Free To Play Trackmania has Launched on Consoles
Console players will have the chance to join in as Trackmania 2020 has launched on all major platforms.
The Ubisoft original series TrackMania went free to play exclusively on PC in 2020. Now console players will have the chance to join in as Trackmania 2020 has launched on all major platforms.
Trackmania offers not only the thrills of racing, but also the joy of creativity, as its players can create their own tracks to share with the community. The game will offer crossplay and cross-progression across all platforms.
Trackmania offers two game modes: Ranked and Royal, which offer competitive and battle royale experiences, respectively. Console players can also take advantage of the newly redesigned Track Editor that includes hundreds of new blocks for gameplay and styling, bringing the total block collection to over 3,000 pieces.
I would imagine many have played the series through the previous release, Trackmania Turbo. Over the years Trackmania Turbo has been included as part of PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold memberships. So if you're a fan, the free-to-play racer is now available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One consoles.
Dead Space Remake 90 minute Free Trial available on Steam
Starting today on Steam you can experience 90 minutes of the horror classic for free.
If you've yet to try out the Dead Space remake that was released at the beginning of the year, now's your chance. Starting today until May 29th on Steam you can experience 90 minutes of the horror classic for free. This remake contains various improvements to the original including improved lighting, loading times, gameplay, and an increase in visual fidelity.
Isaac Clarke is an everyman engineer on a mission to repair a vast mining ship, the USG Ishimura, only to discover something has gone horribly wrong. The ship's crew has been slaughtered and Isaac’s beloved partner, Nicole, is lost somewhere on board. Now alone and armed with only his engineering tools and skills, Isaac races to find Nicole as the nightmarish mystery of what happened aboard the Ishimura unravels around him. Trapped with hostile creatures called Necromorphs, Isaac faces a battle for survival, not only against the escalating terrors of the ship but his own crumbling sanity.
Dead Space
The survival horror shooter Dead Space and its two sequels were released to disappointing sales despite the great reception from most critics. This in turn caused EA to put the series on the back burner for almost ten years when they decided to remake the original release. Many criticized the inclusion of microtransactions in Dead Space 3 and the developers shared that they were learning from past mistakes in the series. As a result, microtransactions did not get included in the remake.
The Dead Space remake sits at 87/89 on PC and consoles on Metacritic. Not only is this a great score, but it also beats out the original release for PC and PS3 which are 86/88 respectively. I remember playing the demo over a decade ago on PS3 but I never took the plunge and purchased a copy. Have you ever played the Dead Space series before and if so what are your opinions on this new remake?
PlayStation Showcase announced for Next Week
Sony has announced a new PlayStation Showcase event that will take place at the end of this month.
Sony has announced a new PlayStation Showcase event that will take place next week on May 24th at 4 PM EST.
The show will run a bit over an hour, focusing on PS5 and PS VR2 games in development from top studios from around the world. Expect a glimpse at several new creations from PlayStation Studios, as well as spellbinding games from our third-party partners and indie creators.
Sid Shuman (Senior Director, SIE Content Communications) May 17, 2023
Many hardware rumors have sprouted over the past year that may be announced at this event such as a PlayStation 5 Slim, PlayStation 5 Pro, and a PlayStation Handheld. Although the Pro model seems very unlikely, it wouldn't surprise me if at least one of the other two devices made an appearance at this event.
Unannounced Games
What could the "new creations" Sony is mentioning in this announcement be? Marvel's Spider-Man 2 could get a new trailer released since it is targeting this year for release. Many of PlayStation's studios are working on new games and I would expect only studios that haven't released anything recently to possibly make an appearance at this event. The studios with the longest period of no release would be London Studio, Media Molecule, and Team Asobi. London Studio has not released a game since 2019 and it's been said they're working on a co-op multiplayer game.
PlayStation 5 Slim
You might not have noticed but Sony has released multiple revisions of the PlayStation 5 since it launched. Most of these changes are minor, leading to not only lighter hardware but a more power-efficient console. Those changes are nice to have though they're nothing like an actual slim revision that Sony has done for every console they've ever released. This is why a rumor saying the PS5 is getting a slim model is never really a question about if it's happening but rather when is it going to release and what features will it improve on.
The current rumors on that not-so-secret PlayStation 5 Slim have suggested that it will not have a disc drive built into it, instead opting to make it an optional accessory that plugs into the console. That's not as outlandish as it sounds since consoles have done this in the past, for example, the Sega CD.
Removing the disc drive would allow for a smaller footprint, reduce the number of models, and push toward PlayStation's digital utopia they've been dreaming about for years. But what would it do for us who still like to own our games on discs? Well, hopefully, the slim model would push for reduced power usage as its main selling point which in turn would decrease the always-on space heater feature the current PS5 offers.
Of course, that wouldn't be the only thing a slim model would entail. Most likely a cost reduction would be announced at the same time. With the current prices of PC hardware and consoles, I couldn't imagine it being more than a $50 price reduction unless the slim model stays out of consumer hands for a few more years.
New PlayStation Handheld
This is a more recent rumor making the rounds that is not as far-fetched as you would think. It's no secret that the PlayStation Vita and Sony's obsession with proprietary memory cards destroyed their amazing handheld division years ago. So no I don't think they will make a similar handheld in the current market but that's not what this rumor suggests.
It's not a handheld in the traditional sense but a PlayStation 5 Remote Play accessory. It's said to have a 1080p 60 Hz, 8-inch touchscreen and it incorporates the DualSense controller features. Not much else to say, I have used a PlayStation Vita in the past to Remote Play from a PlayStation 4 and wasn't a fan of the results. Would you be interested in such a device for your PS5?
Mortal Kombat 1 announced! Release date, editions, and more!
Mortal Kombat's next entry has finally been announced: Mortal Kombat 1. It's a rebooted Mortal Kombat Universe created by the Fire God Liu Kang, which shouldn't be too much of a surprise if you played the Aftermath expansion from MK11.
Mortal Kombat's next entry has finally been announced: Mortal Kombat 1. It's a rebooted Mortal Kombat Universe created by the Fire God Liu Kang, which shouldn't be too much of a surprise if you played the Aftermath expansion from MK11. NetherRealm's Story Mode returns with new twists on classic rivalries and new original backstories.
Some konfirmed characters so far (included in the press release) are Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Kung Lao, Kitana, Mileena, Shang Tsung, Johnny Cage, along with "many others" not yet mentioned. One konfirmed gameplay change in Mortal Kombat 1 will be its new mechanic, Kameo Fighters, which allows a unique roster of partner characters to assist you during matches.
Mortal Kombat 1 releases on September 19th of this year, with preorders beginning tomorrow on May 19th. Here are all the editions of the game, along with the preorder bonus:
Standard Edition
- The Standard Edition will be available physically and digitally for $69.99 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, including Steam and Epic Games Store.
Premium Edition
- The Premium Edition will be available physically and digitally for $109.99 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) and will include all Standard Edition content, along with the Kombat Pack, early access to the game beginning Sept. 14, and 1,250 Dragon Krystals (in-game currency). The Kombat Packwill feature a Johnny Cage character skin with the likeness of famed actor and martial artist, Jean-Claude Van Damme (available at launch), early access to six new playable characters (available post-launch), and five new Kameo Fighters (available post-launch).
Kollector’s Edition
- The Kollector’s Edition will be available physically at select retailers for $249.99 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S only and will include all Premium Edition content, and early access, along with a 16.5-inch Liu Kang sculpture designed by COARSE and an inspired Liu Kang in-game character skin, three exclusive art prints, a steel case, and 1,450 additional Dragon Krystals (2,700 total).
Preordering any version of the game will get you Shang Tsung and Beta access.
The EU approves Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard
In a somewhat unexpected win for the Xbox brand, Microsoft has succeeded in getting approval for its Activision Blizzard buyout from the European Commission.
In a somewhat unexpected win for the Xbox brand, Microsoft has succeeded in getting approval for its Activision Blizzard buyout from the European Commission.
The approval is conditional on full compliance with the commitments offered by Microsoft. The commitments fully address the competition concerns identified by the Commission and represent a significant improvement for cloud gaming as compared to the current situation.
European Commission May, 18 2023
We previously reported a blow to the Microsoft/Activision merger due to the CMA (UK's Competition and Markets Authority) announcing they would block it. The reasoning given by the CMA involved their concerns regarding cloud gaming. They believe it will hamper and change the future of cloud gaming resulting in less innovation and choice for UK gamers. It turns out the European Commission has a similar opinion regarding cloud gaming despite giving their approval.
The Commission's in-depth market investigation indicated that Microsoft would not be able to harm rival consoles and rival multi-game subscription services.
Even if Microsoft did decide to withdraw Activision's games from the PlayStation, this would not significantly harm competition in the consoles market.
The acquisition would harm competition in the distribution of PC and console games via cloud game streaming services, an innovative market segment that could transform the way many gamers play video games. Despite its potential, cloud game streaming is very limited today.European Commission May, 18 2023
But why would they approve this merger when they say it will harm cloud game stream services? Well, that's because of the proposed remedies Microsoft offered.
To address the competition concerns identified by the Commission in the market for the distribution of PC and console games via cloud game streaming services, Microsoft offered the following comprehensive licensing commitments, with a 10-year duration:
A free license to consumers in the EEA that would allow them to stream, via any cloud game streaming services of their choice, all current and future Activision Blizzard PC and console games for which they have a license.
A corresponding free license to cloud game streaming service providers to allow EEA-based gamers to stream any Activision Blizzard's PC and console games.European Commission May, 18 2023
So what do you think of that compromise for the EU's concerns regarding cloud gaming? If you live in that region, any Activision Blizzard game you own a license for, you can stream from the cloud at no cost for the next 10 years if the merger goes through. Are you ready for some ultra laggy Call of Duty action?
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Update 5 Patch Notes
Yet another patch for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has arrived for consoles and PC.
Yet another patch for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has arrived for consoles and PC. Slowly but surely, it will be playable at a respectable state for players on PC 10 patches from now! Just kidding, here are the patch notes for patch 5:
- (PC only) Improved content caching to reduce hitching.
- (PC only) Improved thread handling when raytracing is turned off.
- (PC only) Fix for an issue where lowering the PC visual settings would incorrectly lower your resolution scale if FSR is disabled.
- Note: if you previously disabled FSR and are playing on a lower visual quality, you may want to readjust your quality settings.
- (PC only) Fix for a reset button not responding on PC when using both controller and keyboard.
- Various performance fixes.
- Stability improvements.
- More robust detection of pre-order and deluxe content in-game, preventing players from only randomly having access to the content.
- Various collision and navigation improvements to prevent issues where characters get stuck out of bounds.
- Fixed an issue where Drya Thornne would become invincible.
- Music-related fixes
- Fixed an issue where Bode wouldn’t grab the senator during some New Game+ playthroughs.
- Fix for a bug where the Skriton wouldn’t appear correctly.
- Fix for Dagan not appearing correctly in a cinematic.
- Fixed some rare instances of players being unable to progress further in the game even after reloading.
- Fix for a bug where the Gorocco would disappear mid-combat.
- Fix for an issue where Cal would get stuck in a specific Blaster state if dying while in it.
- Fix for a bug where BD-1 wouldn’t be able to open a door.
- Fix for void tear interactions not working correctly.
- Fix for trying to load corrupt save games sometimes leaving you in the main menu. It will now correctly attempt to load your backup save.
- Improved UX for Koboh matter turrets that players were previously unable to exit out of.
- Fix for the Rancor and the Mogu not correctly leaving Cal's XP behind when he respawns.
- Fix for a bug where the Skills menu wouldn't correctly close.
- Improved sync for sound during one of the cinematics.
- Fix for the environment not loading correctly on Koboh after Cal respawns.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sets Series Record in Sales
Was there any doubt that this new release wouldn't break records?
Despite The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaking early, that hasn't stopped it from breaking records as it's gone on to sell more than 10 million copies in its first three days. Not only has it sold faster than any other Nintendo Switch game, but it's also the fastest-selling Nintendo game ever released.
The Legend of Zelda action-adventure series started over 35 years ago with the Legend of Zelda game, which debuted in the U.S. in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System™. As the heroic Link, players go on an adventure battling foes and discovering hidden mysteries in vast fields and dungeons. As of March 2023, the series has sold more than 130 million units worldwide.
Nintendo, May 17, 2023
The worry over how piracy could affect this new release was most likely going through the heads of Nintendo but I'm sure it had little impact on those willing to buy the game in the first place. If anything Nintendo could learn from this situation and start releasing their games on PC instead which would have helped them surpass their 10 million sales record.
GeForce RTX 4060 revealed at only $299
Nvidia has announced three new entry's into their latest generation of graphics cards.
In a move that can only mean trouble for AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 7600 release, Nvidia has announced three new entry's into their latest generation of graphics cards with the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti. Why did I say three you might ask? Well the RTX 4060 Ti will have two variants, one with 8 GB of VRAM that will retail for $399 and a second with 16 GB of VRAM that will set you back $499. But the biggest news is the cheapest out of the bunch at $299, the RTX 4060, and yes it only has 8 GB of VRAM.
As you can tell from the chart above, the RTX 4060 is packing various upgrades over its predecessors including improved ray tracing performance and power efficiency. Nvidia has been pushing the envelope of what's acceptable for power usage during the past couple of generations with the RTX 3090 hitting 350 watts and the RTX 4090 coming in at an astounding 450 watts.
So I expected the RTX 4060 to match or increase the power usage compared to the RTX 3060, but it turns out that's one of the biggest improvements you will see with it drawing only 115 watts. Even the 4060 Ti is more power efficient than the RTX 3060 drawing only 160 watts.
At $299, Nvidia's mainstream tier of graphics cards couldn't be priced any better. On AMD's side of the store though, the RX 7600 was originally rumored to retail for $330 with an RX 6650 XT level of performance. That price didn't stick around for long though since it's now rumored to be even less than $299 for the AMD card.
If retailers stick to the MSRP of the RTX 4060, I can't see AMD competing unless they target at least $50 less. AMD is offering AV1 support for the first time but the ray tracing performance is still worse than Nvidia's lineup and DLSS 3 will future-proof the RTX 4060 for years to come even with only 8 GB of VRAM.
The GeForce RTX 4060 launches in July along with the 16 GB variant of the RTX 4060 Ti. The 8 GB model of the 4060 Ti will be launching very soon on May 24th. If you're in the market for this price bracket of graphics cards, are you planning on going with Nvidia or AMD?
3 classic Mario Game Boy Advance games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online
The remaining three Super Mario Advance games are joining Super Mario Advance 4 on Nintendo Switch Online.
Nintendo has announced the remaining three Super Mario Advance games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online. Which includes Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario World, and Yoshi's Island. I remember enjoying all the Super Mario Advanced games back in the day, so to me, this is a great addition to the already available Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.
These versions of the series were basically the remastered games from Super Mario All-Stars, with some notable new features and differences that separate them from the originals, but not without the Game Boy Advance's drawbacks. My favorite addition to note is Luigi having his signature Mario Bros. 2 style jump in Super Mario World, along with him being available as a selectable character.
They are coming to Nintendo Switch Online on May 26th. What Game Boy Advance games do you want to see added in the future? As for games that have probably no shot, I would like the Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury or the Legacy of Goku series to come to the service.
As for more likely games (that I'm surprised are not already on there), I have to say the Donkey Kong Country trilogy. It's very similar to the Super Mario Advance series of games with its remaster approach, along with some little additions and differences here and there. Tell us your dark horse picks in the comments below.
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