Today: Back to the future with the NieR Replicant remake — Start planning your Christmas right now with fancy videogame tree ornaments — High-definition waifus in next-gen Genshin Impact
Issue Contents
TOP STORY
Amazon cancels Lord of the Rings project
Amazon Game Studios has cancelled yet another major project: Their online Lord of the Rings game.
The project was a collaboration between Amazon Game Studios and the Chinese company Leyou Technologies Holdings Ltd, which has just been acquired by Tencent. It seems like the Lord of the Rings project is a casualty of the acquisition.
Unacceptable terms: The two parties seem to have been unable to renegotiate the contract to mutual satisfaction, and the team working on the Lord of the Rings project will move on to other projects.
Not the first:”We love the Lord of the Rings IP, and are disappointed that we won’t be bringing this game to customers,” said the Seattle-based team. This is just the latest in a string of failed game projects cancelled by Amazon Game Studios.
DAILY QUIZ
Which Megaman-inspired rock band was on Rock Band 4’s initial setlist?
a) Armcannon
b) The Megas
c) Mega Ran
d) The Protomen
The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today's issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.
FACT OF THE DAY
No fun to be parodied by Electronic Arts
EA’s The Simpsons Game had such a straightforward name because it was intended to be a blank slate for the brand as a videogame series.
The action platformer was full of parodies of other videogames, like EA’s own Medal of Honor – but not everyone was thrilled about the prospect of being lampooned by EA and many of the parodies had to be removed after other companies complained.
Join our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss today's fact.
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NEWS
Wonder Boy is back in Monster World
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a remake of Monster World IV from 1994 and it’s out this week, alongside Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…. If you’re more into sports than Japanese game remakes, MLB The Show 21 and MotoGP 21 is also out this week.
Tuesday – April 20th
MLB The Show 21 for PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX
Thursday – April 22nd
Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack for PC, NS, PS4
MotoGP 21 for PC, NS, PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX, Stadia
ScourgeBringer for PS4, PSVita
Smelter for PC, NS, PS4, XBO
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World for PC, NS, PS4
Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife for PC, Droid
Friday – April 23rd
Judgment for PS5, XSX, Stadia
Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139… for PC, PS4, XBO
13 new videogame tree ornaments
Hallmark's Keepsake Ornaments collection will be expanded with 13 videogame ornaments this year, based on classic series like Super Mario, Pokémon, Sonic and The Legend of Zelda.
The flagship ornament will be the Super Nintendo console, a tiny recreation of the US version of the SNES, complete with controllers and a tiny Super Mario World cartridge. Here's the full list:
Caped Mario – Super Mario World
Personalised Mario – Super Mario
Enderman – Minecraft
Pixel Link – The Legend of Zelda
Pixel Zelda – The Legend of Zelda
Sonic & Tails – Sonic the Hedgehog
Knuckles – Sonic the Hedgehog
King Mickey – Kingdom Hearts
Sub Zero – Mortal Kombat
Charizard – Pokémon
Donkey Kong – Mario Kart
Crackshot – Fortnite
Gamer vibes: It's not the first time Hallmark tugs on the heartstrings of gamers: Last year's collection featured the original NES console. Some of this year's collection will go on sale from July 10th, while the full line will be available on October 2nd.
Which Megaman-inspired rock band was on Rock Band 4’s initial setlist?
ANSWER: The Protomen!
There are loads of bands inspired by games, but few are as dedicated as The Protomen. They have interpreted Mega Man as a dystopic rock opera set to 80s inspired rock music. You might have heard their cover of Phil Collins’ in the air tonight in the third season of Cobra Kai, but their biggest hit is probably Light Up The Night from their album The Father of Death.
The bombastic synth rock track was part of the Rockband 4 set list alongside hits like Uptown Funk and Somebody Told Me, and their track This City Made Us was recently released as DLC. If you never heard their music, there is no better time than now.
Today's issue of DailyBits was written by Gavin Herman, Nick Akerman, Erlend Grefsrud, Simon Priest, and Jamie Davey. If you have any feedback or news tips for the team, please email us!
