Tales Of Arise Has Sold 2 Million Copies

Tales of Arise has reached another sales milestone, as Bandai Namco has reported that the game has now sold 2 million copies since it launched in September last year. In its first week, Tales of Arise sold over 1 million units–the fastest-selling Tales title ever–and by October it had added another 500,000 sales to its total tally.

Despite the critical and commercial success of the game, Bandai Namco has no plans to start work on a sequel to it. Earlier this month, producer Yusuke Tomiwaza explained that the development team had designed the game to leave “a good aftertaste” for fans after they’d completed the campaign.

Tomizawa added that the studio wanted to “continue to take on the challenge of acquiring new fans for further expansion of JRPGs” and explore the idea of developing a new flagship title that builds on the success of the Tales franchise.

GameSpot’s Tales of Arise review scored the game a 7/10, highlighting its engaging battles, character-driven story, and vibrant visuals. “If you’re looking for a lengthy, charming, and engaging JRPG to play on your shiny new console or PC gaming rig, Tales of Arise is certainly a fine choice. Just don’t go into it expecting an all-time classic,” Heidi Kemps wrote in her review.

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Alien: Isolation Receiving Companion Book 8 Years After Launch

In an unexpected turn of events, Alien: Isolation is set to receive a comprehensive companion book detailing the making of the game and more… eight years after its launch.

Titled “Perfect Organism”, the book will take a deep dive into the game’s development and dissect its story and characters, which will include taking a look at what happened to main character Amanda Ripley after the events of the game. There will also be commentary and trivia throughout for diehard fans to gain further knowledge and test their own.

The book–written by gaming journalist Andy Kelly–will be available as a hardback or ebook and is currently being funded on Unbound. Those who pledge to the project early can earn a spot on the supporters’ list, which will be included inside the finished book. A variety of higher tiers also offer bonuses like signed copies, podcasts by the author, and even extra chapters.

Released in 2014, Alien: Isolation is a stealth game that casts players as Amanda Ripley in a story set between the events of the first two movies in the series. She sets off in search of her mother, Alien franchise heroine Ellen Ripley, soon finding herself navigating a decommissioned space station inhabited by a deadly Xenomorph.

In our Alien: Isolation review, we praised its impressive cat-and-mouse stealth encounters and impeccable sound design but felt that some of its mechanics got in the way of the fun at the worst times.

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Review Roundup For The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe

2013 cult classic The Stanley Parable is seeing new life this year, with a remastered and extended version called The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe releasing for modern consoles on April 27. Whether you’re a big fan of the original, or just thinking about checking out The Stanley Parable for the first time, here’s a look at what critics think of the game so far.

In GameSpot’s review of Ultra Deluxe, reviewer Jordan Ramée scored the re-release an 8/10, referring to it as “a sequel in all but name,” praising the game’s new endings and how it’s been updated as a commentary on the games industry of today.

With reviews split between various release platforms, GameSpot sister site Metacritic doesn’t yet have a aggregate score for any edition of The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, but early reviews seem overwhelmingly positive.

Game: The Stanley Parable: Ultra DeluxePlatforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox OneDeveloper: Crows Crows CrowsRelease Date: April 27Price: $25

GameSpot — 8/10

“Ultra Deluxe is as intriguing to play as the original game, perhaps even more so today given that its message is directed toward the modern-day gaming landscape. Some of the nuances will be a bit lost on you if you weren’t playing games or at least paying attention to the space back in 2013, as it relies on having a grasp of how the conversation surrounding games has evolved in the past decade. But, it’s an entertaining experience regardless of if you have that context or not.” — Jordan Ramée [Full review]

IGN — 9/10

“Given how many secret paths and hidden endings The Stanley Parable contains, it’s hard to tell exactly how big the new content in Ultra Deluxe really is, but I feel confident saying it’s comparable to the original with four to six hours of stuff to see at the very least. There is essentially an entirely new game to play through here, and the idea that it’s being presented as anything less is probably one of its best gags. Some of Ultra Deluxe’s content takes place in brand-new areas that pretty much feel like a straight up sequel, while other additions play out as remixed or altered versions of Stanley’s usual paths through the office.” — Tom Marks [Full review]

Nintendo Life — 9/10

“A thoroughly enjoyable expansion of an already classic game treated with love, care, and most importantly a meta awareness that pays tribute to everything that made The Stanley Parable so beloved. It may leave a small few questioning more than they’d like, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.” — Alex Olney [Full review]

PC Gamer — 88/100

“Once again, stepping into Stanley’s shoes turns the act of playing a game into a hilarious, surprising, and at times deeply thoughtful examination of games and game development, players and player choice, and yes, even the consequences of pushing a button.” — Christopher Livingston [Full review]

Ars Technica — No Score

“Whatever voice you need to hear it in—first, second, third, or eveneighth—I strongly urge you to partake in the joy that isTSP:UD. The original game’s plot and decisions have arguably lost some of their edge due to time andother media playing with similar jokes, and the game’s pacing feels slow this many years later. But it still holds fun and surprises for new players. For series vets, the newUltra Deluxegags and plot twists riff on the originalTSP, the entire game industry, and a bunch of silly stuff in between, all while eliciting laughs so big that neighbors tapped on my door in concern during my testing period.” — Sam Machkovech [Full review]

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Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader Is Getting A Video Game

Are you ready to test your mind against the knowledge of an average 5th grader? The classic quiz show is coming back to gaming platforms, for the first time since Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader: Make the Grade released for consoles back in 2008.

The latest season of the game show aired back in 2015, though Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader also ran as a podcast between 2020 and 2021. Now, the quiz show will return in video game form, allowing players to take on the challenge–or fall back on their classmates for help if they need it.

The game will be playable either solo or with friends in couch co-op multiplayer, and will feature multiple choice questions, true-or-false challenges, and mini-games comprising of more than 6800 questions based on a standard 5th grade curriculum.

“With so many kids learning from home and so many of these gaming systems in homes worldwide, the time could not be better to revitalize Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? in the videogame space,” said Adrienne Lauer of THQ Nordic.

Players will be able to test their knowledge on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and the PC, with the new game due to release later this year. The game is being developed by studio Massive Miniteam and published by HandyGames, a subsidary of THQ Nordic in collaboration with rights-owner MGM.

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Halo Infinite Season 2 Community Livestream Recap

With days to go before the launch of Halo Infinite Season 2, 343 held a lengthy community livestream detailing some of the changes and additions coming to the game in the months ahead. The stream lasted a little over an hour and a half, but if you missed it, don’t worry. We’ve detailed the key takeaways from the stream here. From new story details to when players can expect to play the Forge beta, here’s everything revealed during the Halo Infinite community livestream.

Halo Infinite Season 2 community livestream recap

343 has announced that it’s focused on its anti-cheat software and dedicated to improving it as the live-service game goes on. In the livestream, the team acknowledged that ranked playlists are lacking. 343 also said it’s not done tweaking the challenge and XP system.

The team revealed plans for what it’s calling Drop Pods, monthly updates that will both add content and squash bugs. Staten ensured that the campaign co-op looks promising, and 343 aims to have it released in late August alongside mission replays. He also explained what 343 means when it says Forge mode will launch in open beta. When Forge mode comes out in September, it will be a “full feature set,” and everything players make in the beta will carry over into the full version.

Like Season 1’s focus on Reach, Season 2 will also have a theme. This time, the titular “Lone Wolves” will be behind enemy lines trying to bring something dangerous back to the Academy.

A portion of the Season 2 trailer can be seen below, but 343 is saving the full reveal for launch day. Like how Halo Reach worked, your spartan will appear in cutscenes with everything you’re wearing. The cinematic narrative event shown during the steam will be a part of a “serial story” that’s told throughout seasons to come. 343 also teased another cinematic mid-stream with no explanation as to how it’ll play into the overall narrative of Halo Infinite.

So uhhhh this happened on the Halo Infinite Season 2 Live Stream
ARG? MP Story related? Battle Royale tease? pic.twitter.com/uLwxqxokpU

— Matty (@MattyMcDee) April 27, 2022

For more on the new update, here’s everything we know about Halo Infinite Season 2.

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Review Roundup for Nintendo Switch Sports

Sixteen years after Wii Sports made its rousing debut, the Switch is getting its own iteration in the form of Nintendo Switch Sports on April 29. Complete with both new and returning games, the sports compilation seems to be promising a similar casual experience to enjoy with friends all these years later. Reviews have begun rolling in and critics seem to mostly agree on the game’s promising but slightly uneven quality, and how much fun it is with others rather than oneself.

For GameSpot’s Nintendo Switch Sports review-in-progress, reviewer Kurt Indovina scored the game 7/10, sharing that while he doesn’t feel it innovates like the original title did, it did recapture the spirit of Wii Sports. The fun of playing these games locally (since online has not been available for reviewers) was enough to remind him of the good old days. “After all these years, it’s easy to associate Wii Sports most with its popularization of motion controls in gaming, but its greatest achievement may actually be that even after 16 years, its core gameplay design is a potent reminder how much fun simple games with friends can be. I didn’t realize how much I needed a Wii Sports-like experience in my life, until playing Nintendo Switch Sports.”

Nintendo Switch Sports is currently sitting at a very respectable 75 on Metacritic, placing it just a hair below Wii Sports’ own 76, which could very well be a fortuitous sign. Of course, most reviews are currently in progress pending reviewers ability to test out the online components and are subject to change after the launch of the game in a few days.

If you’re looking for even more perspectives on Nintendo Switch Sports, we’ve got excerpts of other reviews you can check out, or you can visit GameSpot’s sister site, Metacritic, for a collection of scores from around the industry.

Game: Nintendo Switch SportsPlatforms: Nintendo SwitchDeveloper: Nintendo EPDRelease Date: April 29Price: $50 (physical edition with leg strap accessory), $40 (digital edition)

GameSpot — 7/10 (Review-in-Progress)

“Nintendo Switch Sports is, at its core, the same as Wii Sports was all those years ago: a game in which you swing your arms around and reenact a sport. If you’re a Wii Sports (and Wii Sports Resort) veteran, the feeling of tennis, bowling, or chambara (sword fighting) will be second nature. Even with the addition of new sports like volleyball and soccer, there’s very little innovation in what Switch Sports attempts to do, and I think that’s a good thing. The game doesn’t feel like it’s trying to revitalize a trend. Instead, it recaptures the simplicity of the original and, in doing so, rekindles the same magic. It’s straightforward, unadulterated, and, above all, approachable.” — Kurt Indovina [Full review]

Polygon — Unscored (Review-in-Progress)

“This game is a blast with other people, whether they love video games or, like my spouse, have no interest whatsoever. It captures that feeling of the Wii at its best: that you could pretend to be a great tennis player in your living room, and the motion controls would make you feel like you actually were. Are the motion controls as precise as the Wii Motion Plus? I don’t think so. A handful of times the game didn’t register my immaculate bowling motion, prompting me to try again. Still, I don’t think 99% of the people who play this game will think about that slight loss of precision when they’re spiking a volleyball into their friend’s face.” — Chris Plante [Full review]

IGN — 7/10

“Nintendo Switch Sports, like Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort before it, is best played as a party game, broken out for any gathering that needs a quick injection of goofy, active fun. While its sparse mixture of old and new sports varies in quality, Switch Sports largely sticks the landing on what made its predecessors memorable: intuitive motion controls, the ability to effortlessly get a group of people up and moving, and some killer menu music that’s liable to get stuck in your head all day. Just don’t expect to spend a whole lot of time with it before the novelty wears off.” — Colin Stevens [Full review]

GamesRadar — Unscored (Review-in-Progress)

“So while nostalgia can get you so far, Switch Sports’ entire success really does hinge on your access to other players. While Switch Sports is fun for a while solo, it lacks incentives to carry on playing beyond just enjoying yourself, and the lack of variety to the locations you play in doesn’t help.” — Sam Loveridge [Full review]

Game Informer — Unscored (Review-in-Progress)

“Overall, Switch Sports is a blast to play. I expect it will undoubtedly rival other popular Nintendo party games like Mario Kart and Smash Bros. Ultimate, among many others. However, the limited selection of activities doesn’t hold a candle to the titles mentioned above. Moreover, no incentives exist for casual players looking to feel a sense of accomplishment playing by themselves or with family/friends. Nevertheless, I’m excited to dive into Premier League when the game drops on April 29 and hope the unlockables make up for the repetitiveness of the gameplay loop.” — Jason Guisao [Full review]

NME — 4/5

“Nintendo Switch Sports brings a beloved series onto modern platforms with aplomb. Though some minigames are slightly weaker than others, some impressive standouts – namely Chambara and Football – deliver an exceptionally good time.” — Andy Brown [Full review]

Inverse — 8/10

“Intuitive, responsive motion controls successfully recapture the easygoing magic of the Wii’s heyday, and will likely make Switch Sports a family game night staple and chart-topper for years to come. That said, the experience is held back slightly by the absence of golf at launch and a lack of accessibility options. (We know updates will address the former in the coming months — the latter is less certain.) Still, Switch Sports is a fun, low-key way to make silly memories with your friends and loved ones.” — Jen Glennon [Full review]

Digital Trends — 3.5/5

“Nintendo Switch Sports is exactly what it needs to be. It’s an intuitive package of Wii-era sports minigames with more precise motion controls and full online integration. Addictive activities like bowling and badminton make it one of the Switch’s best multiplayer party games, though overly complicated minigames like soccer miss the simple appeal of the series. With long-term support planned, I’m hopeful that Nintendo can build up the currently thin offering and turn it into the kind of console staple that any Switch owner needs to have installed.” — Giovanni Colantonio [Full review]

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How To Unlock The Skal Crusher Melee Weapon In CoD: Warzone And Vanguard

Call of Duty Season 3 is officially live in Vanguard, bringing a new battle pass, multiplayer map, operators, and new weapons to unlock. The big update also adds a surprisingly fancy melee weapon as a free weapon unlock. Here’s how you can unlock Season 3’s Skal Crusher.

How to unlock the Skal Crusher

Season 3’s Skal Crusher is a Norse-themed axe with Nordic runes engraved into the wooden handle and a glowing blue pattern on the blade. The weapon works much like Season 2 Reloaded’s Ice Axe, as the weapon can be swung like a traditional melee weapon, or it can be thrown and and retrieved.

This weapon can be unlocked for free through in-game challenges. Normally, new weapons arrive as a plain base model, and weapon blueprints can be purchased as an additional way to unlock the weapon. However, the Skal Crusher seems to be uniquely designed like a weapon blueprint, and it’s uncertain if other variants of the axe will become available in store bundles.

Warzone unlock challenge

Warzone unlock challenge for the Skal Crusher

To unlock the Skal Crusher by playing Warzone, you must get five kills with a melee weapon in a single match 15 times. This might be best completed in a respawn playlist like Caldera Clash, which is more of a large-scale Team Deathmatch mode in Warzone. Rebirth Resurgence is another good playlist choice with respawn.

Note: Warzone’s weapon unlocks require you to complete the matches to get credit towards your challenge progression.

Vanguard multiplayer challenge

Vanguard’s multiplayer unlock challenge for the Skal Crusher

Vanguard’s multiplayer unlock is the same as Warzone’s challenge, you must get five kills with a melee weapon in a single match 15 times. This is a pretty straightforward challenge for multiplayer, but it might be best attempted on small maps like Shipment that offer frequent engagements.

Note: Vanguard’s multiplayer weapon unlocks require you to complete the matches to get credit towards your challenge progression.

Zombies challenge

Zombies unlock challenge for the Skal Crusher

For Zombies, you’ll need to kill 200 Boom-Schreiers using a throwing knife or thrown melee weapons.

Boom-Schreiers are the suicide-bomber enemy types in Vanguard Zombies. This is a tedious challenge that will likely take multiple matches of Zombies to complete, but Boom-Schreiers do spawn more heavily in the later rounds. You’ll need to be quick enough to throw either the throwing knives or the Ice Axe melee weapon at the Boom-Schreiers before they can rush and explode near you.

How you choose to complete this challenge will depend on your game mode preference, but the overall fastest and easiest way to unlock the Skal Crusher will be through Vanguard’s multiplayer challenge.

If you’re still needing to grab the weapons from last season, we have a guide to help you unlock the Ice Axe melee weapon and the Armaguerra 43 submachine gun from Season 2 Reloaded.

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How To Unlock The Sledgehammer Weapon In CoD: Warzone And Vanguard

Call of Duty Season 3 is officially live in Vanguard, bringing a new battle pass, multiplayer map, operators, and new weapons to unlock. Season 3’s Sledgehammer melee weapon can pack quite a punch, and here are all the ways you can unlock it.

How to unlock the Sledgehammer

Despite its expected heft, Season 3’s Sledgehammer is a fast swinging melee weapon, but you’ll need to unlock it before you can equip it. This new weapon can be unlocked either for free with an in-game challenge, or it can be purchased as a weapon blueprint with a cosmetic bundle.

Warzone challenge

Warzone’s Sledgehammer unlock challenge

To unlock Vanguard’s Sledgehammer in Warzone, you must get a multikill with a melee weapon in 15 different matches. This might be best completed in a respawn playlist like Caldera Clash, which is more of a large-scale Team Deathmatch mode in Warzone.

Note: Warzone’s weapon unlocks require you to complete the matches to get credit towards your challenge progression.

Vanguard multiplayer challenge

Vanguard’s Sledgehammer unlock challenge

Vanguard’s multiplayer unlock challenge is the same as Warzone’s, you must get a multikill with a melee weapon in 15 different matches. This might be best attempted on small maps like Shipment, and it might help to use stun grenades to slow your enemies down.

Note: Vanguard’s multiplayer weapon unlocks require you to complete the matches to get credit towards your challenge progression.

Zombies challenge

Zombies mode unlock challenge for the Sledgehammer

For Zombies mode, you’ll need to use a melee weapon to kill 20 or more enemies consecutively without getting hit 50 times. This won’t be a tough challenge in Zombies, but it will be time consuming. Having something like Decoy equipment equipped can help you avoid taking damage if you have a ton of enemies around you. The Harvest and Transit objective types will be the best way to farm kills in Vanguard Zombies to complete this challenge.

Store bundle

The Big Brawl bundle with Junkyard Jet blueprint

Those who want to avoid the hassle of completing an unlock challenge can purchase the weapon outright. The fancy Junkyard Jet weapon blueprint is found as part of the Big Brawl cosmetic bundle, which also includes a matching combat shield blueprint. This seven-item bundle costs 1,000 CoD Points ($10).

How you choose to complete this challenge will mostly depend on your game mode preference, but the overall fastest way to unlock the Sledgehammer for free will be through Vanguard’s multiplayer challenge.

If you’re still needing to grab the weapons from last season, we have a guide to help you unlock the Ice Axe melee weapon and the Armaguerra 43 submachine gun from Season 2 Reloaded.

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Here’s How To Transfer Your Bethesda Launcher Games To Steam

Bethesda’s digital storefront, the Bethesda.net Launcher, is officially coming to a close. Starting May 11, players will no longer be able to use the client to access titles like Doom Eternal, Fallout 76, Skyrim, and more. However, rest assured knowing that you won’t be losing your games or all your hard-earned progress.

📣ATTENTION PC PLAYERS: You may now begin transferring your Library from the Bethesda Launcher to Steam.
Instructions➡️ https://t.co/Abmv7txBbO
FAQ➡️ https://t.co/OeehwDPO8y https://t.co/FBj35a4ypS

— Bethesda (@bethesda) April 27, 2022

As of today, Bethesda.net users can migrate all their games, save data, and any funds in their wallet to Steam. To initiate the transfer, users can head over to Bethesda’s library transfer page, log in using their Bethesda account credentials, and link their Steam account. After the accounts are linked, they’ll be given the option to begin transferring their to Steam. While the process is fairly straightforward, be aware it could take awhile to complete. However, you don’t have to have the page open while it does it.

Transferring save data, on the other hand, is a bit more involved. As such, Bethesda has created a series of detailed walkthroughs outlining how to move select games’ save data over to Steam. The publisher has also issued a warning to players stating that if they own a game on both Bethesda.net and Steam, transferring save data will effectively overwrite any existing save files. Players should therefore only transfer their save data if their Bethesda save is the one they wish to continue using.

Following transferring your Bethesda.net games to Steam, you will still retain access to your Bethesda.net account. According to the publisher, this is because many of these games will still rely on players signing in using these credentials. In addition, this account gives players access to Bethesda.net services such as game mods, in-game items, and exclusive news and updates.

Not sure when you’ll get around to starting the transfer process? Don’t sweat it. Bethesda has confirmed that even after the launcher closes on May 11, players will still be able to migrate their games over to Steam. Additionally, any unused Bethesda.net keycodes will also still be honored on Steam. For more information on the Bethesda to Steam migration process, be sure to visit Bethesda’s official blog post explaining the process.

As of now, Bethesda has provided no reason for why it is closing the Bethesda.net Launcher.

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Why WoW: Dragonflight Doesn’t Include Player Housing

World of Warcraft players have long wanted the ability to own and decorate houses in Blizzard’s MMORPG, but it won’t be coming with the game’s newly announced Dragonflight expansion. In various interviews, game director Ion Hazzikostas has explained why.

The short version is that player housing would be a huge undertaking, and while there is broad support for it both among the development team and players, it would be a ton of work while also needing to fit in thematically with the theme of any given expansion.

“Putting together any of the packages of features for an expansion, it’s a mix of what thematically suits the expansion, what’s going to appeal to different types of players, but also what would be required to deliver that feature at the level that players expect and deserve, and what would we have to give up to make that happen… and player housing is a big one,” Hazzikostas said in an interview with WoW content creator Hazelnutty. “It’s one of those things to do right… it’s a big project, a big undertaking, and I would argue that if we were to do it, it would probably have to span multiple expansions–it’s a large enough feature just from the art.”

However, while player housing won’t be coming as part of Dragonflight, Hazzikostas said “the dream is still alive” and that it’s something the team wants to do someday. It’s a sentiment echoed by Hazzikostas in multiple interviews, as well as in interviews with other members of the WoW team. Blizzard knows it’s at the top of the list of requested features, they want to do it, but it seems it is a matter of allocating the proper resources and finding the right time to introduce it.

Player housing, of course, comes with its own set of problems. Square Enix’s MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV has endured a digital housing crisis, and is now using a new lottery system to dole out virtual land to lucky players.

What is coming in Dragonflight is a new playable race, the Dracthyr, and a new Dracthyr-exclusive class, the Evoker. It will also introduce a Dragonriding mechanic that should make navigating the new Dragon Isles region more engaging, as well as substantial reworks of the game’s talent system and professions. WoW: Dragonflight does not have a release date, with Blizzard taking a “when it’s ready” approach to the expansion.

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