Month: September 2020

Baseball season in the US has resumed amid COVID-19 restrictions with a few changes, one of which is the new virtual first pitch–a filmed segment in which a guest or celebrity makes the traditional first pitch without actually attending the game. The Seattle Mariners got Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, to make the first pitch for a game–and he brought some guests along.

In the video below, Nadella, who is pitching to former Mariners player Dave Valle, calls in Halo’s Master Chief and several other Spartans to…hand him the ball.

Master Chief does not make a throw himself, which seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity, and the music is all wrong, but it’s good to see the costumes getting used, at least.

It’s possible that the Chief is too busy getting ready for Halo Infinite, which has been delayed into 2021, to practice his pitching. Poor throwing skills would explain why so many of our plasma grenade throws in The Master Chief Collection go amiss, at least.

The Seattle Mariners has a long history with video game companies. Between 1992 and 2016, Nintendo of America was the majority shareholder of the team, meaning that Nintendo effectively owned it. The company would eventually sell most of its shares, but has maintained 10% ownership.

Now that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles have been officially announced, developer CD Projekt Red is speaking up to remind people that Cyberpunk 2077 will be playable on those consoles, even though the dedicated next-gen edition is coming later.

Cyberpunk 2077 is releasing on November 19, and from day one it will be playable on PS4, PS5, PS5 Digital Edition, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PC. “Almost like a launch title, right?” CD Projekt Red said of release on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

While Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X at launch, this is the standard version of the game that is enhanced by the power of those consoles. A separate version of Cyberpunk 2077 for PS5 and Xbox Series X is also in the works, but it won’t be here until 2021 at the soonest. Whenever it’s released, it will be available as a free upgrade.

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A first trailer for WandaVision, the upcoming Disney + series about Vision and Scarlet Witch, has debuted. The trailer premiered during the 72nd Emmy Awards, and shows how the series will mix the aesthetics of classic sitcoms with more modern Marvel elements.

A release date for the series has not been announced yet, but the trailer promises that it is coming soon.

According to the official description sent to press, the series–which stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, reprising their roles from the Marvel Cinematic Universe–will feature Vision and Scarlet Witch living “idealized suburban lives,” but realizing that “everything is not as it seems.”

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Super Mario Bros. recently celebrated its 35th anniversary, and the series continues to be extremely popular to this day. The character of Mario is particularly iconic–30 years ago, a poll outside of Japan found that the character was more recognizable than Mickey Mouse, the head Disney mascot.

Nintendo has just published their Q & A summary from Nintendo’s corporate management policy briefing for the current fiscal year, and Mario’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, has reflected on this poll. His reaction to having made such a popular character is surprising–but he also details how the character’s popularity galvanized him.

Asked about 35 years of Mario, Miyamoto notes how much each major platformer in the series differs. “We often hear our consumers saying that each title in the Super Mario Bros. series feels like a meaningfully different game,” Miyamoto says. He then reflects on the Mickey Mouse poll, and how he felt about it. “I felt bad that Mickey Mouse, who had been hugely popular among fans, including myself, for 60 years at that point, was even being compared to Mario, who had just been around for a few years back then.”

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The Nintendo 3DS has been discontinued, meaning that the console is no longer being produced. Because of this, fans of the device–or owners of many digital games that they don’t have downloaded–might be wondering what this means for the system’s online functionality, including online play and the Eshop store. According to Nintendo, though, there’s no need to worry.

In a statement given to Gamesindustry.biz, Nintendo has affirmed that the 3DS online functions will remain in place for a long time yet. “Nintendo and third-party games for the Nintendo 3DS family of system will continue to be available in Nintendo eShop, on Nintendo.com and at retail,” a Nintendo spokesperson told the site. “We currently have no plans to end any existing online services for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.”

The statement continues, assuring fans that there’s nothing to worry about. “Online play and Nintendo Eshop will continue to be available and it will be possible to access and re-download all previously purchased content in the foreseeable future.”

The 3DS sold over 75 million units to date. Some major digital-only titles on the system include BoxBoxBoy, Pushmo, Pocket Card Jockey, and Crimson Shroud.

The 3DS recently received a new physical game, The Atooi Collection, which brought together many previously digital-only releases, although it could only be purchased online. The last 3DS game to receive a wide retail physical release was Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alpha on PS4 has come and gone, and one part of it that’s leaving a lasting impression is its use of skill-based matchmaking (SBMM).

This is a backend matchmaking system that puts players into matches with players determined to be of a similar skill level. Some people complained about SBMM for the Black Ops Cold War, and now the technology director at Treyarch has responded.

Martin Donlon corrected someone on Twitter who claimed that games like Black Ops 2, Modern Warfare 3, Modern Warfare 2, and 2007’s Modern Warfare did not have SBMM, and this made them better as a result. But Donlon made it clear that they all had SBMM, even if it wasn’t immediately noticeable.

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The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alpha test was held this weekend on PlayStation 4, and if you were one of the many, many people who took part, you might have noticed that the sniper rifles felt a little too powerful.

This was intentional, according to Treyarch lead designer Tony Flame. He said on Twitter that snipers were buffed during the alpha, and you can expect a nerf for the upcoming beta in October based on player data from the alpha weekend.

Flame also pointed out that the alpha version of Black Ops Cold War that you might have played this weekend represents an outdated look at where the game stands today. The studio has made a range of improvements already, covering weapons and movement, as well as “new gameplay and system features.”

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