PlayStation's Next State Of Play Announced

Sony has announced the new State Of Play for July 8th that will feature 9 minutes of gameplay for Deathloop as well as some info for upcoming Indie titles.

The Deathloop gameplay will apparently feature one of the main characters Cole showcasing his abilities in both stealth moments and all-out guns-blazing combat. The show will also show updates on some exciting indie and third-party games which kinda feels like a reaction to the recent discussion around PlayStation's lack of support of indie game developers and the PlayStation storefront.

They also confirmed some games and hardware that won't be at the showcase which go as followed:

the next God of War

Horizon Forbidden West

next generation of PlayStation VR

I don't understand why PlayStation isn't showing what we'll have to play this year on PS5, the obvious conclusion is that they don't have anything. Most of the gaming companies have seemingly revealed there hand of what's coming this year and EA is planning to over the course of the next month. But PlayStation, one of the biggest platforms in the space hasn't shown anything, i really hope they have something but if your a PlayStation player i wouldn't get your hopes up.

If you wanna check out the 30-minute show, it will kick off at 2 pm Pacific / 5 pm Eastern / 11 pm CEST and will be viewable on both Twitch and YouTube.

Saints Row: The Third Remastered Getting Xbox Series X|S And PS5 Upgrades

Saints Row: The Third Remastered will be coming to Xbox Series X | S and PlayStation 5 on May 25. The new next-generation version will be free to all current owners of the game and will equal the ultra settings on PC.

Some of the Improvements coming to the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 version include a framerate boost to 60 FPS and dynamic 4K resolution, with Xbox Series X players being able to choose between Performance mode that will run 60 FPS at 1080p or beauty which runs 30FPS at 4K. The new version will get faster load times thanks to the SSD. Lastly, the most important update is the PS5 DualSense controller will glow in the signature Saints Purple.

Look Saints Row: The Third Remastered is great and all but I've personally played this game to completion around three times, hopefully, we'll get that Saints Row 5 announcement soon as I'm starting to lose hope.

Skull & Bones Is Delayed Into 2022-2023

During Ubisoft most recent earnings results last night, the publisher revealed that "Skull & Bones will now be released in 2022-2023" with the chief financial officer Frederick Duget elaborating on it further by saying: "We strongly believe in the team’s creative vision and they have been given an increasingly ambitious mandate for the game. Production led by [Ubisoft] Singapore has been advancing well over the past 12 months and the promise is better than ever. The additional time will allow the team to fully deliver on its vision."

on a positive note, Ubisoft seems to still be confident in the project, with CEO Yves Guilletmot saying: "What we have been doing to make sure they could really come strongly with Skull & Bones is we increased the associate studios that are working with them at the moment so there’s a good and big team now working on the game and the last 12 months have really been good in terms of the way things were coming along, so we are confident they can really bring something really exceptional for the market."

As someone who found the pirating aspect of Assassin's Creed Black Flag the worst part of the game, I'm personally not really interested in the game but it makes sense to continue development, especially after the success of Sea of Thieves. It shows there is a demand for this type of game, it's just not my cup of tea.

The Yakuza Series will continue to be a turn-based RPG for the forseeable future

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has seemingly confirmed that the Yakuza games will continue to use the turn-based RPG mechanics from Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

in an interview with IGN, Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa confirmed the change would be permanent, saying: "The Yakuza series has been transformed into a turn-based RPG. On the other hand, over the years, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has accumulated resources and know-how of making flashy and exhilarating action games that are effortless to enjoy. We decided that we should let our signature action gameplay live on through Lost Judgment"

I personally welcome the change and I feel it fits better with the themes of the Yakuza series. Yakuza Like A Dragon was a breath of fresh air that showed that you don't need a single overpowered protagonist to steer the ship of the story but more so it can be a joint effort. That's can only be a good thing as RGG Studio makes some of the most compelling characters in games to date. That and they can do wacky stuff like Majima running down the side of a skyscraper for a special attack.

Lost Judgment Announced By SEGA

Ryu Ga Gotaku Studio has announced a sequel to Yakuza spin-off Judgment in the form of Lost Judgment coming in September.

The game will follow the main character from the first game detective Takayuki Yagami as he is thrown into a new murder investigation that begins on the streets of Kamarocho but will eventually take him to the Ijincho distrct of Yokohama. (the location of Yakuza Like Dragon)

Players will have to search for clues, chase down criminals and deliver the delicious dish of justice in the form of Tak's Fist.

Investigations return with the usual tailing, chasing and cross-examining suspects, however, Tak gets some additional tricks that include new stealth moves, wiretapping, and acrobatic skills.

On the punching side of things, Tak has gained a brand new fighting style in the form of the Snake, where it's described as using the foes moves against them. Crane and Tiger style also both return but let's be real, we're all gonna use the new fighting style.

In regards to the story, players will go undercover at a local high school, and it looks to be where you'll get to experience the side missions which have formerly been renamed in Lost Judgment to School Stories. They will apparently be just as wacky as prior games with mini-games that range from dancing to controlling battle robots.

Lost Judgment will be launching globally on September 24, 2021, on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4

Apex Legends introduces a new permanent mode called Arenas

Respawn has revealed their first permanent mode coming to Apex Legends since Duos and it looks amazing.

The new mode which is called Arenas will launch alongside season 9 (Legacy) and it will put two squads of 3 to battle against each other in smaller Arena maps.

Each round, players will select their characters and then a buy phase will commence, both teams will get to spend allocated crafting materials to buy weapons and equipment. Then the games will begin in a deathmatch-style mode with no respawns. The team to gain a two round lead will win the match.

The mode will launch with two Custom Maps called Party Crasher and Phase Runner but will also have adapted Arenas of parts of the Kings Canyon, World's Edge, and Olympus maps.

Apex Legends Season Nine: Legacy will drop on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch on May 4.

Temtem Is Adding A New Island In The Form Of The Cipanku Island

Temtem developer Crema has announced that temtem will be getting a brand new update tomorrow that'll bring an entirely new region to the game in the form of Cipanku Island.

the island is said to be Electric/Digital themed with digital Temtem that will be different to the main game Temtem by having a weakness to the same type but also are weak against Water and Electric. They'll be strong against Mental and Melee types and resistant to the Toxic type of Temtem's.

The update will also add Temtem's first Mythical Temtem, which only will be reachable through the new Lairs activity.

you'll all have to progress through your own paths, with all resources shared between your party. It's also recommended your team of Temtem themselves is leveled up to at least 50.

The Cipanku Island update drops on April 13 in Temtem which is available via Early Access on PC and PlayStation 5.

WWE 2K22 Announced At WrestleMania 37

2K Games has announced the next game in the WWE 2K universe at Wrestlemania 37 which will be called WWE 2K22, yup they're definitely mixed up the naming formula on this one.

The short trailer briefly showcased two wrestlers in the form of Rey Mysterio and Cesaro, who were doing some wrestling in a ring.

Look I don't really watch wrestling anymore except some clips on the AEW youtube channel, if you wondering who my favorites are, they're Darby Allin, Rey Fenix, Jon Moxley, and MJF.

That's pretty much all the information they've revealed on the game, seemingly the developer Visual Concepts is keeping quiet on all the details. The game does look graphically impressive so hopefully, this means it will be launching on PS5 and Xbox Series X but we'll have to wait to find out more details on the platforms and release date in the near future.

Watch Dogs: Legion's Online Modes Release Date Announced

Ubisoft has announced that Watch Dogs: Legion will be getting its online multiplayer update on March 9.

The online mode will include both co-op and competitive ways to play, which include difficult Tactical Ops missions for up to four players, the Invasion mode, and a Spiderbot Arena PvP mode.

I'm personally pretty excited to check out this new way to play Watch Dogs Legion and plan to discuss it further on my podcast when the patch drops.

The next Battlefield Game will be revealed this Spring

EA's Andrew Wilson has confirmed that the next Battlefield game will be revealed this Spring, and is still on course for a Holiday 2021 release.

The announcement came from the latest EA's investor call, where he said of the latest entry in the FPS series: "We will reveal the game in the spring and deliver defined Battlefield experience for our players in the 2021 holiday season."

Wilson also said during the call that the next Battlefield would "mark a return to all-out military warfare" and boasted that the upcoming sequel "takes full advantage of the power of next-generation platforms to bring massive immersive battles to life with more players than ever before" thanks to maps with "unprecedented scale."

Mass Effect Legendary Edition New Release Date is May 14

EA has announced that Mass Effect Legendary Edition will be launch on May 14 in a newly released trailer showing off some of the upgrades.

The collection will include all three games from the original trilogy, alongside 40 pieces of DLC content including weapons, armors, and packs which have all been remastered and "optimised" for 4K. The game will feature improved visual effects such as enhanced models, shaders, FX, lighting, and depth of field. There'll also be "targeted enhancements" for the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 that include full HDR across the trilogy and options for "Favor Quality" and "Favour Framerate" modes to boost resolution or FPS.

They also have added New customization options for your Shepard that include improved hair, makeup, eye colour, and skin tones. the character creator is confirmed to also allow all options across all three games in the trilogy. Lastly, there are also plans to make some gameplay enhancements specifically for the first game which is said to include "improved aiming and weapons balance, SFX, input/controls, squad behaviour, cover behaviour, and gameplay cameras."

Mass Effect Legendary Edition will be available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC from May 14, 2021.

Dying Light 2 News Coming Soon

Dying Light 2 might finally be on the horizon after developer Techland has released a statement responding to the departure of one of its longest-serving employees.

Narration Designer Pawel Selinger recently revealed on his LinkedIn page that he had left the company after 22 years at the studio. The news was reported by several outlets with a large portion of them putting him as the lead writer of the game after a recent departure of their prior writer.

Techland responded over the weekend with a statement to PC Gamer, which confirmed the departure of Pawel Selinger but also clarifying his former role: "Paweł Selinger, who has been the Narration Designer for the last two years, decided at the end of 2020 to end his cooperation with Techland and to pursue his further career elsewhere."

The statement continued on: "Paweł spent most of his professional life at Techland and he, among others, takes credit for the success of the series Call of Juarez. He left a large piece of himself with Dying Light 2, as he worked on the project from the very beginning. His duties, ie. the narrative department, were taken over by Piotr Szymanek in October 2020."

the statement also added that there could be some light on the horizon for those wanting news on the game by saying: "We will be sharing exciting news about Dying Light 2 soon!"

Hitman 3 All Six Locations Revealed

IO Interactive has revealed a full list of all the upcoming locations for Agent 47 next adventure in Hitman 3.

The developer's announced via a blog post on the official website that the three previously revealed locations of the Chinese city of Chongqing, Dubai, UAE, and Thornbridge Manor in Dartmoor, England would be joined by three other locations.

the three new maps consist of the outskirts of Berlin, Germany, a vineyard based in Mendoza, Argentina, and the final mission which will be the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. That's pretty much all the details as they wanted to keep it as spoiler-free as possible but they do have screenshots of all available areas located on their website.

Hitman 3 will be releasing on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC from January 20

Persona Soundtrack Comes To Spotify

Atlus has announced that most of the original soundtracks for the Persona games will be dropping onto Spotify.

Here's a list of the following Atlus soundtracks available on Spotify now:

Persona 5 OST

P4 & P4 Golden OST

P3 & FES OST

P2 Sound Collections

P4 Dancing All Night OST

P4 Arena Ultimax OST

Never More - Reincarnation: Persona 4

P3 & P4 Vocal Sound Collection

PQ & PQ2 OST

As a massive nerd for Persona, I'm super stoked to see the soundtrack become easily accessible to listen to. Previously you could only get hold of the soundtrack for the games by purchasing the collector’s edition of the games or via uploads on YouTube.

Here are some of my favorite tracks from all the games I've played:

Mass Destruction (Persona 3 FES)

The Snow Queen (Persona 3 FES)

Pursuing My True Self (Persona 4 Golden)

Time To Make History (Persona 4 Golden)

Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There (Persona 5)

Phantom (Persona 5)

Life Will Chhange (Persona 5)

I could have listed at least another ten songs, I don't know how Atlus does it but the songs gain so much meaning over the course of each game. If you can't tell, this is just a huge ploy to encourage you to go play Persona 5 Royal. Which you should because it's one of, if not the best game that released in 2020.

Hitman 3 New Feature Revealed

IO Interactive has revealed an upcoming feature for Hitman 3. Players will be able to unlock "persistent shortcuts" in levels, which will open up new paths on previously played levels.

Originally revealed by Game Informer, the new shortcuts are said to "encourage exploration, reward curiosity, and incentivize replayability" with players being able to open up new routes by interacting with doors, certain areas, and access points in each level. Agent 47 will then be able to use them during future playthroughs to get to areas of the map faster or to head off a target before they reach a specific destination.

I'm personally looking forward to checking this out for myself when Hitman 3 launches on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and PC on January 20, 2021.