Spelunky 2 Review – Shoot For The Moon

In Spelunky 2, the turkey’s fate is in your hands.

You could hop on the bird’s back, making use of its double jump and Yoshi-like glide to flap your way through your run. For a solid payout, you could return it and the other birds scattered throughout a stage to the turkey farmer who oversees their pen. You could whip it unconscious, throw a bomb next to its body, and eat the resulting Thanksgiving platter for one heart–or you could do that last one in the farmer’s line of sight, prompting him to take up arms against you, “you monster.”

This is the mode that Spelunky 2 constantly operates in. There are always risk-reward choices to make, and death is nearly instantaneous if you choose poorly. Like its acclaimed predecessor, Spelunky 2 is the rare platformer that demands to be played as much like a tactics game as it does like a Mario game. As you learn (or relearn) how to survive, success requires a willingness to think three moves ahead. Some tiles are booby-trapped to shoot arrows as you leap through their line of sight. Some vases summon a relentless ghost when smashed. Some pottery hides snakes and tarantulas. Some spiders hang from the cavern ceilings, hoping you pass by unaware. You really shouldn’t even move from your initial spawn point without pausing for a moment to pore over every treacherous inch of the screen. That is, unless you spawn near a bat, which will swoop down at you–hope you’re quick with your whip.

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NHL 21 Shows Off Its New Gameplay Improvements

EA Sports has posted an in-depth gameplay video for NHL 21 that covers a number of the key features and improvements coming to this year’s professional ice hockey game.

Starting with offensive gameplay, EA says the game is inspired by some of the NHL’s flashiest players including cover star Alex Ovechkin, Nikita Kucherov, and Connor McDavid. To that end, a number of new skill moves have been added, including “The Michigan,” the “no move” deke, the behind-the-net bank, and a between-the-legs one-timer. There are also new slip and chip dekes that players can use to get around defenders.

In particular, The Michigan move was performed for NHL 21 by stick-handling specialist Pavel Barber, as you can see in his own post on social media.

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Katamari Damacy Reroll PS4 And Xbox One Release Date Announced

The PS2 cult classic Katamari Damacy was reborn for Switch and PC back in 2018, and now the remake is coming to PS4 and Xbox One, too. Katamari Damacy Reroll will hit those systems on November 20, 2020.

A cute new trailer has been released to announce the date, which you can watch below. We knew that the game was coming to these systems in Japan, but this confirms a western release, too.

The trailer does not show any footage, or announce any new content, so we’d expect it to be very similar to the Switch and PC versions, which were both excellent.

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Fortnite: Ray-Traced Nvidia Museum Experience

It’s Fortnite with RTX on! Ray tracing and Nvidia DLSS have come to the world of Fortnite to celebrate the release of the Nvidia 3080. Players can visit Nvidia’s custom island to experience ambient occlusion, reflections, global lighting, and more!

J.K. Rowling Is Not Directly Involved With Harry Potter Game Hogwarts Legacy

Harry Potter fans may be relieved to find out that according to WB games–parent company of Hogwarts Legacy developers Avalanche and Portkey Games–series author J.K. Rowling did not have a direct role in creating the new game.

In its FAQ, WB stated, “J.K. Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game, however, her extraordinary body of writing is the foundation of all projects in the Wizarding World.” It goes on to note that Hogwarts Legacy “is not a new story from J.K. Rowling.”

Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world RPG set in 1800’s Hogwarts, before both the Fantastic Beasts films and the original series. Fans have been waiting a long time for a AAA Harry Potter game, but the announcement may have come too late.

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Walmart Walks Back PS5 Preorder Plans “To Keep Customers Safe”

PlayStation 5 preorders went live earlier than expected, and many eager gamers are running into difficulties getting one from various retailers, including Walmart. The company, which previously said PS5 preorders would be available in its stores on September 22, has now changed these plans.

Though online preorders at the retailer started yesterday, the new way for gamers to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 in time for its November 12 launch date from Walmart is to wait until the console drops on November 12. Previously, Walmart planned to take PS5 preorders, with people able to choose between the Digital and Standard editions. Now, Walmart’s site states the PlayStation 5 is “coming soon,” with no option to preorder available.

This change was likely put in place to follow CDC guidelines on maintaining social distance during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as well as to keep steady control over in-store traffic.

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