a base of operations. It all comes together to make Ori and the Will of the Wisps a much bigger and better game in every conceivable way. The only issue I was running into was some odd performance bugs. As of March 9th, the day one patch has eliminated the issues I was having with it on consoles. One final element I must speak on is the excellent composition by Gareth Coker. Every song from the main theme to the somber’ pianos help score each scene and story beat to perfection. The rise and fall of percussion when the tempo ramps up and little flourishes abound really help complete this package. Ori and the Blind Forest was a breath of fresh air when it released, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a tremendous achievement. It’s bigger, better, with more nuance to it’s story backed up with tons of depth to the platforming and combat systems. An easy recommendation and a sure fire Game of the Year candidate. **Review code was given by publisher**
