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[Update #2]: After a bit of a delay Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade has now launched for Steam and the Steam Deck as well.
[Update]: It took a while, but the enhanced version of the Final Fantasy VII Remake has now landed onto PC!
According to a relatively recent announcement, the Final Fantasy VII remake will be heading over to PlayStation 4 on March 3rd. As for the PC or Xbox One versions, nothing has been officially said just yet, but it would appear that Final Fantasy VII is merely a timed exclusive. So unless something goes wrong, it's very likely that Final Fantasy VII will be making its way to other platforms at some point in 2021.
When it comes to the actual game, it should be no shock to hear that Square Enix has gone above and beyond when reworking and improving the visuals. If you're wondering just how much effort they've put in, you should check out the newly posted intro cinematic as it really showcases how far we've gone since 1997. Have a peek:
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[Update #2]: State of Decay 2 and its Juggernaut Edition update have now made their way to Steam alongside somewhat mixed reviews.
[Update]: The latest developer update shows off the various visual improvements coming in with the Juggernaut Edition
After being exclusive to the Windows Store for quite a while, State of Decay 2 will be making its way to Steam on March 13th. More importantly, it'll be doing so alongside the fairly hefty Juggernaut Edition update that brings in a variety of new content and improvements.
Expect to see a new open-world map to explore, improved visuals and lighting, enhanced audio and double the amount of music tracks, as well as new melee weapons to toy around with. There's also going to be a variety of bug fixes and quality of life changes, improvements to the post-tutorial experience, and even an enhanced control scheme.
Overwatch update has now gone live with changes to Ana, Brigitte, Widowmaker, Wrecking Ball and more
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[Update]: Overwatch devs are now experimenting with a Triple Damage game mode, along with some major tank buffs.
It has only been a week since the last PTR update, and already the changes have made their way to the live version of Overwatch. So when Blizzard said they wanted to do faster patches and more aggressive balance changes, they really weren't joking around!
What makes this update even more significant, however, is the triumphant return of console-specific changes! These haven't been done since Torbjorn and Symmetra turrets got nerfed many eons ago, so it's quite nice to see them make a reappearance given how different the console and PC landscape truly is. Anyway, here are all of the balance changes:
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[Update]: The netcode update has now arrived, and while it's solid, it doesn't appear to be the miracle cure many had hoped it would be.
If there is one problem that has followed Street Fighter V since its launch, it would be the netcode. I won't even pretend to understand the technical reasoning behind it, but basically, the netcode would sometimes mess up and end up causing artificial lag for one of the players. Needless to say, this is far from ideal given how precise fighting games tend to be, especially in the higher echelons of competition.
In a surprising twist, a community member called Altimor released a patch last month that pretty much corrected the above mentioned problem. Since it was a completely fan-made patch there were still some bugs and occasional problems, but for the most part the patch did exactly what it set out to do. And more importantly, it managed to highlight the exact issue to Capcom who are now working on an official fix!
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[Update #2]: Half-Life: Alyx has now been released, and I'm pleased to say it's been well worth the wait!
[Update]: Half-Life: Alyx now has three new gameplay previews, each one showcasing a different style of movement.
A little while ago Valve unveiled their very own (and very expensive) VR device - Valve Index. In order to show off just what the Index is capable of, as well as hopefully further the cause of VR gaming as a whole, Valve also announced that Half-Life: Alyx will be their first fully-fledged and VR-exclusive game.
The story in Half-Life: Alyx will take place between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2, and as the name itself would suggest, will focus on Alyx Vance and her father as they attempt to weaken the Combine's grip on the planet. When it comes to the gameplay, that you can learn more about through the original announcement trailer. Have a gander, it's an interesting one:
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[Update]: I have some good news to share! World of Warcraft: Classic has now added one of my favorite classic raids - Zul'Gurub!
If you're sick and tired of clearing Molten Core over and over again, rejoice as World of Warcraft: Classic has now added its second raid - Blackwing Lair. Expect to see a whole bunch of fire-breathing enemies, powerful items, amazing-looking Tier 2 armor sets, as well as a whole bunch of bosses that seemed to be quite a bit harder all those years ago!
You can get a pretty good idea of what Blackwing Lair looks like in-game, as well as what sort of challenges you'll get to face, through the recently posted (and rather nostalgic) teaser trailer. Have a peek:
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[Update]: The Nether update has been pinned for a June 23, 2020 release date.
Mojang is slowly but surely trying to improve Minecraft's end-game, and what better place to start than the accursed Nether - a region with very little interesting geography or reasons to stick around. As such, I'm happy to say that the latest snapshot (beta) update has not only expanded the amount of biomes found within the Nether, but also added Hoglins as new NPCs to help spice things up a bit.
Perhaps most importantly, at least as far as gameplay is concerned, there is also a new high-level material found only in the Nether - Netherite. This new material can be used to upgrade Diamond equipment into Netherite versions which comes with higher toughness, durability, knockback resistance, and even speed. And if that wasn't enough of a reason to go and upgrade your gear, the new Netherite set also looks quite fetching!
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If you're curious about DayZ and you've somehow managed to avoid giving it a try all these years, consider yourself quite lucky. In celebration of the newly released Update 1.07, DayZ will be entirely free to try out from February 13-17. All you need to do is head on over to Steam tomorrow, click on that giant green button, and you'll be ready to steal canned beans from other players in no time.
As for Update 1.07, it has brought with it the new Repeater Carbine which uses .357 rounds, as well as new 12ga rubber slugs which can be used to deal non-lethal damage with any of your favorite shotguns. The global lighting system has also received some noticeable changes, especially during night time, while the map itself now has a variety of new amusement parks for players to explore.
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[Update]: BioWare has now officially stopped all development on Anthem.
While Anthem had a ton of potential, as well as some great-looking visuals working in its favor, the actual gameplay experience ended up being a bit of a disappointment. BioWare immediately pledged that they would work on fixing things, but despite releasing update after update, things never really improved in a truly significant way. Eventually the updates slowed down, BioWare's communication fizzled out, and Anthem as a whole seemed to be put on hold.
Usually that would be the end of the story, but I'm happy to say that there is still some hope for Anthem as BioWare has now suddenly come out to announce that they are still working on the project. Better yet, they are trying to reinvent the core gameplay systems in order to transform Anthem into a more fun and free-flowing experience.
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[Update #2]: Metro Exodus' free PC Enhanced Edition will be launching on May 6, 2021!
Metro Exodus' second narrative-focused expansion, Sam's Story, has now made its way to both PC and consoles. It brings with it a lengthy singleplayer campaign focused not on Artyom, but rather on the lone US marine Sam that's desperately trying to make his way back home. Needless to say, things don't exactly go as planned for poor ol' Sam!
You can get a bit of an idea of what Sam's Story is all about, as well as what sort of locations you'll get to visit, through the recently posted trailers. Have a gander, it's quite an atmospheric one: