Game Keys & Cards

Like prior weeks, we have plenty of new games to experience and even more great games to catch up on. This week saw the releases of extremely charming Zelda and Souls-like Tunic, and the nonsensical-yet-captivating Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, and both are very much in play for spending time with this weekend. Will the Game Informer staff be spending the weekend exploring Finji's new secret legend or possibly a known legend from Square Enix newly retold? Read on to find out...

Andrew Reiner – I’m knee-deep in my review for Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (both the review and game hit next week), and also hope to check out Fortnite’s next season, which launches on Sunday. I also have a few comic books to read before I record next week’s From Panel to Podcast episode. For those looking for something shocking to read, check out the first issue of Carnage. This is as dark as Marvel gets.

Jill Grodt – I’m super excited for everyone to jump into Tunic this weekend. It’s a game that begs to be talked about, and, doing the review, I’ve had to keep everything quiet for so long! Currently, I’m working through my NG+ run and still uncovering new elements. However, Elden Ring is calling to me, and I feel like it’s been forever since I dedicated real time to it. So, it looks like this weekend is all about secrets, exploration, and combat for me!

Wesley LeBlanc – This weekend is a catch-up weekend for me, I hope. I have a lot I want to really give a good go like Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Tunic, and more. However, I say “I hope” because Elden Ring still exists and consumes my every waking thought. Not sure when that will disappear but I’m not complaining. Elsewhere, I’m doing an escape room this weekend with friends and I can’t wait for that. Oh, and I’m eating some Italian food, too, which is always a great thing.

Dan Tack – Stranger of Paradise

Kristin Williams – I’ve been slowly working on a “Magic Puzzle” for the last few weeks with my husband, so hoping to get some more pieces figured out for that. I’m told there’s a surprise at the end, so I’m curious to see how that works since everyone who has completed one of these (looking at you, Reiner and Margaret) has been teasing about how neat they are. So far, it’s mostly been fun to see the easter eggs hidden in the artwork and trying to figure out what the heck is going on and why the puzzle has more edges than normal.

Also, I’ll probably play some more Pokémon Legends: Arceus. I put off starting it until I finished Horizon and so I’m just finally getting into that world. I need to catch a bunch of Eevee!

Marcus Stewart – I’m pet sitting at my parent’s house this weekend, but I packed my PlayStation 5. When I’m not busy keeping their two dogs alive and entertained, I’ll be continuing my treks through Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West. I’m quite far in the latter, and I hope to wrap up Aloy’s journey soon so that I can dive headfirst into Tunic.

John Carson – Honestly, I haven't really thought about what I'm doing this weekend. I've had Elden Ring on the back burner while other work-related games were played, but my adventures in the Lands Between is possibly back on the menu. I also started Tunic the other night, and that's been awesome so far. Everything about how it conveys information is wonderful, and I can't wait to see more. I could see myself spending a ton of time diving deeper into either or both of those. However, it's finally consistently above freezing here for the first time in a while, so maybe I should try going outside?


Now we turn the table to the Game Informer community. What kind of trouble and shenannigans are you planning on getting into over the weekend? Have any books, games, movies, shows, or comic you're excited about diving into? Are you chasing a perfect March Madness bracket this deep into the tournament? Let us know in the comments, and have a fantastic weekend! 

Weekend Warrior – Seeking A Secret Legend
https://snip.ly/ijwkle

Platform:
PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC


Publisher:
Nacon


Developer:
Big Bad Wolf


Release:
May 19, 2022




Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong (https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/11/30/vampire-the-masquerade-swansong-gets-may-2022-release-date) is the upcoming narrative-focused RPG set in the universe of the popular tabletop game. A gameplay trailer provides the first glimpse of the game’s choice-driven investigation mechanics, which players will use to unravel a deadly assassination plot. 

Assassins have attacked the Boston Camarilla, the secret society of vampires residing within the city. The Prince of the Camarilla, Hazel Iversen, has tasked fellow vampires Galeb Bazory, Emem Louis, and Leysha with finding and eliminating the culprits to preserve their way of life. Each of these three characters can be customized with different skills and possess unique traits to allow players to infiltrate areas, uncover clues, and neutralize threats. Galeb, for example, enjoys snapping necks and can utilize his Domination power to control the minds of others. Leysha’s Obfuscate ability allows her to disguise herself to blend in. Emem is a celebrity that uses her notoriety to access restricted areas and talk characters into revealing sensitive intel. 

Click here to watch embedded media (https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/03/18/vampire-the-masquerade-swansong-gameplay-trailer-showcases-its-investigation-mechanics)

Confrontations are dialogue-focused forms of combat where players must choose the right dialogue options to win arguments and, in turn, obtain vital information. Being savvy and keeping a low profile is key, but relying on your vampiric powers too much raises your bloodlust. That causes your bestial side to take over, which can affect your actions in unpredictable ways. Occasionally feeding on people reduces this hunger; just be sure to do it away from prying eyes. Swansong features multiple endings based on your choices, which will determine the fate of Boston’s vampire community as well as the individual characters. 

Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong launches May 19 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Swansong isn’t the only Vampire: The Masquerade game in the works. The battle royale game Bloodhunt (https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/06/10/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodhunt-preview-battle-royale-meets-vampires-no-seriously) is set to exit Steam Early Access later this year. Bloodlines 2, the sequel to the 2004 cult-favorite, is further away since its development has largely been restarted (https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/02/23/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-delayed-as-paradox-fires-hardsuit-labs-from). 

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong Gameplay Trailer Showcases Its Investigation Mechanics
https://snip.ly/6lvuan

Platform:
Switch


Publisher:
Nintendo


Developer:
Nintendo


Release:
October 27, 2017



Rating:
Everyone 10+

This week, Brian is away on vacation, so he digs into the inbox for this episode of All Things Nintendo. Joining him is Game Informer creative director Jeff Akervik. The two answer questions surrounding topics of Zelda, Mario, Smash Bros., Pokémon, and plenty more! They wrap up the show with a controller-focused Definitive Ranking, followed by an appropriate eShop Gem of the Week.

If you'd like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter: Brian Shea (@brianpshea) (https://twitter.com/BrianPShea), Jeff Akervik (@JeffAkervik) (https://twitter.com/jeffakervik)

The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we can celebrate, discuss, and break down all the latest games, news, and announcements from the industry's most recognizable name. Each week, Brian is joined by different guests to talk about what's happening in the world of Nintendo. Along the way, they'll share personal stories, uncover hidden gems in the eShop, and even look back on the classics we all grew up with. A new episode hits every Friday!

Be sure to subscribe to All Things Nintendo on your favorite podcast platform. The show is available on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-all-things-nintendo-podcast/id1589146741), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7AnXlR0YN006nMbuTN0m6R?si=oWgwTAPtSqmWO3dTNxCY2g&dl_branch=1&nd=1), and Google Podcasts (https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcHJlc3MubWUvYWxsdGhpbmdzbmludGVuZG8).


00:00:00 – Introduction

00:01:47 – Dream Game Boy/GameCube Classic Consoles

00:18:49 – Surprising Breath of the Wild Gameplay Moments

00:27:03 – What We Want from Breath of the Wild Sequel

00:38:05 – What Other Characters Do You Want in Smash Bros.?

00:44:40 – Our Second-Most Anticipated Switch Game

00:48:33 – Nintendo Not Making Old Games Easy to Play

01:05:11 – Would Nintendo Make a Retro-Style Mario Game?

01:10:39 – What We Want for Next 3D Mario Game

01:15:35 – What Pokémon Scarlet/Violet Could Take from Legends: Arceus

01:18:09 – Is Pokémon Giving Us Too Much Too Fast?

01:24:24 – Let's Give Brian Crap About Not Playing Majora's Mask!

01:29:06 – Long Games to Play in Short Bursts

01:32:40 – Pokémon Ranger Shoutout

01:33:59 – Kind Words/Listener First Nintendo Game Entry

01:38:06 – Definitive Ranking: Nintendo Controllers

01:48:00 – eShop Gem of the Week: Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King


If you'd like to get in touch with the All Things Nintendo podcast, you can do so by emailing AllThingsNintendo@GameInformer.com (mailto:allthingsnintendo@gameinformer.com), tweeting to Brian (@BrianPShea (http://www.twitter.com/brianpshea)), or by joining the official Game Informer Discord server. You can do that by linking your Discord account to your Twitch account and subscribing to the Game Informer Twitch channel. From there, find the All Things Nintendo channel under "Community Spaces."


For more Game Informer podcasts, be sure to check out The Game Informer Show (https://www.gameinformer.com/gishow), which covers the weekly happenings of the video game industry, and Video Gameography (https://www.gameinformer.com/podcast/2021/10/12/introducing-video-gameography-a-new-podcast-from-game-informer) with host Marcus Stewart, which explores the history of video games – one series at a time! We also have From Panel to Podcast (https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/01/25/introducing-from-panel-to-podcast-a-new-weekly-show-focused-on-all-things-comic-books) from host Andrew Reiner, covering everything from the world of comic books, including the shows, movies, and games that spawn from them! 

Inbox: Breath Of The Wild 2 Wishlist, Pokémon Oversaturation, Dream Classic Consoles | All Things Nintendo
https://snip.ly/pxw17a

Finally, we appreciate the irony that we — an Austrian and an Israeli Jew — started this multicultural enterprise. We view each other as brothers. And, like brothers, we sometimes argue and frequently tease each other. We have made jokes at our own expense about the differences in our backgrounds — and there may have been times that our teasing of each other has come off as insensitive and may have made others feel uncomfortable.

Moon Studios has prospered for 12 years. We have grown and learned so much over all of these years. We have been privileged to work with many, many great, and extremely talented people. We are truly grateful and proud of our team — those who are here today as well as those who spent time at Moon and have since moved to other ventures – and we are happy to have made a positive difference in their lives. We are not perfect but we deeply care about our talent and are constantly working hard to improve. If we have ever made anyone feel uncomfortable or let anyone down — we regret that and we will always strive to do better.”

— Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol

[Source: GamesBeat (https://venturebeat.com/2022/03/18/despite-its-beautiful-ori-games-moon-studio-is-called-an-oppressive-place-to-work/)]

Employees at Moon Studios, which is the team behind Ori and the Blind Forest/Will of the Wisps, told GamesBeat that they view the studio’s culture as “oppressive,” citing that the studio’s leaders used buzzwords about being an open and honest workplace as a cover for abuse that happens there. Examples included in the GamesBeat report include the use of offensive words by the founders, anti-Semitic jokes, and public discussion and jokes about the size of their genitals. 

GamesBeat reports that a lot of these “jokes” and inappropriate discussions happened in public chats that were open to others at the company, suggesting that Mahler and Korol didn’t find anything wrong with what they were saying. The publication also reports that turnover at Moon Studios was high, but that new employees were recruited with promises of large bonuses and other benefits. 

One developer said they stuck around despite the oppression they felt at Moon Studios because, despite it all, they felt pride in their own work on the studio’s games. They would watch fan reactions and Twitch streams of their games to reconcile with what they were dealing with. 

“We really created something special, and I know the only way I was able to reconcile it was I was able to watch people on Twitch and watch other people get moved by it, and that was actually part of my healing process,” they told GamesBeat. “Because maybe my suffering was worth it because other people felt something. In the end, I mean, so many of us were burned out.” 

GamesBeat’s report is quite extensive and features a ton of additional information regarding this alleged “oppressive” workplace so we encourage you to head there to read the full report (https://venturebeat.com/2022/03/18/despite-its-beautiful-ori-games-moon-studio-is-called-an-oppressive-place-to-work/). In it, though, GamesBeat pastes the full response from Mahler and Korol sent to the publication after GamesBeat gave them a chance to respond to its reporting. Here’s what they said: 

“We don’t believe the experiences suggested by your questions are representative of the more than 80 Moon Studios team members who are thriving and doing great work every day — nor do we believe they are representative of the experiences of former members of our team. In fact, we are very proud of our history of making people happy, advancing their careers, and contributing to their financial success.

We built Moon Studios with a simple premise. First, we wanted to create a distributed studio that is not limited by geographic boundaries enabling us to draw the top talent from around the world. Second, we wanted to foster a vibrant culture where our team thrives and delivers the very best work in our industry. And finally, from day one we set out to share the profits and rewards of our efforts with the full team. We believe we have succeeded.

What makes our team so powerful is our global and cultural diversity — we have team members working from more than 40 different countries across four continents — and a flat studio structure that allows everyone to speak honestly and directly and to challenge and push each other to do our very best work. We purposely set out to create a different kind of studio — one that encourages creativity, open communication, collaboration, and performance.

The result has been two award-winning games — with more on the horizon — and a team of professionals who enjoy working together, are excelling and breaking new ground in our industry, while also sharing in the financial success of Moon Studios. If at times we are brutally direct in our critiques and challenges, we are also genuine and vocal in our praise. We are incredibly proud of everything we have built and achieved together.

Founders Of Ori Developer Moon Studios Respond To Accusations Of Sexism, Racism, And Bullying In New Report
https://snip.ly/m7oiue

A big draw of Gran Turismo 7 is the ability to race against other players. That’s not possible in-game at the moment as its online functionality are still disabled. On top of that, Video Games Chronicle (https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/following-microtransaction-criticism-gran-turismo-7s-latest-patch-makes-it-harder-to-earn-cars/) reports that this update makes Gran Turismo 7 even grindier than before in some ways (https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/03/04/gran-turismo-7s-cars-cost-a-lot-more-in-game-credits-than-previous-games). 

That’s because the courses that players used to farm in-game credits to purchase cars significantly more expensive in 7 than they were in Sport (https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/03/04/gran-turismo-7s-cars-cost-a-lot-more-in-game-credits-than-previous-games) now dole out less credits. 

We’ll be sure to update this story when Gran Turismo 7’s online functionality is restored.

For more about the game, read Game Informer’s Gran Turismo 7 review and then check out what some of the best cars in Gran Turismo 7 would look like if Kirby ate them (https://www.gameinformer.com/humor/2022/02/25/how-would-gran-turismo-7s-best-cars-look-if-kirby-ate-them). Read about Sony’s AI project that outperforms professional GT drivers (https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/02/09/sony-unveils-gran-turismo-sophy-a-new-artificial-intelligence-that-outperforms) after that. 

[Source: VG247 (https://www.vg247.com/gran-turismo-7-offline-unplayable)]


What do you make of this update debacle Polyphony Digital is currently dealing with? Let us know in the comments below!

Platform:
PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4


Publisher:
PlayStation Studios


Developer:
Polyphony Digital


Release:
March 4, 2022




Update, 2:30 p.m., 3/18/22:

Gran Turismo 7 is back online after essentially being left unplayable for more than 24 hours following an earlier update. 

In a new blog post (https://www.gran-turismo.com/gb/gt7/news/00_3802725.html), GT7 producer Kazunori Yamauchi explains why a maintenance period that was expected to last a couple of hours lasted longer than a day. He said that right before the release of the 1.07 update, which is the one that left GT7 largely unplayable, Polyphony Digital “discovered an issue where the game would not start properly in some cases on product versions for the PS4 and PS5.” 

“This was a rare issue that was not seen during tests on the development hardware or the QA sessions prior to the release, but in order to prioritize the safety of the save data of the users, we decided to interrupt the release of the 1.07 update, and to make a 1.08 correctional update. That is the reason for the delay. My sincere apologies for the late report to everyone.” 

Yamauchi then addresses microtransactions in GT7. In update 1.07, the number of in-game credits earned for completing some tracks and races in the game was decreased, meaning it would be tougher to purchase cars. Some felt that this was to further push the microtransactions in the game, but Yamauchi says the team wants “users to enjoy lots of cars and races even without microtransactions.” 

“At the same time, the pricing of cars is an important element that conveys their value and rarity, so I do think it’s important for it to be linked with the real world prices,” he continues. “I want to make GT7 a game in which you can enjoy a variety of cars lots of different ways, and if possible would like to try to avoid a situation where a player must mechanically keep replaying certain events over and over again [players were using certain tracks to farm credits and those were the tracks targeted in the update].”

The blog post says the studio will let players know the update plans for additional content, race events, and features to “constructively resolve this” issue. 

“It pains me that I can’t explain the details regarding this at this moment, but we plan on continuing to revise GT7 so that as many players as possible can enjoy the game,” Yamauchi writes. “We would really appreciate it if everyone could watch over the growth of Gran Turismo 7 from a somewhat longer term point of view.”

The original story continues below...


Original Story, 10:22 a.m., 3/18/22:

Ah, the age of always-online games strikes again – this time, with Gran Turismo 7. 

Gran Turismo 7 requires a constant internet connection, meaning if you can’t connect online, you basically can’t play the game, save for a few modes like Music Rally. It’s unfortunate but it’s a decision Polyphony Digital chose to make with the latest Gran Turismo installment nonetheless (they did the same with GT Sport, too). The latest update for the game, Version 1.07, however, is casting a negative light on that decision because it has taken the game offline, making it mostly unplayable, for more than 24 hours. That’s another way of saying this game you spent money on is a game you can’t actually enjoy in full at the moment. 

Gran Turismo 7 went offline on March 17 and it was only supposed to be down for a couple of hours, as reported by VG247 (https://www.vg247.com/gran-turismo-7-offline-unplayable). However, a couple of hours stretched to a dozen. Now, here we are, a full day later. Most of Gran Turismo 7’s modes are still inaccessible as they remain offline.  

Update: Gran Turismo 7 Is Back Online, Polyphony Digital Apologizes And Addresses Microtransactions
https://snip.ly/rhuyvp

Red Candle Games, the Taiwan-based video game developer behind horror titles like Detention and Devotion, has launched its crowdfunding effort (https://shop.redcandlegames.com/projects/ninesols) for its next game, Nine Sols. 

Previously announced (https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/12/16/devotion-developer-red-candle-games-reveals-2d-action-platformer-nine-sols), Nine Sols is described by the team as “a journey of Asian fantasy inspired by Sekiro, Hollow Knight, and Katazan Zero.” It’s also a “lore-rich, hand-drawn” 2D action platformer with a focus on deflection in combat.” Red Candle promises immersive storytelling and a unique “Taopunk” setting in Nine Sols, too. As for what Taopunk is, think cyberpunk meets Taoism and Far East mythology. 

Click here to watch embedded media (https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/03/18/red-candle-games-releases-new-nine-sols-trailer-crowdfunding-site-now-live)

The studio wants to “build a stylish Taopunk world that blends cyberpunk/sci-fi elements with Taoism and Far Easter mythology,” Red Candle writes on its crowdfunding website (https://shop.redcandlegames.com/projects/ninesols). 

It also says the team is attempting to “recreate the deflection-focused Sekiro combat experience in 2D and meld it with classic side-scrolling exploration.” Visually, Nine Sols will incorporate anime and manga-influenced art that’s handcrafted and it will be set to the score of a “dark electronic sound mixed with Eastern instruments.” 

In Nine Sols, players will explore a land that was once home to an ancient alien race, following a hero’s quest to slay nine Sols, which are the rulers of this forsaken realm.

There’s a ton of additional info about Nine Sols on Red Candle’s website – seriously, there’s a breakdown of the story, combat mechanics including gifs that show it in action, details and art regarding the Taopunk world, and even word that the game is expected to launch on PlayStation consoles, Nintendo consoles, and PC. Red Candle doesn’t name the platforms because it says it recognizes that Nine Sol’s development is “in between console generations,” making it “difficult to provide a definitive list of support platforms at the moment.” 

Red Candle is looking to raise NT$ 3 million, which is the equivalent of roughly $106,000 USD. It has already raised 81% of that. 

“Nine Sols has been an ongoing project of Red Candle for more than two years,” Red Candle’s site reads. “We actually began looking at prototypes for this game a couple months after the launch of Devotion, so we are thoroughly committed to this project. We want to state clearly that the crowdfunding campaign will not alter the fate of Nine Sols, meaning that we will do our absolute best to complete the game regardless of the result.

The truth is, the main goal of this campaign is to receive feedback from you. As always, our main concern is about what you, the player, thinks of our game.” 

While waiting for Nine Sols, read Game Informer’s Devotion review and then catch up on the Detention live-action film that was released last year (https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/10/07/the-live-action-detention-film-premieres-in-us-theaters-october-8). 


Are you excited for Nine Sols? Let us know in the comments below!

Red Candle Games Releases New Nine Sols Trailer, Crowdfunding Site Now Live
https://snip.ly/1tj1zo