January 2021

silent-hill-returns,-as-dlc-for-a-party-game PC Gamer

Silent Hill returns, as DLC for a party game

Silent Hill obsessives are used to being disappointed by now, so here’s the latest announcement related to the classic horror series that isn’t a new game or even a remake of the classics: Silent Hill will feature in an upcoming DLC for multiplayer party game Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals, which should be out in February. In case you’ve never heard of it, Monsters & Mortals casts players as teams, usually one of regular people collecting shards in a horrifying location before escaping out a portal, and the other as monsters hunting them. Those monsters include animatronic Murder Monkeys and…

silverstone-sugo-14-review:-100%-practicality-and-thermals Toms Hardware

Silverstone Sugo 14 Review: 100% Practicality and Thermals

Today’s best Silverstone Sugo 14 and dealsAmazon UK View SimilarAmazonNo price informationWe check over 130 million products every day for the best pricesSilverstone’s strength has always been in creative layouts to squeeze lots of hardware into a small package. In that way, the Sugo SG14 ($109) is a clear-cut example of Silverstone’s skills. But the case market has evolved and is starting to demand more premium materials – materials such as aluminum and tempered glass – and the SG14 has neither of those. For that, you’ll have to bump up to the SG15, but it costs $70 more. But what…

factorio-1.1-allows-beautiful-blueprint-flipping,-other-quality-of-life-changes PC Gamer

Factorio 1.1 allows beautiful blueprint flipping, other quality of life changes

Obviously release hasn’t stopped the vast and sprawling beauty of Factorio from growing, and the 1.1 patch just now out is packed with polish that makes the game simpler than ever to play. Among the updates are a feature to flip blueprints, a long-desired fantasy of Factorio fans. You can just… flip em. It’s lovely. We’ve also got neat stuff like smart-building for conveyor belts, multithreading for conveyors, a brand-new interface for trains, and slick control tricks for Spidertron robots. When Factorio released last year developers Wube software said they wanted to complete the game’s feature set so that they…

yakuza-director-toshihiro-nagoshi-is-sega’s-next-creative-director VG247

Yakuza director Toshihiro Nagoshi is Sega’s next creative director

By Dom Peppiatt, Sunday, 31 January 2021 16:30 GMT Yakuza series director Toshihiro Nagoshi is due to step down as chief creative officer (CCO) of Sega, and will become creative director instead.Nagoshi – who worked as executive director on Yakuza: Like a Dragon – has been a key part of the Yakuza franchise since it first launched back in 2005, and he’s been with Sega since the mid-90s arcade days, too.Nagoshi’s new role (which will formally begin on April 1, 2021) was revealed in an announcement that also confirmed that the company will be making some more wide-reaching changes in…

raspberry-pi-wireless-scales-project-weighs-in-on-the-community Toms Hardware

Raspberry Pi Wireless Scales Project Weighs In On The Community

The makers at Hexabitz have been busy piecing together their hexagonal-shaped modules into this awesome Raspberry Pi scale project. It’s totally wireless and provides real-time weight readout using load cell sensor data. The project uses a Raspberry Pi with the Hexabitz Raspberry Pi Interface Kit. This PCB plugs directly into the Raspberry Pi GPIO and can support additional Hexabitz add-on boards like the load cell sensor interface module used in this project. Building a #wireless #digital @Raspberry_Pi Scale with our #loadcell sensor interface module and #raspberrypi interface kit ⚖️✨😀 We can using it to weigh objects in gram, kilogram, pounds…

you-can-play-as-the-bernie-sanders-inauguration-meme-in-soulcalibur-6 VG247

You can play as the Bernie Sanders inauguration meme in Soulcalibur 6

By Dom Peppiatt, Sunday, 31 January 2021 15:15 GMT Ever wanted to play as Bernie Sanders in Bandai Namco‘s Soulcalibur 6? Of course you have, and now a new mod brings the mitten-wearing politician onto the stage of history.The image of Sanders sitting on his fold-out chair, arms crossed, mask on, and sporting his infamous mittens has become burned into the consciousness of anyone that’s been on the internet over the past few weeks.A plethora of memes have circulated showing off the US Senator for Vermont sitting at the Biden inauguration, but perhaps the most laudable effort comes from User619 and JoeMashups who have managed…

astral-chain-‘is-nintendo’s-ip’-says-platinumgames VG247

Astral Chain ‘is Nintendo’s IP’ says PlatinumGames

By Dom Peppiatt, Sunday, 31 January 2021 14:30 GMT After the official Astral Chain website changed the copyright listing last week, PlatinumGames has confirmed longer the IP belongs to Nintendo.The 2019 Nintendo Switch game was another well-received PlatinumGames title that was directed by Takahisa Taura, which we lauded as an action masterclass from the esteemed developer.Platinum had stated before that Astral Chain was co-owned by itself and the game’s publisher, Nintendo – though the latter held the game’s publishing rights.Now, in an interview with VGC, studio head Atsushi Inaba said the situation is “as it looks.”“It’s as it is written on the website:…

the-medium-made-back-its-development-costs-in-just-a-few-days VG247

The Medium made back its development costs in just a few days

By Dom Peppiatt, Sunday, 31 January 2021 13:25 GMT Bloober Team’s latest psychological horror hit, The Medium, has already made a profit thanks to sales across PC and Xbox.In an interview with Polish publication Money.pl (via GameSpot), the development studio noted that The Medium has already made back both its developmental and marketing costs, meaning that any revenue from here on out is pure profit.That’s a good win for the game, considering it’s only available on two platforms at the moment (PC and Xbox Series S|X – it’s not available on Xbox One). The development team hasn’t shared a breakdown of the…

this-week-in-pc-gaming:-nioh-2-finally-hits-pc,-a-new-squirrel-surveillance-sim-arrives PC Gamer

This week in PC gaming: Nioh 2 finally hits PC, a new squirrel surveillance sim arrives

This Week in PC Gaming is also available on YouTube. Welcome to This Week in PC Gaming, a show where we take a look at the new games, updates, events, and more coming at you over the next week, every week. Expect a new episode every Sunday morning and expect it to tell you something you didn’t know or already forgot about. Catch the new episode every Sunday here on PCGamer.com or subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notified when a new episode goes live. This Week in PC Gaming – January 31 to February 6February 4 Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood…

super-nintendo-world-is-coming-to-minecraft VG247

Super Nintendo World is coming to Minecraft

By Dom Peppiatt, Sunday, 31 January 2021 12:23 GMT Super Nintendo World will be available for Universal Studios visitors soon, but if you’re unable to attend there’s an alternative in Minecraft.Earlier this year, we got a virtual tour of Super Nintendo World that showed prospective visitors what they could expect to see if they got tickets to the new attraction, and now creator Dippy22 has taken it one step further.The enterprising Minecraft player has begun work on making Nintendo’s section of the Universal Studios resorts in Japan and California available in Mojang’s iconic platform.Dippy22 is aiming to have the map based on…

final-fantasy-7-remake-part-2-devs-want-to-keep-subverting-player-expectations VG247

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 devs want to keep subverting player expectations

Final Fantasy 7 Remake co-director Naoki Hamaguchi and producer Yoshinori Kitase took part in an interview at CEDEC and spoke about their approach to creating Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2.The developers behind the as-yet-unnamed Final Fantasy 7 Remake sequel gave an interview at The Computer Entertainment Developers Conference where they acknowledged the sequel’s narrative structure and hinted that – going forward – there will likely be more deviations from the original game.During the interview (as translated Twitter user aitaikimochi), Kitase highlighted the significance of subverting player expectations satisfyingly – and that his goal was to deceive players in a positive way (thanks, Siliconera).As our very…

benimaru-gets-his-own-trailer-for-the-king-of-fighters-15 VG247

Benimaru gets his own trailer for The King Of Fighters 15

By Dom Peppiatt, Sunday, 31 January 2021 09:55 GMT Benimaru Nikaido is coming to The King of Fighters 15 with the tall-haired brawler confirmed in a new trailer that shows him joining Team Hero with Shun’ei and Meitenkun.A new trailer showing off Benimaru’s abilities has been released this week, giving us a look at the strange-haired fighter in action in the upcoming game.Anyone that’s familiar with the series will recognize his trademark spiral dive kick, his powerful moves that can pop opponents off the ground, and electrically-charged attacks that can stun enemies and open them up for more punishmentBenimaru, as you…

great-moments-in-pc-gaming:-pickpocketing-a-note-from-an-assassin’s-butt-without-him-noticing PC Gamer

Great moments in PC gaming: Pickpocketing a note from an assassin’s butt without him noticing

Great moments in PC gaming are bite-sized celebrations of some of our favorite gaming memories. One of my favorite journeys ever undertaken in a game was when I climbed the ranks of the Thieves Guild in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. It was a slow but steady transformation from crude pickpocket to master thief through a series of increasingly lengthy, more elaborate missions. I loved being a thief in Oblivion. It let me do my two favorite things: Avoid a lot of combat and spy on NPCs. The final mission culminated in the ultimate test: Sneaking into the Imperial Palace…

mysterious-total-war:-warhammer-teaser-hints-at-something,-honestly-your-guess-is-as-good-as-ours PC Gamer

Mysterious Total War: Warhammer teaser hints at something, honestly your guess is as good as ours

A 50-second teaser video was posted across Total War: Warhammer social media late yesterday, and the speculation engines have begun revving up to speed. It shows a wizard of the Celestial College—the Empire’s astrologers, who manipulate a wind of magic called Azyr—watching as a comet flies across the night sky. The comet then becomes the head of a constellation called Grungi’s Baldric, “Revered by soldiers, dwarfs, and dimwits aplenty,” the wizard sneers. And that’s it. It’s a more enigmatic trailer than we’re used to getting, especially compared to the bombastic announcements each DLC for Warhammer 2 has received. That might…

plague-inc:-the-cure-is-out-right-now-and-totally-free PC Gamer

Plague Inc: The Cure is out right now and totally free

True to their promise from last year, the developers of Plague Inc have released a free DLC for owners of the original game about finding a cure to a global pandemic, rather than being one. “Created with the help of world health experts from all over the world including the WHO, CEPI and GOARN, Plague Inc: The Cure is an engaging and timely simulation of a global disease response,” say Ndemic Creations in the game’s description. It’s full of brand new game mechanics over the base Plague Inc scenarios, and they’re pretty neat. Players do work like hunting the disease…

warner-bros.-filed-a-patent-for-the-mordor-games’-nemesis-system PC Gamer

Warner Bros. filed a patent for the Mordor games’ nemesis system

As pointed out by Mark Brown in his latest Game Maker’s Toolkit video, Warner Bros. Interactive have applied for a patent on the nemesis system used in Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, Shadow of War—the system that personalizes orc NPCs in response to actions players take against them. Specifically, it’s a patent for “Nemesis characters, nemesis forts, social vendettas and followers in computer games”. Brown compares it to the patented floating arrow that told players where to go in Crazy Taxi, which was part of the lawsuit Sega filed against Fox Interactive in 2003, after The Simpsons: Road Rage…

with-a-black-lotus-sold-at-$500k,-magic:-the-gathering-hits-a-new-level PC Gamer

With a Black Lotus sold at $500k, Magic: The Gathering hits a new level

An alpha Black Lotus, the most infamous Magic: The Gathering card ever produced, was sold at auction  on eBay for $511,100. Organized by trading card investment firm PWCC, it’s the first single Magic CCG card to sell for over half a million dollars at open auction. Other collectible card game cards may have sold for more, usually unique single-printing cards, but if they did there’s no public record of it. Past Alpha Black Lotus cards have gone for as much as $250k. To top it off, the case is signed by now-deceased Magic artist Christopher Rush, who painted the art…

what-game-has-the-best-explosions? PC Gamer

What game has the best explosions?

A misspent childhood nuking all of the lemmings in Lemmings will give you a taste for videogame explosions that can last a lifetime, and before you know it you’re watching compilations of nukes going off in Garry’s Mod. Or maybe you prefer the big booms of oil barrels in Divinity: Original Sin, or the way basically everything can explode in Avalanche Studios’ games. Maybe you’re so jaded that only seeing a whole dang star go nova again and again in Outer Wilds can do it for you now. What game has the best explosions? Here are our answers, plus a few…

rust-is-getting-delivery-drones-so-your-clan-can-be-murder-amazon PC Gamer

Rust is getting delivery drones so your clan can be murder Amazon

Survival game Rust is getting delivery via drone in the coming patch, due to release February 4th. Rust producer Alistair McFarlane posted a video to Twitter of the drones in action as they leave a central drone station and fly to nearby  vending machines to retrieve purchases. “The terminals will only be accessible within safezone(s) – can not be player crafted,” he said when explaining how it works. Drone delivery! – currently planned for Feb 4th Patch. pic.twitter.com/SUZKyw5TSgJanuary 30, 2021 Rust’s vending machines are made and stocked by players, and this seems like an effort to let newer players pick…