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thelizardrock daily news tuesday

Tuesday 5-29-18: PUBG Sues Fortnite, Denuvo Vampyr, Battlepacks 5

It’s been a long week, and it’s only Tuesday. Here’s the news.

  • PUBG Sues Fortnite
  • Vampyr is Denuvo Free
  • Battlefield 5 Says “No More Battlepacks”

Legal Royale


The Korean Times recently reported that PUBG Corp., a division of Korean developer Bluehole, filed an injunction, alleging copyright infringement, with the Seoul Central District Court against Epic Games Korea over the similarities between PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite: Battle Royale. PUBG has a tendency to be sue-happy, and Fortnite is one of many, many battle royale games. To me, this seems like a greater stretch than they can hope for.

Denuvo Slayer


The highly anticipated RPG by the developers of Life is Strange is growing ever closer to launch. When asked about whether the game uses Denuvo, an infamous DRM software installation, the Vampyr Twitter responded confirming that they will not be. This is good to hear.

Battlepacks


There’s been talk going around about how Battlefield 5 says it won’t have randomized loot boxes. Given the history of EA, many people, myself included, don’t trust them. When questioned, the Battlefield Twitter stated that “There are no more Battlepacks. Instead, players will be able to choose their rewards directly or through rank up events.” While I’m happy the loot box idea is being forgotten, I remain cautious just the same.


That’s all for today, thanks for reading. Tune in tomorrow for more news. Otherwise, have a great day!

thelizardrock daily news monday

Monday 5-28-18: GTA in Bloodborne in Dark Souls, Xbox 360 Update, and Owlboy for PS4

It’s Memorial Day. I don’t have anything relevant planned for the news, but I’m not taking today off from said news, either. Here is that news.

  • GTA5 in Bloodborne because of Dark Souls
  • Xbox 360 has an Update
  • Owlboy is Coming to PS4

GTA Bloodborne Dark Souls


This is another instance of modders doing silly things with game files. When picking through the buried assets in the recently released Dark Souls: Remastered, modder Lance “Dropoff” Mcdonald discovered that test files contained a nearly accurate version of the Upper Cathedral Ward from another FROM Software game, Bloodborne. Through a bit of techno-magic, Dropoff managed to import the map into the GTA 5 engine, creating a video of Trevor walking/driving through the area. Modders also discovered the Boletaria level from Demon’s Souls within these same test files. This means that Bloodborne was being experimented with as a project as far back as the original Dark Souls game, and these leftover files carried over from them.

Xbox 360 Update


For the first time in two years, the Xbox 360 game console is getting an update. Simply listed as “bug fixes and improvements,” this update is the first one after Microsoft announced that they have discontinued the product. For this reason, others in the gaming community and I were assuming that they would also stop supporting the console. This may or may not be the final update, Microsoft hasn’t made any statements about it. Either way, you should update your 360 if you own one.

Owlboy for PS4


The popular indie game that was in development for seemingly forever is coming to another console tomorrow. Owlboy, by D-Pad Studio, is coming to PlayStation 4 on May 29 (tomorrow). No pricing has been confirmed at this time, so assume it will be $25, same as PC. The Owlboy website has posted links to the various outlets where you can buy a physical copy of the game for PS4, though they link to dead pages at this time. The site graphic also indicates that it will be available for Xbox One at some point in the future. PlayStation posted an “action trailer” to commemorate the event.

http://www.owlboygame.com/#switchlaunchupdate


That’s all for today, thanks for reading. Tune in tomorrow for more news about video games and its industry. Otherwise, have a great day!

thelizardrock daily news friday

Friday 5-25-18: TotalBiscuit’s Passing, Steam Link Mobile, and Miramar on Xbox One

Been a rough week, adjusting to post-vacation time. Here’s the news.

  • TotalBiscuit has Passed
  • Steam Link on Mobile
  • Miramar is on Xbox One

TotalBiscuit


John Bain, best known by his internet handle TotalBiscuit/Cynical Brit, has passed away at the age of 33 due to cancer. The game critic had been publicly struggling with the affliction since 2014. In his time, he would establish himself as one of the most popular curators of video games. My sympathies go out to those affected by his passing.

Steam Link Mobile Drama


Steam Link, the feature that allows users to play their Steam games from their TV, has made its way to mobile. Though not without a bit of drama. The official Steam Link iOS app was initially accepted by Apple on May 7. Steam announced the app on May 9. The next day, the app was then rejected by Apple for “business conflicts with app guidelines not initially seen in the first review.” So now the iOS version of Steam Link is canceled. Inversely, Steam Link for Android has released already and is usable now. I tried it out for a bit. It suggests not using a PS4 controller, as it’s unresponsive, so I cannot say how good the app itself is. Though it seems to do fairly well.

Miramar on Xbox One


The second map of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has finally made its way to the Xbox One. This desert-based map features a number of Spanish names and arid landscapes. All the while, the PC version of the game is close to getting their third map, a tropical and cavernous play area.


That’s all for today, thanks for reading. Tune in Monday for the weekend wrap up. Also! the Dark Souls episode of the Cozy Co-op has released. Give it a listen. Otherwise, have a great night!

The Cozy Co-op Ep10: Dark Souls

thelizardrock daily news thursday

Thursday 5-24-15: Dark Souls is Early and Battlefield 5 has no Loot Boxes

The week is almost over, and we can go back to those easy weekends. There isn’t much, but here’s the news.

  • Dark Souls Remaster Released Early
  • Battlefield 5 Loot Boxes

Early Remaster


The highly-anticipated Dark Souls: Remastered is due to release Friday, May 25. For reasons we can only speculate, the game appeared on Steam last night around 7 PM EST for purchase, download, and play. Namco Bandai has not made a statement about why this has occurred currently, though I speculate that it’s in relation to how Steam handles world-wide releases. Those who preordered a Steam code on Amazon should have already been given their code. The console versions, physical or otherwise, is still releasing online and in stores on Friday, as originally planned.

Battlefield 5 Loot Boxes


EA DICE released their first trailer for the upcoming first-person shooter, Battlefield 5. The game is returning to it’s WWII roots, though with a slightly more exaggerated perspective. An EA spokesperson told Polygon that there will be no randomized loot boxes, nor will cosmetic items for real-world money options. Unrelated to that, the internet has been making a stink about the presence of an on-screen character, a female soldier with a claw-like prosthetic arm. I don’t know if it’s just trolls or some heavy sexism.


That’s all for today. Tune in tomorrow for the last news of the weekdays. Otherwise, have a great day!

thelizardrock daily news wednesday

Wednesday 5-23-18: Battlefield 5, RuneScape Classic, and

I nearly forgot to do the news today. But I did, and here is that news.

  • Battlefield 5 Reveal
  • RuneScape Classic Closes
  • PlayStation’s Big Plan is Three Years Away

Battlefield 5


Earlier today, developer EA DICE revealed the details of their upcoming Battlefield game. This time, they’re going back to World War II. Senior producer Andreas Morell says that they’re focusing more on the less common locations, such as Norway and The Netherlands. The last time the series was in WWII was in 2009 with Battlefield 1943. Battlefield 5 is set for release on October 19 on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One.

RuneScape Classic


Don’t worry. I’m not talking about Old School RuneScape. RuneScape Classic was the game series’ first jump into online gaming. It would later evolve into what we know as Old School RuneScape, which would later evolve into modern RuneScape. After 17 years live, the developers announced that they will be winding down the classic version of the game, eventually removing it entirely. RuneScape Classic’s servers will go offline at 1 pm on August 6.

PlayStation’s Plan


In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, PlayStation CEO John Kodera stated that they “will use the next three years to prepare the next step.” The statement follows a recent investor meeting where he stated that the PS4 was reaching the end of its life. While Kodera never made a direct statement about the sought-after PlayStation 5, what he’s said so far confirms that they aren’t going to do anything too massive in the next three years, but that the following years will be big for the company. These “next steps” may very well be a new console.


Thank’s for reading. Tune in tomorrow for more news, and tune in Friday for the Dark Souls episode of the Cozy Co-op, right in time for the remaster. Otherwise, have a great day!

thelizardrock daily news tuesday

Tuesday 5-22-18: Fortnite Cash, Yakuza Remasters, and VR Battle Royale

I made eggs this morning. That isn’t video game related, I just didn’t know how to start this one. Here’s the news.

  • Fortnite to Invest $100m in Tournaments
  • Yakuza 3, 4, 5 to be Remastered
  • Rec Room Battle Royale

Fortnite Tournaments


In a recent announcement by Epic Games, Fortnite will be dedicating $100,000,000 towards Fortnite competitions held in the 2018-2019 season. That’s all they said, but it’s still a mind-boggling number all the same. Hows your Fortnite skills.

Yakuza Remasters


According to the latest issue of Dengeki PlayStation, Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 will be remastered in Japan. The Japanese magazine states that a Yakuza 3 remaster is expected to release on PS4 in Japan on August 9 for 3,990 yen, Yakuza 4 in fall of 2018, and Yakuza 5 in spring 2019. The announcement also made it’s way to Famitsu, who provided further details. According to them, the remasters will be the same as the originals, but running at 1080p resolution and at 60 frames per second.

Rec Room Battle Royale


In a recent announcement by developers Against Gravity, popular social VR game Rec Room will be receiving a battle royale mode.

“Rec Royale launches on Thursday, 7th June and will pit 16 players against each other in the wilds of a national park. The landscape holds summer camps, mountains, forests, outposts, ravines, lakes, and tons of loot for scavenging,” said Shawn, an Against Gravity employee.

They also will be updating their inventory system to better support the mode. What with all the loot and such. I’m actually pretty excited about this one. I love Rec Room, when it’s not lousy with children.


That’s all for today. Join me tomorrow for further news and such. Find me on Steam if you want to become Rec Room Battle Royale Bros. Otherwise, have a great day.

thelizardrock daily news monday

Monday 5-21-18: Nerf Overwatch, Lewd Games, Blighttown, and a To the Moon Movie

My vacation is over, and I’m back to the grindstone. Here’s the weekend wrap up news thing.

  • Overwatch Nerf Guns
  • “Waifu Holocaust”
  • Blighttown’s Stable 60 fps
  • To the Moon Feature Film

Nerf or Nothing


The official Overwatch Twitter account posted a short video this weekend, where a plethora of Nerf balls flew across the screen. ending in one ball being embossed with the Overwatch logo. It appears that Nerf will be making a line of Overwatch themed Nerf Rival blasters (Nerf’s performance line). The same line has Deadpool and God of War inspired weapons as well. No word on the pricing or expected release of these weapons.

The Waifu Holocaust


Oh boy, do I have opinions here. Lets me start by saying that the term “waifu holocaust” is not one I coined. Its what the community took to calling this event. At least it doesn’t end in -gate. The developers of a number of popular steam games known for their lewd content received a warning from Valve. The message said that if they didn’t resolve the pornographic nature of their games, they would be removed. This wouldn’t be a problem, if it wasn’t that these were already-approved games that have been on the market for years, like Huniepop and Mutiny!!, for example. These games had already adhered to Steam’s standards, making censored versions of the game for just this reason.

Later on, a website dedicated to ending sexual exploitation in media claimed credit for this recent notice. They stated that it was the result of “a heightened week-long grassroots campaign, which began on May 10th, where individuals from around the country requested Steam to remove sexually exploitive content.” They called this recent news a “victory.”

Steam later responded to the developers, telling them to disregard the automated message, and that they will be re-reviewed manually. Since they were already accepted the first time, its safe to assume the games are safe. It frustrated me greatly that a group of people would organize an attack someones passion project and livelihood because they don’t like it. The repression of any and all sexual content is why so many individuals struggle to develop any kind of healthy sexual relationships.

Sure enough, going to their website, you’ll see two articles about how successful they were, but none about how Steam won’t actually be removing the games.

Blighttown’s Framerate


Digital Foundry released a video recently, showing off a detailed analysis of the infamous section of Dark Souls. And more specifically, how it runs on the remaster. Fans have been shouting to see Blighttown on the Dark Souls: Remastered game since it’s announcement, concerned about performance in the area. This video is the first proof we have that there will be a stable 60 frames per second during the entirety of the map. This is running at 1080p on a standard PS4, even. Grand news for those waiting for the remaster.

To the Movies


The creator of To the Moon, the well known interactive story, released a video recently, announcing that a feature-length animated film adaption of To the Moon has been confirmed. he will be personally working with the production process, and it’s being handled by a supposedly major development team in Japan. Not much else is known about it now, but he seemed eager to share what he could as it became available to him. The thing everyone’s been wanting is actually happening.

We actually talk about To the Moon in an episode of The Cozy Co-op. It’s one of our most popular episodes, stat-wise. Check it out!


That’s all for today, folks. I appreciate your patience last week. I was on island time. I’m back to being responsible and such. Tune in tomorrow for another news. Otherwise, have a great day!

thelizardrock daily news tuesday

Tuesday 5-14-18: Rage 2, Famicom Manga, and Boss Key Studios

Another day, and I slept in again. I love it. Here’s the news.

  • Rage 2 Gameplay Trailer
  • Manga Based Famicom Mini
  • Boss Key Studios Shuts Down

Rage 2 Gameplay Trailer


Bethesda delivered, like they said they would. Today we wee a gameplay trailer for the recently announced Rage 2 game. We can parse a few things from it. There’s more environment variety, ranging from sand dunes to jungle forests. There appear to be large mechs and a wider variety of enemies. It’s being developed by Avalanche Studios and id Software. It also keeps that newfound silly vibe we say in the announcement trailer. Clearly, they aren’t taking this as seriously this time. You can watch the trailer for yourself here.

Famicom Manga


Nintendo announced a second release of the Japanese Famicom Mini, which is the JP equivalent of the NES Classic for us westerners. But this time, its full of Manga based video games. This is in celebrations of Shonen Jump, a popular weekly manga magazine, reaching their 50th anniversary. It will be on sale early June in Japan only.

Boss Key Studios Closes


Remember LawBreakers? How about Radical Heights? It’s ok if you don’t, they both bombed. The first was a hero shooter with an edgy 90s theme and gravity gimmicks, while the other was an 80s synth style battle royale game in early alpha. Both games I’ve criticised for being too late to their respective parties, while not offering anything new or worthwhile to the table. It seems everyone else felt the same way, because now the studio is shutting down. My sympathies go out to those who lost their jobs, but this is no surprise.


That’s all for today. Tune in tomorrow for another news post. Otherwise, have a great day.

thelizardrock daily news monday

Monday 5-14-16: GameStopped, SuperHot JP, and Rage 2

A new week! I’m on vacation! I slept in today! It’s great! Here is the weekend’s news.

  • GameStop CEO Suddenly Resigns
  • SuperHot is Coming to Japan
  • Bethesda Announces Rage 2

GameStopped


After only three months in office, Michael K. Mauler, the CEO of the popular video game retailer, has resigned. GameStop announced the resignation online which is for personal reasons, effective immediately. Executive chairman Daniel A. DeMatteo has stepped in as placeholder CEO until a new one can be established. What’s that mean for us? I don’t know.

SuperHot JP


A new spin-off of the critically acclaimed shooter is getting a fresh coat of Eastern paint. Japanese studio Gametomo has been given the rights to develop a standalone SuperHot game, centered around Japanese art and style. It comes with a number of new levels, ranging from bathhouses to temples. It also comes with a few new weapons. No word on a release date or price, but it’s currently planned for PC and PS4. More details can be found on the official website.

Rage 2


Bethesda released a reveal trailer for Rage 2, which would be surprising if it wasn’t for all the teasing they’ve done this last week. So far the video simply shows mad-max style people doing mad max style stuff, with a splash of neon colors scattered throughtout. It also states a gameplay video will release tomorrow. The first Rage was a decent game with a rather disappointing ending, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can recover from this. No word on if id Software is developing this one, either. Time will tell.


That’s all for today! Expected mid-day news posts, since I’ll be sleeping in this week. Check back in tomorrow for more news, such as that gameplay trailer. Otherwise, have a great day!

thelizardrock daily news friday

Friday 5-11-18: Crash Early, Vampyr Specs, Sea of Thieves

Whoowee what a week. I’m keeping on that grind. Here’s the news.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy to Launch Early
Vampyr’s Recommended Specs
Sea of Thieves Update


Premature eCrashulation


In a blog post by Activision, the publisher announced that the Xbox One/Switch/PC port of the Crash Bandicoot remaster will no longer be releasing on July 10, but on June 29 instead. That’s a solid two weeks early. So that’s cool.

Vampyr Specs


The highly anticipated RPG from DONTNOD Entertainment, the creators of Life is Strange, is edging ever closer to launch. NVIDIA recently announced the necessary specs for various quality settings and resolutions, and its a touch steep. The minimum system specs call for a GeForce 1050 GPU and an i3-2130 CPU. You’ll essentially need the latest models of both hardware parts if you want 4k 60FPS. I hope your PCs are up to the task. For a full spec list, you can visit the blog post.

Sea of Thieves Update


The developers continue to work at improving the seafaring pirate game. In a recent Dev update, they tell the players about some incoming changes. It starts with the reassurance that the upcoming DLC is going well. Then it goes into what to expect soon. Changes include the ability to share bananas, planks, and other items, adjusted cosmetic items, and hidden Gamertags when underwater. They wanted to add the ability to invite strangers to you crew mid game, but the technicalities of such have slown them down.


Thank you, everyone. Your viewership is always appreciated. We have a new episode of The Cozy Co-op Podcast up, it’s about Mega Man. Tune in Monday for the next news post. Otherwise, have a great weekend.

thelizardrock daily news thursday

Thursday 5-10-18: Miitomo, PaRappa, Destiny 2, and Risk of Rain 2

Shout if ya nasty. Or don’t, I’m not your mother. Here’s the news.

  • Miitomo is Officially Gone
  • Hackers Find PSP Emulator in PS4 game
  • Bungie can Disable Guns in Destiny 2
  • Risk of Rain 2 Gameplay Footage

Miitomo’s End


It’s final, folks. Miitomo, the (not-so) popular Nintendo mobile game, has officially closed down. This was a long time coming, with plenty of heads-up, but it’s still sad to see all the same. My sympathies go out to those who still used the app regularly. I recently reported on Nintendo’s announcement to develop a web-based online Mii maker. So at least we’ll have that soon enough.

Emulators All the Way Down


Ever played PaRappa the Rapper, the 1997 PlayStation game? How about the 2007 PSP port of the game? If you’re a fan of the game, then you might have heard about the PS4 remaster of the game that released last year. As it turns out, the PS4 remaster is simply a high-resolution port of the PSP version. The game is running on a Sony-built PSP emulator running on the PS4. This has hackers and modders very excited for the discovery of what they consider an official emulator for the PSP.

Bungie Bogarting Guns


I’m not that familiar with Destiny 2, so forgive me if things are mildly false or vaguely worded. A newly updated exotic weapon, called the Rat King, has been hot-locked by Bungie when they discovered it was the source of a game exploit. Apparently there’s been a bug that would allow players to have more ammo in their clip than they’re supposed to. What’s so interesting about this is that it wasn’t through a game patch that the weapon has been locked away. This means Bungie can control access to weapons server-side. The implications of this are lost on me.

Risk of Rain 2 Footage


Risk of Rain is a popular beat ’em up/bullet hell game developed by Hopoo Games. The 2D side-scroller released in 2013 and would go on to receive critical acclaim. Since then, the devs have been hard at work making a sequel. This time it’s taking a three-dimensional approach. The news here is that nine minutes of gameplay footage has been revealed. It’s interesting seeing such a different approach to the game, while still keeping the rest of the game’s mechanics so similar. One thing I noticed is how there is a sort of lock-on feature with your attacks. it’s much easier to shoot something in 2D compared to 3D, so I’m glad to see the found a peaceful solution to the shift. You can watch it for yourself here.


That’s all for today, thanks for reading. I’ll be at the Columbus Podcast Festival this weekend (no, not as a panelist). Check back in tomorrow for the final news post of the week. Otherwise, have a great day!

thelizardrock daily news wednesday

Wednesday 5-9-18: Capcom Investor Plans, Sega Resurgence

Not as much going on today, it seems. Here’s the news.

  • Capcom Has Two Major Titles Planned for 2018
  • Sega President Seeks Resurgence for Sonic the Hedgehog

Capcom Plans


According to Business Divisional Strategies and Projections in FY2018 from Capcom’s Investor Relations portal, the game company plans to release two major titles in the 2018 fiscal year. Under the Digital Contents portion of the report, Capcom states the following.

  • Monster Hunter World has done well, and they will continue to promote it to keep interest going for the PC release.
  • They intend to do multiple more title updates to retain player interest
  • They plan to release “two major titles”

It remains uncertain as to what those two titles would be, but time will tell.

Sonic Stays Strong


In an interview with CNBC, Sega Sammy Holdings president Haruki Satomi spoke about his desire to bring the Sonic the Hedgehog games back to its former glory. He had remarked on the heavy criticism they had received with Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and stated that since then, they’ve strived to ensure a newfound level of quality in their games. They’re very happy with the results of Sonic Mania, and they hope to achieve something to that level again. Take form this what you will.
more on this can be found here.


That’s all for today, thanks for reading. Tune in tomorrow for more video game news! Check out my Twitch, I stream there Wednesdays and Sundays. Otherwise, have a great night!

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