This week, inspired by Doom running on teletext, the Electronic Wireless Show podcast investigates: what other devices, mechanisms, or live animals can join the immortal shooter’s vast empire of unlikely ports? Despite not even being on the show this week, Alice Bee tasks us with finding the best, worst, or weirdest cases of Can It Run Doom from across the internet. And, sometimes, inside Nate’s mind.
We also discuss what we’ve been playing this week, with a double bill of disappointment in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum and Darkest Dungeon 2, before Nate transforms the Tower of Jocularity into a marketplace of Dark Bargains. Capitalised for terrible, terrible emphasis.
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Destiny 2.
Destiny 2 has teased the return of a major character in its upcoming expansion, The Final Shape.
A new teaser trailer (above) for the game’s upcoming expansion has unveiled the return of a fan-favorite character who hasn’t been seen in quite a while.
Cayde-6 (voiced by Nathan Fillion) will be back in The Final Shape, Destiny 2’s next expansion which follows on from the recent Lightfall expansion.
In the video, he’s seen conversing with Ikora Rey, one of his fellow Guardians, and one of the three original class Vanguards. But quite how he’s back remains a bit of a mystery… and it might not be a permanent thing.
“I wish you could have been there,” says Ikora as she recounts some of the events that have passed during Cayde’s absence. “I’m here now,” he responds. “Wherever here is.”
Cayde-6 was dramatically killed off in the earlier Destiny 2 expansion, Forsaken where the iconic Hunter Vanguard was brutally murdered by Uldren Sov after his ghost was destroyed by the Scorn.
IGN’s Destiny 2 review gave it 8/10 and said: “Destiny 2 is a blast out of the gate thanks to its excellent co-op shooter gameplay and strong storytelling in the campaign. Not all the features I’d expected to find are here, but it does deliver the same kind of highly social gameplay and rewarding, loot-driven progression that helped the original keep me hooked for hundreds of hours.”
The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it’s bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!
Switch eShop – Highlights
MAQUETTE(Annapurna Interactive, 25th May) – MAQUETTE is a first-person recursive puzzle game that takes you into a world where every building, plant and object are simultaneously tiny and staggeringly huge. Head to the center of the world and you’ll feel like a giant, towering over buildings and walls. But venture further out and start to feel small as things get larger and larger – to the point where cracks in the ground become chasms! In MAQUETTE you will explore the scales of everyday problems in a modern-day love story, where sometimes the smallest of issues can become insurmountable obstacles. Solve the puzzle today on Nintendo Switch!
I’m a sucker for any game with a gorgeous art style, so guess which announcement caught my eye at last night’s PlayStation Showcase. Neva is a new puzzle platformer from the creators of Gris that tells the story of a red-capped swordswoman named Alba and her faithful wolf pup as they “embark on a perilous journey through a once beautiful world as it slowly decays around them.” That’s not much to go on, but feast your eyes on the stunning animated trailer below. It’s a looker.
Hi, I’m Romain Clavier, Game Director at Tindalos Interactive, the studio developing Aliens: Dark Descent, a strategic real time squad-based tactical action game with rich management systems and twisted horrors. On June 20 you’ll be able to witness the Xenomorphs stalk their prey in a contemporary strategy game. But before you descend into the darkness, I want to use this blog post to shed some light on how our development team fused terror and tactics for Aliens: Dark Descent’s intense, lo-fi world.
First, let’s look at the horror elements of Aliens: Dark Descent. As the title suggests, the game is set in the Alienuniverse, more specifically tinted towards James Cameron’s action-based take on Aliens (1986) where players take on the role of a group of colonial marines trying to escape from a colony overrun by the titular aliens. From the very beginning, we worked hard to establish a tense and foreboding atmosphere; there are cryptically dim corridors, flickering fluorescent lights, and the constant threat of a Xenomorph attack, but what really changed Aliens: Dark Descent for the better was when we implemented our unique fog of war mechanic, where areas of the map are hidden to create dread and let players’ imagination run wild. This means that you must carefully plan your routes and movements at every turn, taking into account the risk of running into a Xenomorph or other unknown dangers.
Developing the Xenomorphs was one of the most rewarding challenges, as we want them to hit the same level of ruthlessness they’re famous for on film. Our goal is to have players drown in the tension from the potential of a ferocious ambush of a conniving pack of Xenomorphs. That said, we wanted to avoid having swarms of Xenomorphs in a way that would dull their individual significance so we opted to give the game’s enemies cunning strategic impulses to plan maneuvers on the fly, flank squads, and quickly retreat to gather more numbers.
Sound design is also crucial in eliciting that primal dread; we made sure to add the subtle hums of the tattered tech and eerie chirps of the creatures’ hissing and scurrying as you lead your crew on a variety of crucial missions.
But Aliens: Dark Descent isn’t all suspense and dismay – it also requires strategic thinking and planning to succeed. Players must manage their resources carefully, gathering supplies and weapons while avoiding detection by the Aliens and other enemies.
While the constant threat of a Xenomorph attack creates a sense of urgency and danger, the strategic gameplay elements add depth and complexity to how players must react. Our stress mechanic is a ticking time-bomb acting as a constant reminder of how things can go wrong if distraught marines are left uncared for in this hostile environment. Permadeath will be the unfortunate reality for the most unlucky marines, making each mistake have a lasting impact; and the more the marines have progressed, the more heart-wrenching losing them will be. Players must constantly adapt and change their tactics to stay one step ahead of the Aliens, making each playthrough personal and exciting. My personal favorite feature is the slowdown mechanic, as it forces players into inescapable situations where they must make a split-second reaction while the clock ticks away.
With Aliens: Dark Descent I can confidently say we have crafted a persistent air of terror while still allowing everyone to explore the secrets of Lethe; so we’ve added a plethora of accessibility options, lower difficulty levels for players who want to focus on the story, and the option to turn slowdown mode into a full pause so you can approach Aliens: Dark Descent your way.
As a long-time fan of the Alien universe, it’s been a joy and an honor working on this game with the rest of the team at Tindalos Interactive, Focus Entertainment and 20th Century Games . We’ve pushed ourselves and overcome challenges to make Aliens: Dark Descentan unforgettable blend of suspense and strategy. I’m excited to see how our tense world keeps players on the edge of their seats.
Aliens: Dark Descent slithers onto PS5 and PS4 June 20.
“The Delta symbol (Δ) was chosen because its meaning fits the concept of the remake project,” read a tweet from the official Metal Gear twitter account. “Delta means ‘change’ or ‘difference’ without changing structure.”
Delta is a symbol taken from the Greek alphabet, which is often used in the modern era to denote a state of change, chiefly in scientific fields. For example a lowercase version of the symbol can denote an alteration in molecular chemistry, while the change in velocity of a space rocket is measured in delta v (Δv).
The Delta symbol (Δ) was chosen because its meaning fits the concept of the remake project.
We don’t yet know exactly what form these changes will take, but Konami has promised that the remake will boast “unprecedented graphics” and “immersive sound”, and that it will feature evolved gameplay with “a seamless user experience”.
The company has also told fans that the remake — which has yet to be given a release date — will represent a “faithful recreation” of Kojima’s 2004 original in terms of story and game design.
Xbox also took to Twitter earlier today to highlight the fact that Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater will also be coming to Xbox Series X|S consoles, along with a number of other titles revealed during the PlayStation showcase. The title will also be coming to PC.
PlayStation also revealed the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 at yesterday’s event, which will make the first three games of the franchise available to play on PS5 when it drops in August this year.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
My happiness comes at a small price: give me a paraglider that I can whip out at any second and a strangely beautiful open world, and there you go, I’m a happy bunny. It’s the Zelda formula. Or the Tchia formula. Or the Just Cause formula. Either way, it’s good fun. That’s why Towers Of Aghasba caught my eye when it debuted a stunning trailer at last night’s PlayStation Showcase, offering a glimpse at an alien open world and some settlement-building.
Sony may have revealed a ton of games including Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake at its PlayStation Showcase but Microsoft has taken to Twitter to make clear that a dozen of them are also coming to Xbox.
A tweet from the official Xbox account (below) didn’t mince words. “Coming to Xbox” lit up one side of the image while 12 games lit up the other, including Immortals of Aveum, Ghostrunner 2, Marathon, Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Alan Wake 2, The Plucky Squire, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Neva, Cat Quest 2, and The Talos Principle 2.
“What a good looking group”, the tweet added. There was some confusion for those watching along with the Showcase as it wasn’t immediately obvious which games would be exclusive to the PlayStation 5 and which were multiplatform.
If you loved Journey‘s shimmering deserts and fluid sand-surfing, then let me draw your attention to the newly announced Sword Of The Sea. Revealed during Sony’s PlayStation Showcase, Sword Of The Sea comes from Giant Squid Studio, the folks behind 2016’s Abzû and 2020’s The Pathless, and sees you play as The Wraith, a lone explorer on a quest to restore submerged cities that have been buried beneath a sea of golden dunes. You’re able to slickly travel across the sandy terrain thanks to a rad-as-heck hoversword, a traversal tool that’s described on the PlayStation blog as a “snowboard, skateboard, and hoverboard all in one.” You can witness some major sand-shredding and see what else Sword Of The Sea has in store by watching the lavish announcement trailer below.
I see a game that looks anything remotely Soulslikey and I perk up, it’s like a fight or flight response only I’m not fighting or flying, I’m just staring at a video game trailer in some sweatpants with my fingers curled into a Cadbury’s Milk Tray. Hence why Phantom Blade Zero has perked me up to no end, as it’s an action RPG announced at last night’s PlayStation Showcase which marries Chinese martial arts with a steampunk aesthetic. I’m on board, if cautious! The action seems rad, but it’s so fast, it’s hard to tell how it actually plays.
