Nintendo Direct and Sony State of Play reveals, plus Outriders demo launches, Mortal Kombat movie trailer, RIP Anthem, Diablo II and IV incoming, Halo TV series, Destiny 2 news! - Arcade #15

Welcome back to the stage of history, friends! Brock, Tyler, Keona, and special guests Kristin and Michaela cover a ton of news in this episode, including the announcements from both last week’s Nintendo Direct and this past Thursday’s Sony State of Play digital event. We also chat about Call of Duty’s new Outbreak mode in Zombies and Warzone, the latest Mortal Kombat film trailer, the brand new Outriders demo, the final death knell of Anthem, some Diablo II and IV tidbits, Halo’s TV series making the move from Showtime to Paramount Plus, an intriguing Mass Effect movie rumor, and Bungie sunsetting Destiny 2 weapon and armor sunsetting! Whew! Lots of news to discuss! Let’s get to it!

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Listen to this episode from Renegade Pop Culture on Spotify. The Renegade Arcade Mega News Roundup episode is now here!

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YUFFIE!!!

Quick editor’s note: We will be placing trailers in this post that are from the Sony State of Play event, as well as the latest Mortal Kombat film. Sometimes they might not match with the topic written below, so just be aware.

Last week I touched on my feelings about the Nintendo Direct, so I won’t repeat that here. Instead, click this link to see what went down in the show notes! You know you want to!

Okay, let’s move on to the new Mortal Kombat movie trailer, which looks pretty frakkin’ awesome! I love the focus on Sub-Zero and Scorpion, as their fight scenes look brutal and absolutely worth the price of admission on their own. I also really appreciate the fact that the filmmakers seem to understand the tone of the franchise here. There can be goofiness, for sure, but I doubt we’ll see bad acting on the level of Sindel from MK: Annihilation or a subplot involving Animalities. Oh, boy. We’d better not see those return. Anyway, this should be a solid addition to any video game adaptation completionist’s shelf. At least, I hope so. Can’t be any worse than the Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, can it?

Alright, on to the news! First off, Anthem has died an ignoble death, which is unfortunate, as that game wasn’t actually devoid of ideas or some satisfying gameplay elements. I enjoyed playing as the Interceptor class, which was more melee focused, and the flight mechanics for your armored exoskeletons worked better than those featured in the most recent Avengers game. Seriously, Iron Man himself couldn’t keep pace with those Javelin mech suits. If there was one thing Bioware got right with Anthem, it was the feeling of being free to fly around the game’s arenas. However, that was about all they got right. Anthem’s story was bad, the enemies you fought were generic at best and ultimately very forgettable, and the live service aspects of the title ensured that things would be slow to improve. I think it was a game that had potential, but was rushed out just to bilk all the money they could out of our wallets. For shame, EA.

Switching gears, I have to say that I’m looking forward to both Diablo II: Resurrected and Diablo IV, as both games appear to be on the right track and coming up on the release schedule soon. Resurrected is a remaster of the most famous title in the franchise, and it’s looking sweet! Meanwhile, Diablo IV has released an awesome new teaser trailer featuring the Rogue character, and she’s a total badass! I can’t wait to try her out in the game!

In another bit of good news, it seems Bungie has opted to sunset the controversial practice of “sunsetting” weapons and armor from previous seasons of Destiny 2. This is a great decision, as having outdated pieces of gear that may have good stat rolls but a hopelessly low power level has not been fun for anyone still playing the game. Bungie also detailed some narrative plans for the future of the Destiny franchise, stating that the Witch Queen DLC (which is not coming out until next year at the earliest) will be the start of an ambitious overhaul to the Destiny storyline, with heroes and villains that evolve and persist over multiple releases. They also said the conclusion of future expansions such as Lightfall will bring the current “Light vs. Darkness” saga to a close, as well. I keep hoping there’s a chance that they’ll resurrect Cayde-6 and put him back in the game, but so far, nothing. We’ll keep you posted if they let anything slip.

Another strange bit of news from the Halo TV series camp, as the show has now moved from Showtime, a premium adult-oriented platform, to its soon-to-be released companion streaming service, Paramount Plus. As Deadline reported, the series will continue to be produced by Showtime’s creative team, including Steven Spielberg, so it seems the move is purely strategic. In other video game to TV series adaptation news, it’s been revealed that Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writers behind Deadpool and Zombieland, will executive produce a Twisted Metal TV show, featuring characters from one of my all-time favorite franchises. No actors have been attached yet, but it’s nice to see that someone at Sony cares about the Twisted Metal IP, which hasn’t seen a new game released in nearly a decade. Here’s hoping we finally see another one in the future.

Finally, let’s talk about Sony’s most recent State of Play digital event, which saw a number of updates to some impressive-looking titles. First, Crash Bandicoot 4 is getting a PS5 version, which definitely looks impressive and really amps up the cartoony art style of the game. In addition, dodgeball battle royale title Knockout City got some time in the spotlight, with its colorful graphics and hilarious ball-tossin’ gameplay sure to thrill young and old alike. Moreover, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach has you scouring the creepy arcade looking for clues as the spooky animatronic creatures hunt you down relentlessly. I’ve never played any of the FNAF games, but this one looks pretty cool! Also featured were Oddworld: Soulstorm, which is looking magnificent and will be a Playstation Plus title when it launches, and Arkane Studios’ Deathloop, a game which continues to impress me, and it has a brand new Bond-inspired theme song!

Now, to spotlight a few titles that really grabbed my eye: Heart Machine, the team behind Hyper Light Drifter, bring back their distinctive art style with Solar Ash, one of my most anticipated games for the PS5 and PS4. The game looks exquisite and the world design, traversal mechanics, and platforming elements look intuitive and fun to play around with! I can’t get over the visual fidelity and art direction here! Everything looks so smooth and fluid, and the game reminds me of Journey, as well. Can’t wait to try this one out!

Next, we have Sloclap’s upcoming 3D brawler, Sifu, which looks like the 3D beat-’em-up I’ve been waiting over 20 years to play! Coming off the success of their most recent title, Absolver, Sifu features some Roguelike elements as it appears that if you get knocked out, your character ages and becomes wiser and even more of a martial arts master! What an awesome idea! The action looks fast, the gameplay looks furious, and the graphics and visual style look incredible! Eagerly anticipating this one when it releases on both PS5 and PS4.

Housemarque, a developer whose work has been exemplary in the past (go play Nex Machina and Resogun!), returns with Returnal, another game with roguelike elements that change the environment and enemies as you progress. I’m loving the mixture of arcade shoot-’em-up combat with some narrative and horror elements, as the main protagonist seems to harbor some intense and spooky memories that need to be relived or explored. I’m so impressed with the insane visuals on display here, and the concept seems both old-school and modern triple-A all at once! I’m so excited for this developer to gain more recognition off of this awesome-looking game! Good for them!

Next, we have an updated look at Kena: Bridge of Spirits, a game by Ember Labs, a 15-person team (!!) of developers who look to have a hit on their hands! In a new video showcasing combat and more of the game’s visual style, viewers learned more details about Kena’s narrative and story, in which the titular character is a spirit guide who helps those who have reached the end of their journey move on. (Man, I’d love to see Kena have a crossover with Avatar Korra.) This game looks so amazing, I can’t even describe how excited I am to play it! Combat is reminiscent of character-based action/platform games of years past, and some attacks reminded me of Horizon: Zero Dawn. The world Kena inhabits is a lush and colorful one, and particle effects and character models are high-fidelity and gorgeous to behold. This game is going to be another hit for PS5 owners, I’ll bet.

Finally, we have a confirmed PS5 update and new story content for my favorite game of 2020, as Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade was announced. Showcasing upgraded textures, lighting, and overall graphics with the PS5 version, FFVII fans were also given a peek at new story content featuring everyone’s favorite Materia-stealin’ ninja, Yuffie! With a quest that runs parallel to the Remake’s main storyline, Yuffie will certainly come into contact with Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barrett, and the rest of Midgar’s heroes as you progress through her story. I can’t wait to play as Yuffie and to see how she meets the rest of the team! On top of that, we’ve also received word that FFVII Remake will be one of the March Playstation Plus titles, which means you’ll be able to download the PS4 version at no additional cost! However, there is a catch: in order to play the upgraded PS5 version and Yuffie’s sidequest, you’ll have to purchase the game at full price on PS5. I understand why they’re making that decision on a business level, but it’s disappointing for those whose first experience with the game will be through PS+. Still, FFVII Remake is a great game, and totally worth buying, in my opinion.

Alright, everyone, I’m exhausted and looking forward to playing more of the Zombies Outbreak mode, along with the Outriders demo! We’ll see you in the next installment of the Renegade Arcade!

-Neoplasmic