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It’s Friday! Or is it? Time is a social construct, so I could tell you it’s Wednesday today, and how could you prove me wrong? It’s Friday because it’s the fifth day this week, but when did this week start? Can’t prove that either, I’m afraid. Well, the calendar in the bottom right corner of the monitor says it’s Friday. Who told the computer that it’s Friday? Anyone could change that display in the settings. What I can say, for certain, is that events occurred and news transpired in this indefinable time period, and it’s been turned into bite-size chunks, here in the round-up…
So, I’m leaving VideoGamer this week. It’s sad, and strange, but I’m so, so, so thankful for my time here. It’s been incredible, I’m going to miss the team a lot, and I’ll miss you a lot, too. This is the last week roundup I’ll do, and I wanted to do something different for this one.
I’ve decided to do a The Best Video Game News This Week quiz about the things I’ve written about in the past. Each of the articles is linked, so you’re able to check whether you got it right (or cheat, and enjoy the smug self-satisfaction of getting away with it).
Dendrocnide moroides is a plant with teeny tiny hairs that inject poison into the skin, causing intense pain for several days. To treat the sting, you’ve got to pull out the hairs with wax strips, but before that, you must:
- Wash the area with salicylic acid
- Wash the area with hydrochloric acid
- Wash the area with tartaric acid
Tea drinking is an ancient practice, but which of these teas is the least processed form of the plant?
- Green tea
- White tea
- Black tea
What did Group f/64 seek to represent in their photographs of natural life and found objects?
- The painstaking and unknowable craft of the natural world
- The rejection of secularism and that there is no divine plan
- The beauty of simplicity following the Great Depression
The province of Jämtland used to be its own republic before it was ultimately conquered by Sweden. When did this happen?
- 1657
- 1658
- 1690
The Isle of the Dead in Tasmania amassed 1,000 to 1,700 graves of convicts and free people of the Port Arthur penal colony. Who was I playing Minecraft with that week?
- My mum Jo
- My friend Zoe
- My friend Anna
Crocodiles are very cool animals, and their bite is ten times more powerful than that of the great white shark. Do crocodiles also eat fruit as part of their otherwise carnivorous diet?
- Yes
- No
- No, they eat grasses, not fruit
Here’s the news.
“With Gotham Knights, the team at Warner Bros. Games Montreal is bringing the Batman Family of characters to life in a unique way to delight both fans and new players,” said Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president David Haddad in a press release. “As we embark on a new era of interactive storytelling, our development team has been diligently working to create a new, in-depth experience within DC’s Batman Universe.” In the game, Batman is dead, and so Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin have stepped up to the plate to defend Gotham City. With solo and co-op modes, the player is able to use the unique abilities of each character to approach the mission objective in different ways. Gotham Knights will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2021.
In the game, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark are tasked with the elimination of the Justice League, as the heroes have been corrupted by Brainiac and are now trying to destroy the planet. Though they’d be happy to watch the annihilation from the sidelines, these four DC Super-Villains have no choice but to step into the shoes of those do-gooders. Gosh darn it. The game “combines the studio’s signature character-driven story gameplay with third-person shooter action to deliver a gaming experience unlike any other,” and it will be playable in single-player or multiplayer modes. “Each squad member has their own unique moveset with enhanced traversal abilities to freely explore the dynamic open-world of Metropolis, along with a variety of weapons to customize and skills to master,” said the studio. It’ll launch in 2022 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Nintendo has a new Switch model waiting in the wings, claims report
The company stated that it has “no plans” to release a new Switch model in 2020, but it made no mention of 2021. A report from Bloomberg asserts that a new model is on its way, and it may include features like improved processing power and 4K resolution graphics. “Regarding Nintendo Switch, we believe that it is important to continue to communicate the appeal of both Nintendo Switch systems and expand the installed base. We feel that we have not yet fully communicated the special features and appeal of Nintendo Switch Lite, so we will continue to address this going forward,” said president Shuntaro Furukawa, in January. “Through Nintendo Switch, we’ve made many discoveries about where a dedicated video game platform can fit into a consumer’s daily life,” said director and senior executive officer Ko Shiota, in July. “We see scenes on social media of children and their families sitting around a game console to play, which gives us a renewed sense of the value of our dedicated video game platform. We will utilise these experiences in carefully considering the form our future game consoles will take.” Interesting stuff.
Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War trailer edited to remove footage of Tiananmen Square protests
The trailer was perceived to be inciting political unrest through the very brief clip of the 1989 protests, and as a result, it was banned in the country. In response, Activision released an edited trailer, which replaced the footage with a blank, black screen. The Tiananmen Square protests is one of the most sensitive and most widely censored topics in China, and is in fact referred to through alternative names like May 35th, VIIV, Eight Squared, and 8964 to circumvent censorship. Condemning corruption within the Communist Party and asking for freedom of the press and of speech, the State Council reacted to these protesters by initiating martial law. On June 4, 1989, hundreds to thousands were killed by troops and tanks, with thousands of people wounded inside and outside Tiananmen Square. The exact death toll has never been officially stated, owing to the suppression of information surrounding the event by the state.
Ooblets’ Nullwhere Region will arrive in September, followed by a Halloween party
The roadmap revealed that there is a lot to look forward to in the coming months for the Ooblets community. September will see the v0.4 Nullwhere Update add a new visitable region with new crops and recipes. October is the start of the spooky season, and there will be “some sort of small Halloween event, like a scavenger hunt” for players to look forward to. Then, in December, the Wildlands Update will bring an accessible Wildlands where players will find ooblets they’ve sent out there. Seasonal weather effects may also be on the way, and Glumberland has assured that there are a “bunch of small lore items written out but not implemented” that may make it into this update. Early 2021 is when the Port Forward update will roll out, and mid-2021 adds another region in a “secret major update.” Lastly, mid- to late 2021 will be the official launch of Ooblets.
Fall Guys is the most downloaded PS Plus game of all time
Yes, it’s only gone and done it. And, the game has sold more than seven million copies through Steam, making it Devolver Digital’s most successful launch ever. Season 2 of the beanie battle royale is set to launch in October, and brings with it medieval-themed mayhem. New stages inspired by castle sieges will require players to work together to climb the walls, which I’m sure will go off without a hitch. Wizard, knight, berserker, and dragon costumes are on offer too, along with a collection of other themed skins yet to be announced.
The Witcher: Monster Slayer is a new ARG mobile game about tracking down creatures from the series
It’s like Pokémon Go, if the animals wanted to scoop out your entrails and decorate the trees with them. “The Witcher: Monster Slayer is a location-based augmented-reality RPG that challenges you to become a professional monster hunter,” read the description from the developer. “Venture out into the world around you and use your mobile device to track witcher-world monsters that roam close-by. Track these monsters and prepare for combat using time of day, weather conditions, and your witcher knowledge to gain an advantage on your quest to becoming an elite monster slayer.” And, “rich, story-driven quests inspired by other games from the series” will let players work together to take down these creatures. It’s like Pokémon Go, for sure.
Halo Infinite welcomes back former Halo writer, Joseph Staten, to the team
With credits on Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo: Reach, fans of the series breathed a sigh of relief with this news. “As the project lead for the Infinite Campaign, I will be supporting the team’s existing, great leaders and empowering them to do their best work,” said Staten, in the announcement. Sources speaking to Windows Central claim that his arrival is intended to “provide more expertise” to the development of Halo Infinite. Given that the game has had a rocky time of it, this can only be a good thing. “We’re building Halo Infinite to be the best it can be on each device/platform,” said community manager John Junyszek, and we could expect 343 Industries to lie low while it works on the anticipated entry to the series.
Netflix’s Resident Evil show follows the Wesker daughters across two timelines
“Resident Evil is my favorite game of all time,” said Andrew Dabb, who will be its showrunner. “I’m incredibly excited to tell a new chapter in this amazing story and bring the first-ever Resident Evil series to Netflix members around the world. For every type of Resident Evil fan, including those joining us for the first time, the series will be complete with a lot of old friends, and some things (bloodthirsty, insane things) people have never seen before.” The eight episodes will be produced by Constantin Film, and will see Dabb and Bronwen Hughes in the role of executive producer. The story will follow the two Wesker daughters, Jade and Billie, as they resettle in New Raccoon City. Then, a second timeline will follow Jade alone, more than a decade after these events, as a T-virus infection ravages the world.
