Author: Jack Grimshaw

NME

Double Fine’s Psychonauts 2 is unlikely to receive additional languages because it would take a budget they do not currently have.

• READ MORE: ‘Deathloop’ preview: a world you’ll need to get lost in

Initially spotted by Xbox News For Koreans on Twitter, a user had asked Double Fine if they could add simplified and traditional Chinese support to Psychonauts 2. James Spafford, the community manager at Double Fine, responded.

“We would love to add more languages to Psychonauts 2, and we are investigating to see if that could be possible at some future time.

“Script wise this is the largest game we’ve ever made and adding even one extra language would take a lot of work and a lot of extra budget that we currently do not have. To add languages that use entirely different alphabets and have other considerations is an even bigger job still.

“We may get that chance, and we really really hope we do, but we can’t make any promises, and we also would not be able to do so in time for launch.”

On Twitter, many are laying the blame at the feet of Microsoft. Double Fine is a first-party developer for Microsoft, so any additional funding for localisation should come from Microsoft.

Psychonauts 2 is a 3D platformer in which players will explore the minds of characters they encounter to help solve the problems they are dealing with. In our own review, we said, “Sometimes I made the mistake of thinking that a level was putting a visual idea ahead of a mental health concept, but every time I was proven wrong when the set dressing was used to thoughtfully explore a condition that I wasn’t expecting to see represented.”

Elsewhere, Escape From Tarkov Scav boss Reshala has wandered over to Shoreline, where he is teaming up with Sanitar. Players looking to loot resort may be in for a nasty surprise.

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NME

Square Enix released Bravely Default II exclusively on Nintendo Switch in February this year. Now it is coming to Steam.

• READ MORE: ‘Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut’ review: more of that thing you like, but unlikely to win new fans

Bravely Default II is a JRPG that has so far only been available on Nintendo Switch. When we reviewed it, we said that “Bravely Default 2 initially felt conservative to me, with its story harkening back to JRPGs of yore, but after a while, it became clear that it was operating on a different level and that it featured one of the most compelling and rewarding combat systems the genre has ever seen.”

Now the experience is coming to Steam with a release date of September 2. Currently, it is available for pre-purchase with a 10 per cent discount. “Guided by fate, it’s up to you to stop the forces that threaten these heroes and all of Excillant,” says the Steam page. There are also details on the four playable characters.

Seth is “A young sailor who drifts to the continent of Excillant and is the main character of this story. Meet Gloria, an exiled princess whose kingdom was robbed of its Crystals, and set out on a journey to recover them with her.”

Gloria is a princess whose kingdom was destroyed after it lost its crystals. “Having fallen into despair and gone into hiding, she decides to embark on a journey to retrieve the crystals.”

Adelle is simply a mercenary for hire who travels with Elvis. Elvis himself is a scholar who travels the world in search of a specific Asterix that will allow him to unravel his master’s spellbook.

Each of these Bravely Default II characters can have a primary and secondary job class. This mix and matching of classes allow players to tailor how each of their heroes behaves in combat.

Elsewhere, a new trailer for WarioWare: Get It Together demonstrates more of the co-op gameplay.

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NME

Kinetic Games has released an update for Phasmophobia that includes new ghosts, new equipment, and several bug fixes.

• READ MORE: ‘No More Heroes 3’ review: a game of two halves

Phasmophobia has received new ghosts in the largest update since the game launched in September 2020. The game had one major content update before this, which added a new prison level. The solo developer then hired some new staff, and the effects are proving positive.

The two new ghosts are the Goryo and Myling. The new ghosts have caused some shuffling around of evidence types, so classic ghosts may now have different evidence to look for. To go along with the new ghosts is a new type of evidence. To find this evidence, players can utilise the new DOTS projector.

There are no longer two types of the motion sensor. The function of the infrared variant has been merged into the default motion sensor, so now players will have a light cast whenever something moves past it. Video cameras have also had an update; they now have a flip-out display to view thermal signatures for better ghost detection.

Parabolic microphones have received a new use. They can now allow players to hear footsteps and other ghostly sounds. Now when ghosts hunt, light and equipment are only affected when a ghost is nearby.

Electronic equipment will also give away your position when the ghost is hunting. This means equipment will need to be turned off when players dive into cupboards for safety.

Sprinting in Phasmophobia has also received a major rework. Previously there was no reason to avoid sprinting, so the shift key was permanently held. Now sprint allows for a faster speed for three seconds, with a five-second recharge. Default movement speed is now the same as the previous sprint speed.

Elsewhere, Lost Judgement appears to be getting a demo, according to a leak from the Japanese PlayStation Store.

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NME

Bethesda has given players brief videos to look at the concept work for three of Starfield’s cities, along with some new details.

• READ MORE: 10 years on, Deus Ex: Human Revolution still has the most nuanced portrayal of cyborgs

Starfield is coming to Xbox and PC sometime in 2022, and Bethesda has begun sharing details about the worlds players will be able to explore. Three of the major cities have had brief details shared about them in Developer insight videos. The videos were originally shared only to members of Starfields mailing list, Constellation.

The videos are narrated by the design director at Bethesda, Emil Pagliarolo. The first video shows the city of New Atlantis. “The capital city of the united colonies, or UC. The most powerful established military and political faction in the game. The city is a true melting pot, and its residents come from every race, creed, and ethnicity. In a lot of ways, New Atlantis is a true reflection of the future of our world.”

The second video shows Akila city, “the capital of the Freestar collective. A loose confederation of three distinct star systems. The city itself is home to a variety of people. Still, they all have one thing in common, they believe in the sanctity of personal freedom and individuality.” Large walls surround Akila city to protect its people from “alien predators that are a cross between a wolf and a velociraptor.”

The final Starfield video shows the city of Neon. A pleasure city on a vast aquatic world. It originally began life as a fishing platform, but it was soon discovered that one of the fishes had psychotropic properties. This became the drug Aurora and is illegal everywhere except in the city of Neon. “People come from all over to experience it and everything else Neon has to offer.”

Elsewhere, Blizzard is removing developer names from World Of Warcraft to “better reflect our shared values”.

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NME

Bethesda has given players brief videos to look at the concept work for three of Starfield’s cities, along with some new details.

• READ MORE: 10 years on, Deus Ex: Human Revolution still has the most nuanced portrayal of cyborgs

Starfield is coming to Xbox and PC sometime in 2022, and Bethesda has begun sharing details about the worlds players will be able to explore. Three of the major cities have had brief details shared about them in Developer insight videos. The videos were originally shared only to members of Starfields mailing list, Constellation.

The videos are narrated by the design director at Bethesda, Emil Pagliarolo. The first video shows the city of New Atlantis. “The capital city of the united colonies, or UC. The most powerful established military and political faction in the game. The city is a true melting pot, and its residents come from every race, creed, and ethnicity. In a lot of ways, New Atlantis is a true reflection of the future of our world.”

The second video shows Akila city, “the capital of the Freestar collective. A loose confederation of three distinct star systems. The city itself is home to a variety of people. Still, they all have one thing in common, they believe in the sanctity of personal freedom and individuality.” Large walls surround Akila city to protect its people from “alien predators that are a cross between a wolf and a velociraptor.”

The final Starfield video shows the city of Neon. A pleasure city on a vast aquatic world. It originally began life as a fishing platform, but it was soon discovered that one of the fishes had psychotropic properties. This became the drug Aurora and is illegal everywhere except in the city of Neon. “People come from all over to experience it and everything else Neon has to offer.”

Elsewhere, Blizzard is removing developer names from World Of Warcraft to “better reflect our shared values”.

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NME

Naughty Dog has sent out a call for applications for the studio’s first stand-alone multiplayer game.

• READ MORE: Meet the supernatural heroes of ‘Marvel’s Midnight Suns’

Naughty Dog has been hiring for a multiplayer game for a while now, having initially posted listings in March of this year. However, the latest push is more public and covers several fields. The developer behind The Last Of Us Part II posted an image on Twitter that advertises several open positions.

The image behind the listing shows Ellie looking over the overgrown Seattle of The Last Of Us Part II. This suggests the game could be a standalone release of the factions multiplayer mode. Factions was first introduced with The Last Of Us. It was not present in Part II. At the time, Naughty Dog said that the mode was cut because it “grew beyond an additional mode that could be included with our enormous single-player campaign.”

Naughty Dog also tweeted in September 2019 that “you will eventually experience the fruits of our team’s online ambition, but not as part of The Last Of Us Part II.”

The webpage for the gameplay scripter Naughty Dog says, “We’re seeking to bring the same level of ambition and quality of our signature, story-driven games to this unique multiplayer project. This is a rare opportunity to make an impact in your discipline and craft an experience that will be enjoyed and shared by millions of players around the world.”

The open positions include a Monetisation/economy designer, AI programmer, and systems designer. The co-game director Vinit Agarwal tweeted to say, “We’re aggressively hiring – apply if you want to be part of bringing the cinematic experience between players in our new standalone multiplayer action game.”

Elsewhere, the voice of Geralt, Doug Cockle, has narrated the trailer for a great rat adventure, Tails Of Iron.

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NME

Xbox users can try out three games for free over the weekend with the choice of a shooter, fantasy MMO, or driving sim.

• READ MORE: 10 years on, Deus Ex: Human Revolution still has the most nuanced portrayal of cyborgs

Battlefield 5 and Assetto Corsa Competizione are free to try until 8am BST on Monday, August 30, for those playing on Xbox. The Elder Scrolls Online is free to players on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, ending on August 30 as well. All three can be downloaded through the Xbox store.

The Elder Scrolls Online free trial will allow players the base game and a prologue quest for the Blackwood expansion. Blackwood is the most recent expansion for the game and is part two of the ongoing Gates of Oblivion saga. The next chapter, Waking Flame, is currently in development.

EA Dice’s Battlefield 5 is the most recent entry in the franchise and took the game to WW2. The multiplayer-focused game includes a short single-player campaign in the form of War Stories.

The next game in the series will be Battlefield 2042, which takes the combat to a near future setting that follows the war of 2020 depicted in Battlefield 4. Despite the game not yet being released, hackers have already begun selling cheats ready for launch.

Assetto Corsa Competizione is a racing simulator developed by Italian studio Kunos Simulazioni. The game is an officially licensed simulation of the 2018 and 2019 Blancpain GT Series. It was was originally released in 2018 but will be receiving a next-gen updated next February, and a mobile version.

Elsewhere, Call Of Duty: Vanguard’s Champion Hill alpha is live, allowing players to try out a brand new game mode. Running from August 27 to 29, Champion Hill is a round robin style game mode that sees small teams compete in arenas on the same map and buying equipment and perks between each round.

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Unity CEO John Riccitiello has addressed employees in a town hall meeting after it was revealed they had unknowingly worked on military contracts.

• READ MORE: Meet the supernatural heroes of ‘Marvel’s Midnight Suns’

Details of the meeting were spotted by Vice and it was always planned, but the topic of discussion had to be changed after employees raised concerns about their work being used by the US military. They had been told the contracts were government contracts, but not for the Department of Defense.

“The majority of you are going to agree with what I have to say today. Some won’t. And while I know this will be difficult to hear for some, I understand that a few of you may determine that Unity is not the best fit for you.”

Unity’s director of communications Marisa Graves then asked a question asked by employees. “A lot of employees are curious if A: Unity has worked on projects surrounding the simulation of using weapons, weaponized vehicles, training to harm other people or training soldiers?”

Riccitiello answered, saying “Well, training soldiers to do what? We definitely work on training. We don’t work on things that involve direct loss of life…training soldiers is a little broad. There are a lot of humanitarian things that soldiers do…there’s a lot of things you can train soldiers in, but training drones to kill people? No.”

An anonymous Unity employee who attended the meeting said, “John Riccitiello and his leadership team seem to be fully committed to bullshitting their way through this. They promised transparency in the town hall but delivered only lazy deflections.”

Employees are still concerned that their work may still have been used in combat, even if no one at the company has any knowledge of such implementations.

Elsewhere, Saint Row has released a new trailer to clarify the game’s direction. However, some fans are still concerned.

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Nintendo has released a new trailer for Metroid Dread alongside a dev report detailing several of Samus’ new abilities.

• READ MORE: ‘Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut’ review: more of that thing you like, but unlikely to win new fans

The new trailer for Metroid Dread shows Samus being defeated and losing all of her abilities. The enemy that attacked her is a Chozo, a highly intelligent and technologically advanced species. They believe their purpose was to spread peace throughout the galaxy but have since faded into obscurity.

There are also several abilities on display for players to use during Samus’ journey. The first of these is the flash shift. This ability allows players to travel forwards or backwards instantly. This can be done up to three times consecutively and is useful in both combat and exploration.

You can see the video below, but beware, it’s filled with spoilers for some game reveals.

Next up is the pulse radar. This ability allows Samus to scan her surroundings to find breakable objects that lead to new areas.

Another ability is the grapple beam which allows Samus to grab specific points at range. These can be pulled to allow progress and exploration. This also allows Samus to swing across gaps or pull herself to the point of contact.

Two missile abilities were also displayed in the Metroid Dread trailer. The first is the ice missile. This weapon allows Samus to freeze opponents, making them vulnerable to follow up attacks. Some frozen enemies can also be used as platforms. The second is the storm missile. This is a small missile that can be fired repeatedly in quick succession. It can also lock onto up to five targets at a time.

Other abilities were also detailed in the developer report and there was a tease for future report that will go into further detail on the mysterious Chozo seen in the trailer and in other Metroid games.

Elsewhere, Halo Infinite is receiving criticism for its plan to use challenges for battle pass progression. Players fear that it will encourage them to focus on unfavourable playstyles instead of enjoying the game however they choose.

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The solo developer at Emika_Games has decided to leave the game industry because Steam users refunded the studio’s game after completion.

• READ MORE: ‘No More Heroes 3’ review: a game of two halves

Emika_Games released its latest game, Summer Of ’58, on Steam on July 21. The horror game has a notice on its Steam page that it has an approximate completion time of 90 mins, and Steam runs a policy where any game can be refunded if the total playtime is less than two hours.

According to the solo developer, so many players have used the refund system that they are earning so little from sales they cannot develop their next game. As such, they are leaving the games industry indefinitely.

Emika_Games said on Twitter that the developer is “leaving game development for an indefinite time to collect my thoughts.” Adding, “Thank you very much for supporting me. I am very glad that you like my games.”

The developer also announced that their upcoming game, From Day To Day, would not be released in the near future.

The creator of the BAFTA-nominated game The Falconeer, Tomas Sala, shared support for Emika_Games by tweeting: “People are turning this into an issue of gamers harming devs. This is not about that. This is about rules and systems intended to maximize profits for a platform, profiting off artists but not working to support and safeguard those same artists. This is about that.”

One Twitter user asked for Sala to explain how Steam profits from refunds, to which they answered, “In this case, Steam refuses to care for creators of short-form experiences but still takes their platform tax regardless. I assume it’s cheaper for them to do so and keep the gamer customer happy than to put in the effort and care for their creators.”

Summer Of ’58 currently has 288 reviews on Steam, and a “very positive” rating.

Elsewhere, Suda51 confirms that No More Heroes 3 is the end of the series.

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