Thursday, March 9, 2017

The latest News from GameSpot News On 03/10/2017

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The latest News from GameSpot

In the 03/10/2017 edition:

New Mass Effect: Andromeda Video Shows Off The Nomad And Its Upgrades

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 10, 2017 12:25 am

A new Mass Effect: Andromeda video has come online that shows off the spacefaring RPG's Nomad, which is basically a replacement for the Mako from the previous games.

As you'll see in the video below from IGN, you can call down the Nomad from wherever you have a forward operating base. Then you can jump in the vehicle and go wherever you want; in this video, the driver heads off in search of resources to mine. The video also touches on upgrades to the Nomad, including six-wheel drive, which lets you scale steep areas. Other upgrades include a handbrake for better control, extra shields for greater protection, and improved boost to move faster.

Andromeda launches on March 21 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. A free trial for the game will be available through the EA/Origin Access programs on Xbox One and PC starting on March 16. This 10-hour trial lets players test multiplayer and single-player, though the campaign component is locked to a set number of missions.

In other news, BioWare has announced that Andromeda's multiplayer DLC maps will be free, just like they were in Mass Effect 3. Additionally, the game's trophies/achievements have leaked and can be seen here.


Cars 3 Adds Firefly, Scandal, And Orange Is The New Black Stars

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 10, 2017 12:07 am

Disney has announced even more voice actors for Pixar's upcoming Cars 3, including stars from shows like Firefly, Scandal, and Orange is the New Black.

Scandal's Kerry Washington will voice the character Natalie Certain, described by Disney as a "highly respected statistical analyst" who is good with numbers. "Book-smart and mathematically gifted, Certain may earn top marks in her ability to evaluate a racer's stats, but she could be underestimating the importance of determination," reads a line from her description.

Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Halo series) plays the character Sterline, who runs the Rust-eze Racing Center, an "elite" training facility. "The always dapper Sterling comes across as unassuming and laid back, but business is business, and Sterling is driven to ensure all of his investments pay off," Disney said.

The third newcomer is Orange is the New Black's Lea DeLaria, who voices Miss Fritter.

"Fritter's formidable school-bus size is intimidating, but it's her smoke stacks of doom, razor-sharp stop sign, and crazy collection of her victims' license plates that usually steers her opponents in the other direction," Disney said.

Director Brian Fee said about the new cast members: "We're introducing some fun and really appealing characters in Cars 3. So we really wanted to find the right voices to help us breathe life into them. We hit a homerun with this group; I couldn't be happier."

Owen Wilson returns to voice Lightning McQueen, while other actors reprising their roles include Larry the Cable Guy (Mater), Bonnie Hunt (Sally), Cheech Marin (Ramon), and Katherine Helmond (Lizzie), among others. A lot of NASCAR drivers are also voicing characters, while sportscaster Bob Costas plays Bob Cutlass in Cars 3.

The movie's official description reveals the first story details, suggesting the plot will be about McQueen's recovery after this horrible crash.

"Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves," reads a line from the description. "To get back in the game, he will need the help of an eager young race technician, Cruz Ramirez, with her own plan to win, plus inspiration from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a few unexpected turns. Proving that #95 isn't through yet will test the heart of a champion on Piston Cup Racing's biggest stage!"

Cars 3 opens on June 16, 2017.


Game Of Thrones Season 7 Premiere Date Being Announced Today

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 11:09 pm

HBO will formally announce the premiere date for Game of Thrones Season 7, the network has confirmed. In a post on Facebook, HBO said the reveal will happen today at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET.

We will update this post as soon as the date is announced.

Game of Thrones Season 7 is expected to premiere on HBO this summer, potentially in July. Only one more season is planned after Season 7. This may not be end the of Game of Thrones altogether, however, as the show's creators have talked about possible spinoffs.

Season 7 is debuting later than the previous seasons, which premiered in March and April--and that's because, after all, winter is coming.

In other news about Game of Thrones Season 7, Bran actor Isaac Hempstead Wright has hinted at his character's fate. Additionally, actor Jim Broadbent recently teased the character he will play. What's more, a Major League Baseball pitcher will have a cameo part in an episode of Season 7.


Pokemon Go: Legendary Monsters Coming Soon, Says Niantic

By Oscar Dayus on Mar 09, 2017 11:08 pm

Legendary Pokemon will finally be catchable in Pokemon Go this year, according to developer Niantic.

In an interview with Wired Germany, the company's CEO, John Hanke, answered a question about when we'll see legendaries by teasing, "I can safely say we'll see more of it this year." Legendary creatures in generations one and two--the generations already seen in Pokemon Go--include Mew, Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, Lugia, and more.

One legendary bird, Articuno, was spotted in some players' rosters last year, but it was later revoked by Niantic.

"We recently noticed that a few Legendary Pokemon got into a few accounts when they shouldn't have," the developer said at the time. "To preserve the game's integrity and as a measure of fairness, we have rectified the situation and revoked the legendary Pokemon from the Trainers' accounts."

Niantic has continued to support Pokemon Go since its launch in July last year. It brought creatures from Pokemon Gold and Silver to the mobile game in February, while trading will arrive at some point this year and PvP battles are also in the works.

In other Pokemon news, both Pokemon Go and Pokemon Sun and Moon are up for Best Mobile Game at this year's game BAFTAs. Check out the full list of nominees here.


Gran Turismo Sport Closed Beta Coming Soon, Watch A Trailer For It Now

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 11:01 pm

Last year, Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi said there would not be a beta for the PlayStation 4 racing game Grand Turismo Sport. Today, he announced that there will be.

A closed beta will begin on March 17 in the US, Yamauchi announced in a post on the PlayStation Blog. "Beta participants will get a sneak peek at how Gran Turismo will pave the future of racing, competing in highly competitive races against other users across the country, and eventually, across the globe," he said.

There will be a "select rotation" of cars and tracks offered every day, as well as online support.

"Track and car selections will vary during this period, and we made sure to offer different race class categories and course configurations to properly test our GT fans," he explained.

Those chosen for the GT Sport beta will get to experience the new Driver Profile system, which introduces a "Sportsmanship Rating," which tracks your "behavior and manners" on the track. This also includes the Driver Rating, which takes into account your speed and how well you perform in races.

The GT Sport closed beta begins on March 17, with an "initial phase" comprised of players chosen by Sony. It's not clear if you can opt-in, but Sony said to check out messages on the PS4 dash to see if you have been chosen.

"As with most beta programs, in order for the development team to capture data in an optimal manner, the sample size needs to be increased gradually and in stages," Yamauchi explained. "While we begin to roll out the beta, we have decided that the time differences across the U.S. are best matched to the development team in Tokyo."

"During the initial phase, our servers will be open for users during specific times across the day. We will share these times closer to the beta launch across our social channels and GT.com."

The full terms and conditions for the beta can be seen here.

GT Sport is due out this year for PlayStation 4, though a specific date has not been announced.


Ubisoft's Prescription-Only Games Get Closer To Release

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 10:49 pm

Ubisoft is working with medical company Amblyotech and researchers from McGill University on therapeutic video games designed to treat Amblyopia, which is also known as "lazy eye." When this seemingly unlikely partnership was announced in 2015, Amblyotech said the next step was to seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration to offer the games, Dig Rush and Monster Burner, to people by a physician's prescription. Now, that has happened.

Ubisoft announced today that Amblyotech has filed the necessary paperwork with the FDA for its Amblyopad device, which is incorporated into Dig Rush and Monster Burner.

"The development of Dig Rush and Monster Burner was a great opportunity for us to contribute our knowledge and skills in video game development to help materialize a breakthrough medical treatment," Ubisoft senior producer Mathiew Ferland said in a statement. "The team from Ubisoft Montreal has been able to create a more engaging and enjoyable experience for patients being treated for amblyopia, and we're proud to be involved in such a positive illustration of the impact of video game technology."

McGill research and innovation vice principal Rosie Goldstein added: "McGill University has a proud history of innovation and product development in numerous fields, especially in the life sciences. It is our pleasure to see one of our invented technologies take the next step to commercialization."

The Amblyopad devices will come pre-loaded with Dig Rush and Monster Burner. Patients will be asked to play about an hour per day for 4-6 weeks to see lasting results. Data from the game is measured in real time and sent to a doctor to ensure patients are following their prescription.

Around 9 million people in the United States are affected by Amblyopia, making it the number one cause of monocular blindness, according to representatives from Amblyotech. For the past two hundred years, one of the leading treatments for children affected with Amblyopia was to have them wear an eyepatch over their strong eye to stimulate better vision in the weaker one.

However, this form of "patching" therapy is not ideal, according to Ubisoft and Amblyotech.

"While current treatment options, such as eye patching, provide limited relief and have poor patient compliance due to discomfort and social stigmas, the Amblyotech-patented electronic therapy has been tested clinically to significantly increase the visual acuity of both children and adults who suffer from this condition without the use of an eye patch," Amblyotech CEO Joseph Koziak said. "With our agreement with Ubisoft, we are further able to provide physicians with a complete and accurate picture of treatment compliance to help them monitor patient progress throughout therapy."

Check out GameSpot's previous coverage to learn more about Ubisoft's partnership with Amblyotech.


PS4's Sharefactory Gets A Big Update Today, Adds This Much-Requested Feature

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 10:20 pm

The PlayStation 4's big 4.5 update is out today, adding a new Boost Mode for PS4 Pro and support for external hard drives, among other things. But that's not all that's all that's new on PlayStation 4 today.

A new update for the console's Sharefactory editing tools is out now, adding the much-requested ability to important video and images into the tool. "Using content from a USB drive, you can import your own videos and images to be used as your custom intro, title, and outro clips as well as use your own artwork as stickers," Sony said in a PlayStation Blog post.

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Additionally, this new update adds a "Clone Clip" feature, which, as its name suggests, lets you copy any clip and retain anything that's attached to it, including text and stickers.

Another new feature with this update is the ability to select up to 16 clips or screenshots and put them into Sharefactory at once. Here is a rundown of some of the other new features added to Sharefactory today, as written by Sony:

  • Added over 30 textures you can use to personalize your text as well as the ability to freely scale your text
  • New Infomercial Sharefactory Theme
  • New Photo Mode collages with support for up to 16 images
  • New Photo Mode Templates
  • New stickers
  • Contextual Help has now been added throughout Sharefactory
  • Updates to the UI

As for PS4 4.5, you can check out GameSpot's previous coverage here to find out everything it adds.


20 More Rock Band VR Songs Revealed, See Them All Here

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 10:04 pm

Earlier this month, Harmonix announced 21 of the songs that will be on Rock Band VR's soundtrack. Now, the developer has revealed 20 more--and there are some great ones here.

As detailed on Harmonix's website, the new tracks include a nice mixture of songs from a variety of eras and genres (as we've come to expect from the Rock Band series), including Blondie's classic rock hit "One Way Or Another" and Pearl Jam's famous '90s song "Alive." The pop song "I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons and Carrie Underwood's "Church Bells" are also among the newly confirmed tunes. You can see all 20 of the just-announced Rock Band VR songs in the image below.

No Caption Provided

Rock Band VR's soundtrack will feature a total of 60 songs, so there are 19 left to be announced. We will report back when those are revealed.

The Harmonix blog post also contains new details about Rock Band VR's campaign mode.

"Bringing the characters of Rock Band VR to life via a scripted narrative was a fun and exciting challenge for us, and a first for the Rock Band franchise," producer and writer Katie Naka said. "Since our goal with VR gameplay was to provide the player with as authentic an experience as possible, we wanted to do the same with our narrative. I can tell you that our first draft of the story probably contained enough material for a full length animated film.

"From that huge grouping of ideas, we pulled what we considered 'the greatest hits' and made the scenes that we knew we could pull off really well in VR. Our process from start to finish involved many written drafts, many visits to the motion capture studio, and a lot of travel to L.A. to cast and record our voice over with awesome and talented voice actors. The final result shows your bandmates (Derek, Maddy, and Wes) as unique characters with relationships to each other and you that are revealed over the course of your band Autoblaster's journey from playing dirty local bars to decadent theater."

Be sure to read the full blog post to learn more about Rock Band VR's campaign.

For more on Rock Band VR, which launches on March 23 for Oculus Rift, read GameSpot's previous coverage.


Overwatch Clamping Down On XP Cheats

By Oscar Dayus on Mar 09, 2017 10:00 pm

Anyone farming Overwatch XP through somewhat sneaky methods may want to change their ways, as developer Blizzard is coming down hard on cheats from now on.

In a forum post, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan outlined the company's plans to stop players exploiting the recently introduced custom games. Until now these matches did not kick you for becoming inactive, and in periods of low playercount they would revert into a Team Deathmatch-style mode called Skirmish.

"It's very disappointing to us that players abused the system to gain experience while inactive," Kaplan wrote. "As some of you have noticed, Skirmish in Custom Game no longer rewards experience. Also, the AFK timer is now in place in Skirmish mode (in Custom Game only).

"Abusing and exploiting Custom Game or any other game mode to earn experience in Overwatch while inactive is NOT okay. The reason I want to be absolutely clear about this is because we are going to start to take disciplinary action against people who partake in these activities. If you create a Custom Game that in any way encourages players to gain experience while inactive, you risk having your account banned. If you join any game mode--including Custom Games--with the intent of gaining experience while being inactive, you risk having your account banned. Also, do not name your Custom Game that in anyway even implies that gaining experience while inactive is okay--please do not even do this as a joke--because you are putting yourself at risk of having your account banned."

That's might not be the end of the sanctions either, warns Kaplan. Players continuing to abuse the system could face further punishment.

"When we put this feature live, we had an internal escalation plan for how to combat this behavior," the director explains. "Today marks the first steps on that path.

"To fast forward a bit, the end of the escalation plan will result in experience gain being turned off in Custom Game."

Kaplan says he would rather not get to that point though, and so pleads with the Overwatch community to not cheat and to report anyone who does: "I am going to ask for some help from the vast majority of you who are simply playing the game and having fun and not abusing it: please report those who are creating Custom Games with the intention of gaining experience while remaining inactive."

Custom games and the server browser form just a fraction of recent Overwatch updates. A tank-class robot character called Orisa was introduced to the Public Test Realm last week, though she may not arrive in the full game until later in March.


The Predator: Latest Cast Members Revealed In New Image

By Dan Auty on Mar 09, 2017 09:56 pm

The Predator is currently in production, and director Shane Black has tweeted another image from the set of the sci-fi action reboot. Following last month's cast shot, this new picture gives us a first look at three more characters.

It shows Alfie Allen (Games of Thrones), Augusto Aguilera (Chasing Life), and Thomas Jane (The Punisher), alongside Keegan-Michael Key (Keanu, Key & Peele), Boyd Holbrook (Narcos, Logan), and Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight). Check it out below:

In a recent interview, Rhodes spoke about his character in The Predator. "He's a Special Forces cat," he told Cinemablend. "He's best friends with Boyd Holbrook's character. I don't know how much I'm allowed to say... [His name is] Nebraska Williams. It's a real cool thing--it's a real cool story, honestly. It's a really cool character, man, and it's a Shane Black film. It's Predator, but it's also a Shane Black film."

Black is best known for directing Iron Man 3, as well as the recent action comedy The Nice Guys. He also wrote the original Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout.

Last year Black explained that The Predator would have a much larger scale than the previous films in the franchise. "I think the first one was great, and it was contained, and it was a perfect little gem for what it was," he said." I think there's an expansion that needs to take place, and also just a love for that era, that movie, and the mythology of the Predator.

"I think that they came to me knowing pretty much that... they said, basically, if I wanted to make Predator but treat it like it was Iron Man 3 instead of just another little movie. I said, 'Let's really do it right this time.'"

The Predator also stars Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, and Jacob Tremblay. It hits theaters on March 2, 2018.


New Quake Champions Gameplay Video Shows Off The Blood Covenant Map

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 09:52 pm

Bethesda today released a new gameplay trailer for its PC shooter Quake Champions that shows off one of the maps, Blood Covenant.

The map, which is based on Quake III's The Camping Grounds, retains what made that map great, including its jump pad to the rocket launcher. But there are new elements as well, in addition to "new tricks and secrets," Bethesda says. Here's the trailer:

A post on the Quake Champions website has more details on Blood Covenant, including the fact that it features 15 health items, three armor items, and 22 cooldown items. Go to this page to learn more about the map and what tactics are recommended to have the most success.

Blood Covenant will be playable at PAX East this weekend at Bethesda's booth on the show floor. Also playable is the new hero Nyx, who was revealed in her own gameplay trailer earlier this week.

In other news, a closed beta for Quake Champions is coming up--here's how to sign up.

The full release of Quake Champions is scheduled for later in 2017. As of August 2016, id Software had not yet decided if it would be a free-to-play or paid game.

Quake Champions is only coming to PC for its initial launch. However, console versions are not out of the question. It runs at 120Hz with unlocked frame rates, and id Software is aiming to get it working on a wide range of computer specs.

"We want to make sure that we have as many people as we possibly can," id boss Tim Willits said previously. "You'll be able to turn down your specs and get a decent game at lower-end. But we want to shine on good systems."

For more on the series, be sure to check out GameSpot's feature, The History of Quake.


The New Fate Of The Furious Trailer Is Completely Insane, Watch It Here

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 09:30 pm

A new trailer for The Fate of the Furious has arrived--and it is completely crazy.

The video shines a light on the story, which involves Vin Diesel's Dom going rogue, and some absolutely over-the-top action sequences. Charlize Theron's villainous character can control cars remotely, and in one scene, she dispatches a caravan of vehicles out of a building, sending them crashing down to the ground. There is also a sequence involving a race on ice...and a submarine. At one point, The Rock gets out of a moving car, slides on the ice with his feet, and picks up a torpedo. In a quieter moment, a picture of Paul Walker's character is show. Here's the trailer:

The Fate of the Furious is directed by F. Gary Gray, who most recently helmed the hip-hop biopic Straight Outta Compton. In addition to The Rock and Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jason Statham return from the previous movies and are joined by Helen Mirren and Kurt Russell.

Last year, Diesel announced the release dates for the next three parts in the series, with parts 9 and 10 following in 2019 and 2021. He also told Variety that there were plans for spinoffs. "We've written out story lines for various characters," he said. "We've been playing with it for a long time. It's a very rich property and we're committed to treating it with a lot of class."

The Fate of the Furious is released on April 14, 2017.


GTA 5 Online Update Coming Next Week, Here's What It Adds

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 09:14 pm

After laying out some of the details last week, Rockstar Games has now announced more specifics about Grand Theft Auto Online's next update. A total of 20 new Stunt races will be added in the new Cunning Stunts: Special Vehicle Circuit update, which comes out on Tuesday, March 14.

One of the new Stunt races
One of the new Stunt races

In a post on the Rockstar Newswire, the developer explains that these races were custom-made for the Rocket Voltic, Ruiner 2000, and Blazer Aqua vehicles, with the races making use of those cars' "unique characteristics and abilities."

Also debuting on March 14 will be the new Progen GP1, which looks super-awesome (see it below).

Rockstar also announced that a number of bonuses for GTA Online are now live, including 25 percent off executive offices and executive garages. Additionally, there are now discounts available on special vehicles, though a detailed list was not provided. Finally, players can earn double GTA$ and RP right now in GTA Online's special vehicle missions, while bodyguards and associates will receive double GTA$ for the duration of the promo, which is available until March 13.

The Progen GP1
The Progen GP1

Looking ahead, Rockstar will release a new set of adversary modes in GTA Online over the course of the Spring, including one that is a "gallows humor take on dodgeball" mode called Resurrection. There will also be an homage to old-school 2D GTA called Top Down.

Released more than than three years ago, Grand Theft Auto V continues to be popular, regularly making it into the top-seller charts. By the latest count, it has shipped 75 million copies.


Kong: Skull Island Review Roundup

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 08:52 pm

The new monster movie Kong: Skull Island comes to theaters this Friday, March 10. Ahead of that, reviews for the film have started to show up.

To help you get an idea if the movie is worth your time and money, we've rounded up excerpts from a number of publication's reviews; you can see them below. Go to GameSpot sister site Metacritic to see a wider look at reviews for Skull Island.

Directed by The Kings of Summer's Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the movie's tone was influenced by the PS2 game Shadow of the Colossus, with one of its creatures based in part on the Pokemon Cubone. Vogt-Roberts is also attached to the upcoming Metal Gear Solid movie, which is still in the works.

Skull Island is part of an ongoing monster movie series that kicked off with 2014's Godzilla. The next entry will be Godzilla: King of Monsters, which is expected in 2019.

  • Film: Kong: Skull Island
  • Release Date: March 10
  • Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly, Samuel L. Jackson
  • Directed By: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
  • Rating: PG-13
  • Runtime: 118 minutes

GameSpot

"Skull Island's most memorable moments come from spending time with Kong, and it's a success because of that. Seeing the giant gorilla in quiet moments as he tends to his wounds and helps out other island inhabitants are as enjoyable to watch as the moments where he's trying to tear apart the skull of a really big lizard. This is a film where philosophical quandaries are taken for granted; we know man is the real animal, we know beauty tames the beast. Kong: Skull Island revels in the magnificence of the big ape, and for the majority of its runtime, leans on its strengths of pitting man against ape, ape against monsters, and being a fun, over-the-top spectacle." -- Edmond Tran [Full review]

Variety

"A reboot set entirely on the great ape's jungle island proves to be a better creature feature than either of the previous remakes." -- Owen Gleiberman [Full review]

Empire

"King Kong lives! But only just. This is an uneven adventure that's saved by the spectacle of its towering title character and the various beasts with whom he shares his island home." -- Jonathan Pile [Full review]

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Polygon

"Kong: Skull Island gets what so many monster movies before it get wrong: There is humanity in the creatures, even if they can seem gigantic and monstrous at first. Vogt-Roberts understands what type of movie he's trying to create, and succeeds in pulling that off. Despite Skull Island being riddled with flaws, it's pretty hard not to have a smile on your face when Kong is on screen." -- Julia Alexander [Full review]

IGN

"There's a moment in Kong: Skull Island when one of the soldiers plays some '70s music for Reilly's Marlow, who responds by asking, 'How can you swing to this?,' confused by the heavy emphasis on electric guitars rather than a piano or saxophone. Some King Kong purists may feel that same frustration with Skull Island, but while the aesthetic of this new adventure may be very different, it ends up evoking the same feeling that made King Kong such an icon in the first place. Even if this time, it's coming to you with roaring electric guitars and napalm rather than Empire State Buildings and damsels in distress." -- Alex Welch [Full review]

SlashFilm

"Overall, Kong: Skull Island is one gnarly monster movie that doesn't hide the monsters in the darkness or create tension by having them lurk in the background. Instead, it puts monsters front and center in the spotlight, and they come through with shining colors. Kong has never been more thrilling, and his nasty opponents make for such compelling monster fights that you'll be even more disappointed in the fact that we didn't get to see Godzilla do this much in his own return in 2014." -- Ethan Anderton [Full review]


The Famous Rock Formation Seen On Game Of Thrones Has Collapsed Into The Sea

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 08:49 pm

The Azure Window, a limestone arch in Malta that served as a backdrop in the Game of Thrones series, is no more. The rock structure, which was located on the small island of Gozo, collapsed into the Mediterranean sea during a big storm this week.

A witness to the event told the Times of Malta,"There was a big raging sea beneath the window. Suddenly, the arch collapsed into the sea with a loud whoomph, throwing up a huge spray."

Thankfully, no one was injured, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Environment minister Jose Herrera said during a press conference (via The Washington Post) that multiple studies were undertaken about the rock structure, all of which concluded that nothing could have been done to prevent the collapse.

Gozo minister Anton Refalo said the collapse of the Azure Window is like "losing a part of yourself," while Malta's prime minister tweeted about the news and shared some pictures.

According to a report from the European Commission, more than 850,000 people visited the Azure Window every year, including 80 percent of tourists who visited Gozo. It's a big loss for the island's tourism market. But the Gozo Tourism Association remains optimistic about the future, writing on Facebook that it still expects Gozo to attract thousands of tourists every day to see some of the island's other sights.

The Azure Window was also featured in 1981's Clash of the Titans.

Game of Thrones Season 7 is expected to premiere this summer. The first poster was released this week and can be seen here.


Mass Effect: Andromeda Trophy/Achievement List Leaked, See Them All Here

By Oscar Dayus on Mar 09, 2017 08:42 pm

Mass Effect: Andromeda's entire PlayStation 4 Trophy list has been posted online (via Exophase), revealing some of the interesting challenges you'll have to complete if you want to get its hard-to-reach Platinum.

Spoiler warning: The Trophy list contains some minor story spoilers for Mass Effect: Andromeda. Look away now if you want to go in completely fresh.

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You'll earn Trophies for doing things like killing 2000 enemies, completing Strike Team missions, and landing on alien planets. The game's two gold Trophies task you with completing one "Insanity" single-player game (or five "Gold" multiplayer extractions) and increasing all discovered planets to 100 percent viability.

One Trophy of note is the Matchmaker achievement, which rewards you for romancing with three different characters across all your playthroughs--though it's not clear how many you can have a fling with in a single run.

Take a look at the full list of Trophies at the bottom of this article. Xbox One's Achievement list will be much the same, though with the Trophy rank replaced with Gamerscore figures.

It was recently revealed that you can skip Mass Effect: Andromeda's multiplayer missions and still gain some of their rewards--find out how here. The details keep coming for the sci-fi title, which is now just a couple of weeks away from being released. Unfortunately, the game's multiplayer tech test has been canceled; developer BioWare said the cancellation was a "long story but right decision for how close we are to [going] live."

Although Andromeda won't have a multiplayer beta, a portion of the game will be available for a limited time early via EA Access on Xbox One and Origin Access for PC starting on March 16. BioWare has confirmed that the Access version of the game will let you play multiplayer as much as you want, though single-player will be limited.

The full game launches on March 21 for Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4. For more on the sci-fi RPG, read our preview on how Mass Effect: Andromeda's characters deal with science and God, and why that's so exciting.

Mass Effect: Andromeda Trophies

Bronze Trophies

  • Fireworks: Perform 100 power combos.
  • Terminator: Kill 2000 enemies.
  • Death From Above: Kill 100 enemies while hovering (single-player).
  • Close Combat Specialist: Kill 100 enemies with melee attacks.
  • With Our Powers Combined: Detonate 10 targets that were primed by a teammate (single-player).
  • Pinpoint Shot: Hit 250 enemy weak points while using a scope (single-player).
  • Medic!: Perform 25 revivals on teammates.
  • Mastermind: Using constructs, kill 100 enemies.
  • Icebreaker: Shatter a frozen enemy with a jump melee attack (single-player).
  • Fastball: Hit an enemy with a thrown enemy 25 times (single-player).
  • Rough Landing: Detonate a trip mine with a thrown enemy (single-player).
  • Friendly Fire: Direct your Remnant VI to attack each kind of Remnant enemy (single-player).
  • Trapshooter: Hit 25 floating enemies with Concussive Shot, Lance, or Incinerate (single-player).
  • Sucker Punch: Use a melee attack to hit 25 floating enemies (single-player).
  • Pyrotechnics Expert: Light three enemies on fire with one continuous Flamethrower attack (single-player).
  • Long-Distance Jump: Travel at least 30m in a single jump (single-player).
  • Matchmaker: Complete romances with three different characters across all playthroughs.
  • Vanguard Surprise: While cloaked, hit an enemy with a Charge attack (single-player).
  • Hang Time: Keep the Nomad airborne for 35 seconds.
  • APEX: Complete the multiplayer mode tutorial mission.
  • Explorer: Complete a combined five strike team missions or APEX extractions in multiplayer mode.
  • Activation: Activate the Remnant city.
  • Family Connections: Reboot the Pathfinder.
  • Liberation: Free the salarian ark.
  • Foothold: Establish an outpost.
  • Exaltation: Destroy the exaltation facility or save the angaran prisoners.
  • First Steps: Meet the angara on Aya.
  • Alliance: Ally with an outlaw faction.
  • Pathfinder: Become the new Pathfinder.
  • Initiated: Gain access to the Tempest.
  • World-Shaper: Activate the first Remnant vault.
  • Buccaneer: Recover the krogan colony ship.
  • Building Bridges: Stop the Roekaar leader.
  • United: Unite the outposts against a common threat.
  • Helping Hand: Help Vetra's sister.
  • Signal Tracking: Find the source of the strange signal Peebee discovers.
  • Role Model: Rescue the asari ark.
  • Full Roster: In single-player mode, recruit all six squadmates.
  • First Contact: Land on an alien planet.
  • Full Power: Evolve one tech, one combat, and one biotic power to Rank 6 (single-player).
  • Almost There: Reach Level 25 in single player mode or Level 15 in multiplayer mode.
  • Teamwork: Create six strike teams or earn 25 assist medals in multiplayer mode.
  • Top Talent: Promote a strike team to Level 20.
  • Jack Of All Trades: Equip three different profile types.
  • Terraformer: Increase a discovered planet to 100% viability.
  • Craftsmanship: Craft armor or a gun with three augments.
  • Data Mining: Scan 100 different objects.
  • Cryptographer: Complete 20 Remnant puzzles in a single playthrough.

Silver Trophies

  • Veteran: Successfully complete a combined 25 strike team missions or APEX multiplayer mode extractions.
  • Mission Accomplished: Activate Meridian.
  • Peak Condition: Reach Level 40 in single-player mode or Level 20 in multiplayer mode.
  • Kitted Out: Kill a foe with a Rank 5 weapon in a single-player game or equip a Rank 10 weapon in multiplayer.
  • High Performance: Unlock Rank 6 for each single-player profile type, or obtain a Level 6 multiplayer bonus stat.

Gold Trophies

  • Unwavering: Complete an "Insanity" single-player game, or 5 "Gold" multiplayer extractions from any firebase.
  • All Clear: Increase all discovered planets to 100% viability.

Platinum Trophy

Andromeda's Finest: Collect all trophies.


New Injustice 2 Trailer Revealed, Shows Off More Characters

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 08:11 pm

NetherRealm has released a new story trailer for fighting game sequel Injustice 2. Part 2 of the Shattered Alliances series, this video focuses on Batman, who is assembling a team to take on Superman.

This video also shows the characters Captain Cold, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow, which appear to be new to the roster. Take a look at the trailer in the video embed above.

If you missed Shattered Alliances Part 1 or want to watch it again, you can see it here.

Confirmed playable characters for Injustice 2 include Doctor Fate, Swamp Thing, Cyborg, Batman, Blue Beetle, The Flash, Harley Quinn, Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Deadshot, Gorilla Grodd, Aquaman, Robin, Cheetah, Brainiac, Bane, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Black Canary, and Atrocitus.

Injustice 2 launches for PS4 and Xbox One on May 16. In other news, an Injustice 2 mobile game has been announced, while a new trailer for the console version shows Superman and Batman duking it out. Additionally, NetherRealm recently discussed the game's gear system--read GameSpot's interview feature below to learn more.


Elder Scrolls Legends Launches On PC Today, Coming To Tablets Soon

By Justin Haywald on Mar 09, 2017 08:00 pm

Elder Scrolls Legends, the free-to-play collectible card game entry in the far-reaching Elder Scrolls series has been in beta on PC since last year, but Bethesda announced today that the game is now officially live. In a press release, the developer wrote, "After several months of beta feedback from players and a myriad of improvements, additions, and optimizations, we're extremely proud to officially remove the 'Beta' tag from The Elder Scrolls: Legends, and formally launch on PC."

In addition to the full release, Bethesda announced the dates for future milestones, including the game's first content update: The Fall of the Dark Brotherhood.

  • March 23 -- Global iPad launch
  • April 5 -- Fall of the Dark Brotherhood expansion launches
  • April -- Global Android tablet launch
  • May -- Twitch Integration, Spectator Mode, and Gauntlet Mode (mini-tournaments players compete in with their own decks)
  • Spring -- Mac OS Launch
  • Summer -- mobile phone launch

Also this summer, Elder Scrolls Legends will as its first new card set and the game will launch on mobile phone platforms. More details on these updates will be revealed during E3 in June.

The Fall of the Dark Brotherhood will be "a new PvE Story that tosses players into the role of a double agent hired to infiltrate the ranks of The Dark Brotherhood. Recruited by a sinister group to bring down the infamous and fan-favorite Elder Scrolls guild of lethal assassins, players will need to make key choices that both impact which missions you'll play and decide the story's ending."

The story is set before the events of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and it will introduce 40 additional cards. The expansion can be purchased using in-game gold or real money either as individual maps, or as a bundle for $20.

As a bonus for Elder Scrolls Online players, anyone who picks up the expansion will also get a Doom Wolf mount to use in the MMO.

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In anticipation of these announcements, last month we talked briefly with Bethesda's VP of PR and marketing, Pete Hines about some of Bethesda's plans for the game.

GameSpot: How aggressive do you think you'll be with making changes to the game when it feels like cards need to be rebalanced?

Pete Hines: I think change is something that's important so that players understand that we're not just gonna allow somebody to figure out a certain deck, and then everybody says "red deck wins." That's not fun.

We want aggressive changes to be something that the game is known for; that we're willing to make those changes, but not just change for change's sake. If it's fine, or if it's doing well, and we don't do anything for four months because it's in a good spot, that's great! But, I think when the designers see the numbers and see things that are out of whack or there's an anomaly, where one deck is just getting destroyed because of a specific card, we are willing to make those changes and the players know that this is not something that is just going to go unchecked for six months or a year.

We're managing those expectations now just so that folks understand, going forward, this is how we want to operate as a product. That we listen to your feedback, we look at the numbers we're constantly reevaluating and we're going to make those changes, and communicate what we're doing and why, and we'll change stuff again if we need to.

Regarding introducing new people to the game, do you feel like this is aimed more toward getting Hearthstone players over, is it more trying to grab Magic the Gathering players, is it an in between kind of game?

We are looking to build a game that has accessibility. From someone who doesn't understand strategy card games--maybe they love Skyrim and Elder Scrolls Online and they heard about this strategy card game and they want to try it, but have tried one before. Maybe they've played other strategy card games and hit a wall or ceiling and just said "I'm done" or "I feel like I've gotten everything out of it, I'm gonna go try something else." I think we are different enough and unique enough in what we have and we've go a lot of strategic depth and breadth that a more-experienced player can come in and quickly go to the deeper end and figure it out, they can build a wide variety of decks or draft a bunch of decks or try chaos arena.

I think we do a good enough job of bringing you in, having a full, single-player campaign, where we're not only giving you some kind of experience, it feels Elder Scrolls-like and like telling a story, and introducing you to characters giving you rewards and cards. But we're also not assuming that you know how to play a card game, and if you don't, we'll teach you the basics. But if you do know the basics you can blow right past that stuff and get into the things that are more challenging or interesting to you.


Final Fantasy 15 Soundtrack Launching In The US Soon, Features 96 Songs

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 07:33 pm

Final Fantasy XV's soundtrack will launch on a four-disc CD set on March 24, distributor Sony Classic has announced. The huge soundtrack includes 96 songs, featuring compositions from Yoko Shimomura. She also worked on Street Fighter II, Kingdom Hearts, and Xenoblade Chronicles.

The album is available to preorder now on Amazon for $30 (via DualShockers). It was released in Japan in December 2016 and has been available to import from Square Enix's store and other places.

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Final Fantasy XV's music was performed by the Video Game Orchestra and the Força Choir.

Square Enix also worked with singer Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine for a beautiful cover of "Stand by Me" that was featured in a trailer for Final Fantasy XV. This song is not on the official soundtrack, but is available on Spotify and other streaming services.

Final Fantasy XV launched in November 2016 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November, going on to ship more than 6 million copies. At the Game Developers Conference last week, Square Enix showed a Final Fantasy XV tech demo running on PC, but this doesn't mean the game is confirmed for the new platform.


Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Review

By Jimmy Thang on Mar 09, 2017 07:30 pm

When Nvidia released its GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card last May, it blew me away. It was by far the fastest GPU I'd ever tested. It outperformed 2015's $1,000 Titan X and often eclipsed two GeForce GTX 980s in SLI. With the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, Nvidia asserts that its new graphics card performs 35 percent faster than the GTX 1080. This would make it the biggest performance leap a Ti card has offered over its base model. It's a lofty claim that I'll test in this review.

Nvidia asserts that its new graphics card performs 35 percent faster than the GTX 1080.

Design

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti uses the same external chassis as the GTX 1080 before it. It's still a two-slot card that's 10.5 inches long and 4.3 inches tall. The Founders Edition of the card, which I'm reviewing here, still uses a radial cooler. Like the GTX 1080, you can remove a portion of the back plate to improve airflow in compact SLI setups. Nvidia did remove the DVI port this time around to provide more cooling surface area for the GPU. This leaves you with three DisplayPort connections and one HDMI port. The box does come with a DisplayPort-to-DVI adapter, however.

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The GTX 1080 Ti has a much higher 250-watt TDP than the GTX 1080's 180-watt equivalent. As a result, the Ti features a six-pin and eight-pin power connector. Nvidia recommends a 600-watt PSU to power the card.

Specs

The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is like a souped-up version of the GTX 1080. It's still based on a 16nm FinFET production process and is based around Nvidia's power-efficient Pascal micro-architecture, but has more of almost everything. It has more CUDA cores, texture units, and video RAM. The only area where it lags behind is in core and boost clock speeds. See comparative spec chart below.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 TiNvidia GeForce GTX 1080Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060AMD Radeon RX 480
CUDA Cores/Stream Processors35842560192012802304
Texture Units22416012080144
ROPs8864644832
Core Clock1480MHz1607MHz1506MHz1506MHz1120MHz
Boost Clock1582MHz1733MHz1683MHz1708MHz1266 MHz
Memory Clock11Gbps GDDR5X10Gbps GDDR5X8Gbps GDDR58Gbps GDDR57/8Gbps GDDR5
Memory Bus Width352-bit256-bit256-bit192-bit256-bit
VRAM11GB8GB8GB6GB4/8 GB
Transistor Count12B7.2B7.2B4.4B5.7B
Teraflops11.348.96.53.85.8
TDP250W180W150W120W150W
Manufacturing Process16nm FinFET16nm FinFET16nm FinFET16nm FinFET14nm FinFet
ArchitecturePascalPascalPascalPascalGCN 2.0
GPUGP102GP104GP104GP106Polaris 10
Launch Date3/10/20175/27/20166/10/20167/19/201606/29/16
Launch Price$699$599/$699$379/$449$249/$299$200/$240

Note: These are the cards I'll be testing the GTX 1080 Ti against. Specs like stream processors, CUDA cores, and core clocks, etc. should only be used as a frame of reference against other cards within the same GPU family for any apples-to-apples comparisons.

Here's a photo of the GTX 1080 Ti's exposed GPU and PCB.
Here's a photo of the GTX 1080 Ti's exposed GPU and PCB.

Arguably the biggest bump Nvidia has added to the Ti is the extra 3GB of GDDR5X video RAM, which brings the total VRAM to 11GB. The company also incorporated equalization and optimization techniques to boost the video memory frequency from the GTX 1080's 10Gbps solution to 11Gbps for the Ti. Coupled with this larger frame buffer, the GTX 1080 Ti has a beefier 352-bit memory interface, which allows peak memory bandwidth to top out at 484GB/s.

The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is like a souped-up version of the GTX 1080.

Benchmarks

To ensure benchmarking consistency, I'm using the same system that I used to review the GTX 1080, 1070, 1060, and RX 480. It's equipped with an Intel Core i7-5930K Haswell-E CPU clocked at 3.9GHz, coupled with 16GB of DDR4 RAM clocked at 2133MHz running in quad-channel mode.

To provide the widest data set possible, I'm going to test the card against all the aforementioned graphics cards using the same suite of synthetic, VR, and game benchmarks. These tests encompass three resolutions (1080p, 1440p, and 4K). I also ran each benchmark at their respective max settings to really put the cards through their paces.

I've also added a chart for newer titles or games that don't have built-in benchmarks at the tail end of each section below. These segments aren't meant to compare the GTX 1080 Ti against other cards, but to give you a real-world snapshot of how the GPU handles an assortment of newer games. I used FRAPS to record average frames-per-second data whenever a built-in benchmark was not available.

1080p Benchmarks

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Starting things off, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti performs 30 percent better than the GTX 1080 in this synthetic DirectX 11 test. While this represents the largest lead that the Ti has over the GTX 1080 at 1080p, it falls short of Nvidia's 35 percent improvement claim. But, *spoiler warning* you'll notice the Ti pull ahead more at higher, more graphically demanding resolutions.

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In the Unigine Valley synthetic graphics benchmark, the Ti outperforms the GTX 1080 by 11 percent. While that's a definitive win for the Ti, it represents a more modest gain.

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In the Tomb Raider benchmark at 1080p, the Ti outperforms the GTX 1080 by three percent, which is underwhelming. If there's any consolation prize, it's that the card still got an incredibly high 175 average FPS, which is higher than most high-refresh rate monitors.

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Surprisingly, the GTX 1080 outperformed the Ti by 3.8 percent here. This is the only test in my suite of benchmarks where the GTX 1080 was able to beat the Ti. That's not a huge loss, and the Ti was still able to produce an incredibly high 154.5 average FPS, but it's still a loss. At this relatively low resolution, it's possible that this Unreal Engine game simply isn't graphically grueling enough to bring the best out of the Ti, which allows the GTX 1080's slightly higher clock speeds squeak out the win. You'll notice the tide start to change at higher resolutions.

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Shadow of Mordor is slightly more graphically demanding than BioShock Infinite. At 1080p, the Ti was able to beat the GTX 1080 by 20.2 percent.

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Metro Last Light is the most graphically taxing benchmark in our stable. Regardless, it approached nearly 100 average FPS here, which gives it a 22.6 percent lead over the GTX 1080.

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As you can see from the results, the GTX 1080 Ti has no issues running some of the latest and most graphically demanding games at 90 FPS average and above.

1080p Conclusion

While the Ti greatly falls short of Nvidia's lofty claims for the card at 1080p, my results ultimately show that the card is still grossly overkill for standard HD panels. The DX12 version of Rise of the Tomb Raider represented its stiffest test, but even with everything maxed out, it was still able to run at over 90 average FPS.

1440p Benchmarks

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In Unigine Valley, the Ti increased its lead over the GTX 1080 from 30 percent at 1080p to 34.8 at 1440p. This puts it inline with Nvidia's assertion of 35-percent performance improvement over the non-Ti version.

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Whereas the Ti only beat the GTX 1080 by three percent in Tomb Raider at 1080p, at 1440p, the Ti was able to increase its lead to 21.8 percent.

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As you may recall, the GTX 1080 narrowly beat the Ti at 1080p. The tables turn at 1440p, however, with the Ti taking a 10.5 percent lead. That's still not a huge performance jump, but it's indicative that the Ti needs to be pushed to show its true potential.

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With a 143.3 average FPS, the Ti outperforms the GTX 1080 by 35.7 percent. This puts it right inline with Nvidia's performance claim.

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Metro Last Light at 1440p gives the Ti its biggest performance lead yet with a 38.8 percent advantage over the GTX 1080. This allows the GPU to produce a higher-than-60 average FPS.

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The Ti was able to run every single game here above an average 60 FPS with the highest settings enabled, with the exception of Rise of the Tomb Raider. There, it averaged frame rates in the mid to high 50s, which is still highly playable.

1440p Conclusion

Unless you're running a high-refresh rate monitor, the GTX 1080 Ti is largely overkill for 1440p. The extra performance headroom shows that the card is better suited for even higher resolutions. At 2560x1440, it should be able to max out every single game you throw at it with smooth frame rates.

Unless you're running a high-refresh rate monitor, the GTX 1080 Ti is largely overkill for 1440p.

4K Benchmarks

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Moving up to 4K (3840x2160p), the Ti's potential really comes into view with its 47.5 percent lead over the GTX 1080 in Tomb Raider. This is a lead we haven't seen at lower resolutions.

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BioShock Infinite gave the GTX 1080 Ti its stiffest test at 1080p and 1440p, and while that's still the case at 4K, with its 36.9 percent advantage over the 1080, it's inline with Nvidia's performance assertion for the card.

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Whereas the GTX 1080 slightly missed the 60 FPS average threshold, the GTX 1080 Ti had no issues averaging above 80 FPS. This represents a 39.8 percent win for the Ti.

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Up until now, no GPU has been able to garner an above 30 FPS average in the graphically-demanding Metro Last Light benchmark at 4K. The GTX 1080 Ti is the first card to break this barrier. With its 36.3 average FPS, it outperforms the GTX 1080 by 88 percent. It took me several runs to accept this fact. It's possible the that Ti's larger, faster frame buffer may have removed a performance bottleneck and allowed the GPU to leapfrog the competition. To add more perspective, the Ti was 118 percent faster than the GTX 1070, which is incredibly fast in its own right. It was also over 200 percent faster than the GTX 1060, and was 290 percent as fast as AMD's RX 480. That's crazy.

Up until now, no GPU has been able to garner an above 30 FPS average in the graphically-demanding Metro Last Light benchmark at 4K. The GTX 1080 Ti is the first card to break this barrier.

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The GTX 1080 Ti is able to max out Battlefield 1 at 4K with above 60 average FPS. Rise of the Tomb Raider is the only game to make its average FPS dip below 30, though it did get relatively close in what is a not-very-well-optimized port.

4K Conclusion

4K really allows the GTX 1080 Ti to flex its muscles. Other than unoptimized ports, it should be able to max out the most graphically-demanding games with playable frame rates. This is an incredible accomplishment for a single graphics card.

VR Test

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In Valve's SteamVR Performance Test, the GTX 1080 Ti produced a 20462 score. This is the highest score I've ever seen in this benchmark. The Ti beats the GTX 1080 by 47 percent here, which was the best VR card that I've tested up until this point.

GTX 1080 Ti Temperatures, Noise, and Overclocking

Running the Unigine Valley benchmark at 1440p, the GTX 1080 Ti stayed super quiet, though its temperatures did get moderately warm hitting 84 degrees Celsius. This is six degrees C shy of the card's thermal limit.

In terms of overclocking, Nvidia asserts that the card's core clock can reach over 2GHz. On stage at GDC 2017, company CEO Jen-Hsun Huang showed the card hitting a 2038MHz core clock, a 5603MHz core clock with a 66 degree C GPU temperature. I attempted to recreate those results.

To do this, I cranked the card's fan to 100 percent. While that makes the card blisteringly loud, I wanted to mitigate any thermal bottlenecks. Using EVGA's Precision X overclocking software, I also set power voltage to 120 percent and added an additional 20 percent of over voltage for added stability. With these metrics, I was able to reach the exact same clock speed and temperatures running Unigine's Valley benchmark.

While it did increase my average frame rate, it only boosted performance by 2.4 percent. Your mileage may vary depending on the game/application. In general, your overclocking results will vary as all GPUs, even those within the same SKU, overclock differently.

Conclusion

When I take the average of my 16 benchmarks, the GTX 1080 Ti performs 30.2 percent better than the GTX 1080. That's lower than Nvidia's lofty 35 percent claim, but it's important to keep in mind that this is a card that's geared for higher resolutions, like 3840x2160p. At 4K, the Ti beat the GTX 1080 by a stunning 53 percent in my tests.

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The GTX 1080 Ti shattered nearly every benchmark I threw at it while being a very quiet card. At $699, it isn't cheap, but it's still a great value given the performance.

The GTX 1080 Ti should be able to max out the most graphically-demanding games at 4K with playable frame rates.

If you told me last year that we'd get a card this fast by now, I would have called you crazy. As I noted in my GTX 1080 review in 2016, I thought it wouldn't be until Nvidia's Volta GPU micro-architecture that we'd get a card that could truly handle 4K this well. The GTX 1080 Ti proved me wrong. It's that good.


Square Enix Signs WW2 FPS Battalion 1944, Coming To PS4, Xbox One, PC

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 07:01 pm

Square Enix announced today that it has reached an agreement with UK-based studio Bulkhead Interactive to publish the developer's World War II multiplayer shooter Battalion 1944. The game will launch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with a release lined up for this summer.

Battalion 1944 was successfully funded on Kickstarter a year ago this month, raising more than $450,000 from 10,000 backers. That was well above the studio's target ($142,000), and the extra funding allows the studio to make a game that will "challenge the biggest AAA shooters in the industry," Bulkhead said.

Battalion 1944 will be published through Square Enix's Collective division that works with independent studios to help them with things like marketing services and testing. A major pillar of the Square Enix Collective is that studios retain creative control and all brand rights.

This is not the first time Bulkhead has worked with Square Enix, as the developer partnered with the company for the first-person puzzle game, The Turing Test.

In a statement, Bulkhead senior producer Joe Brammer said the studio received "some strong offers from other very big publishers" for Battalion 1944. He said Bulkhead's existing relationship with Square Enix was a major factor in deciding to go with them again for the World War II shooter.

The multiplayer shooter aims to capture the "core of classic multiplayer shooters" while using the "most advanced industry technology." You can see some early gameplay footage here.


Next Injustice 2 Characters Revealed

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 06:50 pm

[UPDATE] A new trailer for Injustice 2 was released today, showing off Captain Cold, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow--you can watch the video here.

The original story is below.

NetherRealm will announce the next character for fighting game Injustice 2 today, the studio has announced. An image posted on the game's website (below) confirms this, though it offers no other details about who the character might be.

GameSpot will report back later today with the identity of the character when he or she is revealed.

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In other news, NetherRealm told fans that they should follow the studio's Instagram to see some "awesome exclusive content," though this may not necessarily be tied to new character reveals.

The latest confirmed character for Injustice 2 was Doctor Fate, a newcomer to the franchise. Some of the other confirmed playable characters for Injustice 2 so far include Swamp Thing, Batman, Blue Beetle, The Flash, Harley Quinn, Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Deadshot, Gorilla Grodd, Aquaman, Robin, Cheetah, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Black Canary, and Atrocitus.

Injustice 2 launches for PS4 and Xbox One on May 16. In other news, an Injustice 2 mobile game has been announced, while a new trailer shows Superman and Batman duking it out. Additionally, NetherRealm recently discussed the game's gear system--read GameSpot's interview feature below to learn more.


Kong: Skull Island Box Office Tracking Suggests A Hit

By Dan Auty on Mar 09, 2017 06:38 pm

Kong: Skull Island opens this weekend, and box office predictions are in. The movie looks set for a solid opening, despite heavy competition from the X-Men hit Logan.

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According to Deadline, Skull Island is expected to gross $45 million-$50 million in the US over its first three days. This is an improvement over early tracking a month ago, which placed it closer to $40 million. The movie has received strong reviews, which will help its box office chances--check out GameSpot's review here.

Logan opened last weekend to record breaking numbers. It had the biggest ever March debut for an R-rated movie, making $85.3 million. It will present a strong challenge to Skull Island, and Deadline states that some analysts believe it could even retain the number one slot.

Beauty and the Beast opens on March 17, and it has been reported that it could set a new all-time record for a March release. This only gives Skull Island a week of potential box office dominance, before Disney's lavish musical takes the top slot.

Skull Island is directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and stars Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, and John C. Reilly. A new international poster was tweeted this week by Jackson--check it out below:


Top 20 Best-Selling PS4 Games On PSN For February 2017 Revealed

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 06:15 pm

Sony has revealed which games sold the best on PlayStation Network in February.

Ubisoft's swordfighting game For Honor took the top spot on the PlayStation 4 chart, beating out Sony's new PS4 exclusive, Horizon Zero Dawn. One important thing to note is that For Honor was released on February 14, while Horizon Zero Dawn came out on the very last day of the month.

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Rounding out the top five on the PS4 chart were Nioh, Battlefield 1, and Grand Theft Auto V.

Switching to PlayStation 3, the top five best-selling games of the month were Need for Speed Most Wanted, Grand Theft Auto V, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, Fight Night Champion, and FIFA 17.

Job Simulator was the top-selling PlayStation VR game, while Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom took the top spot for PlayStation Vita. Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the best-selling PlayStation Classic title for February.

In terms of DLC, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare's Sabotage expansion was the top-performer on PS4, the only category that Sony announced results for.

The full list of the top 20 best-selling PS4 games on PSN in February can be seen below. Go to the PlayStation Blog for a full rundown for all categories. These results are for North America--you can visit the European PlayStation Blog to see a rundown of the best-sellers in that region.

Top 20 Best-Selling PS4 Games On PSN, February 2017:

  • For Honor
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Nioh
  • Battlefield 1
  • Grand Theft Auto V
  • Rainbow Six Siege
  • Ark: Survivor's Pack
  • Rocket League
  • Madden NFL 17
  • EA Sports UFC 2
  • Need for Speed FIFA 17
  • Minecraft
  • Resident Evil 7
  • Battlefield 4
  • Star Wars Battlefront
  • NBA 2K17
  • Mortal Kombat XL
  • Titanfall 2
  • Bloodborne


Zelda Williams Will Livestream Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Today

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 05:53 pm

Actress Zelda Williams will livestream herself playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild later today to benefit charity. The event begins at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET and will be broadcast through the LVLUP Dojo Twitch channel. In a tweet, Williams said she has some "surprises" in store (via Polygon).

In another tweet, Williams said she plans to play for "most of the afternoon/evening." Williams said she picked up Breath of the Wild earlier this week and beat the four shrines already, so the stream "won't be all startup stuff."

Williams said she is enjoying what she's played of Breath of the Wild so far, specifically calling out the game's "vastness" and exploration elements.

Her stream today will benefit the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, a group founded in 1987 that awards grants for scientific research for mental illness.

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Williams is the daughter of actor Robin Williams, who took his own life in 2014. She is named after the princess from Nintendo's longrunning video game series.

Robin and Zelda Williams were featured in Zelda video game advertisements for Nintendo in the past.

GameSpot's Breath of the Wild review scored the Nintendo Switch and Wii U game a 10/10. The game has become Nintendo's best-selling non-bundled launch title for any Nintendo platform ever.


New Game Of Thrones Season 7 Actor Confirmed, Is Definitely Not Who You Expect

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 05:50 pm

More information about the highly anticipated seventh season of Game of Thrones has been revealed. It's now been confirmed that professional baseball player Noah Syndergaard of the New York Mets will have cameo role in an episode of the forthcoming season.

The pitcher told The New York Daily Post is a big fan of the HBO show, and flew to Spain last November to film his part. That's the offseason for Major League Baseball, so the timing worked out. Syndergaard confirmed the news in a silly tweet that seems to suggest he will play a Wildling.

Syndergaard won't be the first famous, non-actor to have a cameo in Game of Thrones. Members of the metal band Mastodon also played Wildlings in a Season 5 episode.

The band wrote the song "White Walker" for the Game of Thrones mixtape Catch the Throne Vol. 2. Mastodon was specially invited to appear in the show by executive producer Dan Weiss, who is a big fan of the group.

In other news, the first poster for Game of Thrones Season 7 has arrived. Posted by Entertainment Weekly, it teases a battle between fire and ice. The poster does not mention a release date.

Game of Thrones Season 7 is expected to premiere on HBO this summer, potentially in July.

In other news about Season 7, Bran actor Isaac Hempstead Wright hashinted at his character's fate. Additionally, actor Jim Broadbent recently teased the character he will play.

Only one more season is planned after Season 7. This may not be end the of Game of Thrones altogether, however, as the show's creators have talked about possible spinoffs.


Loads Of Persona 5 DLC Revealed, Here's When It Launches

By Oscar Dayus on Mar 09, 2017 05:44 pm

With Persona 5's western launch now under a month away, its North American publisher Atlus has revealed details of the game's DLC.

The add-ons mostly consist of costume packs, additional background music, and returning characters and summons from other Atlus titles such as Catherine. All the DLC currently listed on Atlus's site releases within a month of Persona 5's release, though it remains to be seen whether more will follow. See all the packs here.

So far, the bundles range from free (Persona 5 swimsuit set) to $7 (multiple packs, including costume sets from Persona 2, Persona 3, Persona 4: Dancing All Night, and Catherine). It's currently unclear what international pricing will be, since Persona 5 is published by a different company, Deep Silver, in Europe and Australia.

In other Persona 5 news, new trailers for the game keep on coming. One focusing on new Velvet Room Wardens Caroline and Justine recently emerged, following one on a particular returning character and a sizzle reel of the game's cinematic scenes.

A bunch of smaller teasers have emerged recently; take a look at them all along with the rest of our Persona 5 coverage here.

Following a delay announced in November, Persona 5 launches on April 4 for PS4 and PS3--unfortunately, the game will not be coming to Nintendo Switch.


Ghost Recon: Wildlands Review Roundup [Update]

By Oscar Dayus on Mar 09, 2017 04:52 pm

Ghost Recon: Wildlands launches on March 7, and as such reviews have started to go live. However, since much of the game is enhanced by online co-op, many publications have elected to delay their final reviews until public servers are live and reviewers have had a little more time to explore Wildlands' Bolivian setting.

GameSpot is one such publication. You can read critic Miguel Concepcion's thoughts here, or read on for a roundup of critics' opinions below. We will continue to update this roundup as more final reviews surface.

  • Game: Ghost Recon: Wildlands
  • Developer: Ubisoft
  • Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
  • Release: March 7
  • Price: US $60 / £45 / AU $100

GameSpot -- No score (Review in progress)

"There's comfort in falling into a tactical routine with your buddies as you reach the perimeter of every enemy outpost. This infiltration cycle begins when you use your tiny drone to survey the stronghold and mark all visible enemies. The ability to track marked enemies through multiple walls feels like cheating, though it hasn't diminished the appeal of the many other Tom Clancy games that use this feature. The openness of Wildlands makes this feature all the more essential and helps your team decide on the best strategy. It remains to be seen whether Wildlands retains the same gadget appeal of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier later on in the game, though perhaps a drone is all the advanced tech you need in Bolivia." -- Miguel Concepcion [Full review in progress]

IGN -- 7.9/10

"This huge, wide-open shooter constantly shows its flaws in its mission variety and vehicle physics, but its strong, sandbox-style gameplay and seamless co-op kept me coming back for more madness. If you must repeat experiences over and over, you could far worse than helicopter chases, assassination missions, or drug busts gone wildly wrong." -- Brian Albert [Full review]

GamesRadar+ -- 4.5/5

"None of those recurring glitches or other, one-time bugs I experienced were game-breaking, and most of the time they resulted in a fit of laughter rather than any actual frustration, but they're definitely present. Still, it's hard to look at those shortcomings as anything other than the small unwanted side effects of building a game as massive, detailed, and rich as Wildlands is. In fact, Wildlands is so far removed from what most have come to expect from a Ghost Recon title that it could have benefitted from shedding its sub-franchise namesake and simply standing on its own. It's certainly got the legs for it." -- Mike Wehner [Full review]

Destructoid -- No score (Review in progress)

"If Wildlands proves to be a solid co-op experience, it might be an easier sell as a multiplayer game and not an immersive epic. But as a single player experience, which is the way I've been playing the game, it has the misfortune of sharing a release window with two other expansive sandbox titles. Hopefully I'll be able to definitively answer this question the closer I get to finishing this game--Wildlands might be a long one. Should you absolutely need an answer right now, based on what I've seen from all three games: Zelda > Horizon > Wildlands. Take that how you will, especially since I've spent the most time with Zelda and the least with Wildlands.

"Since I haven't seen even half of what Ghost Recon has to offer, there's no point in writing a full review at this juncture. It's a fun game, but I'm only just starting to comprehend the sheer breadth of these wild lands. The cartel mechanic makes for a slick opening, but if the campaign is as long as I suspect, there's a chance I'll be sick of it by the time the credits roll. If Wildlands can keep things interesting (and the co-op works as advertised), then I'll probably have a great time in the wilds of Bolivia." -- Mike Cosimano [Full review in progress]

PC Gamer -- No score (Review in progress)

"There's the lingering worry that, deeper into the game, this approach will start to drag. I rarely play on higher difficulty settings, but here I feel it might be necessary. Without a reason to engage in the unlock system, and a need to get new and better gear, the structure risks turning into a repetitive grind. Or maybe, in the right circumstances, it won't. I suspect the idea is to make co-op play as easy and as frictionless as possible, and that could well be the case." -- Phil Savage [Full review in progress]


Uncharted 4 Nominated For Eight BAFTAs, See The Full List Here

By Oscar Dayus on Mar 09, 2017 04:36 pm

The nominations for the 2017 game BAFTAs have been revealed, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End leads the way after being shortlisted for eight awards. Naughty Dog's PlayStation 4 exclusive is in the hat for Best Narrative, Artistic Achievement, Best Game, and more. Its stars, Nolan North (Nathan Drake), Troy Baker (Sam Drake), and Emily Rose (Elena Fisher) are all up for Best Performer.

Playdead's Limbo follow-up, Inside, is close behind Uncharted 4 with seven nominations, while Firewatch, Overcooked, Overwatch, The Witness, The Last Guardian, and more are also recognised in multiple categories by the British Academy.

The big award of the night is of course Best Game, which recognises the very best the industry had to offer in the past year. The 2017 nominees are: Firewatch, Inside, Overwatch, Stardew Valley, Titanfall 2, and Uncharted 4. Last year's winner was Bethesda's Fallout 4, while Bungie took home the award in 2015 for Destiny.

Another big category is Best British Game, which this year could be won by Batman: Arkham VR, Forza Horizon 3, No Man's Sky, Overcooked, theme park sim Planet Coaster, or first-person mystery title Virginia.

This year's ceremony, which will be hosted by Thomas Was Alone and Volume star Danny Wallace, takes place in London on April 6. It will be livestreamed on Twitch, and if you can't tune in, GameSpot will keep you up-to-date with all the winners. In the meantime, take a look at the full nominations list below.

2017 Game BAFTA Nominees

Artistic Achievement

Abzu -- Giant Squid / 505 Games

Dishonored 2 -- Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks

Inside -- Playdead

The Last Guardian -- Sony Japan Studio, genDesign / Sony

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End -- Naughty Dog / Sony

Unravel -- Coldwood Interactive / EA

Audio Achievement

Battlefield 1 -- DICE / EA

Doom -- Id Software / Bethesda Softworks

Inside – Martin Stig Andersen (Playdead)

The Last Guardian -- Sony Japan Studio, genDesign / Sony

Rez Infinite -- Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Takako Ishida, Noboru Mutoh (Enhance Games, Monstars Inc., Resonair / Enhance Games)

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End -- Naughty Dog / Sony

Best Game

Firewatch -- Campo Santo / Camp Santo, Panic

Inside -- Playdead

Overwatch -- Blizzard Entertainment

Stardew Valley -- Eric Barone (ConcernedApe / Chucklefish)

Titanfall 2 -- Respawn Entertainment / EA

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End -- Naughty Dog / Sony

British Game

Batman: Arkham VR -- Rocksteady / Warner Bros.

Forza Horizon 3 -- Playground Games / Microsoft Studios

No Man's Sky -- Hello Games / Hello Games, Sony

Overcooked -- Ghost Town Games / Team17

Planet Coaster -- Frontier Developments

Virginia -- Variable State / 505 Games

Debut Game

Firewatch -- Campo Santo / Campo Santo, Panic

Overcooked -- Ghost Town Games / Team17

Oxenfree -- Night School Studio

That Dragon, Cancer -- Numinous Games

The Witness -- Thekla

Virginia -- Variable State / 505 Games

Evolving Game

Destiny: Rise of Iron -- Bungie / Activision

Elite Dangerous: Horizons -- Frontier Developments

Eve Online -- CCP Games

Final Fantasy XIV: Online -- Square Enix

Hitman -- IO Interactive / Square Enix

Rocket League -- Dave Hagewood, Jeremy Dunham, Corey David (Psyonix)

Family

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- Mike Taylor, Jamie Eden, James Norton (TT Games / Warner Bros.)

Overcooked -- Ghost Town Games / Team17

The Playroom VR -- Sony Japan Studio, Team ASOBI! / Sony

Pokemon Go -- Niantic

Ratchet & Clank -- Insomniac Games / Sony

Toca Hair Salon 3 -- Toca Boca

Game Design

Battlefield 1 -- DICE / EA

Dishonored 2 -- Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks

Inside -- Playdead

Overwatch -- Blizzard Entertainment

Titanfall 2 -- Respawn Entertainment / EA

The Witness -- Thekla

Game Innovation

Batman: Arkham VR -- Rocksteady / Warner Bros.

Firewatch -- Campo Santo / Camp Santo, Panic

Pokemon Go -- Niantic

That Dragon, Cancer -- Numinous Games

Unseen Diplomacy -- Triangular Pixels

The Witness -- Thekla

Mobile

The Banner Saga 2 -- Stoic / Versus Evil

Dawn of Titans -- Natural Motion / Zynga

Deus Ex Go -- Square Enix Montreal / Square Enix

Pokemon Go -- Niantic

Pokemon Sun and Moon -- Game Freak / The Pokemon Company

Reigns -- Nerial / Devolver Digital

Multiplayer

Battlefield 1 -- DICE / EA

Forza Horizon 3 -- Playground Games / Microsoft Studios

Overcooked -- Ghost Town Games / Team17

Overwatch -- Blizzard Entertainment

Titanfall 2 -- Respawn Entertainment / EA

Tom Clancy's The Division -- Ubisoft Massive / Ubisoft

Music

Abzu -- Austin Wintory (Giant Squid / 505 Games)

Doom -- Mick Gordon, Chris Hite, Chad Mossholder (Id Software / Bethesda Softworks)

Inside -- Martin Stig Andersen, SØS Gunver Ryberg (Playdead)

The Last Guardian -- Takeshi Furukawa (Sony Japan Studio, genDesign / Sony)

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End -- Henry Jackman, Jonathan Mayer, Scott Hanau (Naughty Dog / Sony)

Virginia -- Lyndon Holland (Variable State / 505 Games)

Narrative

Dishonored 2 -- Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks

Firewatch -- Campo Santo / Camp Santo, Panic

Inside -- Arnt Jensen (Playdead)

Mafia III -- Hangar 13 / 2K

Oxenfree -- Night School Studio

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End -- Neil Druckmann, Josh Scherr (Naughty Dog / Sony)

Original Property

Firewatch -- Campo Santo / Camp Santo, Panic

Inside -- Playdead

The Last Guardian -- Sony Japan Studio, genDesign / Sony

Overwatch -- Blizzard Entertainment

Unravel -- Coldwood Interactive / EA

The Witness -- Thekla

Performer

Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay (Mafia III)

Cissy Jones as Delilah (Firewatch)

Emily Rose as Elena Fisher (Uncharted 4: A Thief's End)

Navid Negahban as Hajj Agha (1979 Revolution: Black Friday)

Nolan North as Nathan Drake (Uncharted 4: A Thief's End)

Troy Baker as Sam Drake (Uncharted 4: A Thief's End)

BAFTA Ones To Watch Award

Among the Stones -- Lukasz Gomula, Alberto Taiuti, James Wood, Roberton Macken, Kevin McKenna, Rory Sweeney (Bluedoor Games)

Pentagrab -- Andrew Fullarton, Thomas Slade, Nick Kondylis, Cari Watterton, Dale Smith (Ludico)

Rebound -- Kieran Gallagher, Isaac Pringle, Mark Tempini, Andrew Graham, Alexander MacDiarmid, Vlady Veselinov, Craig Russell, Alex Donaldson (Hexterion)

Esports Audience Award (voted for by the public)

Clash Royale -- Supercell

Counter Strike: Global Offensive -- Hidden Path Entertainment / Valve

Dota 2 -- Valve

League of Legends -- Riot Games

Overwatch -- Blizzard Entertainment

Street Fighter V -- Capcom, Dimps / Capcom


Nintendo Switch Is Nintendo's Fastest-Selling Console Ever In The Americas, Europe, and Australia

By Eddie Makuch on Mar 09, 2017 11:45 am

[UPDATE 3] Nintendo Australia today stated in a press release that the Nintendo Switch also broke sales records in Australia and New Zealand, confirming that "Across Australia and New Zealand combined, Nintendo Switch sold more in its launch weekend than any other Nintendo hardware in history."

Nintendo Australia also confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild had the strongest launch weekend sales in Australia and New Zealand of any title in the Zelda series, and stated that Breath of the Wild "even [outsold] Wii Sports - previously the biggest-selling Nintendo launch title ever in this region - in terms of first weekend sales."

[UPDATE 2] In France, the Switch sold 105,000 units at launch, outpacing the Wii, according to LeFigaro.

[UPDATE] The Nintendo Switch also did well in Europe over its launch weekend. According to MCV, the console sold "more units in its launch weekend than any other piece of Nintendo hardware in the company's history." Like in the Americas, Breath of the Wild is now the best-selling Nintendo launch title in Europe ever for Nintendo. It even outsold Wii Sports, MCV said.

The original story is below.

The Nintendo Switch is off to a hot start, it seems. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told The New York Times reporter Nick Wingfield this week that initial sales (for March 3 and 4) in the Americas exceeded the first two-day sales in the region for any system in the company's history.

The next closest was the Wii, which ended up being a massive hit, selling more than 100 million systems worldwide to date.

Fils-Aime added that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the best-selling standalone launch title for a Nintendo platform ever. He did not share a specific unit sales number, though it outperformed Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64.

Wii Sports for the Wii surely did better than Super Mario 64 or Breath of the Wild, as it was bundled with console, but this statistic is for non-bundled titles. The Switch has no bundled games.

Nintendo has made a big effort to push the Switch, as it aired a commercial for the console during this year's Super Bowl and even recruited John Cena to promote it.

Below are the tweets from Wingfield, the NYT reporter. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest on how the Switch is performing.

According to Famitsu, as translated by Kotaku, the Switch sold 330,637 units in its first three days on sale in Japan. Breath of the Wild shifted 190,060 physical copies over the same period, the report said.

This story has been updated and corrected.





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