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Exploring The Full History Of Metroid 2 | Video Gameography

The first season of Game Informer’s Video Gameography explores the history of the Metroid series. After running down Samus’ classic debut, we’re moving on to its polarizing handheld sequel, Metroid II: Return of Samus. 

Developed by Nintendo R&D1, Metroid II is largely viewed as the red-headed stepchild of the series. Samus’ encore outing launched on the Game Boy in 1991, which means it was limited in terms of presentation and scale. The monochrome graphics and zoomed-in perspective made exploration trickier than its predecessor, and the primary mission tasked players with locating and eradicating over 40 Metroids scattered across the map, a mission structure that hasn’t been implemented since. 

Join hosts Ben Reeves (@BenjaminReeves), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), and special guest, comic book writer/podcast host Chris Sims (@theisb), as we explore Metroid II’s lore, development history, and lasting impact, such as the fact that it’s received two modern remakes, both officially and otherwise. 

If you’d like to get in touch with the Video Gameography podcast, you can email us at podcast@gameinformer.com. You can also join our official Game Informer Discord server by linking your Discord account to your Twitch account and subscribing to the Game Informer Twitch channel. From there, find the Video Gameography channel under “Community Spaces.”

Source: Gameinformer

Change Your BattleTag For Free In Overwatch

In honor of the name change for the gunslinger Cole Cassidy, formerly known as McCree, Activision Blizzard is offering the chance for Overwatch players to change their own names. Well, their BattleTag. 

It is important to keep in mind what is going on within Activision Blizzard at this time regarding ongoing allegations about the work culture. The ongoing lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) against the company is over reported toxic workplace culture. The bulk of the suit focuses on “violations of the state’s civil rights and equal pay laws,” specifically regarding the treatment of women and other marginalized groups. To learn more about the proceedings thus far, including details listed in the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, please check out our previous coverage here.

Have an embarrassing or outdated BattleTag you’d like to change? Starting today and running until November 5, you can make a new name for yourself in Overwatch. Announced on the Overwatch site, here’s the official announcement of the promotion: 

“As we introduce a new name, you might have the desire to do the same. Starting 22 October, 2021 and continuing through 5 November, 2021, all players will be offered a free BattleTag name change. This applies to anyone who does not currently have a free name change available. Existing name changes will not stack for future use.”

That’s right, it’s open to any player with an existing BattleTag but looks to be limited to one free change per account. You better pick a good moniker with this freebie because it’ll cost you to use the service again. Use the link above the quote to find the official announcement which contains a form to submit for a new Overwatch identity.

Are you going to use this opportunity to rid your account of an old name? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Gameinformer

Souldiers Is An Action-Packed, Soulslike Metroidvania Coming Next Year

Fans of action-heavy Metroidvanias should keep an eye on the newly-announced Souldiers. No, that’s not a misspelling but rather a clue as to what sort of game you’re in for. Developed by Retro Forge Games and published by Dear Villagers, Souldiers is a beautiful 16-bit Soulslike that already looks impressive.

Players choose from one of three upgradable classes – a sword-wielding scout, a spellcaster, and an archer – to battle their way through a myriad of enemies and bosses. You sport a parry and dodge and explore a large, interconnected world filled with environmental puzzles. You’ll also spend a great deal of time platforming across various obstacles. Retro Forge doesn’t detail the Souls aspects other than promising the difficulty won’t be for the faint of heart. Are your actions governed by a stamina meter? Do you lose everything upon death and have to retrieve it in the next life? We’ll hopefully find out more before Souldiers launches on Switch and PC in Spring 2022. 

Click here to watch embedded media

Souldiers may run down the checklist of what has seemingly become the modern indie game, but it’s tough to deny that it looks like a blast. The action looks great, and the detailed pixel art is a contender for a retro game beauty contest.  What do you think of Souldiers? Share your thoughts in the comments! 

Source: Gameinformer

Activision Blizzard Renames Overwatch’s McCree To Cole Cassidy

Activision Blizzard has renamed Overwatch hero Jesse McCree to Cole Cassidy. 

It is important to keep in mind what is going on within Activision Blizzard at this time regarding ongoing allegations about the work culture. The ongoing lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) against the company is over reported toxic workplace culture. The bulk of the suit focuses on “violations of the state’s civil rights and equal pay laws,” specifically regarding the treatment of women and other marginalized groups. To learn more about the proceedings thus far, including details listed in the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, please check out our previous coverage here.

Amidst California’s ongoing lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, which is occurring over reported toxic workplace culture, it was revealed that Overwatch character Jesse McCree was named after a Blizzard veteran of the same name who left the company in August. The real-life McCree was one of the men in the picture that appears to show some Activision Blizzard devs posing together with a photo of Bill Cosby in the room reportedly informally called the Cosby Suite. 

The Overwatch team announced on August 26 that its hero, McCree, would be renamed and that moving forward, no Overwatch heroes would be named after real-life team members. Today, the team announced that the hero previously known as Jesse McCree now goes by the name Cole Cassidy. 

“The first thing a renegade loses is their name, and this one gave up his long ago,” the official Overwatch Twitter account’s tweet reads. “Running from his past meant running from himself, and each passing year only widened the divide between who he had been and what he had become. But in every cowboy’s life, there comes a time when he was to stop and make a stand.” 

“To make this new Overwatch better – to make things right – he had to be honest with his team and himself. The cowboy he was rode into the sunset, and Cole Cassidy faced the world at dawn.” 

The name “Cole Cassidy” will go live in Overwatch on October 26.

What do you think of this new name? Let us know in the comments below!
 

Source: Gameinformer

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Retrospective | All Things Nintendo

On this week’s episode of All Things Nintendo, we celebrate the conclusion of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s downloadable content by looking back at the wildly ambitious project. Host Brian Shea is joined once again by fellow Game Informer editor Alex Stadnik to discuss the latest news in the world of Nintendo and take a deep dive into the biggest crossover game ever. 

If you’d like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter: Brian Shea (@brianpshea), Alex Stadnik (@Studnik76)

The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we can celebrate, discuss, and break down all the latest games, news, and announcements from the industry’s most recognizable name. Each week, Brian is joined by different guests to talk about what’s happening in the world of Nintendo. Along the way, they’ll share personal stories, uncover hidden gems in the eShop, and even look back on the classics we all grew up with. A new episode hits every Friday!

Be sure to subscribe to All Things Nintendo on your favorite podcast platform. The show is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:51 – Fifth Anniversary of the Switch Reveal
00:07:24 – Switch’s 33-Month Sales Streak Snapped
00:11:02 – Elden Ring Delayed, What it Means for Pokémon Legends: Arceus
00:13:48 – Pokémon Unite Halloween Event
00:15:24 – Nintendo Jeopardy Question
00:16:12 – Sora Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Impressions
00:22:30 – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Retrospective
00:57:25 – Definitive Ranking: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Characters
01:11:41 – eShop Gem of the Week: Islanders
01:13:07 – eShop Gem of the Week BONUS: Tetris Effect: Connected

If you’d like to get in touch with the All Things Nintendo podcast, you can do so by emailing AllThingsNintendo@GameInformer.com, tweeting to Brian (@BrianPShea), or by joining the official Game Informer Discord server. You can do that by linking your Discord account to your Twitch account and subscribing to the Game Informer Twitch channel. From there, find the All Things Nintendo channel under “Community Spaces.”

For more Game Informer podcasts, be sure to check out The Game Informer Show, which covers the weekly happenings of the video game industry, and Video Gameography with host Ben Reeves, which explores the history of video games – one series at a time!

Source: Gameinformer

CD Projekt Acquires The Molasses Flood, The Studio Behind The Flame In The Flood

CD Projekt has announced that it has acquired The Molasses Flood, the studio known for games like The Flame in the Flood and Drake Hollow. 

This news comes by way of a press release from CD Projekt that says The Molasses Flood is a perfect fit for the studio group. The studio will be working on one of CD Projekt’s IP, although it will retain its own identity and won’t merge with any existing teams in CD Projekt. 

“The Molasses Flood will be working in close cooperation with CD Projekt Red, but will keep their current identity and will not be merged with existing teams,” the release reads. “The studio will be working on its own ambitious project which is based on one of CD Projekt’s IPs. Details about the project will be announced in the future.” 

CD Projekt specifically cites The Molasses Flood’s technological insight and experience as reasons for the acquisition.

“We’re always on the lookout for teams who make games with heart,” CD Projekt president and CEO Adam Kiciński writes in the press release. “The Molasses Flood share our passion for video game development, they’re experienced, quality-oriented, and have great technological insight. I’m convinced they will bring a lot of talent and determination to the Group.” 

The Molasses Flood’s studio head, Forrest Dowling, says the studio saw an incredible opportunity in becoming part of the CD Projekt group, which is also the home of CD Projekt Red, the team behind The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077. Dowling says The Molasses Flood’s acquisition by CD Projekt will allow the team to reach a much wider audience. 

While waiting for more details on The Molasses Flood’s next project, check out Game Informer’s The Flame in the Flood review and then check out our Cyberpunk 2077 review. 

Source: Gameinformer

Among Us Finally Hits PlayStation And Xbox Consoles This December

Social deduction multiplayer game, Among Us, rocketed to extreme popularity last year thanks to its ease of access on mobile phones, PCs, and a handy Switch release, and now it’s finally coming to PlayStation and Xbox consoles. 

Among Us is a great game, and it has also doubled as a great way to hang out with friends during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Its popularity is sure to rise even higher now thanks to these two new console releases. It will hit PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on December 14, which is the same day Among Us hits Xbox consoles and Xbox Game Pass.

Among Us developer Innersloth announced that PS5 and PS4 versions of the game were coming, with a new Ratchet & Clank skin to celebrate the release, but an actual date was never given until now. Similarly, Xbox announced that Among Us would be coming to its consoles this year, too, but a release date was not given until now.

“Have friends on other devices? No worries,” a PlayStation Blog post about the announcement reads. “The PlayStation version of Among Us allows for crossplay so everyone can play together. [Four-player to 15-player] lobbies are supported with online multiplayer.” 

The Xbox Wire post about this announcement doesn’t mention crossplay, but it presumably supports it considering PlayStation’s post seems to indicate that PlayStation players can play with friends on Xbox consoles. It’d be odd for that crossplay bridge to extend from PlayStation to Xbox, but not the other way around. 

Among Us hits PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Game Pass on December 14. 

While waiting for it to release, check out our thoughts on it in Game Informer’s Among Us review and then read about how Epic Games and Among Us developer Innersloth are teasing a collaboration after that. 

Will you be checking out Among Us on PlayStation or Xbox consoles this December? Let us know in the comments below!
 

Source: Gameinformer

Bloodborne PSX Faithfully De-makes The Game's Memorable Prologue

When we think of FromSoftware’s Bloodborne, one of two thoughts comes to mind. One is “Wow, what an amazing game!” and the second is “They should really port that to PC or PlayStation 5 with performance enhancements.” Instead of the latter, what if you went the hard opposite and released the game on old hardware? Bloodborne PSX, an in-development demake the 2015 game in the style of a PlayStation 1 title, is just that, and it looks more enticing than you’d think. 

Developer Lilith Walther has been tinkering on Bloodborne PSX since 2017, and those who have followed her on Twitter have seen the project take shape over the years. Other designers and artists have contributed to the project as well, such as composer Evelyn Lark. Walther has previously shown off demade versions of the Derelict Estate and Father Gasgione boss fight, and the latest video shows how the team revamped the game’s memorable opening sequence. Frankly, it looks fantastic. 

Click here to watch embedded media

Walter has previously confirmed that she plans to release the finished game at some point but that it won’t be playable on an actual PS1 since it runs on Unreal Engine. I want a 4K/60fps version of Bloodborne as much as the next fan, but I’d be perfectly happy with playing a ‘90s-era take on the game if it looks and runs as well as this. Those interested in catching up with Bloodborne PSX’s development progress up to this point should visit Walther’s YouTube archive, which has previous demos and behind-the-scenes looks at the development process.

For more on Bloodborne, you can watch us play the entire game in our recent Super Replay series here. 

What do you think of Bloodborne PSX, and would you play a full PS1 demake of Bloodborne? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Gameinformer

PUBG Mobile Sequel, New State, Gets November Launch Date

PUBG Studios’ upcoming PUBG Mobile sequel, New State, will launch on November 11. 

This news comes by way of Video Games Chronicle, which reports that New State, a game set in the future of the PUBG universe, will be a free-to-play, season-based, live-service game. It will launch in 200 different countries and will feature 17 languages in-game for players to choose from. 

Click here to watch embedded media

New State is already incredibly popular, weeks ahead of its official launch on mobile devices. Over 50 million players have pre-registered for the game. Set in 2051, New State will feature four maps at launch, including the Troi and Erangel maps from the original console and PC PUBG release. 

According to VGC, PUBG Studios says the mobile title’s gunplay system is “on par with what’s found in the PC version” of PUBG. It features a unique player recruitment system, too, as well as plenty of weapon customization. New State’s last technical test before its official launch will take place from October 29 through October 30 in 28 countries worldwide. 

While waiting for PUBG New State to launch on iOS and Android platforms next month, check out the original announcement for New State and then watch this Callisto Protocol trailer, which showcases the Dead Space-like horror game set in the same universe as PUBG, after that.

[Source: Video Games Chronicle]

Will you be checking out PUBG New State when it launches next month? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Gameinformer