The past week has seen its fair share of news both big and small. There were some new announcements like the release date for the highly anticipated Biomutant, EA’s new studio that’s tasked with making a new Skate game, Warner Bros trying to patent the Shadow of Mordors Nemesis System, and a couple more exciting news to chew through.
Biomutant dev breaks silence with a release date announcement
Biomutant is releasing in just 3 short months
Biomutant developer Experiment 101 went silent after showcasing the game last year. According to the team, this was done in order to focus on bug fixing and hopefully avoiding crunch in the weeks just before release. Now that they feel confident about the work they’ve done, they went ahead and announced that the game will be releasing on May 25th. That’s great news for the many gamers extremely excited for the game. Many say that the game has all the hallmarks of a cult hit and it’s easy to see why. The idea of controlling a kung-fu mutant that’s constantly evolving and acquiring all sorts of imaginative powers and abilities while crafting insane weapons feels extremely fresh. It’s also set in a unique open world that’s going to be affected by the choices the players make while playing. Hopefully, the game turns out to be everything we wish it to be once it releases in just short 3 months.
EA announces a new studio that’s making a new Skate game
Don’t hold your breath to see this anytime soon
Full Circle is a new EA studio in Canada being tasked with the much-anticipated return of skateboarding classic Skate. Luckily, the team will have Skate veterans Cuz Parry and Deran Chung as leads to make things as authentic as possible. Their first order of business was a call for passionate developers to help them build compelling worlds for players to explore. This of course translates to a huge hiring spree that tells us Skate is still a long way off. Still, it’s comforting to know it’s being worked on and fans who’ve been clamoring for its return can finally divert their attention to something else. For more information about the new studio and their tease announcement of the game, check out our original news coverage.
Scalper bot legality discussion is heating up
Scalping has really gotten out of hand with current-gen consoles
While scalping has always existed in one form or another, the rise of bots and the release of the current generation of consoles along with COVID-19 shortages exacerbated the issue. One UK lawmaker even took to BBC to make his case, while in the US, the FTC enforced scalper bot ticket legislation for the very first time. The consensus is that the individual scalpers aren’t the real issue but bots that automate the process and can nab multiple items across multiple sites before the average consumer. While major outlets with online shops have taken steps to prevent scalping with pre-orders, there’s still a need for full-on legislation to protect both businesses and general consumers.
Warner Bros. is trying to patent Shadow of Mordor’s Nemesis system
This amazing system should be in more open-world games
Let me just say that I absolutely love Shadow of Mordor/War games and the excellent Nemesis system is one of the main reasons why. It’s a system that, in a manner of speaking, procedurally generates NPC personalities while making them remember player encounters to build unique relationships. It’s something that seems like a perfect fit for many open-world games and it’s really strange that it hasn’t been used more in recent years. Well, the fact that Warner Bros filled to patent the system might explain why. The system has been implemented to some degree in other games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Warframe, and others, but that’s mainly because the patent has been listed as “pending” ever since 2015.
It has since been rejected in 2019 and then re-examined in 2020, currently sitting at “notice of allowance” status which could mean it’s about to be accepted and issued. Hopefully, Warner won’t be strict in enforcing it should other developers make use of it in their games. We at least hope they themselves will make use of the system and deliver more games with an even more advanced iteration to make our open-worlds feel more alive.
Cyberpunk Keanu Reeves Sex Mod taken down by CDPR
Leave Keanu alone!
One imaginative modder managed to create a mod where you can freely swap around character models. While this probably wouldn’t be a problem otherwise, one of those models is Mr. Keanu Reeves. Since his liking can now be grafted onto in-game joy toys which are essentially prostitutes with which players can engage in a bit of fun, CDPR decided to take down the mod. Granted, Keanu remains fully clothed during the scene, but CDPR justifies this as potentially being harmful and damaging the relationship CDPR has with actors who lent their liking for specific characters. They remain open to modifications that tweak things to make the game more fun but ask the modders to refrain from using models based on real people in any way that might be found offensive if they don’t have their explicit permission.
Rocket League is getting a new chaotic NFL mode
Rocket League x NFL seems like a chaotic but fun match
Gridiron is a new mod that’s part of a Rocket League partnership with the NFL for Super Bowl LV. While it’s not an absolute recreation of American Football, is should still prove to be a fun one for the fans of the sport. It’s essentially a 4v4 mod where touching the oblong ball makes it attach to the roof of the car once touched. Opponents can, of course, steal the ball, while the carrier’s looking for a perfect opportunity to pass to his teammates. There’s a catch, though, the carrier can only jump once and double jumping will make him drop the ball. Wow, that’s going to take a lot to get used to from Rocket League veterans. Oh, Gridiron arenas will also feature an out-of-bounds mechanic so opponents are not the only thing to watch out for. Sounds like some good chaotic fun to us.
The Last of Us Part 2 Has the Most GOTY Awards Ever
The Last of Us Part 2 shows no signs of slowing down
The Last of Us Part 2 snags more GOTY awards than any other game, beating out The Witcher 3 as the previous record-holder. TLOU2 is now sitting at a total of 261 awards, with that number being divided up by 169 from media outlets and 92 from Readers’ Choice. Most notably, the game took not only the GOTY award during last year’s Game Awards but it also took a whopping seven other awards out of its 10 nominations. Despite its divisive plot points and character arcs, the game has generally been praised left and right with the sales results predictably being in the same, highly successful ballpark. For more information on The Last of Us Part 2 being the most awarded game in history, check out our original news coverage.
