It’s time for another episode of Pause Screen! This week William really wants to talk about Nier: Automata’s ending E, Kyle is lukewarm on Bravely Default 2, and Kaz has finished Link’s Awakening and dipped back into Stardew Valley. On our Hype Train we talk the D&D Dark Alliance trailer, the PS5 VR controllers, and more! We then jump to the Sad Train to cover Nintendo putting games back in the vault, Blizzard’s layoff of esports employees, Sony’s acquisition of EVO, and we finish off on a more neutral note with the new developments around the harassment claims made against Riot’s CEO. Come pause with us!

HYPE TRAIN – *toot toot*

• D&D: Dark Alliance got a trailer with gameplay, and it actually looks fun? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaobG3z18zg
• Outriders is coming out on Games Pass on launch day
• Sony unveiled their new PS5 VR controller https://blog.playstation.com/2021/03/18/next-gen-vr-on-ps5-the-new-controller/ 
• Red Candle Games (the Devotion people) are now selling their games themselves in DRM-free format https://twitter.com/redcandlegames/status/1371335941542060032 

SAD TRAIN *womp womp*

• Nintendo is going to murder Mario (and Fire Emblem) in a week and a half, so be sure to give in to consumerist greed before then
• Activision Blizzard is laying off 50 esports employees, with an additional 140 elsewhere in the company https://sportsbusinessjournal.com/SB-Blogs/Breaking-News/2021/03/Activision-layoffs.aspx https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/gaming/activision-blizzard-esports-announces-layoffs-update/ar-BB1eDQWv?ocid=uxbndlbing 
• EVO sold out to Sony https://twitter.com/EVO/status/1372639787270639616?s=20 
• Riot’s CEO was cleared of the sexual harassment claims by an investigation from a law firm; docs the court used have since leaked and definitely don’t paint the plaintiff in a good light. Looks like we’re probably eating crow on this one. https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/m72v8a/ghostcrawler_shares_the_docs_riot_filed_in_court/ 

Welcome back to another episode of Pause Screen! This week Kyle’s been finishing up Little Nightmares 2, Bravely Second, and some Heroes of the Storm; William has started and nearly completed(!) Nier Automata; and Kaz has been playing Doughnut County, WoW, and Link’s Awakening! On our Hype Train we have plenty to discuss, with Blizzconline, a Nintendo Direct, a Sony State of Play, and more! We then jump to trains of less specified emotion where we talk about the end of Anthem, PSVR, and the upcoming Pokemon Direct. Come pause with us!

HYPE TRAIN – *toot toot*

• Nintendo had their first direct in over a year https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVHbzcr1-D8 
  • Pyra/Mythra is the next Smash Ultimate addition
  • Outer Wilds is coming to Switch and you all should play it
  • Legend of Mana is getting a port/upgrade
  • Mario Golf: Super Rush comes out 6/25. The speed golf mode looks fun?
  • Miitopia is another game no one cares about
  • Animal Crossing is getting Mario’d
  • Project TRIANGLE STRATEGY
  • Knockout City had a very misleading and depressing trailer
  • Hades is going physical
  • Skyward Sword HD
  • Splatoon 3
• Sony had a State of Play today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuJqHuANkyw 
  • Returnal comes out 4/30, looks good
  • Knockout City looked bad here too
  • Sifu is a beat em up that wants to be Oldboy, looks decentish
  • Solar Ash (from Heart Machine, the Hyper Light Drifter people) looks really nice, the traversal is rad
  • Oddworld Soulstorm hits 4/6, looks like more Oddworld
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits continues to have 2002 gameplay and 2021 visuals
  • Deathloop still looks fun
  • FFVII Remake is getting a PS5 update and new episode with Yuffie on 6/10. It’s called FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE
• Remember Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis rumors? It’s a mobile remake of classic FFVII, to be released in episodes. With XIII’s battle system. It looks better than it should. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6ZDKZfr-i0 
• They’re ALSO releasing an FFVII mobile battle royale, fallce FFVII: The First Soldier. This one looks terrible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chSgLDIhWE0 
• Blizzconline happened
  • Diablo 2 Resurrected is a thing
  • Diablo 4 looks good!
  • Overwatch… exists?
  • WoW patch looks nice
  • HotS does not exist.
  • Neither does Starcraft
• Dinosaur Planet had a rom get released online! This is the N64 game that eventually became Starfox Adventures. Looks neat. 

SAD TRAIN *womp womp*

• EA officially killed Anthem today
  • But they’re letting the next Dragon Age be a single player RPG because of its failure, so silver linings? https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1365005940739743745 
• Pokemon is having a direct tomorrow, and it will make everyone mad
• PSVR for PS5 will be a thing apparently… but not until 2022 at the earliest. And it’ll still have cords, but at least it’s just one. https://blog.playstation.com/2021/02/23/introducing-the-next-generation-of-vr-on-playstation/#sf243317607
  

Time for another episode of Pause Screen! Since last time, Kyle’s been playing The Medium, Little Nightmares 2, Resident Evil Revelations 2, and Hades; William has finally finished Xenoblade Chronicles; and Kaz has finished Yoshi’s Crafted World, and is dipping back into The World Ends With You. We’ve expanded the news train again, further differentiating hype levels! This week, we discuss Blizzconline, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Six Days in Fallujah, Terraria and Google Stadia, and more! Come pause with us!

HYPE TRAIN – *toot toot*

• Blizzconline is soon! Schedule is up https://blizzcon.com/en-us/schedule
• Kingdom Hearts is coming to PC in March. Get ready for weird mods.
• 80% of Minecraft Dungeons multiplayer sessions were done in couch co-op. Interesting stat, given the pandemic. https://twitter.com/XboxGamePass/status/1359253238327877633
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is an official movie

Medium train

• Cancelled Iraq War FPS Six Days in Fallujah Resurrected for 2021 Release https://www.ign.com/articles/six-days-in-fallujah-2021-release

SAD TRAIN *womp womp*

• Riot CEO is being sued for Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination https://www.dailyesports.gg/riot-games-ceo-named-in-complaint-amid-new-gender-discrimination-allegations/ 
• Terraria on Stadia got cancelled after Google locked the developer’s account for no reason https://twitter.com/Demilogic/status/1358661842147692549 
• The Nemesis system is now patented https://www.ign.com/articles/wb-games-nemesis-system-patent-was-approved-this-week-after-multiple-attempts
  

Welcome back to Pause Screen! This episode, Kyle’s finished Blaster Master Zero 2, Shantae and the Seven Sirens, and Cyber Shadow. William has finally beaten Xenoblade and moved on to Future Connected, and Kaz talks about Townsmen, WoW, Adventure Capitalist, and more! Moving onto the Hype Train, we spend a while talking about GameStop and the crazy situation surrounding their stocks. We also talk Capcom’s Resident Evil plans for the year, Sonic’s voice actor replacement, the current state of Blizzard, and more! Come pause with us!

HYPE TRAIN – *toot toot*

• Gamestonk
• Resident Evil Village had a whole preview event thing. Looks neat, it’s pretty much Resident Evil: Bloodborne edition. Comes out 5/7! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udnu2LBPdRc
• Capcom has supposedly overhauled its plans for the RE4 Remake https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/resident-evil-4-remake-overhauled/ 
• The EU is investigating joycon drift https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-01-27-after-25k-complaints-eu-calls-for-investigation-into-nintendo-switch-joy-con-drift  

SAD TRAIN *womp womp*

• Roger Craig Smith no longer Sonic, after a 10 year stint as the character https://twitter.com/rogercraigsmith/status/1354805293369024520?s=21
• Blizzard absorbed Vicarious Visions, which is supposedly working on a Diablo 2 remake per Jason Schrier https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1352766999823314949?s=21
• Tencent is buying a majority stake in Klei (Mark of the Ninja, Don’t Starve)
• Apparently the Bowser’s Fury mode is ~3 hours long all in, per a game reviewer’s tweet that was promptly deleted

Welcome to Pause Screen’s first episode of the new year! Over the holidays William’s picked up Ring Fit Adventure plus Xenoblade, Kaz has been enjoying more WoW, and Kyle’s played a ton of Resident Evil, Blaster Master 0, and Bravely Second. On the hype train, we talk Nier: Automata’s last secret, what Lucasfilm Games means for Star Wars (and Indiana Jones!) games, Scott Pilgrim’s physical release, and more! We also interrupt ourselves with plenty of tangents, such as ‘what is a Soulslike?’ and more Important Topics. We also discuss how we fared with last year’s resolutions to finish up! Come pause with us!

Discussion topics

HYPE TRAIN – *toot toot*

• Fan finally found Nier: Automata’s last secret: a hard-coded cheat code at the beginning of the game to take you to the end credits and unlock all of the bonus modes in the game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj95Gumb-_8 
• Ubisoft is making an open world Star Wars game, from the team that did The Division https://www.ign.com/articles/star-wars-game-ubisoft-open-world-story-the-division-massive 
• Related, Lucasfilm Games is the new label for all games Star Wars. Sounds like they’re branching out from EA. https://www.starwars.com/news/lucasfilm-games 
• Bethesda and Machine Games are doing an Indiana Jones game https://twitter.com/bethesda/status/1349023307228704770 
• Scott Pilgrim is getting a physical release
• Nintendo is buying Next Level Games (the Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon/3 people)
• Pokemon Snap Coming April 30, 2021
• Cd projekt red has owned up to it’s mistakes and commits to quality moving forward https://twitter.com/CyberpunkGame/status/1349462362764537862?s=09

SAD TRAIN *womp womp*

• Christmas is over
• Hogwarts Legacy postponed to 2022

Discussion:

New Year’s resolutions!

William 

• 2020: ‘I just need to find more time to actually game’
• 2021: repeat

Kyle 

• 2020: ‘Only buy 3 games per month for the first 6 months of the year and not worry about my backlog or how many games I beat this year’
• 2021- play less, and become a fan of a relevant game

Laura 

• 2020: ‘Get to 250 mounts in WoW’
• 2021 – Un ashamedly enjoy videos games

It’s nearly the holidays, and we’re here with another episode of Pause Screen! William’s still taking it easy on games with just FGO, while Kaz is immersing herself in WoW, but also had time for Bugsnax, Civ 6, and even some HotS, and Kyle has triumphed over La-Mulana, Fall Guys Season 3, Resident Evil 3 remake, and Mad Rat Dead. On the Hype Train, we talk Sephiroth in Smash, the Game Awards, Diablo Immortal’s alpha, and more! We also visit the sad train with the eventful Cyberpunk 2077 launch, CDPR’s PR difficulties, and we finish that up with some good ol’ EA purchasing another studio. Then, to close us out, we talk about what it means to love art, whether or not it has good ratings. Come pause with us!

HYPE TRAIN – *toot toot*

• The Game Awards happened and no one cares
  • Sephiroth is in Smash soon, which is wild
  • Mass Effect will exist again in 15 years
  • Dragon Age has more concept art than last year
  • Back 4 Blood got revealed
  • Ghosts N Goblins Resurrection is fugly
  • Super Meat Boy Forever is finally coming out on 12/23
  • Ruined King: A League of Legends Story looks like Battlechasers 2, which I guess I’m on board for
• Nintendo had an Indie World presentation and no one cares (AMONG US on SWITCH?!)
  • Except Spelunky 1 and 2 are coming to Switch, which is neat
  • Also Dicey Dungeons is out on Switch now too, which is also neat
• Diablo immortal tech alpha is starting, mostly for Australians but you can try to get in. https://twitter.com/DiabloImmortal/status/1339708451346378752?s=20
• Bravely Default II final demo is out

SAD TRAIN *womp womp*

• Cyberpunk was inflicted upon the gaming public
  • Epilepsy, shady review practices, death threats, and genitals abound.
  • They also had a train wreck of a board call about the game. Highlights here: https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberpunkgame/comments/kd926z/cdpr_board_call_some_highlights_and_full_recording/ 
  • Sony has now pulled the game from sale and is offering a full refund to anyone who bought it digitally https://www.playstation.com/en-ie/cyberpunk-2077-refunds/ 
• CDPR also announced that Devotion was coming out on GOG, but then immediately decided it wasn’t anymore because China told them not to. https://twitter.com/redcandlegames/status/1339148313032060929?s=21
  https://twitter.com/GOGcom/status/1339227388438306817 
• Take 2 was going to buy Codemasters for $900m, but then EA showed up with $1.25b. The consolidation of the industry continues https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/12/ea-agrees-to-purchase-codemasters-create-a-massive-racing-game-powerhouse/ 

Discussion:

• Loving ‘bad’ games and cult of objective quality    https://kotaku.com/its-okay-to-love-bad-art-1845859275 

The next gen is here and we’re so excited! too bad our episode had some technical difficulties (or human stupidity?) and most the episode was lost, we still gush over Xbox Series X and Kaz recounts her experience so far with the PS5. in the news we talk about Mass Effect Legendary Edition (No, Andromeda didn’t happen), Phil Spencer trying to keep Elden Ring relevant, and the Roblox ‘Oof’ kerfuffle. Come pause with us!

HYPE TRAIN – *toot toot*

• Mass Effect Legendary Edition got announced—it’s a compilation of all 3 ME games plus all their DLC. No, Andromeda didn’t happen. Sounds like it’s a remaster, with some updated textures and whatnot here and there. They also confirmed that they’re working on the next ME game, though it sounds like it’s a looooong ways out. https://blog.bioware.com/2020/11/07/happy-n7-day-4/ 
• Elden Ring still exists, Phil Spencer has been playing it https://www.gamespot.com/articles/phil-spencer-has-played-quite-a-bit-of-elden-ring-calls-it-miyazakis-most-ambitious-game/1100-6484314/ 

SAD TRAIN *womp womp*

• Roblox is turning the ‘oof’ death noise into a microtransaction, since it was apparently stolen from a game called Messiah. You will have to pay $1 to say oof. This is peak internet. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54902039 

After a short break, Pause Screen is back and a lot has happened over the past month! Kyle’s checking out some new releases with Xcourgebringer, Gonner 2, Crash 4, Fall Guys season 2, and the XCloud version of Bloodstained. Kaz has finished her GB Macro product, and has played Shadows of War, Animal Crossing, pre-patch WoW, and a little bit of the Age of Calamity demo. William is also partaking of the demo, and has also checked out Genshin Impact, and is just about done with Xenoblade Chronicles. On the Hype Train, we talk the surprise Nintendo Partner Direct, the PS5 UI, the Demon’s Souls remake trailer, the FFXVI website, Cyberpunk delays, Halo Infinite troubles, and more! Come pause with us!

HYPE TRAIN – *toot toot*

• Nintendo had another random partner mini-Direct
  • Hyrule Warriors: AoC got a demo
  • Bravely Default 2 comes out February 21, took fan feedback and made changes
  • No More Heroes 1 & 2 are out on Switch
  • Control and Hitman 3 will be streamable on Switch
• Sony unveiled the PS5 UI
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TBPrYJDoDE
  • Cards for each thing you can do in a game
  • In-game guides
  • Looks like PS4 and PS3 had a baby
• Destruction All-Stars delayed to February, will be on PS+ for two months instead of being $70 https://blog.playstation.com/2020/10/26/destruction-allstars-coming-to-playstation-plus-in-february/ 
• FE1 is getting a surprise localisation for the 30th anniversary. Limited availability, though
• Demon’s Souls got a new gameplay trailer, looks a little bit more grim. They also confirmed they’ll have a filter to make it look more like the old game’s desolate feel, so it’s not just me that thinks that’s a thing. But man, the game is real pretty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiDpDKGhGps
• Square just put up a website for FFXVI, featuring details about the world and characters https://na.finalfantasyxvi.com
• Bugsnax is on PS+ for November, essentially making it a pack-in
• Next gen hype check-in

SAD TRAIN *womp womp*

• Cyberpunk got delayed again, this time 3 weeks. It comes out December 10th… for now.
• Halo Infinite’s director has left the project, apparently has been replaced by the Joe Staten hire https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1321494790098354177?s=21 

Welcome back to Pause Screen! This week Kaz has finished up Shadow of War and picked Animal Crossing up again, Kyle’s had the full Mario experience in Super Mario 64, Super Mario Bros 35, and Paper Mario: The Origami King, and William has finished farming season in FGO to begin the endgame in Xenoblade Chronicles. For news on the Hype Train, we talk a lot about Microsoft’s purchase of Zenimax, but we also discuss Steve in Smash, Spider-Man Remastered, the new studio Dreamhaven, CD Projekt Red’s rededication to crunch, and more! Come pause with us!

HYPE TRAIN – *toot toot*

• Nexus Mods ban all political mods https://www.nexusmods.com/news/14373
• Microsoft bought Zenimax for $7.5 freakin’ billion dollars
• Digital Foundry got their hands on the Series X’s backwards compatibility, and it looks freakin’ rad. For example, Monster Hunter World runs at 30-35 fps on the Xbox One X, while it’s at 60 fps and looks even nicer on the SX. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oe1LUJyCCs 
• Steve for Smash https://youtu.be/hA2Kyz9JFdQ 
• Michel Ancel (Rayman, Beyond Good and Evil) has left game development for good, but has been accused of abusive workplace behavior in the wake of leaving https://www.usgamer.net/articles/report-michel-ancel-beyond-good-and-evil-2-abuse-mismanagement-liberation 
• Sony detailed Spider-Man Remastered, which involves replacing Peter Parker’s face with a 14 year old’s, among other things. It looks nice! https://blog.playstation.com/2020/09/30/marvels-spider-man-remastered-detailed/ 
• Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity showed some gameplay, it looks nice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZB75gT8YTk 
• Mike Morhaime Founds a new Game publisher, Dreamhaven https://www.wowhead.com/news=318121/mike-morhaime-announces-new-game-company-dreamhaven 

SAD TRAIN *womp womp*

• Warcraft: Shadowlands release date has been delayed to later this year, no specified date. But the prepatch is coming Oct 13th https://twitter.com/Warcraft/status/1311766412571049990?s=09
• After seeking out reporters about a year ago and committing to never doing crunch again, CD Projekt Red sent out an email to their staff this week announcing mandatory crunch for the next 6 weeks until Cyberpunk comes out. Turns out business is still gonna business. https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1311059656090038272?s=20 
  • CDPR studio head Adam Badowski responded, saying it was “one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make” and that “everyone is well compensated for their extra hours” https://twitter.com/AdamBadowski/status/1311245204356304896 

Welcome back to Pause Screen! This week Kaz has been playing Hollow Knight, Shadow of War, and has finished Death Stranding. William has finished up with Mark of the Ninja Remastered, finally returned to Xenoblade Chronicles, and is mired in a farming event in Fate/Grand Order. As for Kyle, he’s played through Touhou Luna Nights, Maneater, Fall Guys, and some more… questionable titles. On the Hype Train there’s a lot to talk about:  the long awaited prices and release dates for the new consoles, the announcement of Final Fantasy XVI and Hogwarts Legacy, new trailers, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and more! Come pause with us!

HYPE TRAIN – *toot toot*

• Microsoft unveiled the Series S and pricing/release info
  • Series S is $299, Series X $499
  • Releases November 10
  • Preorders go up 9/22
  • EA Play added to Games Pass
• Sony had a Playstation Games Showcase https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjji8NEW9lo 
  • Final Fantasy XVI (timed console exclusive, will launch on PC same time)
  • Spider-Man: Miles Morales
  • Hogwarts Legacy
  • CODBLOPS: Cold War
  • Resident Evil 8: Village
  • Deathloop (exclusive)
  • Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition
  • Oddworld: Soulstorm
  • FNaF: Security Breach
  • Demon’s Souls (exclusive)
  • Fornite
  • PS Plus Collection
  • God of War: Ragnarok
  • Releases November 12, $499 with disc drive, $399 without
    • Preorders were a nightmare
• Nintendo had a Partner Showcase direct https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Q3FdosFBo 
  • Monster Hunter Rise
  • Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin
  • They’re making Fitness Boxing 2 for some reason
  • Disgaea 6
  • I finally understand what kind of game Empire of Sin is
  • Sniper Elite 4
  • Hades
  • Balan Wonderworld
  • Rune Factory 5
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps (plus this and Ori 1 are getting physicals on Switch!)
• HYRULE WARRIORS AGE OF CALAMITY
• Ubisoft had their Ubiforward for September
  • Scott Pilgrim
  • Riders’ Republic
  • Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake
  • Immortals: Fenyx Rising
• 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim releases on 22

SAD TRAIN *womp womp*

• Twitch now runs ads midstream whether you like it or not, leading to hilarious scenarios like this: