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Wanda Maximoff is an Avenger, but in WandaVision, she also does some very bad things.

The United States of America has had a cruel history with Asian communities. From the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 to immigration camps, the history is long and sordid. With COVID-19 and the public associations with Wuhan, China, the U.S. has seen an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes over the past year. On Tuesday, March 17, eight people were killed in shootings across the Atlanta area targeting women of Asian descent. This sparked an outcry of support from others, echoing a statement made by Bandai Namco earlier that same day. 

Bandai Namco has a presence in many areas, but it is based in Japan. Because of that, the rise in crimes against Asian-Americans "truly hit home" for many Bandai team members. Utilizing the #StopAsianHate hashtag to increase visibility, the gaming studio had this to say: 

"Bandai Namco Entertainment America remains committed to the ideals of inclusion, diversity, and fairness; while condemning all acts of violence, bullying, discrimination, and xenophobia." 

As a company based in Japan, the recent rise in anti-Asian hate has truly hit home for our employees.

We always appreciate support from our fans and we now ask for your support to #StopAsianHate and fight the rise in hate crimes committed against people of Asian descent. pic.twitter.com/QlUUryZZfx

— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) March 16, 2021

The statement continues, saying "We stand in solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, our culturally diverse and inclusive team of employees, players, and fans from all cultures and backgrounds, our families, and especially our elders, to speak out and raise awareness against the terrible rise in anti-Asian aggression and hate crimes." 

Anti-Asian hate crimes have seen an increase of over 1900% since the start of COVID-19 and quarantines, including physical violence and acts of vandalism. It's not OK. It's not right. And it needs to change. For those that may be looking for ways to help, a wide variety of resources can be found here

Tuesday, 16 March 2021 14:00

Age Of Empires IV Info Is Coming In April

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On April 10, Microsoft is hosting a special fan event targeting the entire Age of Empire franchise. Notably, the games that will be explored during the digital reveal event are Age of Empires II Definitive Edition, Age of Empires III Definitive Edition, and of course, the one that everyone is desperate for any iota of new information on, Age of Empires IV.  Check out the event trailer below.

Click here to watch embedded media

Outside of a minuscule brief glimpse of Relic’s future for one of the biggest real-time strategy franchises of all time, we really don’t know much about Age of Empires IV. Hopefully, this upcoming fan event sheds additional light on what’s in the cards for the new game. Some new gameplay would be great to see, especially some light on how mechanics and features are approached given Relic’s Company of Heroes and Warhammer: Dawn of War franchises.

While COVID-19 may have cast a glacial pallor over game development worldwide, Age of Empires IV was announced way back in 2017 and we haven’t seen anything substantial about it since. A release date would be great, but we’ll have to see exactly what’s on deck.

In addition to the flagship new direction for the series, the event looks to have some reveals for older titles that are still getting plenty of play today thanks to their revamped and enhanced editions with Age of Empires II Definitive Edition and Age of Empires III Definitive Edition. Yes, these ancient games are still getting new content, which is beyond wild to think about. I was always a fan of Age of Empires III, even though it was so different from II that it alienated a good deal of the players I used to play everyday with at the local LAN center. According to the trailer, new civilizations, campaigns, and gameplay are going to be showcased, so the potential for a lot of information from this event is substantial, though we don’t know exactly what is on display for each product yet.

The event kicks off on April 10 at noon EST. Are you looking forward to the next chapter of Age of Empires? Do you still play any of the older games? Let us know in the comments!

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Housemarque is bringing Returnal exclusively to PlayStation 5 next month on April 30. The combination of third-person shooting, horror elements, and roguelike time-twisting is a compelling blend to think about as we head toward release. Returnal may appear to be a serious shift from other Housemarque fare such as Resogun or Nex Machina, but what's available to parse right now looks ambitious and interesting. Today, there's a new trailer that highlights aspects of the story. You can watch it below!

Click here to watch embedded media

We know you play as Selene, spacewrecked in an alien world full of deadly aberrations. Despite it being a story trailer, we see plenty of action here as Selene engages in combat with a variety of alien threats. Some distinct non-alien locales featured in the trailer indicate that there may be heavy psychological elements that flow into the game experience as well. One thing is certain – not everything is as it seems. There's a ton of weird lifeforms and terrifying stuff in this trailer to take a look at, from grim environments to projectile-spewing abominations.

You're going to die, a lot, and have to restart the journey anew, hence the roguelike nature of the game. However, every time cycle offers new foibles and quirks, forcing the player to not only take on new challenges, but to utilize resources in new ways, ostensibly avoiding some of the repetitive elements that can turn roguelike titles into a grindy slog. We'll have to wait and see there. Already revealed is that the gameplay does include a way to benefit in future runs via upgrades, so we don't know exactly just how "roguelite" things will be, but you won't be starting at complete zero each time. You can see some of Housemarque's signature "bullet-hell" mechanics weave their way into the action flow as well. Along the way, you're tasked with restoring some of Selene's lost and fragmented memories, hopefully shedding some light on the world around her and some clarity on how to escape the loop.

What do you think of Returnal so far? Have you managed to snag a PlayStation 5? If so, are you thinking about adding Returnal to your game library? Let us know in the comments!