Plus Chocobo racing and more revealed for FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH and Disney and Epic Games plan to create an entertainment universe
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SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Borrett, Daniel Ang, Adam Christou and Chris Button. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia for their support of SIFTER.
KYLE: Hi I’m Kyle Pauletto
FIONA: and I’m Fiona Bartholomaeus
KYLE: Welcome to the one hundredth episode of Walkthrough, SIFTER’s weekly recap on the biggest news in video games.
FIONA: This week Xbox exclusives could come to PS5 according to reports, Final Fantasy VII shows off new gameplay ahead of launch later this month, and Disney chucks 1.5 bil at Epic Games in new partnership.
Here is the news for Sunday 11th of February. Let’s go!
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PROMO: Join the SIFTER community on Discord at sifter.com.au/discord
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FIONA: The gaming rumour mill is grinding away this week with a potentially game-changing development: Exclusive Xbox games might soon break the platform barrier, heading to PlayStation consoles.
We have the Verge and XboxEra reporting that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as well as Starfield could be heading to PS5, and by a GameStop ad referring to Game Pass as Microsoft Game Pass, which has imaginations running wild.
Now, the speculation is off the leash, with Halo, Hi-Fi Rush, and Sea of Thieves being thrown in the mix as well.
KYLE: Hi-Fi Rush looks like the most certain, with some datamined files found in an update pointing to both PlayStation and Switch, but we’re yet to get an official announcement.
Phil Spencer has announced a business update event set for some time next week, which will hopefully clear the air.
While there has been some attention on Xbox fanatics losing their minds over the rumours, I for one welcome less console war antics, and more accessibility for us lowly consumers is always a good thing right?
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KYLE: The wait for more info on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is over, after a dedicated PlayStation State of Play revealed gameplay, mechanics, cutscenes and more.
Fans got to see a new trailer showing more of the battle against Sephiroth and Reno, motorbike battles, the arrival of Zack Fair and Vincent Valentine, plus the gang hanging out at a resort.
An in depth look at the gameplay showed off the beautiful world, traversing mountains and city landscapes, sometimes even on segways, and the game will feature the original tracks from Final Fantasy 7 as well as over 400 new tracks.
FIONA: There are also a bunch of minigames too, including soccer, carnival shooting and Chocobo Racing.
Through ‘investigations’ or essentially side-quests you’ll get to explore more of the world and characters, but there’s one in particular that has got fans excited as it turns Cloud and his friends back into their PS1 polygon looks.
There was so much more revealed during the State of Play and the good news is you can already check out part of it. The demo for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is now available on PS5 before the game arrives on the 29th.
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FIONA: In an unexpected announcement, Disney is joining forces with Epic Games to create a new entertainment universe where you can “play, watch, create and shop”.
As a user you’ll be able to engage with content, characters and stories from across Disney IP such as Marvel, Pixar, Avatar and more, so it sounds very much like a metaverse of sorts.
There are some big bucks involved too, the deal is worth US$1.5billion.
KYLE: There isn’t much info on how it will all work besides it being a “persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem.”
It’s not the first time Disney has teamed up with Epic, previously letting characters appear in Fortnite, but both companies are saying this game and entertainment universe will mark Disney’s biggest entry into the gaming industry.
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KYLE: Finally Fi, after a bit of a drought there’s some news about our favourite topic here on Walkthrough, Elden Ring!
FIONA: A recent scoop from Reuters (roy-ters), citing three insider sources, claims that the 2022 hit might be making its way onto our smartphones.
Abhorrent mega corporation Tencent acquired the licensing rights for Elden Ring last year, and they’re looking to cash in any way they can.
KYLE: According to the reports, bringing this vast world to mobile hasn't exactly been smooth, and turning this incredible game into a heavily monetized free-to-play experience like Genshin impact is proving to be tough.
To which I say…good. I hope the soulless ghouls never figure it out
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FIONA: Helldivers 2, the third person multiplayer shooter from Arrowhead and PlayStation studios has been Sony’s biggest PC launch yet.
The cross platform game arrived on PS5 and PC at the same time, which is another first, and clocked up eighty-one thousand concurrent players on Steam beating God of War.
KYLE: It wasn’t all smooth drop from an orbital pod onto a planet full of insectoid enemies, the first few hours were pretty bumpy with matchmaking errors and a few hard crashes.
That all seems to have smoothed out now though, with a few quick server side patches.
Chris, Gianni and Adam are teaming up at the moment so keep an eye out for an episode of Drop Rate on the game in your podcast feeds soon.
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FIONA: That’s it for the big headlines, here are the games coming out this week
KYLE: Hunt ghosts and save communities of settlers from an ominous curse in Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. Take on the role of an experienced spirit hunter caught between completing your task and saving your departed partner. Grab it on PC, Xbox and PlayStation on the 13th.
FIONA: Get ready for a new animated adventure game that takes you back to the 90s with Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore. Play as Princess Arzette in this 2D side-scroller as she tries to restore harmony to the land and take down evil along the way. It’s out on PC, Switch, PlayStation and Xbox on the 14th.
KYLE: Also out on the 14th is highly anticipated Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. Re live your favourite tomb raider moments including all the expansions and secret levels all in upgraded graphics, and the best thing is you can switch back to the original polygon look at any time. That’s out on Wednesday on PC, Switch, PlayStation and Xbox.
FIONA: And a game that has been in development purgatory for what feels like forever will be available on the 16th, Ubisoft's pirate adventurer Skull and Bones. It’s been delayed to Davy Jones locker and back, but it’s looking like it could be a lot of fun. If you enjoyed Black Flag or Sea of Thieves, this could be one to check out when it comes to PC and current gen consoles this Friday.
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PROMO: Articles to read, videos to watch and podcasts to listen to on sifter.com.au
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KYLE: This has been Walkthrough by SIFTER, my name is Kyle Pauletto
FIONA: And my name is Fiona Bartholomaeus, thank you so much for listening.
KYLE: It’s been two years since we released the first episode of Walkthrough, and bringing this show to you all every week has been an absolute joy. To everyone who has been here since the beginning, thank you for sticking with us, and for all of you just joining us, welcome, we are so glad you’re here. Here’s to another 100 episodes Fi!
FIONA: SIFTER is produced by myself, Kyle Pauletto, Courtney Borrett, Adam Christou, Daniel Ang and Chris Button. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer who edited this episode, and Gianni Di Giovanni is the Walkthrough script editor, and SIFTER’s executive producer.
KYLE: Thanks to Brian Fairbanks from Salty Dog Sounds for composing the Walkthrough theme tune, and Audio Technica Australia for their support of SIFTER’s podcasts.
FIONA: We’ll be back with more news next Sunday. See you then.
