Speaking on the Kiwi Talkz podcast (thanks, IGN), former senior game designer Mike Wikan recalled occasions back in 2002 where he had just one hour of sleep over a 48-hour shift. Thankfully, Nintendo’s subsequent buyout of the studio helped turn things around, with the parent company enacting change and cutting crunch in subsequent sequels. “I had two times where I was there for 48 hours straight with one hour of sleep, and then a couple of 36 hour days,” Wikan recalled....

Microsoft’s first touch-enabled Xbox title, Minecraft Dungeons, launched last September. “Since then,” the company writes in its announcement post, “touch controls remain one of the top-requested features for cloud gaming, to unlock new ways to play on your Android mobile devices without the need for an external controller.” To that end, Microsoft says it’s now implemented touch controls in 54 games from its existing range of cloud-enabled Xbox titles, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers can put those efforts through their paces by downloading the Game Pass app to their Android devices....

“Every reported claim we receive is investigated, and for every claim found substantiated there is clear action taken. This disciplinary action can range from termination, to demotion, loss of pay or bonus, official reprimand, mandatory training, coaching, or combination of some of these.” The original story continues below. ORIGINAL 26/05/22: A new report has called out Microsoft executives (both former and current) for their poor behaviour towards staff, including instances of verbal abuse and sexual harassment....

Each of the 12 custom consoles features a unique colour scheme and design inspired by a different Lego-ised Star Wars character from across the nine Skywalker Saga movies. BB-8 is represented by an orange and grey Xbox Series S, for instance, while Boba Fett opts for orange and green, and Darth Vadar goes all-in on the black. The full list of characters emblazoned on the custom consoles is as follows: BB-8, Boba Fett, Chewbacca, Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Finn, Kylo Ren, Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, Rey, Stormtrooper, and Yoda....

It’s a high-damage sniper rifle - the only one in the Modern Warfare 2 beta - equipped with a variable zoom scope. Though the customisation options are limited, with perks you can create a Signal 50 class to take advantage of what’s available. As for when to use it - you’ll want to set up shop somewhere cosy, ready to watch those long range sightlines, and we recommend larger maps in modes such as ‘Invasion’, Modern Warfare 2’s new 20v20 mode....

The latest is the Aftermath DLC, which introduce three new characters - Sheeva, Fujin and Robocop. But how good are these new ferocious fighters? Are they good enough to overthrow the game’s top tiers, such as Sonya and Geras? Therefore, we’ve updated our Mortal Kombat 11 Tier List so that you new and experienced players alike can discern which are the best characters worth learning. On this page: If you’re looking for more guides, our Mortal Kombat 11 Fatalities list and Friendships list can help....

Look at that font. 70s poster font. Gig font. A font with flares. Lurid and a bit goofy, it tells you so much about the game. More, even, than the title: A Musical Story. No, that’s probably not fair. A Musical Story is a musical story. A musician lies in a hospital bed with no memories. So you use music to recreate them. It’s a narrative rhythm action game and it’s already pretty special....

I’ve come across so much great music in the video game medium. Darren Korb and Ashley Barrett created beautiful and reflective work for Transistor, and while I have yet to play Chrono Cross, the tracks I’ve heard from it (by Yasunori Mitsuda) are dazzling. Nobuo Uematsu’s work for Square has stayed with me to this day: Roses of May is as charming a tune as its name implies, while there is a menace to Succession of Witches and a subtle, disturbing feel to Listen To The Cries of the Planet....

It’s hard not to fall in love with this chunky, colourful place when you’re first introduced to it via Beyond Good & Evil’s heroine Jade. There’s a beautiful, memorable shot of her balanced on a cliff edge, practicing some kind of yoga with one of her orphan charges. Is it an orphan goat? I think it’s a goat. Anyway, Hillys is a peaceful world torn apart by war, and Jade’s lighthouse sanctuary is where you are introduced to both her and the current, embattled state of everything....

The digital show - which showcases story-driven video games - is back for the fourth consecutive year with “games and their developers across a range of streams, panels, fireside chats, and demos”. Hosted on Steam and running until 9th May, the show features 42 exhibiting games and 56 panellists, including appearances from guests like Lucas Pope, Meg Jayanth, and Greg Lobanov. Viewers can also expect “exclusive reveals”, too. As an extension of the online event, viewers will be able to sample 33 demos of the titles featured at LudoNarraCon, including “Fictiorama Studios’ upcoming Fabulous Fear Machine, Goodbye World’s BAFTA-winning Before Your Eyes, Toge Production’s highly-anticipated Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly, and Bellular Studios’ debut title, The Pale Beyond”....

From developer A44, the creator of Ashen, the game features third person gun and axe combat, plus a cute familiar companion who joins in combat and can be ridden through the air. The game is set for release in 2023 on PC (Steam, Epic), Xbox consoles, PS5, and PS4. It’ll hit Game Pass too. The lead character will battle against humans, skeletons and creatures - arachnophobes beware - and the story comprises gods, rebellion, and magic....

In production notes alongside the new release, producer Toby Ascher noted the first film was just the start. “We’re creating a Sonic cinematic universe, so we knew we were going to add characters, like Tails and Knuckles; new to the films but beloved by gamers all over the world,” he said. Producer Neal H. Moritz said of the sequel: “[Sonic 1] was a great experience for us as filmmakers, and as movie lovers....

A series of tweets between the CEO and the Fortnite Token account reveal the full extent of Sweeny’s disdain for the cryptocurrency market (at least when it comes to Fortnite). “There isn’t a Fortnite cryptocurrency,” he stated “The Twitter accounts promoting such a thing are a scam. Epic’s lawyers are on it.” He then went on to add, “also, shame on the cryptocurrency marketplaces that enable this kind of thing”....

Twisted Metal’s demolition derby of death debuted on PlayStation and PC back in 1995, and has seen its way through eight main series entries and two spin-offs since then, most recently appearing in the form of 2012’s Twisted Metal on PS3. It’s a series that’s garnered a dedicated fanbase over its quarter century of existence (although it’s always struck more of a chord in North America than over here), and Sony Pictures Television first touted turning it into a TV show back in 2019....

The line is always accompanied by a footnote admitting that, yes, Melville was clearly wrong about this one. We love penguins. Take a poll. Penguins are universally lauded. The thing they do with the rock. The eyebrows on some of them. The strong chocolate bar synergy for UK fans. We don’t even feel tricked when their awkwardness on land gives way to muscular elegance in the water. The awkwardness flashing into elegance at the moment of impact actually seems to suggest contiguous virtues....

According to Bleeping Computer, the hacking group has released almost 190 GB of confidential data and code from a number of Samsung projects, including biometric data, source code for Samsung’s activation servers, and “full source code for technology used for authorising and authenticating Samsung accounts”. Photos taken of C/C+ directives in Samsung software were also leaked, and then the data obtained via the leak was eventually released via torrent sites....

We’ve been recommending Fast IPS panels for a little while, because they combine the motion handling of TN screens with the colours and viewing angles of IPS. It really is the best of both worlds, as you get a monitor that is as great for watching videos or browsing the web as it is for gaming in a wide range of genres. Get the Dell S2721DGF 27-inch gaming monitor for $299....

As shared on the Overwatch subreddit community, Dracyoshi reports that whilst “chatting with some friends while browsing the hero gallery”, the game “unexpectedly began unlocking Junnker Queen’s Plutonium skin”. As they’d been writing a message in chat at the time, they weren’t able to cancel the purchase before it completed. The poster believes it’s caused by “a bug where text typed into the chat is occasionally misinterpreted by the game [as] input for navigating the menu” and Blizzard seemingly concurs, as the issue has now been resolved....

During a livestream to celebrate Payday’s 10-year anniversary, Payday 3 game director Erik Wonnevi confirmed new details on the game (skip to the 3:03 mark in the video below). The sequel is set in New York City, a virtual world Starbreeze described as a “living, enormous representation of the city”. “One game changer: the media is now covering the gang, their exploits… and who knows what might come from that…” Starbreeze added....

Crash Bandicoot 4, which does not have any online multiplayer, requires an internet connection to play on PC - as seems to be standard practice with Battle.net games. Players have reported issues with this requirement, such as login errors that force the game to close. These login errors reportedly present themselves even when your internet drops while playing. It also means that any issues Blizzard experiences with its authentication servers could make the game unplayable....