Doom And Doom 2 Have Received A Huge Free Update On PC And Consoles
The recent re-releases of Doom and Doom II for modern consoles and PC have received a significant upgrade, bringing in new content, quick-save support, and, for the first time ever, a higher frame rate. This update, first promised in December 2019, is free for anyone who owns the first two Doom games on PC, PS4, Switch, or Xbox One.
The update allows you to play a variety of community-made episodes for both games, including Sigil, John Romero's own recent add-on. These can be downloaded for free from the game's main menu after you've updated. The frame rate has been boosted from the original 35fps up to 60fps, making both games faster and smoother than ever before.
You can now quick save and quick load from the pause screen, too. A tap of R1/RB on the pause screen will create a quick save, and you can immediately load your most recent save from the pause screen with L1/LB.
Other changes include a quick weapon selection feature, improved level select screens, and more options for the aspect ratio and brightness. It's a significant update for Bethesda's old classic shooters.
These games (along with Doom 3) surprise-launched back in July 2019, but had significant drawbacks as they required a constant online connection. Thankfully these issues have since been addressed.
Mighty Switch Force! Collection Gets A Limited Run Physical Release On Switch
In addition to the Vitamin Connectionrelease date, WayForward has also revealed it has teamed up with Limited Run Games to release a physical version of Mighty Switch Force! Collection on the Switch. This collaboration is part of LRG’s ‘WayForward Day’, with a two-week pre-order period opening on 17th January.
Just like the digital release, this collection includes Mighty Switch Force!, Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition, Mighty Switch Force! 2, and Mighty Switch Force! Academy. It’ll be available as a standard edition, or you can opt with the limited collector’s edition for US$59.99, which includes a bunch of goodies (see below):
LRG is also offering a Mighty Switch Force! Collection triple LP-vinyl set for US$44.99
Have you been holding out for this physical Switch release? Tell us down below.
Joker Costume Spotted On The Back Of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore Box Art
Next week sees the release of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore. If you didn’t already know, the game is a slightly enhanced version of the original Wii U title from 2016. The latest iteration comes with new songs, a new story, and even new costumes.
Ahead of its worldwide release next week, something interesting has been spotted on the back of the Switch box art (via Amazon Japan). If the title wasn’t enough of a hint, it’s Joker’s outfit from Persona 5. Here are some grainy images of the Japanese box art, courtesy of Twitter user @theprinceofiris:
Terry Cavanagh, the author of VVVVVV, Super Hexagon and Dicey Dungeons, just released the source code for VVVVVV to celebrate it’s 10th anniversary. Released on GitHub under a custom license, the repository includes both the Mobile (Flash/ActionScript) and Desktop (C++) versions. It does not include the binary data however, although you can use the free version or you can currently buy VVVVVV for 73% Off On Humble right now.
Or possibly tomorrow is, depending on who you ask – technically, the game first went live at 3am GMT on the 11th January 2010, after a very, very long day of fixing every last bug I could, making last minute builds, and trying to slowly upload everything on an extremely unreliable internet connection that kept cutting out. But I’ve always gone by “it’s not tomorrow until you wake up” rules, so I still think of January the 10th as the real launch day <3
Gosh, ten years.
VVVVVV is such an important game to me, I barely even know where to start. I wanted to do something special to mark the occasion: so, as of today, I’m releasing the game’s source code!
I wanna give a big big thank you to Ethan Lee, who helped a lot to prepare for this, including getting the repo ready for the public, and organising the reveal on AGDQ (hi speedrunners!)! Thanks Ethan!
You can learn more about the release in the video below.
Apple seems very pleased with themselves right now
It’s easy to speculate and talk about the App store as an outside observer, but I always find it more interesting to look at how companies like Apple talk about themselves in official press blasts. Granted, it’s PR and must always be taken with a grain a salt, but it’s still interesting nonetheless.
One such press release has just come through from Apple, talking about how the company has done over the past year (with a few insights of the past decade or so as well). They talk about everything from the App store to Apple Music & Apple Pay, but naturally only a couple of things are relevant to us here.
As far as the App Store is concerned, it seems that since the launch of the store in 2008 developers have earned over $155 Billion USD. A further note claims that a quarter of that ($39-ish Billion) was earned in 2019 alone. Other numbers being shared:
$1.42 billion was spent between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve 2019 (up 16% on the previous year).
$386 million was spent New Year’s Day 2020, which is a 20 percent increase over last year and a new single-day record.
There’s no information as to how these numbers are split – as we’ve seen in terms of evolving trends the past couple of years, it’s easy to imagine most of this money is going to free-to-play titles. Probably Fortnite.
Apple Arcade is mentioned as well, but there’s nothing worthwhile to be shared. No numbers in terms of subscribers or anything like that, which is a shame. There was a commitment to adding “new games and expansions every month,” though.
So, Apple’s doing well then. Yay? I guess? It’s hard to know how to really feel about this information as an outlet that focuses primarily on a subset of games that many say is on the decline. Numbers like this probably won’t help matters if you’re a company looking at that number and worrying your share is too small.
If any developers fancy sharing some of their profit numbers for 2019, even if it’s just in terms of how it relates to that total figure, you know where to find me!
What are your thoughts on the App Store right now? What did you buy during the holiday period (or on New Years Day, if that was you?). Let us know in the comments!
Apple marks Chinese New Year with ‘Shot on iPhone’ film ‘Daughter’
By Malcolm Owen Saturday, January 11, 2020, 03:48 pm PT (06:48 pm ET)
Apple has marked the Chinese New Year with its latest “Shot on iPhone” video, a short film recorded on the iPhone 11 Pro featuring three generations of Chinese women gathering together for the annual event.
The eight-minute video titled “Chinese New Year – Daughter” start off with a mother being troubled by criticism that she took her daughter to work as a taxi driver. Throughout the film, scenes switch between older conversations and the present day, showing other conversations in the mother’s life.
Towards the end of the film, a family reunion of the three generations takes place in the back of the taxi. It is then revealed to the child the older lady is her grandmother, who made dumplings each year while searching for her lost family.
The film is directed by Theodore Melfi, who directed the Best Picture Oscar-nominated “Hidden Figures.” Cinematography is by Lawrence Sher, who filled the role for “Joker,” identified as a “2020 Golden Globe Awards nominated film.” Star Zhou Xun is also given a promotional introduction in the opening credits, described as “China’s leading actress.”
A companion making-of video shows how the film was captured on an iPhone 11 Pro. While sometimes extra equipment is used to mount the iPhone and to move it around, as with other Shot on iPhone video productions, some scenes are filmed using just the iPhone without any additional hardware.
Praise is given to the iPhone by Sher for its ability to handle low light, its stabilization capabilities, and the triple camera setup on the back of the device.
The impressive production for the film is similar to that of the Shot on iPhone video for the 2019 Chinese New Year, which was created on the iPhone XS by director and screenwriter Jia Zhangke.
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below and click on each of the game profiles for pre-order details (dates are subject to change).
A 2D side-scrolling RPG with town-building where you are
introduced to an open world that progressively challenges your hero and
settlement the further you delve into the vast continent where kingdoms have
risen and fallen, settlements have been laid to waste and overrun by warring
groups, and great mysteries lay hidden and waiting to be unearthed – assuming
you can defeat their jealous guardians.
Xbox One X Enhanced – Something terrible has occurred in Panda Land. Mysterious disappearances are happening. Mystical beasts and strange creatures are appearing. Trouble is brewing in every corne. Super Panda must once again go and rescue his beloved lands from the ancient nemesis once thought defeated. This time, he brought his crew to help.
Xbox Play Anywhere – Set out in search of the legendary weapons to free the world from the rule of Wyrmvarg! Employing 8-bit graphics and sound, Dragon Sinker brings a visual and audio feast to the table of hungry gamers starving for the nostalgia of RPG classics with plenty of subquests for the hero to tackle and secret dungeons to explore.
In his quest to find a long-lost friend, our hero has to
conquer two universes at once, relentlessly switching between two dimensions.
Be prepared for some tough puzzles, jumping sequences and retro graphics like
you’ve never seen before in this hardcore platformer.
Paperbound Brawlers – January 10
Mind-bending gravity mechanics in a platforming brawler for
up to four local players. Featuring characters and arenas from classic books, Paperbound
Brawlers combines platforming, twitchy combat, and gravity control in a
competitive couch multiplayer environment. This is an enhanced version of the fan
favorite multiplayer party game Paperbound.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 01-12-2020, 09:10 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Writers share tips for overcoming common hurdles of mobile game projects
“Any plan you have that relies on saying, like, ‘Oh, well the voice actor will sell this,’ or, ‘Oh, there will be a sound in the background,’ that’s already a losing plan from the get go.”
– Eric Stirpe, recently a writer on Frozen Adventures, talks about working through the fact that most players are likely playing your game on silent mode.
The folks over at EGM have published an insightful chat with a number of game writers, exploring the tips and pain points uncovered by each while working on different varieties and genres of mobile games.
As with the above quote from writer Eric Stirpe, those speaking to EGM note that a large part of writing for mobile is coming to terms with some of the limitations an inherently casual platform puts into place. Those can include unique challenges with audio, an expectation that a player’s attention will be often divided, or pacing complications that arise from different playstyles.
The full story over on EGM collects more stories from Stirpe and other game writers, including comments from King narrative director Zack Keller on the Candy Crush studio’s bite sized narrative hooks, along with a discussion with a former Episode writer on both the structural and ethical complications of free to play narratives.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 01-12-2020, 09:10 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Birds Of Prey Movie Is Nothing Like Joker, Margot Robbie Says
One of DC's next big movies is Birds of Prey, which stars Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. Given the massive success of DC's latest movie, Joker, some might be wondering if Birds of Prey might be similar in any way. It won't be, according to Robbie.
Speaking to Variety, Robbie said the world of Birds of Prey is "very different" in that it is not as grounded in reality as Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix.
"The aesthetic, the tone. Very, very different," Robbie said. "Ours is certainly a heightened reality. There's a clear distinction between real life and what you're experiencing on the screen. I feel like the Joker film was much more grounded. Ours is different."
It's also worth mentioning here that Joker will not appear in Birds of Prey. The newest trailer does mention Joker, however, as Harley recalls how her breakup with Joker led to the events of Birds of Prey.
Robbie also confirmed in the interview that Birds of Prey will tell its story in a non-linear fashion, at least partially. "It's nonlinear. It jumps around. And then it becomes linear for the third act. You go on a ride, and it's all pretty chronological from there," she said.
The movie is told from Harley's point of view, and she is an "unreliable narrator giving terrible advice," Robbie said. Harley is not necessarily to be believed, and this sounds like it may make for a unique setup.
"So you’ve got a very unreliable narrator giving terrible advice, and an inaccurate account of events, quite often contradicting what you're seeing on screen," she said.
Warner Bros. took some convincing for this approach, Robbie said. "It took a while to get it together, and get it approved by the studio. And then finally we got it greenlit. And we were off to the races," she said.
Robbie, who is also producing Birds of Prey, said in the interview that she wanted to make the movie in part because she noticed a lack of ensemble action movies starring women. In addition to Robbie, Birds of Prey features Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollet-Bell as Black Canary, and Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya.
"I love action films, and I think there's a misconception perhaps subconsciously for people: action films are for dudes, girls don’t really like them," Robbie said. "Which is just not true. I love them! I know heaps of other women who love them. I loved movies like the Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu Charlie's Angels growing up. So I knew I wanted to find that, and help put that on screen somewhere."
Ewan McGregor plays the villain, Black Mask, in the film that's directed by Cathy Yan. Check out the newest trailer in the video embedded above. Birds of Prey opens in theatres on February 7.
Ninterview: Super Mario Faker – The Man Behind An Unobtainable Dream Factory
It’s been a little while since our last Ninterview, but we’re bringing back our series of articles which see us interviewing people with unique and shining a spotlight on their interesting roles within the gaming community.
This time, we meet Tim aka Super Mario Faker from Instagram, a graphic design artist who does a fantastic job of visualising some dream physical games both recent and historic.
Nintendo Life: So, how did the “Super Mario Faker” account get started?
Tim aka “Super Mario Faker”: So, 4 years ago I started an Instagram page documenting my game collection. But because I always worked until 7pm, I didn’t have the chance to take decent pictures in the evening because of the bad lighting. So I started editing the covers and the screens to make it look decent. After a while, I did it with real games that weren’t out yet and I noticed people going crazy and asking how I already got them so early. That’s what gave me the idea to start making totally unrealistic things like Super Mario on PS4. Instagram then shadowbanned my other page for no reason and I decided to give my fakes a page of their own. And that’s how Super Mario Faker was born.
I studied Graphic Design so making them is a piece of cake for me. A couple of years ago, I lost my job as a designer. I was one of the designers for Official PlayStation Magazine here in Belgium, so it was nice for me to have a creative outlet again.
How do you decide which games/systems to work with?
Well at first I was like, the Nintendo Switch is a very cool device, but it lacks the games I really want. So I started thinking what I’d really wanna play on it. Or I’d go like… “damn, I really wanna play the Mass Effect Trilogy on PS4″. Every generation I’m kinda sad to leave certain games behind, you know? And I know there are a lot of people who feel the same way. Every month I also ask people to send in requests, as crazy as possible. It’s a fun way to interact with my followers.
Can you tell us a little bit about your creative process?
Sure, usually I get started by just taking a normal photo of a game and a platform. Then I design the cover for the fake game and I edit it on the picture I took before. Sometimes I totally transform the platform; I sometimes Photoshop an amiibo to go with it. I’ve designed a fake package of a Switch, a Game Boy, a Nintendo DS. It depends on how much time I have at the moment. I try to not spend more than 45 minutes on one fully-realised fake.
You must have quite a big collection of your own games and amiibo, do you consider yourself an avid collector?
Oh yes, I have a couple of thousand games and I think between 60-80 boxed consoles and handhelds. I started collecting games about 15 years ago so my apartment is basically a little museum. It goes from every Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox platform to smaller things like the Nokia N-gage and SEGA Game Gear.
I also collect statues, figurines, art books, goodies and Funko Pops. On the amiibo front, I think I own every amiibo that was released in Europe and the US. The only ones missing are the Monster Hunter ones that only came out in Japan.
What has the reception been like to your work?
For the most part, it has been amazing. I received 1.7 million likes in my first year, gained 45,000 followers so people are really loving it. But yeah, I get my fair share of hate and negative comments too. I think some people are p*ssed off that they just spent an hour Googling where to buy a copy of Fallout 3 for their Nintendo Switch. Or people don’t read the caption and assume I’m just lying. But other followers are just waiting for it when someone tries to call me out in the comments. “You know this is fake right?”
It looks like you have a lot of fun, which project(s) stick out that you have enjoyed the most?
I just did a Game of the Decade countdown, which was a lot of fun but also very challenging because I was forced to fake two games each day. My Overwatch Switch Lite was a lot of fun to make; it was watched almost 300,000 times, which is mindblowing. I’m also having a lot of fun creating the amiibo. Recently I did a Skyrim Ring Fit Adventure, which I also loved a lot. It’s a challenge to keep it fresh and new, so it’s very rewarding when I find a new type of game to fake.
If you had to choose just one of your fakes to be real, which would it be and why?
That’s a very difficult one. I’m gonna have to go with the Metal Gear Solid remake. I just have such fond memories of the first Metal Gear Solid and it breaks my heart that it’s unplayable for me after so many years. Even the Twin Snakes remake on GameCube just doesn’t do it for me anymore. The controls are too clunky and the graphics are too blurry and ugly for me to enjoy it. So if Konami could just do with Metal Gear Solid what Capcom is doing with Resident Evil right now, I’d be so happy. And while they’re at it, they could give Silent Hill the same treatment.
What are your future plans for the account?
I’m hoping to hit the 100k mark on Instagram this year and I want to focus more on the things I love to do. People were begging me to make YouTube vids, to go on Twitter and Facebook, to stream on Twitch. And it has been very stressful juggling all these platforms, working full-time and getting a degree in 3D animation in the evening. So 2020 is more gonna be about having fun with it for me.
So there you have it. We’d like to thank Tim for his time and encourage you all to follow Super Mario Faker on Instagram if you like his work. However, if you don’t like seeing these ‘unicorn’ releases we’d recommend you steer clear.
What do you make of Tim’s work? Let us know as always in the comments below.
