Gaming Ride Home

GameStop is re-opening some of its stores while its executives are taking pay cuts, it might be a good idea to change your Nintendo account password, Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to Game Pass in May, Minimal Affect is a full on Mass Effect parody video game, and reviews are online for XCOM Chimera Squad.

Links:

• GameStop Provides Business Update Related to COVID-19 (GameStop)
• Nintendo owners urged to secure accounts (BBC)
• Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for Console: Red Dead Redemption 2 (news.xbox.com)
• Minimal Affect Announcement Trailer (YouTube)
• XCOM: Chimera Squad Review - Breaching Simplicity Through Strategy (ScreenRant)
• XCOM: Chimera Squad Review – A New Kind Of Goon Squad (Game Informer)
• XCOM: Chimera Squad review (PC Gamer)
• XCOM: Chimera Squad Review (IGN)

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Far Cry 3’s Vaas might be making a return, Fortnite is finally on the Google Play Store, there is a Crash Bandicoot mobile from the makers of Candy Crush, Nvidia’s Geforce Now game streaming service loses some big titles, and Valorant gets a patch.

Links:

• Michael Mando’s Reddit AMA
• Epic Games launches Fortnite on the Google Play Store and they’re not happy about it (techcrunch)
• Crash Bandicoot Mobile on the Google Play store
• Nvidia’s GeForce Now will lose access to titles from Xbox Game Studios and Warner Bros. (The Verge)
• Full Stream Ahead: PC Community Rallies Behind GeForce NOW (blogs.nvidia.com)
• Valorant Patch Notes 0.47+
• Control April 2020 Update Notes (controlgame.com)

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Both Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Mario Maker 2 are getting updates this week, NPD numbers are in and Animal Crossing basically demolished everyone, Final Fantasy VII Remake has sold more than three million copies in three days, and the My Nintendo app released in Japan.

Links:

• @animalcrossing’s tweet about the next update
• @NintendoAmerica’s tweet about Super Mario Maker 2’s big final update
• NPD’s @MatPiscatella’s tweets about game sales for March, etc.
• Final Fantasy on Facebook
• Japanese listing for the My Nintendo app
• ResetEra thread about the My Nintendo app

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An Animal Crossing: New Horizons data mine hints at the future of the game, there is going to be a special edition Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One X console, controller, and more, Michel Ancel's Wild reappears, the Nier mobile game actually looks interesting, Comic-Con 2020 has been cancelled, and Gris from developer Nomada has sold over 1 million copies.

Links:

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons data mine hints at vegetable growing, diving, and Crazy Redd’s return (Polygon)
• @_Ninji’s tweets about the Animal Crossing: New Horizons data mine
• Cyberpunk 2077 Limited Edition Bundle, Controller And Accessories Coming to Xbox (majornelson.com)
• The Website for PS4 Exclusive WiLD Appears to Have Been Recently Updated With Concept Art (playstationlifestyle.net)
• Reddit post about new Wild screenshots
• NieR Re[in]carnation gameplay clip on YouTube
• @Comic_Con’s tweet about the cancellation of the 2020 event
• @nomadastudiobcn’s tweet about selling one million copies of Gris

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Rockstar is working on a new Grand Theft Auto and improving its work environment according to a report, Gamescom and Oculus Connect are going digital as a result of COVID-19, Cyberpunk 2077 is teasing maybe a special edition Xbox One console, and Ninjala is getting an open beta.

Links:

• 18 Months After Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Has Made Big Cultural Changes (Kotaku)
• @gamescom’s tweet about the showing going digital
• @gamescom’s official statement about the 2020 event
• An Update on Oculus Connect 7 (oculus.com)
• Microsoft Looks Like It's Teasing A Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One (Game Informer)
• The Definitive Version of Star Wars Episode I: Racer Hits PS4 May 12 (blog.us.playstation)

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PlayStation 5 should be out this year, but it might hard to find, the latest entry in the ongoing Cooking Mama: Cookstar saga may be the most interesting and dramatic yet, and a number of smaller game and port announcements round out the end of the show.

Links:

• Sony Plans Limited PlayStation 5 Output in First Year (Bloomberg)
• Re: Unauthorized Release of Cooking Mama: Cookstar by Planet Entertainment LLC (offer.co.jp)
• EXCLUSIVE: Cooking Mama Cookstar Switch eShop Controversy Explained (Screenrant) 
• @CookstarMama’s tweet in reponse to Office Create’s statement
• World War Z Gets New Content in GOTY Edition, Nintendo Switch Version Announced (IGN)
• @Jupiter_JP1’s tweet teasing the next picross
• Press Sneak Out (Kotaku)

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Sony is giving away games and establishing a helpful fund for indie devs, Fortnite’s next season has been delayed, the next batch of Xbox Game Pass games has been revealed, Chex Quest HD and the next Dark Pictures Anthology entry are releasing this summer, and Hello Neighbor is getting an animated adaptation.

Links:

• Announcing the Play At Home Initiative (blog.us.playstation)
• Fortnite Chapter 2 - Season 2 Extension (epicgames.com)
• Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for Console: The Long Dark, Deliver Us The Moon, Gato Roboto, and More (news.xbox.com)
• Gears Tactics, The Long Dark, Machinarium, and More Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) (news.xbox.com)
• Chex Quest HD on Steam
• The Dark Pictures: Little Hope – Announcement Trailer (YouTube)
• Hello Neighbor Is Getting Its Own Animated Feature (OpenCritic)

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The Switch operating system, has been updated to version 10.0.0, Minecraft is going to look a lot prettier soon, a new XCOM, Chimera Squad, is releasing in 10 days, Fallout 76’s big Wastelanders updated is live, and Rick May, who voiced Peppy in Star Fox 64, has sadly passed away after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Links:

• Nintendo Switch System Updates and Change History (support.nintendo.com)
• @NVIDIAGeForceUK’s Minecraft RTX On beta tweet
• Planned Graphics Improvements For Minecraft Cancelled (Game Informer)
• @XCOM’s Chimera Squad announcement tweet
• @SolomonJake’s tweet congratulating the XCOM: Chimera Squad team
• Rick May, the voice of Peppy and Andross in StarFox 64, has passed away from coronavirus (gonintendo.com)
• @Wolpaw’s tweet about Rick May
• Everything You Need to Know About Fallout 76: Wastelanders (Bethesda.net)

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A Resident Evil 4 remake is rumored to be in production and Resident Evil 2 and 3 remake are selling very well, ESRB is now calling out in-game purchases with random results, Grounded is getting an arachnophobia mode, and the Crysis twitter account is active for the first time in four years.

Links:

• Capcom is working on a Resident Evil 4 remake (videogamechronicles.com)
• Resident Evil 3 Ships 2 Million Units Five Days After Release (Capcom.co.jp)
• @cvxfreak’s Resident Evil tweet
• Introducing a New Interactive Element: In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items) (esrb.org)
• @Obsidian’s Grounded arachnophobia tweet
• @Crysis' "RECEIVING DATA" tweet

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In this bonus episode of Gaming Ride Home, Kyle talks to Benjamin Truman, a writer and designer for Black Mesa, the remake of Half-Life that was in development for more than a decade. Truman talks about what it's like to work on a game for so long, how involved Valve was with the project, and how the team managed to officially release the game right before the release of Half-Life: Alyx.

• Black Mesa on Steam
• Benjamin Truman on Twitter
• Developer Crowbar Collective on twitter

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