Thursday news, part two:
Hades 2 has a mean surprise tucked away in one of its boss battles—a sucker punch that shows Supergiant isn't afraid to go all Psycho Mantis on you
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/hades-2-has-a-mean-surprise-tucked-away-in-one-of-its-boss-battlesa-sucker-punch-that-shows-supergiant-isnt-afraid-to-go-all-psycho-mantis-on-you/
I rarely do this, but I'm just going to open up by saying that this article contains major spoilers for Hades 2's early access. We're talking (current) end-game stuff. It's also genuinely the funniest thing I've seen out of a Supergiant game period.
Tekken 8's newest cash shop skin commits the cardinal sin of forgetting Lili's skirt lace, Harada reassures fans he'll 'request a fix from the costume team' for his wrongdoings
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/tekken-8s-newest-cash-shop-skin-commits-the-cardinal-sin-of-forgetting-lilis-skirt-lace-harada-reassures-fans-hell-request-a-fix-from-the-costume-team-for-his-wrongdoings/
Tekken 8's cash shop has been pretty heavily lambasted since its introduction back in March. The game's Steam rating has tanked to a paltry 37% recent score, and microtransactions have become a main point of criticism among its playerbase. Bandai Namco has been on thin ice as a result, but now it may have committed the biggest transgression of all.
The latest costume to hit the cash shop is the default Tekken 5 fit for Lili, a character who has a very loyal and devoted fanbase. It's a great look for Lili, except the Tekken 8 version is missing some mighty important details. As Cielomon helpfully points out on Twitter, the costume is missing "the red part on the wrists" of her gloves, as well as "the lace of her skirt".
Fortnite bans Yoda for turning into green spaghetti, crashing your game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/fortnite-bans-yoda-for-turning-into-green-spaghetti-crashing-your-game/
Yoda is many things—a Jedi master and a master of the Ataru lightsaber form. A wise sage, who counselled the legendary Luke Skywalker in the ways of the force. He's also available in Fortnite as a cosmetic, replete with a little backpack to make sure he doesn't topple out, bless him.
He has also been banished to a digital Fortnite purgatory for crimes against game engines, a most severe offence by any metric. Banned from Fortnite, (...)
As highlighted by a one iFireMonkey on Twitter, Yoda has been sent to the dungeon because—and you might want to prepare your brain for this sentence—"if you do the Zoidberg Scuttle emote while wearing the Yoda backbling, there is a high chance that you will crash your game."
Legendary creator Shinji Mikami has one word for Microsoft shutting down the studio he founded: 'Sad'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/shinji-mikami-one-of-the-greatest-game-creators-ever-has-one-word-for-microsoft-shutting-down-the-studio-he-founded-sad/
(...)
Barring a documentary a few years ago, Mikami tends to keep himself to himself, and this pronouncement isn't exactly verbose:
"Tango closed," said Mikami. "Sad."
EA studios 'hunger' to start using generative AI 'as quickly as possible,' says CEO
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/ea-studios-hunger-to-start-using-generative-ai-as-quickly-as-possible-says-ceo/
A month ago we reported that EA CEO Andrew Wilson is champing at the bit to increase the efficiency of EA's studios using generative AI tools, and he returned to the topic this week on a call with investors, saying that EA's developers themselves have a "hunger" to put AI to work on their projects.
Helldivers 2 CEO is worried it's 'too soon' after the PSN fiasco to release a $10 warbond, so he's letting players vote on a delay
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-ceo-is-worried-its-too-soon-after-the-psn-fiasco-to-release-a-dollar10-warbond-so-hes-letting-players-vote-on-a-delay/
Temperatures have chilled in the Helldivers 2 barracks since this weekend's PSN account linking meltdown that saw an influx of 200,000+ negative reviews on the best-selling game of the year.
Sony backed down from its unpopular decision, and Helldivers 2's Steam rating is steadily recovering, but Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt is worried about opening up fresh wounds by going through with tomorrow's scheduled release of the Polar Patriots premium warbond, a $10 DLC pack that adds three new armor sets, guns, and other cosmetics to the game. The most democratic course of action, the CEO figures, is putting it to a vote.
Arrowhead CEO says Helldivers 2 balancing patches have 'gone too far' recently: 'It feels like every time someone finds something fun, the fun is removed'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arrowhead-ceo-says-helldivers-2-balancing-patches-have-gone-too-far-recently-it-feels-like-every-time-someone-finds-something-fun-the-fun-is-removed/
I don't envy the folks at Arrowhead charged with balancing Helldivers 2 guns fans have grown attached to. Arrowhead has rolled out a handful of sweeping balance patches in the game's first few months, all of which I believe made the game better by both buffing guns with untapped potential and, less often, nerfing a weapon that's dominant to the point of being boring.
But there's an argument to be made that balancing shouldn't be taken so seriously in a purely PvE shooter like Helldivers 2, and that it's ok if one gun is dealing more damage than the rest. Replying to a player on Twitter who said recent patches have made the game "unplayable," Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt conceded that he's not satisfied with his studio's current balancing approach.
>> He also revealed that helmets were going t o have HUD elements.
Elite Dangerous gets its own kick in the Steam ratings shin over real money ship sales
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/elite-dangerous-gets-its-own-kick-in-the-steam-ratings-shin-over-real-money-ship-sales/
(...)
The recent reviews for space sim Elite Dangerous are sitting at a "Mixed" rating as some players express disappointment over new offers in the game's store.
The latest update for the nearly decade-old Milky Way simulation adds a new ship, the Python Mk II, but only for those willing to spend at least 16,250 ARX, a currency that can be earned in-game (but with a 400 ARX per week maximum) or purchased with real money. The ship won't be available for the non-purchasable in-game currency, called credits, until August 7.
Immersive sim bugs are the best kind of bug: Shadow of Doubt's snipers are leaving behind thousands of spent bullet casings as they fail to hit their targets
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/immersive-sim-bugs-are-the-best-kind-of-bug-shadow-of-doubts-snipers-are-leaving-behind-thousands-of-spent-bullet-casings-as-they-fail-to-hit-their-targets/
Being a lone gunman is harder than it looks, and no one knows that better than the luckless snipers of Shadows of Doubt. Turns out the game's sharpshooter assassins—added last month—aren't so sharp after all. They're trapped in a loop of missing their targets, leaving behind literal mountains of spent bullet casings as they try and fail to pull off headshots (via RPS).
The problem was pointed out by the devs in a recent update on Steam. "Reports of Sharpshooter Assassins missing their intended targets have been circulating around the city," goes the post, "leaving piles of shell casings everywhere. The department is currently seeking a fix for these less than accurate shooters."
Someone's nuked Phil Spencer in Fallout 76
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/someones-nuked-phil-spencer-in-fallout-76/
After a week of Microsoft shutting down much-loved game studios like The Evil Within and Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, as well as Arkane Austin, best known for Prey and Dishonored, one player decided to take justice into their own hands. They got one over on Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer (P3) by nuking his camp in Fallout 76.
The act of vengeance was first spotted by a Fallout 76 player on Twitter early this morning, who posted a picture of their server's map which shows a massive red circle around P3's camp. The apparent culprit then replied to the post with a video of him walking around P3's camp surrounded by a nuclear red mist, a screenshot of him encountering P3 in the wild, and a caption that just read "guilty".
Nightdive's next game, about a chef in space who battles aliens with a frying pan, is coming next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/nightdives-next-game-about-a-chef-in-space-who-battles-aliens-with-a-frying-pan-is-coming-next-week/
Nightdive Studios announced today that PO'ed: Definitive Edition, its next back-from-the-dead project, is set to launch on May 16 for both PC and consoles.
PO'ed was originally released in 1995 for the 3DO, and made its way to the PlayStation the following year. It follows the adventures of a chef-in-space who, after crash-landing on a hostile planet, battles hordes of aliens using various kitchen implements and, eventually, alien weaponry.
As cuts and closures batter the industry, Capcom posts its 7th consecutive year of record-high profits and says the 8th is just around the corner
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/as-cuts-and-closures-batter-the-industry-capcom-posts-its-7th-consecutive-year-of-record-high-profits-and-says-the-8th-is-just-around-the-corner/
It must be nice being Capcom. At a time when most of the games industry is in a historic bout of brutal layoffs, studio closures, and other assorted cost-cutting measures that mysteriously seem to never touch the C-suite, the Resident Evil and Street Fighter maker is raising salaries and, now, posting its seventh consecutive year of record profits and 11th consecutive year of operating profit growth.
'We need smaller games,' says Xbox's Matt Booty, right after Microsoft shut down the studio that made Hi-Fi Rush—and was reportedly about to pitch a sequel
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/we-need-smaller-games-says-xboxs-matt-booty-right-after-microsoft-shut-down-the-studio-that-made-hi-fi-rushand-was-reportedly-about-to-pitch-a-sequel/
This one's a head-scratcher. Less than a day after shutting down both Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks—the latter of which created Hi-Fi Rush—Microsoft's Matt Booty held a town hall wherein he proclaimed: "We need smaller games that give us prestige and awards."
