Category: News

Emulators & Mods Under Fire
Easter weekend has been an interesting time for emulator enthusiasts, mod makers and enjoyers alike.
This weekend saw the quiet removal of Universal Windows Platform apps, UAP’s, utilised by Xbox Series S|X owners to run emulators for older PlayStation 2 and GameCube titles¹. Those users are now facing an error code stating that they are running software that “violate[s] Microsoft Store policy.” This continues the crackdown started in mid-2022 after UWP’s were removed from the storefront. However, those with developer mode active are still able to run this software, skirting the issue.
In more mod news, YouTuber PointCrow, a Nintendo speed racer and content creator, has released the mod he offered a $10,000 bounty for in late 2021. The mod to make Zelda: Breath of the Wild multiplayer.

While the mod is still available and works through the emulator Cemo, Nintendo has copyright striked every single video where the mod is featured or utilised. So if you and up to 31 friends want to run around Hyrule together, you now can (with limitations).²
Lastly in modding news, are you a Half-Life fan, but can’t run a virtual reality headset? Well, now you too can jump into the world of Half-Life Alyx. While the mod has been available for a while, the creators are finally confident enough that you can play the game from start to finish to tag a 1.0 on the release. So, grab your gravity gloves with your mouse and keyboard and get at em!³

E3 is Dead! Long live everybody doing their own thing
So while E3 cited developer disinterest for the gathering, there’s been a remarkable turnout of developers running their own shows.

Xbox has announced they will be platforming an Xbox Games Showcase & Starfield Direct on June 11, 10-12 Pacific time. Yep, that’s two whole hours of nothing but Xbox games; however, it’s rumoured that at least 30 minutes of that could be dedicated to Bethesda’s new IP Starfield.⁴
Nintendo is pulling out all the stops, with the first convention outside of Japan coming to Seattle in September. Nintendo Live 2023 is promising live stage performances, tournaments, photo ops, and “…a new way to experience the games and worlds of Nintendo…”. With similar shows in Japan sporting live concerts including holographic performances of Splatoon 2 and KK Slider, this could be one worth keeping an eye on.⁵
Lastly, QuakeCon 2023 is returning to FPS, and by that I mean first person suitable… as in it’s their first in-person even since before … since 2019. This is a fan favourite BYOC event (bring your own computer) with gaming, esports, and meetups. Think huge LAN party and you’ve got the right idea. Wish I could go.⁶

Capcom Continues Charging for Nostalgia.
The recently released remake by Capcom of Resident Evil 4, came out of the gate with flying colours with a Metacritic score of 93 and the promise of a free update/DLC in the works. Well, this dropped with The Mercenaries Mode and a sprinkle of microtransactions that Capcom have been seasoning into recent Resident Evil releases. This monetisation of nostalgia fast tracks weapon-exclusive upgrades allowing you to max out weapons faster. While still available in base games, the grind requires you to level all the item’s stats as well as in-game currency to purchase the upgrade. Or shell out near 5 bucks for ONE weapon’s upgrade.⁷

And now for the Upcoming Game Releases
Friday April 14^th, explore the afterlife in De-Exit, a voxel puzzle, platformer coming to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Ultra Pixel Survive, a mobile game trying to take the microtransactions OUT of the pixel adventure genre, coming to Playstation, Xbox, and the Switch. And Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection coming to PC, PS4, and the Switch.
Monday April 17, float around in this roguelike twin stick shooter in Beyond the Long Night, or suffer the night in the first-person horror game Suffer the Night. Both coming to PC.
Tuesday April 18, delve into the tactical roguelike Desktop Dungeons: Rewind coming to PC. Put on your boxing gloves and dance shoes to get your beat on in the rhythm-based fighter God of Rock, race with your favourite Disney or Pixar character in Disney Speedstorm, or you could play Minecraft Legends. All coming to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and the Switch.
Wednesday 19^th, Final Fantasy 1-6 Pixel Remasters and its Collection coming to PS4 and the Switch. Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC coming to PS5, and become a shipwrecked conquistador in Survival: Fountain of Youth, coming to PC.
And finally on Thursday April 20^th, go insane in the Lovecraftian co-op Eresys coming to PC, go kill things with a witty companion in Stray Blade coming to PC and next gen consoles, or get your lemmings… I mean tin soldiers in line in Tin Hearts, coming to Switch.

E3 is Dead

That’s it.

Last week we reported that things weren’t looking good for the iconic video game trade show and mere hours later it was announced the show was cancelled. At this point it’s hard to imagine its return after years of turmoil.

Brisbane boy made big and Reedpop’s Business Development Director for E3 Expo, Guy Blomberg posted on the eve of his birthday.

            “I’m sorry. We genuinely tried.”

April the 1^st is very clever and not terrible at all

It was April Fools this week. The holiday which has become the commercial equivalent of
“Wouldn’t it be funny if we kissed?! Haha that would be so funny unless you want to? Just kidding?”. While the normal dreck of market testing and audience pandering was fully at play some audience pandering stood above the rest.  Primarily there was a surprise drop of a new Sonic game!  In ‘The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog’ players will attend Amy Rose’s murder mystery party where Sonic is the victim. Uncover the mysteries and other such happenings in this short but fun official Sonic Visual Novel available on Steam.

Ark 2 delayed and Ark Survival Evolved shuts down

‘Ark 2’, the sequel to the popular dinosaur themed survival game ‘Ark: Survival Evolved’ has been officially delayed until next year.  Out of the kindness of their hearts however developer Studio Wildcard has announced that a remaster of the original game will be released having been ported to Unreal Engine 5. Despite stating as recently as January that the upgrade will be free, the remaster will be released as part of a bundle with ‘Ark 2’ for $50 USD on Xbox and PC and as a standalone title on PS5 for $40 USD.

They also announced they will be shutting down the official servers for the first game and any DLC purchased for the original game will need to be repurchased for the remaster once they are made available. When the official servers shut down the player data will be made available for players to rehost themselves.

‘Ark: Survival Ascended’ will be available in August while ‘Ark 2’ staring Vin Diesel will be released late in 2024. Maybe.

PSVITA? I hardly knew her

Sony is reportedly developing a new PlayStation handheld device, codenamed the Q Lite. Unlike previous handheld consoles, this device will require constant internet connection and will utilize Remote Play with the PlayStation 5 rather than cloud-streaming. It features an 8-inch LCD touchscreen and adaptive triggers for haptic feedback, similarly to the PlayStation 5 controller. The Q Lite is currently in the QA phase and is expected to release in 2024 alongside other PlayStation offerings including a PS5 with a  detachable disc drive, wireless earphones and a wireless headset.

Access for everyone

Sony is rolling out Accessibility Tags on its online storefront to help identify features in available products. More than 50 tags will be available covering visual and audio accessibility, online communication, caption, control and gameplay options. For full details check out the PlayStation blog.

Release Schedule

April 7 – EA Sports PGA Tour (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC), Curse of the Sea Rats (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

April 12 – Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (Remake) (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC), Tron: Identity (Switch, PC)

April 13 – Ghostwire: Tokyo (Xbox Series X/S)

Even more companies bow out of E3 2023

Assassins’ Creed Developer Ubisoft announced in a recent statement that it would not be attending E3 later this year, despite having shared their intentions to attend as recently as February.

“While we initially intended to have an official E3 presence, we’ve made the subsequent decision to move in a different direction and will be holding a Ubisoft Forward Live event on 12th June in Los Angeles. We look forward to sharing more details with our players very soon.”

Ubisoft was the first major company that had confirmed their attendance and them dropping out seems like a significant blow considering that Nintendo and Microsoft had already stated they would not be attending.

In the days following Ubisoft’s revision, two more companies publicly confirmed they would not be part of E3 2023. Sega, in response to questions from IGN, said “After careful consideration, we have decided not to participate in E3 2023 as an exhibitor. We look forward to sharing more information on announced and unannounced projects in the future.”

In previous years Devolver Digital wouldn’t be present on the show floor, but would setup in a nearby parking lot, has confirmed it wouldn’t be part of the show in any capacity this year.

E3 has not held a proper physical event since 2019, and many are questioning if it still has a place in the industry. There are still many developers who haven’t said they aren’t attending, but their silence is noticeable. Whatever the case for E3, with only 3 months until this year’s grand return, it won’t be long until we have a more concrete idea.

3DS and WiiU eShops have closed their doors for good.

Earlier this week Nintendo took the eshop offline for both the 3DS and WiiU consoles. It’s no longer possible to make any purchases from those online stores. This was announced over a year ago and gamers have had plenty of time to grab anything they still wanted.

If this is the first you’ve heard of it, and you still had plans to pick up something for your collection, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. While you cannot make new purchases, you are still able to redownload content you own and download software updates.

Changes to the National Classification Scheme could be on the Horizon.

The Albanese Government has proposed stronger measures to protect vulnerable individuals from gambling-related harm by introducing a mandatory minimum classification of R 18+ for games with simulated gambling and M for computer games with paid loot boxes. The proposal responds to the fact that current regulatory arrangements for classification are incompatible with digital media, leading to non-compliant online content.

The government plans to expand options for self-classification for the gaming industry in line with Australian classification guidelines, making it simpler and more cost-effective for the industry to classify their content. The proposed changes will help set the National Classification Scheme on the right path forward and ensure Australian families and consumers can benefit from trusted and reliable information to guide their media choices.

MultiVersus is going offline, will return 2024.

Player First Games has announced that the open beta for their 2022 fighting game Multiversus is coming to an end, and the game will shut down until early 2024. It’s being pulled from digital stores on April 4 and will go offline sometime in June. Multiversus released on the 19^th July 2022, which means it will have been live and playable for about a year before it goes offline.

Many players have voiced their frustration with the announcement, claiming the developer was not transparent with these plans. Especially upset are those who spent money on cosmetics or the founders pack and will not have access to these purchases, some costing more than a hundred dollars, until the game returns.

Upcoming Game Releases

April 4th –

• Meet Your Maker (PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX/S)
• Road 96: Mile 0 (PC, PS4, PS5, XSX/S, XBO, Switch)

April 5^th –

• Moviehouse – The Film Studio Tycoon (PC)

April 6^th –

• Curse of the Sea Rats (PC, PS4, PS5, XSX/S, XBO, Switch)
• Everspace 2 – official launch (PC)
• Ravenswatch – Steam Early Access (PC)
• The Library Of Babel (PC)

And an extra shout out to 2 big names in gaming coming out with a movie this week!

Dungeons & Dragons on March 30^th and The Super Mario Bros Movie on April 5^th

Games are Weird.

https://www.kotaku.com.au/2023/03/new-peppa-pig-games-tribute-to-the-queen-has-players-losing-it/

Peppa Pig’s latest video game World Adventures has a bizarre memorial to the departed monarch Queen Lizzy.  Why is the dead queen jumping in muddy puddles with small children? Why is she a human talking to a talking pig? Why is there such an abrupt tonal shift from this to the in memoriam, which includes Peppa Pig herself in the photo? Is Peppa Pig super sad that her BFF The Queen kicked the bucket?  The internet seems baffled by this inclusion.

PAX AUS

https://aus.paxsite.com/en-us/info/news/pax-2023-badges-available-today.html

PAX Australia is the biggest gaming convention in Australia and is happening from the 6th to the 8th of October 2023 in Melbourne and tickets are on sale now!  It’s the 10th anniversary of PAX Aus so if that sounds like something you want to get in on, a limited amount of early bird tickets are available now.

Lance Reddick Passes

And sadly Lance Reddick passed away on March 17 from natural causes at the age of 60.  Known and loved for his acting and video game voicing, appearing in Horizon Zero Dawn, Payday 2, Quantum Break, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, an unreleased Hellboy game and maybe his most well known role, Commander Zavala from Destiny.

And now for the game releases

March 24

Resident Evil 4 Remake- PC, Playstation, Xbox Series X

The Crown of Wu- PC Playstation and Xbox

EA Sports PGA Tour- PC, PS5 Xbox Series X

March 27

9 Years of Shadows- PC

March 28

Crime Boss: Rockay City- PC

Drop – System Breach – PC

Kana Quest- Switch

The Last of Us Part 1- PC

Shattered Heaven – PC

Sifu- Xbox

Simon the Sorcerer – Origins- PC

March 29

Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure DLC- PC, Xbox Series X

March 30

Anyaroth: The Queen’s Tyranny – PC, Switch

Dredge – PC, Playstation, Xbox and Switch

Suicide Squad isn’t Squadding Just Yet

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be taking a little while longer than originally anticipated, with the May release being pushed back to ‘later this year’. Why? Well, after the release of new gameplay footage just last month, the game has been hit with criticism, even by fans who have been looking forward to the Rocksteady game since it was first revealed in August 2020.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has traditionally villanious characters such as Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerange ganging up to take care of some more… ethically murky missions. It wasn’t stated that the reason for the delay was the criticism, but fans have been warned that it’s unlikely to revamp the game, but rather make some tweaks to hopefully make it more enjoyable for players.

This isn’t the first delay for this game, with the originally early 2022 release being pushed back to May this year.

No More Fortnite

… if you use Windows 7 or 8. Future seasons of Fortnite, the massively popular battle royale, will no longer be natively supported on older operating systems. Live service games, examples including Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and Genshin Impact, tend to require a lot of maintenance and constant updates, a task that just isn’t feasible anymore for older operating systems.

This change has been attributed to Epic wanting to ‘grow our technology and expand the game to fulfill our vision of Fortnite’s future’, which prompted Chapter 4 to be launched on Unreal Engine 5.

It is recommended that players upgrade their operating system, however it is possible to stream it via NVIDIA’s GeForce Now cloud service.

Second Life, New (Mobile) Life

Remember Second Life? The web browser game that allowed users to host rooms and spaces that were fully customisable, using online avatars that were also fully customisable. VRChat before VRChat if you will. It’s no secret that Second Life is responsible for relationships, marriages, break ups, thousands of hours of joy and heartbreak. And now it’s coming to mobile, with the life simulator currently in development.

The Last of Us Influence

With the TV series, The Last of Us, based off the video games by Naughty Dog, there is more interest than ever in the universe, especially as the show introduced new elements that didn’t feature in the games. And now it appears that some of those elements will make their way into future games! This of course depends on whether another game in the series will be introduced, but Neil Druckmann, co-president of Naughty Dog, has found some inspiration in the show, which may introduce some new levels of horror or lore to the universe!

And now for some upcoming games!

March 16

• The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR (PSVR 2)
• River Tails: Stronger Together (PC)

March 17

• Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (Switch)
• The Guise (PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch)
• Peppa Pig: World Adventures (PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch)
• WWE 2K23 (PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO)

March 21

• Deceive Inc. (PC, PS5, XSX)
• Remnant: From the Ashes (Switch)
• Tchia (PC, PS5, PS4)
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution (PSVR 2)

March 22

• Have a Nice Death (Switch)

With more scoops than a big bowl of ice cream, here’s this week’s gaming news!

More Sims Than The Sims

During a recent announcement showcase, Paradox Interactive has hinted at a new game called Life By You, which is very much in the style of The Sims. The reason this news is turning heads is that it’s being developed by Rod Humble, the former head of Sims and CEO of Second Life studio Linden Labs, so there’s a lot of excitement about how this could be a real contender for the crown of virtual life simulators. 

However, only a short teaser trailer has been released and there is currently limited information available about the game. A full trailer and further details are expected in the coming weeks.

eShop Shutdown

Everybody loves shopping on the Nintendo eShop, which is especially bad news for 3DS and Wii U owners. Nintendo are shutting down access to this service for these systems on March 27. Apparently the little hamster that powers the server is being retired and taken to a nice farm (SFX: Gunshot). So you have a few short weeks to go on eShop and buy those 3DS games you’ve always wanted. Or just hack the machine and download whatever you want forever. Wait, did I say that bit out loud?

Oh speaking of Wii U, word is floating around the internet that Wii U devices are prone to bricking – or terminally failing to turn on – if they’re not used for extended periods of time. Like, several years worth of time. And let’s be honest, that’s pretty easy to do with the Wii U. So if you’re one of the dozens of Wii U owners out there, maybe check in on it and see how it’s doing?

Cheating’s a drag, man

Battlestate Games, the developers of the tremendously popular war simulator Escape From Tarkov, have done something unusual about people who cheat in their game. Not content with just banning them outright, they’ve released the names of over 6,000 players who they say are using mods to cheat and otherwise make legit players’ lives worse. I’m sure the parents of cooldude69 are just dying from the shame their son has brought upon their family. It’s an interesting use of time from the developer who once claimed that adding female characters to their game would just be too much work.

And now, get your credit cards ready for these upcoming game releases!

March 9
Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch]
Tiny Troopers: Global Ops [PC, PS5, XSX, XBO, Switch]
Train Life: A Railway Simulator [Switch]
Accuse [C64] 

March 14
Escape From The Red Planet [PC] 

March 17
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (Switch)

Pokémon Day 2023 Announcements

The 27^th of February is Pokémon Day and as always The Pokémon Company treated players to a stream of updates and announcements for all things Pokémon. Here are some of the highlights:

Scarlet & Violet expansions:

One big announcement was the upcoming expansion for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet called The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. The DLC will split into two parts: The Teal Mask, planned for a fall 2023 release on Nintendo Switch, and The Indigo Disk, planned for a winter 2023 release. The DLC will allow players to explore an entirely new area, the land of Kitakami, and the school of Blueberry Academy. “While this tale is split into two parts, they link together to tell a connected story,” the press release said.

Pokémon Sleep app:

This app was originally announced in 2019 but we’ve heard nothing about it in the years since, until now. Players of Pokémon Sleep will journey to a new island where Professor Neroli studies the nature of Pokémon sleeping habits. Of course, Snorlax will be a key part of this game but you’ll be able to meet and catch many others who you’ll find napping together each morning.

Alongside the app is a new device called the Pokémon Go Plus Plus, similar to the previously released Pokémon Go Plus and Pokéball Plus hardware. We don’t have a date yet, but we know that Pokémon Sleep will be released for Android and iOS devices this winter.

Pokémon Concierge series:

The Pokémon Company and Netflix have teamed up to create Pokémon Concierge, a stop-motion animated series set to premiere on Netflix later this year. It follows the story of a concierge named Haru who works at the Pokémon resort, an uncreatively named resort for Pokémon. Not much else is known yet but the trailer suggests it will be a cute slice of life detour from the typical battling and catching Pokémon formula.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie release date has been brought forward:

A recent update announced that the film, which was set to release on April 7^th has been moved slightly forward to release on April 5^th for Australia, the USA, and 60 other markets around the world. While not the first time the release date has been altered, with it first being 2022, then March, then April, it is hopefully the last.

Playstation State of Play:

Late last week was Sony’s State of Play and we were treated to trailers, updates, and announcements for a range of games. There are more than we can talk about here but some of the highlights were:

There was an announcement trailer for Journey to Foundation. It’s based on Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi epic and coming Fall 2023!

Another announcement was for Synapse, a VR Shooter where you wield telekinetic powers releasing exclusively to PlaystationVR2.

Another game for PlaystationVR2 is The Foglands, a stylised roguelike with western vibes, releasing later this year.

Before your Eyes is coming to VR2 March 10^th.

Goodbye Volcano High has been brewing for some time now and we’ve just got a trailer and release date for June 15^th, 2023.

Finally, we saw a new trailer for Tchia, which is releasing March 21^st, 2023.

​

Upcoming Game Releases

March 3^rd  – Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

March 6^th  – Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC for PC, Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch,

March 7^th – The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition for PC, PS5, & Xbox Series X

March 7^th – Little Witch Nobeta for PS4 & Switch.

And that’s all, this week, in gaming news.

Tears of the Kingdom artbook leak

If you’re looking forward to the upcoming ‘Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’ on May 12^th, let this be a warning for you.  The entire 200+ page artbook has been leaked onto the internet. With game details currently scarce and 3 months left until release spoilers now abound regarding characters that will appear in game and designs. While the artbook doesn’t directly spoil any gameplay elements can certainly be inferred by some of the content.  So be wary of those looking to spoil your sense of   discovery.

We’ve now signed a binding 10-year contract to bring Xbox games to Nintendo’s gamers. This is just part of our commitment to bring Xbox games and Activision titles like Call of Duty to more players on more platforms. pic.twitter.com/JmO0hzw1BO

— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) February 21, 2023

Microsoft Spread the COD

Vice President of Microsoft Brad Smith has announced a binding 10 year contract with Nintendo outlying their intent to bring Xbox and Activision games to Nintendo platforms. Specifically, the deal outlines a commitment to release Call of Duty games “the same day as Xbox with full feature and content parity.” How the plan to achieve this is yet to be seen.

Shortly afterwards at a press conference in Brussels Smith also announced that all Xbox games would be coming to the competing cloud gaming service GeForce Now. The moves are part of Microsoft’s strategy to defend their proposed acquisition of Activision to the European Union’s antitrust authorities. The deal is currently under investigation and has been heavily criticised by Sony primarily on the issue of potential Call of Duty exclusivity.

Microsoft is hoping to settle the matter by June this year.

They changed Mario's "WAHOO" in the latest Super Bros. Movie trailer–and it's way better! pic.twitter.com/MQr6Pf6PGy

— André (@AndreSegers) February 19, 2023

Mario movie ‘wahoo’ update

In the most gripping news of the year so far it has been noticed that the reading of “Wahoo” used in the trailer for the upcoming ‘The Super Mario Bros Movie’ has been updated!  As a controversial choice for the iconic plumber Chris Pratt has a lot to prove and to help sell him in the role we’ve gone from THIS to THIS. The shocking change has rocked our very perception of reality but is it a step in the right direction?  Only time will tell.

Oh and here it is in French

pic.twitter.com/7mH6vEYIRY

— Firaxis Games (@FiraxisGames) February 17, 2023

Firaxis Games loses two

Legendary XCOM and Civilisation studio Firaxis Games has seen the departure of both the studio head Steve Martin after 27 years  and creative director Jake Solomon who was a primary driving force behind the development of Xcom 1, 2, War of the Chosen and the recent  Marvel’s Midnight Suns after 23 years of the company.  Both posted messages announcing their departure on twitter. No reason has been stated for their departure however they appear to have both left the company on good terms.

Game Releases

February 24

Blood Bowl 3 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC), Company of Heroes 3 (PC), Kirby’s Return To Dream Land Deluxe (Switch), Octopath Traveler II (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, PC)

February 28

Destiny 2: Lightfall (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC), Scars Above (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC), Dungeons of Aether (PC)

That’s all this yahoo in gaming woo!

World of Warcraft Player Maxed Out Without Playing

World of Warcraft players, and those who tried to become a WoW player, are probably familiar with the tutorial boat that takes players to the starter zone. And yet, despite there being absolutely no quests, enemies, or even resources to harvest on the boat, a player has managed to level up their character to the recently increased level 70. How?

Pets.

Cheatcho has a number of account-wide pet battle quests, meaning that they can be done on separate characters, while allowing Cheatcho to redeem the quest rewards on a completely different character, namely the one on the ship. Apparently if you have a level 25 Chrominius pet on your account, you can use an ability called arcane explosion that can wipe out the quest giver’s pets quickly.

This method took 200 days to achieve max level.

Xbox is now Aware (of carbon)

A new Xbox firmware update brings changes to power management, where every Xbox console defaults to energy-saving mode, reducing console power consumption when the console is off. This change won’t affect performance or how updates install, but you won’t be able to remotely wake your console, and it boots up a little more slowly. It is optional, and players can opt for ‘Instant On’, although this uses up more energy.

In addition, your Xbox can schedule game, app, and OS updates at specific times to help reduce carbon emissions, by connecting to the internet and using the available regional carbon intensity data.

You can also hide game art when choosing tiles for the home page, letting you change game art to blocks of solid colour, helpful if you find yourself overwhelmed with visuals.

Massive Trans Witch Games Bundle

In response to Hogwarts Legacy, and the rising interest in games centred around magic whilst being trans-friendly, itch.io has a bundle of 69 (nice) items made by indie queer artists.

24 of the games are digital, with a further 41 titles being physical tabletop games. Some notable mentions include a witchy dating sim called Casting Hearts, and my personal favourite, a game about a skateboarding witch in Magic Trick.

VRChat Sex Worker Denied Entry to US

VRChat is a form of chat room where attendees are present in virtual reality, allowing them to interact, talk, and play together in a virtual room despite being countries apart. It’s not uncommon to enter a room with a dozen skeletons, 3 furries, and a lot of chaos. Everything ranging from concerts to birthdays to just about anything can exist. Humans being humans, sex, and consequently sex work, also has a place.

The VRChat sex worker, Hex, resides in the United Kingdom, however attempted to visit the United States to visit some friends. She was denied entry and explained how her work was done in a ‘virtual game’. However, according to Hex, the woman interviewing her didn’t quite understand. Despite not technically meeting the legal definition for prostitution in U.S. immigration laws, she was issued an official letter stating that she was denied entry due to ‘prostitution’.

And now for some upcoming games!

February 16

• Theatrhythm Final Bar Line (PS4, Switch)
• Wild West Dynasty (PC)

February 17

• Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart (PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch)
• The Settlers: New Allies (PC)
• Tales of Symphonia Remastered (PS4, XBO, Switch)
• Wild Hearts (PC, PS5, XBO)

February 18

• The Dreams in the Witch House (PC)

February 21

• Atomic Heart (PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO)
• Like a Dragon: Ishin (PS5, PS4)
• Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle+Hell Deluxe Edition (PS4, Switch)
• Ninja JaJaMaru: The Lost RPGs (PS4, Switch)
• Ninja JaJaMaru: The Legendary Collection (PS4, Switch)

February 22

• Digimon World: Next Order (PC, Switch)
• After the Fall (PSVR 2)
• Fantavision 202X (PSVR 2)
• Gran Turismo 7 PSVR 2 upgrade (PSVR 2)
• Horizon Call of the Mountain (PSVR 2)
• Job Simulator (PSVR 2)
• Jurassic World Aftermath Collection (PSVR 2)
• Kayak VR: Mirage (PSVR 2)
• Kizuna AI – Touch the Beat! (PSVR 2)
• The Last Clockwinder (PSVR 2)
• The Light Brigade (PSVR 2)
• Resident Evil Village (PSVR 2)
• Song in the Smoke (PSVR 2)
• Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition (PSVR 2)
• Synth Riders (PSVR 2)
• The Tale of Onogoro (PSVR 2)
• Tentacular (PSVR 2)
• Tetris Effect (PSVR 2)
• What the Bat (PSVR 2)
• Zenith: The Last City (PSVR 2)
• Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded (PSVR 2)

https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/sa/media-centre/news/2023/02-07-1-million-for-11-digital-games

Games Getting Funded!

Screen Australia has announced 11 games that will each receive a part of 1.5 million dollars in funding through what is called the Games: Expansion Pack fund.  The fund is targeted at emerging or small to medium independent game studios with budgets below $500 000.

CEO of Screen Australia Graeme Mason said, “There are huge opportunities for growth in the local games sector. The Government’s $12 million investment to support digital games developers and small and medium independent games studios will enable Screen Australia to support more Australian developers to create original games, build sustainable businesses and attract local and global audiences.”

The Games: Expansion Pack is open for applications on an ongoing basis until 4 May 2023.

https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/news/update-01-31-2023

The Sims 4 News

In the latest Sims 4 update Maxis has added a variety of customization options in create-a-sim, with medical wearables and trans-inclusive cosmetics.  The update (1.95.207.1030 on PC and version 1.69 (nice) on console) includes hearing aids, glucose monitors, top surgery scars and binders and shape-wear.

Oh and they added a light switch too.

https://www.kotaku.com.au/2023/02/nintendo-announces-10-per-cent-pay-raise-for-devs-despite-lower-profits/

Nintendo is decent.

Nintendo has announced a 10 percent pay rise for its game developers, in spite of their reported 20 percent drop in switch sales, stating that securing their workforce is important to their long-term growth.

This is in line with Nintendo’s history of being actually pretty decent to their employees (barring crunch but that’s a different kettle of fish) such as in 2011 when faced with the poor sales of the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata took a 50 percent pay cut.

I suppose in the wake of all the layoffs in the gaming industry (last month Microsoft announced 10 000 job cuts) it’s nice to see a company taking care of the people who actually make the games they sell.

Releases!

February 9

Monster Outbreak – Switch

February 10

Go! Go! PogoGirl – PC, Playstation, Xbox and Switch

February 14

Blanc – PC and Switch

Journey to the Savage Planet: Employee of the Month Edition – PS5 & Xbox Series X

Outzone – PC

Ten Dates – PC, Playstation, Xbox and Switch

Toaplan Arcade Shoot ‘Em Up Collection Vol.1 – PC

Truxton – PC

Twin Cobra – PC

Wanted: Dead  PC, Playstation and Xbox

Zero Wing – PC

February 15

Pharaoh: A New Era – PC

Returnal -PC

And that’s all this week in gaming news!