Thursday news:
Sega now considers Yakuza a multi-platform series
https://www.pcgamer.com/sega-now-considers-yakuza-a-multi-platform-series/
Yakuza's arrival on PC has been a welcome one, and we've very much embraced Kiryu and his pals as they brawl, date and dance their way through Kamurocho. With three Yakuza games out on Steam, Sega now considers it a multi-platform series, though it's not ready to make any firm announcements about future games.
Commandos 2 and Praetorians HD remasters announced
https://www.pcgamer.com/commandos-2-and-praetorians-hd-remasters-announced/
Commandos 2, one of the best strategy games of the early '00s, is getting the remaster treatment. The titular squad will once again be flung behind enemy lines during World War 2, tasked with sneaking into bases, airfields and occupied cities to slit throats, steal plans and play dress-up.
>> **Fingers crossed they give them away for free to the owners of the original games**
Bungie is 'absolutely' interested in Destiny 2 cross-play, but not for awhile yet
https://www.pcgamer.com/bungie-is-absolutely-interested-in-destiny-2-cross-play-but-not-for-awhile-yet/
Bungie confirmed in last week's big Shadowkeep announcement that cross-save—the ability to carry one player account across multiple platforms—is coming to Destiny 2. Yesterday, Destiny general manager Mark Noseworthy said that Bungie is also very interested in implementing cross-play—enabling people on different platforms to actually play together—but that's something for further down the road.
Jedi: Fallen Order won't let you dismember people with your lightsaber
https://www.pcgamer.com/jedi-fallen-order-wont-let-you-dismember-people-with-your-lightsaber/
Look, I get it. I might be a monster for loving that the original Star Wars Jedi Knight games let you occasionally hack the limbs off of enemies. It only happened rarely (unless you used cheats), but it was a gruesome reminder that even Jedi, for all their talk of control and peace, wield horrifically violent laser swords capable of doing catastrophic bodily harm. So I find it disappointing that Respawn's Jedi: Fallen Order is taking a decidedly PG-rated approach to combat.
Watch 20 minutes of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 gameplay
https://www.pcgamer.com/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-gameplay-footage-e3-2019/
"It looks messy, but in that sense it's a faithful sequel," PC Gamer editor Phil Savage told me after his 20 minute preview of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, which you can watch above.
The game is in pre-alpha, so everything may be subject to change (like those dance moves at the beginning, maybe), but what we got to see of Seattle looks promising in a few ways.
Cyberpunk 2077 art criticized as transphobic is meant to reflect corporate exploitation, says the artist
https://www.pcgamer.com/cyberpunk-2077-art-criticized-as-transphobic-is-meant-to-reflect-corporate-exploitation-says-the-artist/
Cyberpunk 2077 studio CD Projekt Red has responded to criticism of an ad in the game that features a possibly transgender model promoting a fictional drink "with 16 flavors you'd love to mix," under the words "Mix it up." The image was widely—but not universally—criticized as being transphobic. "It reeks of fetishism," one commenter said in a ResetEra thread.
>> There's always people that will complain about everything.
Get free Hearthstone card packs for watching the Masters Tour Las Vegas this weekend
https://www.pcgamer.com/get-free-hearthstone-card-packs-for-watching-the-masters-tour-las-vegas-this-weekend/
Blizzard is bringing back Twitch Drops for this weekend's Hearthstone Masters Tour Las Vegas event, and that means free cards for you. Watch three total (not consecutive) hours of Masters Tour Las Vegas action this weekend and you'll get a free Rise of Shadows card pack; watch six hours and you'll get two packs. And on top of that, Blizzard will also hand out Classic card packs to 1500 eligible viewers every hour during the event.
Todd Howard says his main regret about Fallout 76 is not having a free beta
https://www.pcgamer.com/todd-howard-says-his-main-regret-about-fallout-76-is-not-having-a-free-beta/
Speaking to GameSpot at E3, Bethesda's Todd Howard was asked if he had any regrets about how Bethesda communicated the idea of Fallout 76 to players before the game's launch back in November of 2018.
Gears Tactics is still in development, despite not appearing at E3 2019
https://www.pcgamer.com/gears-tactics-is-still-in-development-despite-not-appearing-at-e3-2019/
Never fear: Gears Tactics, the tactical Gears of War offshoot revealed at E3 2018, is still in development. While it wasn't shown during Microsoft's press conference earlier this week, Gears of War producer Rod Fergusson has confirmed the game hasn't been abandoned.
California is investigating Riot Games over gender discrimination
https://www.pcgamer.com/california-is-investigating-riot-games-over-gender-discrimination/
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing has been investigating allegations of gender discrimination, assault and harassment at League of Legends developer Riot Games. On Wednesday, the department announced it was filing an investigation enforcement suit against the developer to compel it to cooperate with the DFEH's investigation.
Half of Watch Dogs Legion's weapons are non-lethal
https://www.pcgamer.com/half-of-watch-dog-legions-weapons-are-non-lethal/
One of the weirdest parts of previous Watch Dogs games was how poorly it reconciled being a civilian-turned-hacker-hero who also was totally okay with casually murdering just about anyone. Watch Dogs 2 tried to rectify this by adding a paintball gun in a free update along with two non-lethal weapons added in a later paid DLC, but those options still left you with a limited arsenal. Thankfully, half of the weapons you can use in the upcoming Watch Dogs Legion will be non-lethal, according to its creator director.
There are no dogs in Watch Dogs Legion because Ubisoft didn't want sad, stray dogs everywhere
https://www.pcgamer.com/there-are-no-dogs-in-watch-dogs-legion-because-ubisoft-didnt-want-sad-stray-dogs-everywhere/
Despite the name possibly implying that there'd be thousands of them, there are no dogs in Watch Dogs Legion. That's because, according to creative director Clint Hocking, Ubisoft's programmers would then have to deal with what happens to the poor animals after you inevitably murder their owners.
Watch Dogs Legion's London setting was picked before the Brexit vote
https://www.pcgamer.com/watch-dogs-legion-settled-on-london-before-the-brexit-vote/
London seems like a good fit for Watch Dogs Legion's dystopian vision of the near future, especially now, when the whole country is divided, angry and exhausted. But it turns out that, while Brexit might have informed some of the story or decisions Ubisoft made about the game, the choice of location was made before Brexit was all we could talk about.
Starbase comes with its own programming language
https://www.pcgamer.com/starbase-comes-with-its-own-programming-language/
Starbase, the sandbox space MMO, is becoming more tantalising with every new feature trailer. The latest, introducing Starbase's programming language, YOLOL, is a bit intimidating, but all I want to do now is start experimenting. Check out the overview video above to see how it works.
Bloodroots is a wild mix of Hotline Miami and Samurai Jack
https://www.pcgamer.com/bloodroots-is-a-wild-mix-of-hotline-miami-and-samurai-jack/
Bloodroots feels incredible to play. A minute in and I'm laughing my arse off as I send murderous protagonist Mr. Wolf leaping around a village, ricocheting wagon wheels off surprised villains, firing myself out of cannons and battering baddies with fish. 15 minutes in and I'm convinced it's one of the best action games I've played this year.