This week, the competition between Steam and Epic's new online storefront heats up the frozen tundras of post-apocalyptic Russia, while zombie games hit their stride (for the third or fourth time), and the rumor mill is gearing up for a second version of the Switch hardware, right on schedule. Let's get to it.
Jeez, Resident Evil 2 Did Well, Huh?Last week, the remake of Resident Evil 2 came out. And since then, it has shipped, according to the Hollywood Reporter, 3 million units around the globe. These are very, very good numbers, even beating out the newest entry in the series, the acclaimed Resident Evil 7. Just goes to show: Nostalgia sells, and Resident Evil is way more popular than its recent history might suggest.
After all, the franchise went through a long, long period of decline, only picking up in the past few years with good games that returned to its horror roots. But the fan base still exists, which means that we're probably going to see a lot more Resident Evil—and probably a lot more of these remakes.
Epic Games Scores an Epic Exclusive With Metro: ExodusExclusives may be common on consoles, but not for PC game stores. In some cases, a game might be limited to the store run by its publisher—like EA's Origins or Bethesda's game store—but third-party games tend to be available on all the major stores, including Steam, GOG, and (increasingly) the Epic Games Store. Not so for Metro: Exodus. The upcoming first-person shooter is, as of this week, an exclusive to the Epic Games Store and, after six months of anticipation, is no longer available on Steam at all (though preorders will still be honored).
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GamingThe 15 Games We're Most Excited to Play in 2019Julie Muncy and Peter RubinThis is, pardon the language, a big frickin' deal in the PC gaming scene. We've been chronicling the slow-burn competition between Epic and Valve's Steam store for the past few months, but this is more than a slow burn; this is a shot aimed directly at the heart of Valve's monopoly. If major third-party games can just … disappear from the shelves, that spells legitimate trouble for Valve. And it's hard to think this will be the only time it happens. This year's going to be wild, y'all.
Nintendo Is Reportedly Working on a Smaller Version of the Switch HardwareWith the Nintendo Switch selling incredibly well and the console now well into its life cycle, it's only a matter of time before we reach that hallowed Nintendo tradition: the midcycle console upgrade. Until now, that tradition has been for handhelds—the 3DS had the XL, the DS had the Lite—but it's seeming as though the Switch will join that crew. According to a new Nikkei report, as interpreted by Variety, that something will be a smaller, lighter version of the hardware, with fewer features but a skinnier price tag.
To put on my speculation hat, that sounds a lot like a dockless Switch. While the Switch's ability to play at home and on the go is an essential part of the system identity—it's in the name, after all—to make a strictly handheld version makes a lot of sense, both from a consumer standpoint and from a design one. The Switch Mini, maybe?
Recommendation of the Week: Unreal Gold, PCIf you've never played the original Unreal, you owe it to yourself. One of the best early first-person shooters is also one of the most overlooked. While its successor, Unreal Tournament, became a mainstay of competitive gaming, the original isn't often talked about, which is a shame. It's creative, a little bizarre, and full of wonderful alien environments; the wide vista in the game's opening is still one of my favorite level design moments ever. Play this.
