That changes today. For the first time, Rage can now be bought digitally on Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Microsoft announced. You can buy the game on your console for $15 or through this Xbox Store page; it weighs in at 21.2 GB.
Sony streaming service PlayStation Now saw a major expansion last year when it launched on PC. This year, the service is leaving behind a number of platforms to focus exclusively on just two of them.
In a PlayStation Blog post today, Sony announced that it will soon end PlayStation Now support on almost all devices: PS3, Vita, PlayStation TV, Sony Bravia TVs (models from 2013-2015), all Sony Blu-ray players, and all Samsung TVs. These changes will go into effect on August 15. Bravia TV models from 2016 will only be supported until April 1.
Once these changes are made, it will leave PS4 and PC as the only platforms with access to the service, which lets you stream hundreds of PS3 games.
"After thoughtful consideration, we decided to shift our focus and resources to PS4 and Windows PC to further develop and improve the user experience on these two devices," Sony explained. "This move puts us in the best position to grow the service even further. If you use any of the above devices, we want to give our heartfelt thanks for your support, and we hope you'll continue with us."
If you are using Now on any of the platforms set to be discontinued, you can always pick up your progress on PS4 or PC. If you're a subscriber who won't be using Now on either of those, Sony advises that you disable auto-renewal before service ends on the platforms you play on.
Sony didn't have any details to share about how Now will change with support dropped from these devices. Being a cloud-based service, it's unclear what supporting those platforms prevented it from being able to do.
New games are typically added to Now's library each month. The latest batch included a dozen games from Koei Tecmo.
What's the first thing you do when you get to the main menu of a freshly installed PC game? Mess with graphics options! Most visually intense PC games come with a slew of visual configurations. For those unfamiliar with what each setting does, it's a daunting task to not only understand the options, but also to glean how certain settings may impact performance. Anticipating how the game performs during different in-game scenarios is another challenge as well.
But with our graphics-settings guide, you can make informed decisions on which settings are worth it on your rig.
Explanation: Frames per second (fps)--not "first-person shooter" in this context--is fairly self-explanatory. It's the number of still frames projected onscreen in a single second. The higher the fps, the smoother a game runs. This isn't really an in-game setting, but it governs which options you'll use and how high you'll set visual quality.
Several factors play into a game's frame rate: Your hardware's processing power, the intensity of in-game visual settings, and the demand of the game's graphics engine can impact performance, along with many other factors. You should understand what your PC is capable of and adjust the settings accordingly to hit consistent, playable frame rates.
Some gamers will have a different desired fps; some find 40 fps to 50fps playable, while some are content with around 30 fps, but on PC, it's safe to say most aim for the gold standard of 60 fps. Most monitors and TVs offer a 60Hz refresh rate, thus 60 fps would be the highest perceivable frame rate. But higher-end monitors are capable of 120Hz and 144Hz, which allow games to scale up to 120 fps and 144 fps, respectively. These differences are noticeable, especially in fast-paced games that require quick reactions.
What's in the screenshot: Of course, it's impossible to convey frames per second in a screenshot, so what we have is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive running with the built-in Steam fps counter. As highlighted, the game hits 264 fps--that's overkill for our 60Hz display, which can only output 60 fps. CS:GO is a competitive shooter where a split-second reaction can mean the difference between winning and losing, so it's advantageous to reach your monitor's full potential.
Suggestion: It depends on what you're playing. For a turn-based strategy game like XCOM 2, we can give up a few frames-per-second to have all the eye candy maxed out. But for a fast-paced, competitive game like Battlefield 1, we would tweak the settings for multiplayer to maintain a stable 60 fps.
Vertical Sync (VSync) and Refresh Rate
Vertical Sync (VSync) and Refresh Rate
Explanation: V-Sync is a method of locking a game's frame rate to your display's refresh rate. By keeping the frame rate and refresh rate in sync, screen tearing is eliminated. Tearing appears when the game camera moves horizontally and the image goes out of alignment. Frames are registered vertically, which is why tearing only happens horizontally.
Refresh rate is the frequency at which a display will put out still frames--how often it refreshes the image to show onscreen. A 60Hz monitor is only capable of projecting frames 60 times a second and bottlenecks fps if your computer is producing more.
There are drawbacks, however. V-Sync withholds frame data, which results in input lag. If you drag your mouse cursor across the screen with V-Sync enabled, you might feel the delay. Thus, precise aiming is hampered by the lag. Competitive gamers always disable V-Sync.
Nvidia and AMD have also created G-Sync and Freesync, respectively technology for certain monitors. This makes the monitor's refresh rate adapt to the fps output of the game on the fly to negate screen tearing.
What's in the screenshot: If you've searched the term "screen tearing" or have seen our previous coverage of graphics settings, then you're familiar with this screenshot of Dead Rising 2. It shows what happens when your frame rate and refresh rate aren't aligned without V-Sync enabled.
Suggestion: We would suggest leaving V-Sync off for games where input lag will make controls feel awkward or put you at a disadvantage. I found that playing in Borderless Window mode instead of Fullscreen helps alleviate screen tearing. Implementing a hard limiter either through your graphics driver or the game itself can also keep screen tearing to a minimum.
Resolution and Aspect Ratio
Resolution and Aspect Ratio
Explanation: Resolution is simply how many pixels (dots of color) are displayed onscreen--the higher the resolution, the sharper the image. A higher-resolution display will look sharper, but the downside is that it will be more taxing on your computer. Running games smoothly at 4K (3840x2160) can be a difficult feat, since the hardware is asked to project four times as many pixels as 1080p (1920x1080). Many console games still render at 720p (1280x720), which clearly doesn't provide the fidelity of higher resolutions. Any resolution below your screen's native resolution will be stretched, and it will look blurrier.
It's also important to understand pixel density. Image clarity is relative to the amount of pixels and the size of your display. 1080p on a 24-inch monitor looks much sharper than it does on a 32-inch TV. The degree to which this is noticeable also depends on how far you're sitting from the screen.
What's in the screenshot: This a screenshot from Hitman (2016) by the beach front in the Sapienza mission. The original shot is in 4K, then scaled down to 1080p and 720p to emphasize the difference in each resolution.
Suggestion: Use your display's native resolution. A few 28-inch 4K monitors look fine rendering 1440p, but the sharpness of 4K is tough to pass up, especially if you spent the money to get a 4K monitor.
Field of View (FOV)
Field of View (FOV)
Explanation: Field of view (FOV) is the angle at which you see the world through the in-game camera, measured in increments of single degrees. The higher the FOV, the more peripheral vision you get, but it will make the center look farther away. Increasing the FOV too much will make it seem as if you're looking through a fisheye lens.
It's often an advantage to have a high FOV in competitive shooters, since it helps display more of the surrounding area. This will be slightly more demanding on your hardware, though, since it needs to render more of the game's assets.
What's in the screenshot: Doom (2016) has an FOV slider that goes from 90 to 130, and four different settings are shown here. Pay attention to the demon head and the pillars on the left and right. As FOV goes up, you'll see more of the pillars in your peripheral vision but the demon head appears farther
Suggestion: Games often have a default FOV a little too low for comfort. You may need to find a way to increase FOV if you're not given a menu option, either via a third-party application or editing a game's text file. We would suggest testing out different FOVs to find the right balance. Often times, a setting in the middle of the allowed range works well.
Anti-Aliasing
Anti-Aliasing
Explanation: While several techniques can accomplish anti-aliasing, they all aim to fix the same problem: jagged edges of curved surfaces and objects. The rough and jagged edges look almost like a staircase, and this is called aliasing. Anti-aliasing smooths out these edges by blending the colors of the pixels around the object to create the illusion of smoothness.
What's in the screenshot: While anti-aliasing can be a graphically taxing feature, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive isn't a graphically demanding game, so it makes sense to enable anti-aliasing to make it look noticeably better. The power lines are the focal point of the screenshot, but the antenna on the rooftop to the right and the edge of the scope are also smoother.
Suggestion: High resolution displays will mitigate the negative effects of aliasing, but even at 4K it's slightly noticeable up close. A little bit of anti-aliasing will go a long way, though. If performance isn't a concern, we would recommend cranking AA settings all the way up.
Types of Anti-aliasing
Types of Anti-aliasing
Explanation: Anti-aliasing is an important graphics setting to use, but there's a bunch of anti-aliasing methods Let's look at the different ones and examine how they tax your system.
MSAA - Multi-sample anti-aliasing is the most common type. In layman's terms, your computer takes color samples from around a piece of geometry in a game world and projects an average of those colors. The illusion of smoothness around an otherwise jagged object is created. The higher the number of samples (2x, 4x, 8x), the more your GPU has to calculate, impacting performance.
FXAA - Fast approximate anti-aliasing is a blanket approach to smoothing out an image. Instead of analyzing each frame and calculating geometry like MSAA, FXAA applies the smoothing effect to the entire image indiscriminately. It's faster for the GPU to perform, but it results in a blurrier image overall.
TXAA/MLAA - Temporal anti-aliasing (Nvidia)/morphological anti-aliasing (AMD) are the same thing. It's similar to MSAA, but it uses previous frame data to create the color samples in the current frame--and is more efficient as a result.
SSAA - Supersampling Antialiasing is the most demanding method, but it produces the cleanest image. It makes the game render a higher resolution, then downsamples, or shrinks, the image to fit your display's resolution. It's as if you're artificially increasing the pixel density of your screen and the result is a sharper image.
What's in the screenshot: Dishonored 2 has the option for high grades of TXAA, and you can see it enabled on the right side. The rails are the focal point of the screenshot, but pay close attention to the window sills and the outline of the tree.
Suggestion: While SSAA looks incredible, it's far too demanding for most mid range PCs on modern games. If a game allows for different types of anti-aliasing, test out each type to see which one produces the best balance of image quality and performance. This will likely be TXAA/MLAA, but MSAA also works well. While FXAA isn't as graphically demanding, you may find that it will make games look a bit too blurry.
Anisotropic Filtering
Anisotropic Filtering
Explanation: Anisotropic filtering (texture filtering) makes surface textures that are seen at an angle gives it more clarity. The best way to see the effect of anisotropic filtering is to look at the ground a few meters ahead, then compare it to the clarity of the ground close to you. As you look farther away, the surfaces become blurrier. With anisotropic filtering on, the far-off surfaces become much clearer.
The effect of texture filtering is more apparent when your character moves forward in the game world. The change in quality as the surfaces get closer to you can be jarring.
What's in the screenshot: The focus of this screenshot is the cobblestone ground of Prague in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. In the left shot, you can see the cobblestone get muddled as it approaches the building. In the right shot, the cobblestone is simply clear.
Suggestion: Anisotropic Filtering is very important for improving the overall image, and it's relatively easy on your system. The payoff between quality and performance is significant. What good is having the highest texture quality setting if the ones off in the distance look muddy? Always try to have anisotropic filtering enabled to 8x or 16x.
Ambient Occlusion
Ambient Occlusion
Explanation: Ambient occlusion darkens creases and crevices that light shouldn't be hitting; the spaces behind objects where the light source doesn't reach. The result? More detailed shadows and a richer, more realistic look to the overall environment. While ambient occlusion isn't real-time shadow rendering, it's a lot less taxing. It's a calculation that accounts for the position of objects relative to each other and lights sources, then simulates where light should not be present. There are generally two types of ambient occlusion.
SSAO - Screen space ambient occlusion was first introduced with the original Crysis and is the basic level of ambient occlusion, darkening pixels that are blocked from light sources.
HBAO - Horizon-based ambient occlusion is SSAO to the next level. It increases the number of samples used when calculating the areas that should be darkened. The result is more accurate ambient occlusion, but it's more taxing on your system.
What's in the screenshot: This cropped screenshot from Deus Ex: Mankind Divided shows ambient occlusion disabled on the left and HBAO enabled on the right. Pay close attention to the spaces behind the water jugs, the corners of the shelves, and the objects stored in the shelves. You'll see that the shadows are more lifelike and add depth to the environment.
Suggestion: SSAO or HBAO are highly recommended if you can afford the processing power. The screenshot is only a microcosm of the ambient occlusion effect, but its overall impact on the visual appeal in a game is strongly felt.
Bloom
Bloom
Explanation: Bloom increases the luminosity of light sources in a game world. The intention is to make a light source look more realistic--as we see it in the real world. Light will seep through windows and create a high contrast as the in-game camera transitions from indoors to outdoors.
Many games badly implement bloom, which results in an unnatural oversaturation of light. It'll be recognizable when surfaces are reflective or shining when they shouldn't be.
What's in the screenshot: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt offers a bloom option, and it's implemented extremely well. Looking directly at the sun with bloom off is like looking a bright white ball. With bloom on, it looks as if it's realistically emitting light, that appropriately cascades across the environment.
Suggestion: While the quality of bloom will vary from game to game, we would suggest turning it on if it's implemented well. If it's distracting and oversaturates the game world, you may want to go without it.
Motion Blur
Motion Blur
Explanation: Motion Blur is a straightforward concept--the environment will blur as you look around to emphasize a sense of motion. Textures that are part of the player character should not blur, since that they're still relative to the environment.
What's in the screenshot: Both screenshots are taken from Crysis Warhead while constantly swiping the mouse left and right. On the left, motion blur is off and looks as if the screenshot was taken at a stand-still. With it on (and set to maximum effect), everything other than the firearm is blurred.
Suggestion: Many find motion blur unnecessary, but some may find a moderate level to be visually appealing. It can also help alleviate the effects of screen tearing. However, we'd suggest going with whatever amount of motion blur you prefer. The performance impact will vary between games, but recent games implement it efficiently to minimize the hit on frame rate.
Tessellation
Tessellation
Explanation: Tessellation adds an extra touch to surfaces and objects in the game world. Objects can have displacement maps, which are essentially instructions on how the object can change if it had more polygons. Tessellation calculates that information and adds depth and more complex geometry to those objects.
What's in the screenshot: Metro: Last Light has some very clear instances of tessellation making a noticeable difference. Tessellation is off in the left screenshot and is on in the right. The rocks on the wall stick out more and the crevices are slightly deeper with tessellation.
Suggestion: Tessellation can make a big difference, but it depends on how developers choose to implement it. In some cases, tessellation simply makes surfaces look different, but not necessarily better. In other cases, it can add depth to important pieces of a game world. If you're given the option, test out the game with it on and off and see if it makes a noticeable impact.
Depth of Field
Depth of Field
Explanation: It's a simulation of true depth of field in a camera lens--objects in the background are blurred out, while the subject is in perfect focus. Many games limit the effect to when there's a single object in at the forefront of your view or when using a zoom or aim down sights function.
While depth of field can be aesthetically pleasing, some will find it unnecessary or find it puts them at a disadvantage, especially if the effect is overdone.
What's in the screenshot: This screenshot was taken in Dishonored 2 while looking through Emily's spyglass. You can see that the pod is the subject, but the entire image is in focus on the left. With depth of field on in the right screenshot, the pod becomes the sole focus of the image.
Suggestion: Depth of field is a nice touch, but it's not always necessary. Since it has a minimal effect on performance and is not objectively better one way or another, you should set this according to your preference.
Texture Quality
Texture Quality
Explanation: Texture settings will vary from game to game and change details in different ways. In almost every case, surfaces of the game world will increase in fidelity the higher the setting. Some games will have a very high resolution texture option, and in that case, they'll require higher amounts of video RAM on your GPU.
What's in the screenshot: This grated metal balcony in Dishonored 2 clearly displays the difference between low- and high-quality texture settings.
Suggestion: Texture quality is one of most basic graphics settings, but low, medium, and high will mean different things in different games. Regardless, it's always a good idea to try to go with a higher setting. The pace of a game may also play a factor in how much you'll notice texture quality. Slower-paced games where it's crucial to scan the environment tend to benefit more, since you're required to pay closer attention to finer details, whereas texture quality can be easily overlooked in a frantic shooter.
Shadow Quality
Shadow Quality
Explanation: Much like texture quality, the effect of shadow quality will vary between games. Generally, the higher the setting, the finer the shadow. It's also key to notice how shadows move and it's sometimes tied to the quality setting. Shadows that are either jagged or choppy in motion can take you out of game.
What's in the screenshot: Here we have Agent 47 under a tree, enjoying the Sapienza breeze just before he sets off for a savage assassination. On the low setting, the tree looks like an amalgam of blobs, while the high setting sharply projects the shadow of individual leaves. In the case of both settings, the shadows move realistically as the breeze rustles the leaves to and fro.
Suggestion: Shadow quality is one of the more important basic settings. The highest setting can be taxing in certain games, but we would recommend testing how far you can push shadows before it unreasonably hampers your system.
Shadow Distance
Shadow Distance
Explanation: A few games allow you to control the distance at which shadows will be rendered. There's essentially no benefit to rendering a shadow for an object far off in the distance that is barely visible itself. But a building off in the distance may look strange without a shadow. Sometimes, shadow distance comes packaged in the quality setting.
In the days just after release, Fallout 4 was a victim of too high a shadow distance. Performance would mysteriously take a huge hit in city locations, and it was because objects that were far off in the distance unnecessarily rendered shadows. Modifying this setting manually alleviated part of its performance issues.
What's in the screenshot: While Dishonored 2 doesn't give you direct control of shadow distance, it comes tied to shadow quality. In the left screenshot, you can see less detail in the shadows, but can you spot where a shadow drops off?
Take a look at the guard walking away in the top-left corner of both screenshots. At a certain point, the game no longer renders a character's shadow in low settings.
Suggestion: An effective shadow distance will depend on the scope of the game's environments. An open-world will look more convincing if the trees and heights projected proper shadows, but you'll have to test how far (quite literally) you can push it before your system is bogged down. We would recommend aiming for a setting around three-fourths of the max if you're given the option.
Conclusion
Conclusion
It's one thing to see still screenshots of each graphics setting--it's another to actually see them in motion. Effects like anti-aliasing and ambient occlusion are much stronger in-game while you're navigating your environment.
The challenge in tinkering with graphics settings is knowing where to draw the line between visual quality and performance, and understanding your hardware's capability. We would advise you resist the urge to turn everything up if your PC isn't exactly up to the task to put out the best frame rate.
It's a good idea to prioritize the more impactful graphics settings with performance, to best enjoy gaming on a PC.
Microsoft today announced the day and time of its E3 2017 briefing--and it's not the same schedule as last year. The Xbox show will be held Sunday, June 11, starting at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET.
Historically, the Xbox briefing is held on the Monday of E3 week, in the morning. Though the day is changing, the venue is staying the same: the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
Microsoft only announced the time and date of its E3 2017 briefing today, not any specific programming details. You can definitely expect news about Project Scorpio, as the tweet that announced the details today used an image of the system first shared at E3 2016. The system is scheduled to go on sale this holiday, so it will surely be a big focus of the event.
Microsoft is the only company to formally announce the time and date of its E3 briefing so far. Last year, Bethesda and EA's briefings took place on the Sunday before E3 week, followed by Sony and Ubisoft on the next day. EA's own E3 event, EA Play, takes place June 10-12, but the company has not announced when its briefing will take place, if it has one.
We'll report back with more details on this year's E3 as they become available.
By Anonymous on Feb 15, 2017 11:45 pm This week on The Lobby we talk For Honor release, Halo Wars 2, Prey, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC.
Playing Divide is akin to experiencing deja vu over the course of several hours. It's built on a promising sci-fi premise, but each new area, encounter, and objective feels cyclical and repetitive to the point of tedium and frustration.
Divide's story blends elements of corporate greed, familial ties, and time travel with David at the center; a widower left sorting through the mess left behind when his wife passes away. After receiving an urgent message from a man who worked with his late wife, David takes his daughter Arly and meets with the man, who gives David a suitcase without explaining what's inside. In the midst of a weird mishap with the strange technology inside the case, David is separated from his daughter and flung into the future, where he teams up with a young woman named Eris trying to escape a planet dominated by corporate control.
Divide is an isometric game with elements of RPGs and twin-stick shooters. It's a unique blend for a narrative-driven sci-fi game, and it oscillates between interesting and maddeningly dull. The main mechanic is driven by a pair of contacts David wears that allow him to interact with technology in the world via an augmented-reality UI. Using these contacts, he can hack into servers, upload data, control aspects of the environment, and even amass new abilities to interact with enemies.
It works well--until it doesn't. The contacts don't become activated until you guide a reticle around David's body using the right analog stick, and although it's satisfying to discover new points of interaction in the environment--sort of like a digital treasure hunt--it's frustrating to use the interface in any capacity other than fixed objects. Attempting to use it on an enemy proved fatal on multiple occasions when I'd fixate on one foe and attempt to hack them, only to have them move slightly and completely throw my alignment--and thus my aiming--off. The sensitivity can be adjusted, but it feels awkward regardless.
These problems are amplified by Divide's poor communication of objectives and location. A majority of the game is spent wandering aimlessly in sterile, repetitive environments, each looking practically identical to another in layout and presentation. The level map is difficult to read, the purpose and significance of different icons and actions aren't clearly specified, and clues are easily missed in seemingly throwaway conversations with NPCs.
The level flow follows a familiar pattern of wandering around the environment looking for specific terminals and uploading information to gain clearance to a new areas. Divide offers flavors of Metroid-style backtracking, but instead of new weapons or abilities used to progress, you're rewarded with a clearance that allows you to unlock doors. The similarly constructed environments mixed with just a handful of occasional new elements and abilities to break up the pacing make Divide feel like one long, homogenized experience. Wandering around an area without any clear direction or information quickly becomes tedious and frustrating.
Divide has a solid sci-fi hook, and like many forms of science fiction, it explores multiple themes in its Philip K. Dick-style narrative: the dangers of capitalism, corporate greed, maintaining a healthy family dynamic, and a humanist view of freedom from oppression. It explores all these elements to varying degrees of success. It's easy to sympathize with Eris accompanying David, who wants nothing more than to escape the planet and the overreach of its techno-fascist state. The interactions with David and his daughter are believable and, at times, gut-wrenching, especially when they venture into discussion about her mother and her fierce dedication to work. Even the villains have a delightfully evil charm and chew an appropriate amount of scenery with glee.
Divide stretches on for a bit longer than it probably should, but the strengths of the story are heightened by decent writing and voice performances throughout. Conversations feel organic and real, line deliveries have a satisfying amount of emotion, and each character comes across as genuine. But the strength of the story is undermined by a game that poorly communicates necessary information and is built on repetition to the point that it loses the personality contained within the characters. If there's a second meaning to the title, it describes the division between a strong narrative and mediocre gameplay that would've been better served with more variety and direction throughout.
The wild and over-the-top action game Let It Die, from No More Heroes developer Grasshopper Manufacture, has passed 2 million downloads, it was announced today. This figure includes downloads of the free-to-play PlayStation 4 game in North America, Europe, and Japan; it came out December.
To celebrate the "momentous and bloody milestone," everyone who logs into the game between February 16 and February 23 will receive one Death Metal, which is the game's currency.
Additionally, players who craft weapons during the promo period will receive the following rewards:
Additionally, a new Let's Play video featuring Dogma and Clerks director Kevin Smith has been released--check it out in the video above. Smith is also in the new Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare DLC.
Let It Die began its life as Lily Bergamo, but at E3 2014, it was confirmed that the game morphed into its current state. It is the first game from Suda, AKA Suda 51, and developer Grasshopper Manufacture since the studio was acquired by GungHo Online Entertainment (best known for its hugely successful free-to-play mobile game Puzzle & Dragons) and the first PS4 game for both companies.
Capcom has responded to the Dead Rising 4's reviews. In a recent investor Q&A, the English translation of which was published today, Capcom was asked why the zombie game did not receive "more distinguished reviews." Capcom management responded by saying the game's "more approachable" nature did not resonate with everyone.
"Compared to the series up to now, this game was made more approachable in order to allow a wider audience to enjoy it," the company said. "However, there was a wider range of opinions for the new game. Moving forward, we intend to grow unit sales on a continuous basis by releasing additional digital download content while implementing updates for improvements."
"Dead Rising's zombie-slaughtering formula has started to wear a bit thin after all these years, especially since its combat remains largely routine," reviewer Scott Butterworth said. "The surprisingly well-crafted story, wild new combo weapons, and expansive open world elements, however, turn Dead Rising 4 into an over-the-top piece of popcorn entertainment that captures the series' best elements."
"There was real consternation about the intensity of the tone of the film," she said, as reported by Variety. "It's more of an elegy about life and death. The paradigm for it was a Western, and my colleagues were up in arms.
"It's not a wise-cracking, cigar-chomping mutton-sporting Wolverine, and the debate internally became, 'Isn't that freakin' boring?' Isn't it exciting to imagine Wolverine as a real guy and he's world-weary and he doesn't want to fight anymore until a little girl needs him?"
Hugh Jackman returns to play Wolverine again in Logan for what might be the last time. Unlike the previous entries in the series, Logan is rated R; Jackman agreed to a paycut to make this happen.
Logan also stars Patrick Stewart, Sienna Novikov, Stephen Merchant, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Boyd Holbrook, and Richard E. Grant. It was directed by James Mangold and hits theaters on March 3, 2017.
An expensive new figure of Street Fighter's Ken is on the way, Pop Culture Shock Collectibles announced today.
Priced at $500, the 1:4 scale figure stands 25 inches tall. It's a part of the company's Ultra Statue line and features Ken's colors from Street Fighter IV. Check it out below.
Pop Culture describes it as a "hand-crafted polystone figure." In addition to the statue itself, your purchase entitles you to a certificate of authenticity.
Provided you've willing to part with $500 for it, you will be waiting a while. Its release is estimated as coming in the January - March window of 2018, which puts it about a year away. If you're interested, preorders are available through Pop Culture's website (via Game Informer).
GameSpot has a For Honor review in progress up--we'll be posting our final review once we've had a little more time to dive deep into the game's fighting mechanics. Until then, check out the roundup below. We'll continue to update this article as more final reviews come in.
"One-on-one battles are fun and challenging for the way they punish you for thoughtless play. But this heavily contrasts with fighting For Honor's AI minions, which frequently feel mundane; defeating them simply requires mindless swinging rather than the calculated execution of one-on-one combat. Fighting these "opponents" also proves middling due to the inability to lock onto them directly. More often than not you'll find yourself swinging your weapon wildly at the air rather than hitting them.
[But] despite these evident shortcomings, For Honor already has the workings of a well-made multiplayer fighting game." -- Matt Espineli [Full review in progress]
IGN -- No score (review in progress)
"For Honor is a unique and somewhat risky venture in this day and age of publishers being hesitant to stray far from the model of their proven hits. Like a delicious, gamified Turducken, it's a brawler with the depth of a fighting game inserted into the body of a third-person action game, which is in turn stuffed into an online team-based objective game. And in my roughly 40 hours spent playing a combination of alpha and beta tests, it's easy for me to say that For Honor's combat system is the most tactically complete and flexible version of melee combat I've ever experienced." -- Brandin Tyrrel [Full review in progress]
Destructoid -- No score (review in progress)
"For Honor reminds me of the kind of game that gets featured in TV shows where the writers don't really know a lot about games. It's just this crazy mash-up of fantasy warriors, cool martial arts, and plenty of blood splashed about without any real context or plot. Turns out, I'm totally fine with that." -- Nic Rowen [Full review in progress]
Trusted Reviews -- No score (review in progress)
"For Honor is a real surprise. In terms of gameplay mechanics it's top-notch, visually it's excellent, and there's a decent--if fairly formulaic--campaign to play through. The signs are extremely promising, with the recent beta test proving that the multiplayer battles can be excellent. There's some more testing to be done before delivering a final verdict, but Ubisoft could well have another online-focused hit on its hands." -- Tom Orry [Full review in progress]
Announced this week, the new, 10-inch figures are for the game's three classes: Titan, Hunter, and Warlock. The $20 toys come standing on a Destiny-themed base. Here's what they look like:
"Detail, depth, and customization--that's what Destiny gives its players, and that's what made it the biggest new video game franchise launch," McFarlane Toys CEO Todd McFarlane said in a statement. "With our upcoming Destiny line, fans can expect that same amount of detail and customization that we have built our own reputation on."
The figures will be available at "major retailers" around the US in July. McFarlane said the Titan, Hunter, and Warlock toys are part of its "initial wave" of figures, which suggests more are coming later.
McFarlane Toys is no stranger to video game figures, as the company has already released toys based on the Mass Effect, Five Nights at Freddy's, and Assassin's Creed franchises. Outside of gaming, McFarlane has made figures for big-name series such as The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Spawn, which was created by McFarlane.
"For anyone who either hasn't yet tried Destiny or hasn't played in a while, we think we've made a sequel that's going to have a lot for them to love, too," Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said during an earnings call this month. "The cornerstone of that is a great cinematic story that's been a real focus with a great cast of memorable, relatable characters, coupled with some very nice ways to make the game more accessible to a casual player. Without losing anything that our core players love, we've made it more accessible to someone who just wants to have a great, more casual first-person action experience."
Bungie is not finished supporting the first Destiny, as a new update released this week made a series of weapon and ability balance changes--check out the full patch notes here.
In an interview with We Got This Covered, Worthington explained that all four of the upcoming sequels would be filmed simultaneously. "They're going to be shooting concurrently," he said. "The plan is to have some time in between, I think, but these things are always ambiguous until they start. We're still set to start in the summer, though. James needed time to perfect the scripts. Whenever he says jump I go because he's the man. I've read all the scripts. They're great. This film is going to be like nothing you've ever seen."
Worthington went on to emphasise the "family" aspect that Cameron has previously spoken about. "This is going to be Jake [Sully, Worthington's character] eight years later, and he's got a family now'" he said. "The world is bigger than the first one, but essentially, it's a movie about family.
"Jake will still have that essence of a kid seeing the world for the first time, but he's been living in the world for a while now, so what's this world he's seeing now for the first time? The film will explore that within this family dynamic."
Cameron has also revealed that he hoped to make the films in glasses-free 3D. "I'm going to push," he said. "Not only for better tools, workflow, high dynamic range, and high frame rates--the things we are working toward. I'm still very bullish on 3D, but we need brighter projection, and ultimately I think it can happen--with no glasses. We'll get there."
Daymare: 1998, an indie survival horror game inspired by Resident Evil, has received a new trailer just hours before its Kickstarter campaign goes live.
The trailer offers a glimpse at the game's eerie setting. It also features creepy voices and flashes of at least one enemy. Take a look for yourself above.
Developer Invader Studios was previously developing a fan remake of Resident Evil 2 before the project was abandoned at Capcom's request. Resident Evil 2 was released in 1998, a number that features heavily in Daymare's marketing, most prominently in its name. This new title features "many connections with beloved old school survival horror games and '90s landmark brands," according to the developer.
In addition to the trailer, Invader has revealed new details about the game's Kickstarter campaign. Reward tiers range from €1 (around US $1.06) to €7000 ($7,404), with a digital copy of the game costing €12 ($12.69). The Kickstarter campaign begins on February 15 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET / 4 PM GMT and will end March 17.
No release date has yet been set for Daymare, which is currently only coming to PC.
The survey asks 24 questions in all, beginning with basics like your age and gender, as well as whether or not you've played Final Fantasy XV. If you haven't, the survey will ask why. The first part of the survey is fairly straightforward, but it gets more potentially interesting closer to the end.
One of the last questions is about DLC. It asks people to explain in a few sentences how they feel about season passes and DLC; answers don't have to be specific to Final Fantasy XV. Square Enix has already announced Final Fantasy XV DLC and a season pass, so perhaps the publisher is looking to tweak it.
The final question might be the best one. It says, "If you ask one thing to the developers of Final Fantasy XV, what would it be?" You can then fill it whatever response you want. We can only imagine what some people will write in.
This week on The Lobby we talk For Honor release, Halo Wars 2, Prey, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC.
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