talked about a few times, as this 34-in ultrawide QD-OLED manages to outperform almost everything else on the market – albeit with a four-figure price tag that also eclipses almost every alternative.Now though, this 3440×1440 165Hz gaming OLED has dropped in price by a sizeable 26% or £310. That brings the monitor well into three-figure territory at £880, still pricy but a reasonable value given that this Dell monitor is head and shoulders above its IPS, VA and TN opponents.
Coming to Switch Spring 2023.
Mooneaters, Untold Tales, and VARSAV Games have announced Everdream Valley, a brand new 3D farming sim that – in their words – is looking to be “your new favourite cosy farming game”.
Launching on the Switch in Spring 2023, the game sees you restore your special corner of the valley during the day, and take part in magical dreams at night that will let you embody various farmland creatures.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Xbox Wire can exclusively reveal one of Overwatch 2’s upcoming One-Punch Man collaboration skins – support hero Kiriko in the form of Terrible Tornado. The legendary skin comes as part of a wider collaboration between Overwatch 2 and One-Punch Man, which has already seen Doomfist revealed in a skin based on the eponymous superhero himself, Saitama.
The Legendary Terrible Tornado – Kiriko skin will arrive as part of a bundle, available for 2,100 coins in the Overwatch 2 in-game store. The bundle includes the legendary skin, the Terribly Impressive Victory Pose, and the Terrible Tornado namecard. The skin – and the rest of the One Punch Man collaboration – will be available from March 7 until April 6.
It’s the first major in-game collaboration for Overwatch since a LEGO-inspired Bastion skin in 2019, and I caught up with Art Director, Dion Rogers to find out how this unexpected partnership emerged:
“It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a while,” he begins. “You know, Overwatch’s art style is kind of a marriage of West-meets-East aesthetics and values – there’s a bit of an anime look to Overwatch. So, being fans of anime, we were looking for a partner to collaborate with. And we looked at various studios, and then when One-Punch Man came up, it was surprising how many people on the team knew the anime, they loved it, they watched it. Aaron Keller, our game director totally knows all the characters and things backwards and forwards.
“So it was pretty surprising. We felt like that’s a great one because the team would be very excited by this idea – because the team knew the anime so well, and they were so excited, it’s at that point that it really felt like the right fit.”
Rogers wasn’t wrong. He says that the collaboration was so popular in the studio that, on the very first team meeting about it, the character artist for the Saitama – Doomfist skin began drawing designs during the call, and was sharing them soon after. If you wanted some measure of how much the Overwatch team likes One Punch Man, consider the fact that Doomfist had a voice line referencing the show for years – “One punch is all I need” – before this crossover came together. “Yeah, we were inspired,” Rogers laughs when I ask about it.
So, what about Kiriko’s costume specifically? Terrible Tornado is an incredibly powerful psychic in the world of One-Punch Man, and comes with a distinct personality all of her own. What made Kiriko the right fit to put on her costume?
“Part of the challenge of bringing some of the heroes in is basically [because of] a silhouette change. So gameplay-wise, we have to be careful. Doomfist, for example: as Saitama he gains a cape. Doomfist, we never give him a cape, in any of the skins, so that his silhouette – the shape that players are used to seeing – remains. So we were very careful when we applied this.
“Kiriko – on top of needing some more skins, because she’s a newer hero in the game – she fits the silhouette of [Terrible Tornado] pretty well. So it just felt like a natural choice – we could do her hairstyle, but a lot of Kiriko’s base silhouette comes from her skirt, the little kind of angled parts on her clothing. So we could keep that look while capturing [Terrible Tornado] in kind of cosplay form.”
Rogers raises an interesting point about this collaboration – in most games, you’d kind of assume the heroes were meant to be a version of the One-Punch Man characters but, in Overwatch 2, they’re cosplaying as them.
“That’s our approach; that our heroes are basically aware of the anime and are fans too. And they’re cosplaying as the heroes. So when you see Doomfist wearing the Saitama outfit, he’s a fan too.”
It raises the question – is this a one-off, or could we see more cosplay-esque collaborations for Overwatch 2 in future?
“We definitely want to do more collaborations over time, but with the right opportunity [because] it took us a long time to reach here – hopefully it doesn’t take us as long for the next one. But our goal is to do more. It was super fun for the team. It’s surprising, I think our approach overlaps with Overwatch very well.”
“And what I like about the new game is it’s seasonal, we have the seasonal cadence of things now. It’ll allow us to pursue more things like this, because we have targeted seasons that we can plug these things into.”
I can’t let Rogers go without asking the obvious follow-up: what would his dream collaboration be once One Punch Man is done? “Oh yeah. Dragon Ball – that’s one of them. Actually, Street Fighter, I’d love to combo with Street Fighter at some point.” Here’s hoping one (or both!) happen one day soon.
Overwatch 2 is out now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. The Overwatch collaboration event, including the Legendary Terrible Tornado – Kiriko skin, will begin on March 7 and run until April 6.
Blizzard Entertainment
EVER EVOLVING HEROES, NEW MAPS, NEW WAYS TO PLAY AND UNIQUE COSMETICS! Lead the charge, ambush your enemies, or aid your allies as one of Overwatch’s distinct heroes. Take them into battle across 24 futuristic maps inspired by real-world locations, and master multiple unique game modes.
SEASON THREE IS NOW LIVE
New heroes, maps, and game modes will be added in seasonal updates every nine weeks. Drop into Season Three to explore new terrain in the newest map, ANTARCTICA, and over 20 tiers of completely free rewards on the Battle Pass. Purchase the Premium Battle Pass to unlock an additional 60 Tiers of cosmetic rewards including the all-new Mythic Kiriko skin, legendary skins, sprays, voice lines, weapon charms, and more!
A mobile phone number must be linked to your Battle.net Account to play Overwatch.
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Hello folks, I’m Ryan Bousfield, founder and director of Wolf & Wood Interactive, and I’m here today to announce that our upcoming game, The Last Worker will be launching on PlayStation 5 and on PS VR2 on March 30!
For people who may not be familiar with the game, let me give you a quick run-down. The Last Worker is a first-person narrative adventure we are creating with Jörg Tittel (writer, director) and Wired Productions (publisher) that balances light work simulation tasks with stealth gameplay and a deliciously dark and satirical story, performed by a star-studded cast (featuring the likes of Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Jason Isaacs, Clare-Hope Ashitey, David Hewlet, Zelda Williams, and Tommie Earl Jenkins).
You are Kurt, the very last human worker for Jüngle – the most profitable company in the world. Kurt is responsible for “delivering dreams” along with his co-bot assistant SKEW, navigating a huge distribution centre (larger than the sunken island of Manhattan) on a gravity defying pod, and then using your “Jünglegun” to retrieve, analyse and then tag products appropriately before dispatching or destroying them. Kurt is pretty happy with his lot, all things considered – that is until a contact from a shadowy organisation disrupts his day to day work and offers him the chance to peek below the surface of Jüngle and the dark secrets that built an empire…
The Last Worker will be playable in both traditional “flat mode” and PS VR2 compatible, with both versions of the game built independently to make the most of the strengths of each version of the game, and of course make the most of the unique features that PlayStation 5 and PS VR2 hardware brings to the table.
The Last Worker will be available as a PS5 and PSVR2 title, but you won’t need to pay for an upgrade, when you buy the game you receive both versions – and the save files and progress carry over between them. This means if you spend the morning fully immersed in the PS VR2 world of JFC-1, but want to quickly get a shift in later without putting on your headset, you can simply play on your TV.
The Last Worker features a gorgeous stylised world, that blends custom shading and art from concepts drawn by comic artist legend Mick Mcmahon (known for his work on 2000 AD characters such as Judge Dredd and Sláine) that have been lovingly adapted by our team hand drawing each and every pen stroke in 3D! This has led to a vibrant, colourful world that is brought to life in spectacular fashion with the PS VR2’s two 2000×2040 OLED screens.
Wolf & Wood have previously released PS VR titles, and understand the importance of audio in crafting a believable immersive world, this is no different for The Last Worker, with crisp 3D audio implementation allowing every explosion, piece of dialogue from the cast or track from the OST (Which was created by Olver Kraus, known for his collaborations with Adele, Sia, Florence and the Machine, and others) to come through crystal clear regardless of your position.
As Kurt’s story progresses, so does the selection of tools available to him, from using the Jünglegun as a makeshift hacking tool to a powerful EMP gun – each tool you’ll use to complete your day job (or perform espionage) includes unique feedback through use of the adaptive triggers and powerful haptic feedback – whether you’re labeling a package or flinging rats into the face of a pursuing security bot.
One of the PS VR2 features we’re most excited is the feedback on the headset itself – and for The Last Worker we’ve ensured that they are responsive to the action on screen as you soar around JFC-1 to put you right in the hotseat of Kurt’s Jünglepod. The impactful chaos of flying debris, gigantic robots, and explosions are all simulated for the player with optional headset haptics.
We can’t wait for you to experience all this and more – no matter how you choose to play The Last Worker, you’ll become immersed in exploring the dark underbelly of Jüngle and the important story shared by Kurt. Until then, keep your eyes peeled on the Wired Productions and The Last Worker social accounts for more information, and we’ll look forward to your induction day on March 30.
2023 might finally be the year where 2TB PS5 SSDs might actually be worth the upgrade. Last year, prices for 1TB PS5 SSDs averaged around $150, whereas 2TB SSDs hovered closer to $300. This year, we’re seeing 1TB SSDs trickle below the $100 price point and 2TB SSDs are under $200. The reason PS5 SSD upgrades are pricey is that you can’t use any old SSD and expect it to perform well on the PS5 console. You’ll want to pick up an PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid state drive with a rated 5,500MB/s read speed to match the PS5’s internal drive. That means, for better or for worse, picking a top-shelf SSD.
Note that Sony recommends a heatsink attached to your SSD. Not all SSDs listed here have pre-installed heatsinks. For the ones that do, we’ll be sure to mention it. For the ones that don’t, all you have to do is purchase your own heatsink (we recommend this one for $10) and install it yourself. It’s very easy.
Constantly going in and out of stock
Crucial’s newest M.2 SSD meets all the requirements for your PS5 SSD upgrade. It supports transfer speeds of up to 6,660MB/s which is well above the 5,500MB/s minimum threshold. Yes there are faster SSDs out there, but if your intention is to put this in your PS5, then that extra speed is worthless because you’re bottlenecked by the original PS5 SSD. If you’re worried about opening up your PS5 case, don’t worry it’s very easy. Crucial has an official YouTube PS5 SSD install guide to see you through the process.
Amazon is offering a 2TB WD Black SN850X with preinstalled heatsink for only $179.99. The SN850X is the successor to the SN850 SSD. It has newer flash chips (BiCS5 vs BiCS4) and an updated firmware, which combined offer improved sequential and random read/write speeds. For PC gamers, there’s also an updated Game Mode 2.0 utility that’s designed to tune the SSD for better performance during gaming sessions.
Corsair is a very well known brand for DIY PC builders. Corsair makes some of the best gaming products on the market, and that includes solid-state memory like RAM and SSDs. The MP600 Pro is the same super-fast M.2 NVMe PCIe x4 Gen4 SSD that’s marketed for enthusiast gaming PC builds. This one is “optimized for PS5” because it includes a rugged preinstalled heatsink that is slim enough to fit in the PS5 bay without any issues. Performance wise, the MP600 Pro matches the best SSDs out there with its 7,100MB/sec sequential read and 6,800MB/sec sequential write speeds.
Amazon is offering the Patriot Viper VP4300 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 x 4 Internal Gaming Solid State Drive, which is compatible with the PS5 console, for only $149.99. This makes it definitely the lowest price we’ve seen for a brand name 2TB PS5 SSD, especially since this one even includes a slim aluminum heatshield. The VP4300 is an M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 x4 solid state drive with rated transfer speeds of 7,400MB/s read and 6,800MB/s write. That makes it well above the PS5’s recommended 5,600MB/s speed requirement.
Samsung SSDs need no introduction. They’ve made some of the most popular and reliable PS5 SSDs on the market. The 980 Pro has been out for a while now, but it’s still one of Samsung’s fastest M.2 PCIe SSD, with only the newly released 990 Pro being faster. It is fully PS5 compatible in terms of form factor and performance, with blistering speeds of up to 7,100MB/s. It goes toe to toe with other well-known options like the WD Black SN850 and the Seagate Firecuda 530.
There may be other SSD deals out there, but these are the PS5 SSDs we’ve tried ourselves and highly recommend. They also double up as outstanding boot drives for your gaming PC, in case you don’t need additional storage for your PS5 console.
It’s extremely easy! Removing the case cover is completely toolless. In fact, the only screw you have to remove is the one that keeps the cover for the SSD bay in place. You don’t even put it back when you’re done. Sony has a quick and easy YouTube video guide.
Sony recommends you install an SSD that has an attached heatsink. If the SSD you purchase doesn’t include one, it’s simple enough to buy one for about $10 on Amazon and add it yourself. Most of these heatsinks are just attached using an adhesive like thermal tape.
For more deals, take a look at our daily deals for today.
Age Of Wonders: Planetfall three-odd years ago, developers Triumph are now returning to their fantastical 4X strategy roots with Age Of Wonders 4, due out on PC in just a couple of months on May 2nd – and what a homecoming it’s shaping up to be. I’ve spent the better part of a week and half playing an early build of AOW 4, getting to grips with its enormous array of customizable factions and hero types in its generous crop of single-player realm maps.There’s a heck of a lot to get through, but rest assured: this is Age Of Wonders through and through – and thanks to the addition of those new, customizable factions, it’s also the most RPG-like entry yet, which is good news for budding D&D-ers looking for a grand, 4X strategy game to sink their teeth into. Heck, I’d even go as far as saying it could be one of this year’s biggest and most exciting fantasy games outside of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Fresh off of winning “Best Mobile Game of the Year” at the 2022 Game Awards, publisher Nuverse is ready to share their next project, Dragonheir: Silent Gods. Not looking to slow down, Nuverse continues to work with leading developer teams dedicated to making fun and immersive games for us all to get lost in. This time, instead of superheroes and villains battling it out in a strategic card game, we’ll head to a rich fantasy world in need of adventurers like you. The latest title is developed by SGRA Studio, a newly-formed team of industry veterans inviting us into the world of Adenthia, an enchanting land filled with dwarves, orcs, death knights, dark elves, sorcerers, and more.
Dragonheir: Silent Gods is an online fantasy multiplayer RPG that launches players into the center of an ancient conflict spearheaded by the Three-Headed Dragon Queen. Players assume the role of the chosen one and assemble a team of heroes with complimentary power sets and abilities for an open-world RPG adventure across multiple planes and dimensions. There are four classes to choose from in creating your character type, soldier, thief, sage and entertainer. Each will have its strengths within six attributes such as strength, charisma, wisdom, and dexterity.
A wide array of activities and pursuits await in the open world of Dragonheir: Silent Gods – hunt for treasure, solve intricate puzzles, join a drinking contest or a cooking competition, and shape your hero’s story in any way you want.
Players won’t take on this adventure alone. The world of Adenthia has over 200 heroes with unique abilities and attributes just waiting to join the fight against the darkness gripping the land. You can also take on the bigger challenges alongside your friends and comrades in a cooperative PvE mode in which players can team up to slay the most formidable enemies and forge their glory together. The different build options also mean endless possibilities to customize your party members to ensure your crew stands out. Your unique set of strengths will also play a key role in recruiting some of them to join your party.
Fans of strategic combat will love the unique blend of chess-like strategy, different character abilities, and a stroke of luck while rolling the dice to see who fortune favors this round. While turn-based combat is fast-paced emphasizing proper character placement, knowing how your characters can take advantage of different terrains is pivotal in deciding who emerges victorious.
In December, we wrote about how Dragonheir: Silent Gods is looking to capture the fun of tabletop classics. Between Dragonheir: Silent God’s modern graphics engine and their involvement with Nuverse, the game continues to add to the promise and anticipation ahead of release.
SGRA and Nuverse have a busy schedule and a full slate of post-launch seasonal content that introduces new quests, characters, and dimensions along the way. Doing so encourages players to experience something new each time they log in all the while expanding the world-building and adding to the adventure.
Dragonheir: Silent Gods is set to release in the second half of 2023 so PC, iOS, and Android players can look forward to slaying dragons and saving the world together very soon. Stay tuned for more updates and ensure you’re ready when it’s time to step up as the chosen one.
To track the progress, check out the official Dragonheir website as well as their socials on YouTube, Discord, and Facebook!
Electronic Wireless Show podcast. This week we return to a subject we’ve touched on before, but in more detail. With EA asking if people would like remakes of Dead Spaces 2 and 3, and The Outer Worlds getting a remastered Spacer’s Choice Edition, we’re having a big old thinkeroo about remakes and remasters – including which games we’d most like to see remade.Resident Evil 4 Remake is just a few weeks away but IGN got one more look at the highly-anticipated survival horror game ahead of the launch, with plenty of enticing new details to pore over. While we would have preferred to actually play the game, especially since it’s so close to release, instead we were shown just under 20 minutes of new Resident Evil 4 Remake footage. However, it gave us enough of a look to spot some of what we think will be the biggest changes coming to the horror classic.
Parrying
In an interview with IGN about how the development team figured out what new gameplay mechanics to add to Resident Evil 4 Remake, director Yasuhiro Ampo said, “when looking into making the remake, the team didn’t want to disturb the main mechanics that the original game had. However, when looking into the game, they looked into what they could add on top of what was already there, what was already good, and making everything even better.”
To highlight this philosophy, Ampo specifically cited knife combat, which is enhanced from the original. In the original Resident Evil 4, Leon would use the knife as a last resort; in the Remake, Leon is able to parry attacks, making the knife not only a viable weapon but a necessary one, especially if you’re running low on health.
Parrying enemy attacks transforms the knife from a last-ditch tool and glorified wooden crate opener into a defensive tool where you’re able to keep yourself alive just a little bit longer, so long as you have the dexterity to block incoming attacks.
New Finishing Moves
Similar to the parrying skill, you can also use knives as finishing attacks when enemies are on the ground. In one particularly striking scene from the footage we previewed, Leon was able to approach an enemy on the ground and slit their throat.
It’s a particularly brutal sequence, but one that points to how Resident Evil 4 Remake will maintain an equal balance of horror and action. In our interview, Ampo said the team was “highly focused on creating a really balanced game with both horror and action.”
Side Quests
In previous interviews, the Resident Evil 4 Remake team said the game will be somewhat bigger than the original. While that suddenly won’t turn Resident Evil 4 into an open-world game, there appears to be some optional side quests Leon can complete through mysterious blue parchments.
In one scene, Leon picks up a blue piece of paper asking him to bring them a rare gold chicken egg. Completing this side mission rewards Leon with three Spinels he can later sell to the Merchant for some cash.
Customization Options
Leon’s best friend is an attache case that houses all of his gear. Not only is the case back in the Remake, but players are able to customize the attache case with different colors and can even add little charms to personalize the case. In the preview video we watched, Leon is able to add a little chicken charm to the corner of his case. And as a bonus, organizing your gear in the attache case’s grid system still looks incredibly satisfying.
Revamped Ashley
Your mission in Resident Evil 4 is to rescue Ashley Graham, the daughter of the President of the United States. Spoiler alert, you find Ashley partway through the game, but that doesn’t mean your mission is over just yet. Ashley follows Leon around and it’s up to the player to keep her safe from enemies while trying to escape this hostile village.
Ashley has new abilities this time around, like being able to unlock doors. Leon is also able to direct Ashley to either stay close behind him or hang back a bit while he takes care of some enemies.
She also sports a new look in the Remake, something Capcom producer Yoshiaki Harabayashi says was meant to remedy something from the original game. In our interview he said, “So looking into the environment that she is in and looking into the season that the game is taking place in, it was taking place in a very cold area in Europe, and in that way, she was a bit underdressed for the weather, so to speak. So the team decided to add a jacket that suited her.”
New Weapons
Fans may have already spotted this in some of the new trailers, but Resident Evil 4 Remake will feature at least one new weapon: the Bolt Thrower. These are explosive mines attached to silent bolts that can not only take care of tough enemies from afar but they’re delivered in a silent way, making them almost like a stealth weapon (at least until they explode).
Stealth
This brings us to another point: stealth. The developers confirmed in our interview that Leon will be able to use stealth to get past enemies in the Remake. Not only can Leon crouch, but if you’re careful enough, you can get past enemies by silently dispatching them with the knife, or create distractions from a distance using the bolt thrower.
The new stealth mechanics are particularly handy when fighting the Garrador, which rely on sound to track down Leon’s location.
Different Boss Fights
Our preview ended with a glimpse of the fight against Leon’s old teammate Jack Krauser. While the fight was originally a QTE event in the original game, the boss fight is now fully playable with Leon using his improved knife to go toe-to-toe with Krauser.
Capcom confirmed to IGN there will be no “cutscene-based QTEs in the Remake,” however, there are times during combat when players will have to mash a button in order to escape. So there are still button prompts like that in the Remake.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s Senior Features Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.
Sifu has put a date on its upcoming Arenas expansion and Steam release: March 28th. We’ve known about the free update since last April’s roadmap, but developer Sloclap have finally released a trailer detailing the new modes in the expansion. All very exciting stuff for fans of the kickpunching adventure, although, if you’re my kind of nerd, you likely got a kick out of all the film references in the trailer.
