Far Cry 5 is almost here. Ubisoft's anticipated open-world shooter launches tomorrow, March 27, and ahead of its release, the publisher has shared a new trailer that introduces the game's antagonists and sets the stage for its controversial story.
Unlike previous installments in the series, Far Cry 5 takes place in Hope County, a small, fictional town located in rural Montana. Hope County has been overrun by the Project at Eden's Gate, a fanatical cult of brutal zealots led by the Seed family. The new trailer that Ubisoft shared, which you can watch above, provides an overview on each member of the Seed family and the tactics they use to terrorize the townsfolk.
Far Cry 5 releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 27. It has been well-received by critics so far, earning a 9/10 in our Far Cry 5 review in progress. "Despite some brief irritations and missed opportunities with its narrative, spending time in the world of Hope County remains absolutely delightful," GameSpot's Edmond Tran wrote.
It's been over five years since Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) was sen in a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. Thanks to Captain Marvel, though, that's about to change. During the course of Marvel's Avengers, the SHIELD operative was seemingly killed. That didn't last long though, as Coulson was resurrected and continued his place in the MCU on ABC's Agents of SHIELD. As far as fans know, though, the Avengers themselves have no idea he's alive.
Now, Coulson's return to the big screen comes with one major wrinkle. Marvel Studios has announced that principal photography on Captain Marvel is underway, with Gregg's name listed among the cast. The press release reads, "The story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races." The release was accompanied by the photo below.
At this point, it remains unlikely that Coulson will be reunited with his favorite superheroes. Captain Marvel is set in the 1990s, long before Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) assembled the team of Avengers. Jackson will also appear in the film, marking his first time in the MCU since 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron.
While it will be the younger versions of both Coulson and Fury in the movie, it'll be exciting to see them back in MCU movies nonetheless. Hopefully, the film gives Coulson the chance to gush about his Captain America fandom to Danvers (Brie Larson).
Captain Marvel also stars Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Jude Law, and Gemma Chan. The movie hits theaters on March 8, 2019.
George Lucas made six Star Wars movies before handing the reins over to Disney in 2012, but he had plenty of ideas for more. Over the years, he has spoken about a variety of different plots for future Star Wars films and TV shows, which ultimately never happened. But now, Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill has revealed one ending that Lucas had in mind for Star Wars Episode IX. Warning, spoilers ahead!
In an interview with IGN, Hamill explained that Lucas--at one stage--planned to have Luke die, just as he did in the recent Star Wars: The Last Jedi. However, this would have occurred at the end of the trilogy. "I happen to know that George didn't kill Luke until the end of [Episode] 9, after he trained Leia," he said. "Which is another thread that was never played upon [in The Last Jedi]."
While it's not clear at which stage Lucas was considering this ending, it is true that he did discuss his potential plans for more Star Wars movies at various stage of his career. In 1999, Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz described Lucas' loose plan for Episodes 7-9, in which Luke and Leia weren't siblings. And in a 1983 interview, Hamill revealed that Lucas was considering having the actor come back many years later to play an older Luke, who would "hand Excalibur down to the next generation." With amazing prescience, Hamill mentioned that Lucas was considering this for 2011--at that point nearly 30 years away, but in reality only one year from Luke's actual return in The Force Awakens.
More recently, Lucas revealed that he supplied outlines for more Star Wars movies when he sold Lucasfilm to Disney. In 2015, he told Cinemablend, "Well, the ones that I sold to Disney and everything, they came up to the decision that they didn't really want to do those. So they made up their own. It's not the ones I originally wrote."
The real Star Wars Episode IX hits theaters in December 2019. Last month, director JJ Abrams said that the movie's script was finished, and that it starts shooting in July. He also hinted that he wouldn't play it safe. "I feel like we need to approach this with the same excitement that we had when we were kids loving what these movies were," he said. "But at the same time, we have to take them places that they haven't gone, and that's sort of our responsibility."
Most of the key actors from both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are expected to return for Episode IX, including Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac. Ridley has already stated that this will be her final Star Wars movie. "I am really, really excited to do the third thing and round it out because ultimately, what I was signing on to was three films," she said in December. "So in my head, it's three films. I think it will feel like the right time to round it out."
Following a delay, the next PC game to be offered for free to Twitch Prime members is now available. The original Devil May Cry--not to be confused with 2013's DMC: Devil May Cry--is up for grabs to everyone with a Prime subscription for a limited time.
Free games and other in-game content (like the recent Fortnite pack that's still available) are offered periodically through Twitch Prime. This Devil May Cry freebie was originally set to go live last month but was delayed due to "unforeseen technical circumstances." As a result, the promotion will run until April 3, giving you just under a month total to claim it. You can grab it from Devil May Cry's hub or by clicking the Prime Loot button in the top navigation bar from anywhere on Twitch's site. You'll need to use the Twitch desktop client in order to download the game, but the game is yours permanently once you claim it.
Devil May Cry was originally released in 2001 on PS2. It's a stylish action game that has spawned several sequels. A collection of the first three games, Devil May Cry HD Collection, launches for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on March 13. It features remastered versions of Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2, and Devil May Cry 3 with improved visuals and a 60 FPS framerate. You can see a trailer of it above.
Twitch Prime is the premium membership of livestreaming service Twitch. Without knowing it, you may already have a subscription, as Twitch Prime is one of the benefits that Amazon Prime members receive. If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can claim your Twitch Prime membership here. Since the DMC promotion first started, Twitch has announced plans to expand its free games program, with 10 games coming between March and April.
WWE's biggest PPV of the year, Wrestlemania 34, is quickly approaching, and this year's event is going to be jam-packed. As of this writing, there are 11 matches on the card with at least two more to be added between now and Sunday, April 8 when Wrestlemania comes to the WWE Network and PPV.
New Orleans will host this year's event at the Superdome, and already, there have been some huge surprises going in, like Smackdown general manager Daniel Bryan being cleared to wrestle at the show. In addition, actor Macaulay Culkin answered Rusev's open challenge for Wrestlemania, and while that sounds like a blast, we don't think anything will come out of it, but you never know.
Wrestlemania 34 starts at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT, with a Kickoff Show more than likely starting two hours prior--WWE has not announced specifics for the Kickoff yet. Last year's event went for six and a half hours, so hopefully, you are watching the event somewhere really comfortable.
Obviously, there are still a few more matches that will be added to the card, like John Cena vs. Undertaker and Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn; however, we're only delivering the 100% confirmed matches for the upcoming event. Aside from those two potential matches, there could be even more surprises, if some of the WWE rumors floating around the 'net come true.
Cyberpunk 2077 is as highly anticipated as it is shrouded in mystery; the game has been in the works for six years, with little information on what it will actually be like. Now, developer CD Projekt Red is dropping a small hint as to what players can expect.
At a streamed CD Projekt Red financial event, president and joint-CEO Adam Kiciński said players can expect a strong, single-player game very much in the vein of The Witcher 3. He made a point that the game would not have microtransactions or hidden payments. While he was hesitant to share any information at all, Kiciński said, "We're considering everything and anything," and when pushed on whether that meant multiplayer he wouldn't say yes or rule the idea out.
"The first thing we're going to discuss is the immense story-driven roleplay for a single-player without any micro-payments whatsoever, without any hidden things whatsoever, just as was the case for The Witcher 3," he added.
Kiciński was also asked about the possibility of Cyberpunk 2077 being announced at E3 2018. We know CD Projekt Red will be attending, but not whether the company will make any product announcements. Kiciński said he wasn't in a position to talk about any announcements, and the company will release info about its E3 plans right before the expo begins.
Cyberpunk 2077 will be very technologically advanced, according to Kiciński, leaving open the possibility of the game living on systems beyond the current PS4 and Xbox One. He also suggested Nintendo Switch releases were off the table for CD Projekt RED's larger games.
"Technology-wise, Cyberpunk is very advanced. Our technology is ready to interface with future generations. The game is developed in such a way that it can use future, very powerful equipment but I cannot tell you more beyond that today as no future generation of console has been announced," he said.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is live on iOS devices now for select players and their friends, and a recent comparison between how the game plays and looks on the iPhone X and the Xbox One X show how similar the experiences are. Digital Foundry has done a side-by-side comparison of the game and found high-level graphics and performance have made their way to the mobile version.
Writer John Linneman fired up Fortnite on an iPhone X and joined forces with himself on his Xbox One X. He captured real-time footage of the exact same gameplay on both systems in spectator mode, and remarked just how similar the two experiences looked and played. On account of Fortnite's cross-platform play between PC and Xbox One, it's no surprise the mobile version matches it closely, but it's still a major accomplishment for a multiplayer shooter this size. You can see some of the side-by-side gameplay below.
The two experiences are not carbon copies of each other, however, and there are some compromises when playing on the iPhone X. For example, the game is noticeably darker on mobile, while shadow map draw distance is reduced. There's no grass animation on mobile, with wind effects reduced. Of course, these differences are heightened when you're playing on an older or less powerful iPhone.
In terms of performance, Digital Foundry found there was only a minor stutter on the iPhone X with Fortnite running at a locked at 30 frames per second. There are frame-pacing hiccups occasionally, but overall it's an impressively stable experience very similar to the console experience, wrote Digital Foundry.
There are a few gameplay differences between Fortnite on mobile vs. console, of course, but it's clear that bringing the game to iOS is off to an early success for developer Epic Games. An Android version will be released in the coming months, and you can read more about Fornite's latest 3.3 update, which adds new content to both Battle Royale and Save the World modes. Its latest limited-time mode, Blitz, just launched this week and has already received a hotfix update.
As the month of March is winding down, there's still plenty to keep you busy on Netflix. While the streaming service isn't adding any original programming this week--which is a surprise, given how many Netflix TV shows and films seem to arrive every week--there's still a lot of additions to binge.
There are only a couple of movies being added this week, including The Good Son and In Like Flint. The most notable addition, though, is The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The Wes Anderson classic arrives on streaming just as his latest film, Isle of Dogs, debuts in theaters.
As for TV, seasons of Life in Pieces, Friends with Benefits, Salem, The Carmichael Show, and Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life can all be streamed this week. Additionally, the one and only season of The Finder--a spinoff of Bones--will begin streaming on March 31.
Microsoft has announced the next games slated for Xbox Game Pass, its all-you-can-eat subscription service. The most notable new addition is Robocraft Infinity, coming to Xbox One on April 11. As noted in the announcement, this also makes it the first ID@Xbox game to join GamePass at launch.
Robocraft has you create your own custom robot designs and then test them in combat against other players in Battle Arena and Deathmatch modes. It's launching with more than 250 building components, and more parts are planned to come for free post-launch.
Xbox Game Pass is a $10 per month subscription service offered on top of the usual Xbox Live Gold subscription. It gives you access to download more than 100 games at any given time, including any new first-party games from Microsoft. Last month, that meant Sea of Thieves joined the rotation as soon as it was available for purchase. Check out the full list of available games.
Wrestlemania is quickly approaching. The 34th annual installment of WWE's biggest event of the year takes place on Sunday, April 8, coming to the Superdome in New Orleans. The match card for the event is still being filled out, and there is room for a few more matches.
That being said, there are plenty of rumors drifting around the 'net about additional matches, future plans for wrestlers, and surprise returns of injured wrestlers. One longstanding rumor that came true this past week was Daniel Bryan being cleared to wrestling once again. What else could come true? We rounded up some of the most believable ones coming from wrestling insiders.
Take these rumors with a grain of salt as not all rumors end up coming true. We'll be updating piece throughout the upcoming weeks to let you know what's confirmed and what we heard wrong.
Daniel Bryan's Future
Daniel Bryan has to go in for medical testing after every match. While many are saying Daniel Bryan is the healthiest star in the company, part of the superstar's new agreement requires him to get a doctor's evaluation after every match. (via Cagesideseats) It's pretty obvious that he'll be teaming up with Shane McMahon to take on Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. The supposed stipulation for the match will be a street fight or unsanctioned match. (via Ringsidenews)
Owens and Zayn Will Remain Fired
In addition, Owens and Zayn--who were "fired" on the March 20 episode of Smackdown--may remained fired until after Wrestlemania, where they will be drafted by Raw. (via Ringsidenews)
Is AJ Styles Injured?
There have been rumors that WWE Champion AJ Styles is injured. While there is no confirmation as to whether or not that is true, AJ Styles said in a recent interview that he will be at Wrestlemania, no matter what anyone else claims. (via Catch-Newz)
[UPDATE 3/26] Over the weekend, AJ Styles wrestled at Smackdown house shows, so he seems good to go for his match with Shinsuke Nakamura. As of this writing, there has been no news regarding his mysterious injury he allegedly suffered recently.
When Will Cena/Taker Be Announced?
John Cena won't get an official Wrestlemania match until days before the event. We all know the Undertaker will fight Cena at this year's event, but Taker has not answered Cena's call. Apparently, the confirmation for this match won't come until the Raw before Wrestlemania on April 2. (via Cagesideseats)
Big Cass Will Return
Remember Big Cass? He's been injured since Summerslam last year, and apparently, Cass has been telling people his leg has healed up, and he's cleared to wrestle again. It's unclear if he'll be at Wrestlemania this year, even if it's just for a quick spot in the Andre The Giant Battle Royal. If not Wrestlemania, then Cass could return at Raw the next night. (via PWInsider)
WWE's Plans For Asuka
Get ready for a long Asuka run. She's a shoe-in to win the championship at Wrestlemania against Charlotte, and the plan is for her to defend it for a year, leading to Wrestlemania 35 where she takes on Ronda Rousey. (via WrestlingNews)
The Rivalry Isn't Over
According to wrestling insider Dave Meltzer, Gargano vs. Ciampa will happen at Takeover: New Orleans. (via Twitter)
The Greatest Royal Rumble On WWE Network
Apparently, the Greatest Royal Rumble, an event taking place on April 27 in Saudi Arabia, will appear on the WWE Network. The 50-man rumble match was promoted on the WWE Network when you try to cancel your subscription. GameSpot attempted this but saw no such promotion on the cancellation page. (via Twitter)
[UPDATE 3/26]WWE detailed that John Cena will be taking on Triple H at the Greatest Royal Rumble, and both the Intercontinental and Raw Tag Team Championships will be on the line for the event. Also, Samoa Joe is advertised for the event. Does this mean he'll make his return at Wrestlemania, the Raw after Mania, or will this event be his first show back? Tickets for the event--which takes place in Saudi Arabia--go on sale on March 31.
Hulkamania To Run Wild Again?
Hulk Hogan hasn't been a part of WWE since July 2015, but that could change. Hogan is allegedly in talks with WWE to make his return. As to what he would do in WWE is the real question. With Shane McMahon spending less time on tv and Daniel Bryan going back to wrestling, there are a couple of positions open on Smackdown for a new commissioner or general manager. At this time, WWE stated it does not have a contract with Hogan but it has confirmed it's spoken with him. (via PWInsider)
[UPDATE 3/26] There are plenty of rumors revolving around where Hulk Hogan will fit in WWE if he returns. He's allegedly going to become Smackdown General Manager as Daniel Bryan will go back to wrestling full time. WWE has not released any additional statements regarding Hogan's status.
We'll learn if more of these rumors are true during Wrestlemania weekend, which takes place April 6-8.
Monster Hunter: World has just released a new update with a major new monster to battle, and if you haven't bought the game yet, now is a great time. Best Buy has a 15% off sale on right now, meaning players in the US can pick up the game for PS4 or Xbox One for $45.
If you're a member of Best Buy's Gamers Club Unlocked (GCU), you can really pick up the game for a steal. The game is $36 for members. The deal is listed in Best Buy's weekly flyer, meaning this deal won't be around for long if you're interested in buying.
On Friday, developer Capcom released an update for Monster Hunter: World with a whole host of new content and balance changes for almost every type of weapon for the game. The biggest addition in the update is the introduction of the game's first new monster since its launch. Deviljho will be known to players of previous Monster Hunter games and poses a serious challenge. Of course, with great risk comes great reward, and you can get a look at all the new gear you can craft and acquire in our gallery.
Capcom is about to release even more content for the game in the form of the Spring Blossom Fest, which begins on April 5. Players will be able to take part in "daily, fun activities" during the event. There will also be two new Event Quests beginning at this time: one to obtain the fan-created Wyvern Ignition Great Sword and the other for the retro Mega Man Palico armor.
A couple of new rewards are now available on My Nintendo. Unlike the usual assortment of game discounts, this batch consists of a handful of full titles, which can be downloaded for free from the service for a limited time.
A total of four free games are now up for grabs for 3DS and Wii U. 3DS owners can get Star Wars Pinball and the puzzle-platformer Mighty Switch Force 2 for 50 Gold points apiece, while Woah Dave is available for 40 Gold points. The lone Wii U title this time is the acclaimed futuristic racer Fast Racing Neo, and it can be yours for 110 Gold points.
Since last fall, free games have periodically been available to download from My Nintendo. This marks the fourth selection of free titles to be offered through the program. Previous freebies included the original Mighty Switch Force, Toki Tori 3D, Retro City Rampage DX, and Gunman Clive HD Collection, among others. You can find the full list of current rewards on the My Nintendo website.
While Nintendo has yet to introduce Switch-specific rewards to the service, earlier this month the company gave Switch owners the ability to purchase certain games with their My Nintendo points. Members can choose to use their Gold points toward select Switch games when purchasing them either from the Eshop or Nintendo's website. You can read more about how that works here.
Last year, Hidetaka 'Swery' Suehiro--the creator of Deadly Premonition and D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die--launched a crowdfunding campaign on Fig for a new project called The Good Life. Focusing on the exploits of a New York photojournalist in serious debt, the lead character Naomi travels to the secluded small town of Rainy Woods where she finds herself investigating the murder of one of the town's residents. Things aren't what they seem in the idyllic small town, with any one of the town's citizens being a suspect. Also, many of Rainy Woods' residents--including Naomi--just so happen to transform into animals on certain evenings.
As a quasi-open world RPG, you would be able to interact with many of the locals, learn their behaviors, and take pictures of the strange happenings around town. While the concept showed promise, the Fig crowdfunding campaign was unsuccessful. Undeterred by this, the developers at White Owls went back to work on the game, improving many of the in-game systems and mechanics, while also giving the game more detailed visuals that still retain the stylized look.
During GDC 2018, Hidetaka 'Swery' Suehiro gave GameSpot an advance look at the game before its relaunch on Kickstarter--which is now live. During our talk, he described just what changed after his last attempt, and how he determined he is to make The Good Life into a full game..
"The Good Life is a product of someone like me who likes to think about strange and weird ideas, but is still able to make them into real products that people can experience," said Suehiro. "One of the things I've been really surprised by in the current creative process is that I come up with some strange abstract idea, and the team can make it happen within a matter of days for our future planning on the game. There's a lot of aspects about this game that speak to me, but one thing that I like is that you can play as a cat. It's something I've always wanted to do in a game. Another thing I like is that you're playing as a female character, and that's something I haven't done for my previous games before. With Naomi, you can do all the mundane and strange things you want to do, which is what interests me. I've always had male leads in the past, so I'm glad to change things up for this game."
One thing that the developers felt they didn't succeed at with the previous campaign was offering a clear vision of what The Good Life is about. While the broader ideas were there, the creatives felt that the previous crowdfunding effort was too vague and didn't show enough of a materialized product. In the months after the previous attempt, White Owls spent time on developing the game into a playable state. This not only allowed them to create a more fully realized game, but also garnered the attention of outside partners to help fund the game. With a Kickstarter goal of $650,000--as opposed to the original Fig goal of $1,500,000--the developers feel that expectations are far more modest and realistic.
In addition to refining the base concept and vision, the developers also worked on improving the game's graphics and AI systems. Running on the Unity engine, the team behind The Good Life focused on creating a greater sense of visual fidelity for the game. With the expanded AI systems, Swery felt that this would give greater belieability to the town's dynamic. Moreover, the developers claim that the added interactions and NPCs with their own individual schedules will create more unique moments for players--potentially altering the true suspect of the game's murder-mystery plot. Also, the game's creator took the opportunity to add in the ability for the lead character Naomi to turn into a dog, instead of only just the cat--which he claimed was due to an outpouring of requests from his dog fans.
With the Kickstarter campaign now live, Suehiro and the developers at White Owls feel they have a better shot at making The Good Life happen. The game manages to bring in similar themes and motifs from past Swery titles--a small town, weird people, and an even weirder premise--while placing them in a setting that feels oddly charming. While the game is planned for a late 2019 release, this is all dependent on the Kickstarter's success. With that said, the developers still vow to continue on with the game even if the game doesn't succeed on Kickstarter. For Swery, he felt that the opportunity to make a game like this was too good to pass up.
"As a creator, I have this innate desire to make something," said Swery. "When I look back on the original crowdfunding campaign for The Good Life, we recognized we made a lot of mistakes. It would be a missed opportunity to just walk away from that as once time experience, and because we have that passion we're willing to come back to the table and state that this is the thing we're doing better, and these are the things we've learned. And another thing is that online community has been really inspiring for us, and they've really pushed us to move forward with this project. Even though the last campaign didn't succeed, it still excited a lot of people to the point where we're people are sending us pictures of their cats and dogs on twitter. I just feel very compelled to take this to the finish line."
It's a new week, and that means more deals on Xbox Live. Microsoft's Major Nelson has now announced all of this week's Xbox Live Deals With Gold offers for Xbox One and Xbox 360--and they include some nice offers depending on what you're looking for. [Update: It's now Monday, making this your last opportunity to take advantage of these deals before they're placed by the next week of offers.]
Moving to Xbox 360, there are only a handful of deals, and some of them are Skate 3 ($5), Dragon Age 2 ($5), and Worms ($1.24). To see a full rundown of this week's Xbox One and Xbox 360 deals, including region-specific pricing, check out Major Nelson's blog. Bear in mind that some of the offers require an Xbox Live Gold membership; the deals expire on March 26.
In other news, Xbox Live Gold members now have a fresh batch of free Games With Gold titles to pick up, including Superhot and Quantum Conundrum. These will both be available alongside an existing Games With Gold title; adding them to your library will allow you to continue playing them for as long as you're an Xbox Live Gold member.
Ubisoft's next big open-world game, Far Cry 5, launches next week on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. But how long is the campaign? Executive producer Dan Hay says you should budget a good chunk of time to play the campaign--around 25 hours--but that's just the start. "I would say that a good player will go through it in 25 hours," Hay told GameSpot during an interview recently.
Hay went on to say that, based on playtests, Ubisoft has seen players getting distracted from the main story with things like fishing or hunting, which will extend the total playtime. Of course, everyone plays differently, and in a game like Far Cry 5 that lets you play your own way, 25 hours could turn into many more.
"What we're seeing is people going into the world and just spending four or five hours fishing or hunting, or just doing stuff that we hadn't really prepared for," Hay said. "So it really depends on how you play."
Regarding the new map and mode editor for Far Cry 5, we asked Hay if the tools are robust enough to create something like PUBG or Fortnite. "That would be super cool," he replied. "Obviously we are growing the tools with every iteration, and this time it was a big, big growth rate for us."
Hay went on to say that he thought Far Cry 4's map editor was "clunky," going on to say that he hopes that the advancements for Far Cry 5 make the tools easier to use and more intuitive.
It's been a good few weeks of sales for PlayStation 4 players, with major deals to be had on both sides of the Atlantic. If you're hoping to snag some new games at a discount, though, you'll have to act fast; the EU PSN sale, Only on PlayStation, has ended, and The Great Indoors US sale has now entered its final week. [Update: It's now Monday, meaning these offers are set to end in a matter of hours. If you're interested, now's the time to pick up what you want while it's still on sale.]
The Great Indoors sale ends March 27 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET. You can get a full look at The Great Indoors sale on the PlayStation Store, including deals on many PS3, PS Vita, and PS VR games as well.
The earliest prototypes for Splatoon used what looked like large blocks of tofu that fired white or black ink. The next unsuccessful iteration involved rabbits. But perhaps unsurprisingly, Nintendo also tried using some of its existing IP while it was searching for the perfect characters to encapsulate Splatoon's splashy gameplay. But it wasn't any of the aquatic denizens you might be thinking of from the Mushroom Kingdom or Hyrule--Splatoon was almost populated by a world of Yoshis.
During a GDC talk in San Franciso this past week, Splatoon producer Hisashi Nogami (who you might recognize as the guy who comes out in the lab coat to deliver the game's updates) dropped some behind-the-scenes knowledge on the making of Splatoon and Splatoon 2. He showed in-development shots of Yoshi in the game, as well as prototype images from even earlier character designs. You can see those slides from the presentation below. But following the panel, we also got the chance to ask Nogami a few follow-up questions, which you can read below.
This is just an excerpt from our full interview, which covered topics including Splatoon's grim lore, the meaning of "dark Nintendo," and why rabbits keep popping up in Nintendo games. You can read the complete Splatoon 2 interview here. The answers to the questions below were provided by a translator from Nintendo.
GameSpot: During your presentation, you showed an image of Yoshi, and it looked like he was in the game. With the rabbits and with the tofu, that was obviously a prototype; but the Yoshi felt like much further along. How far did you get with putting Nintendo characters and other characters that we're familiar with in the game?
Hisashi Nogami: I think that option we were considering of whether or not to use pre-existing characters or IP came right around the time that we started to have doubts about our rabbit characters. We thought, "Okay, if not rabbits, then maybe we can consider these other characters."
Of course, as Nintendo developers we're aware of this stable of pre-existing characters we have and their appeal with players. It's not that if we had found a character that was perfectly matched to the type of gameplay we were trying to create that we would not have considered going with it. For Yoshi, he can come in many colors, change his color; he was in this case more appealing and a better fit than Mario.
But then when you get that far and think, "Well, okay, Yoshi can change his color, that makes him suitable," you run into the same questions. Why would Yoshi shoot ink or dive into ink? Is it okay that he wouldn't shoot his tongue out or throw eggs like he typically does?
In that prototype, did Yoshi hold a gun or was he shooting the ink out of his mouth?
Well, at the stage we were considering putting pre-existing IP into the game, including Yoshi, we had already decided that this was a game where we wanted to have a large variety of weapons and tools for you to use in order to shoot ink in different ways. We were already pretty far along with that idea, so rather than just give Yoshi the ability to shoot ink out of his mouth in one particular way, we had him hold these weapons that we had already started to design.
One of the most interesting takeaways from Nintendo's Splatoon 2 GDC 2018 panel was that early prototypes for Splatoon featured Yoshi instead of the now ubiquitous Inklings. But the behind-the-scenes information didn't stop with that tidbit. Following the panel, we had a chance to talk with the presenter, Splatoon 2 producer Hisashi Nogami, about what it's like to work at Nintendo, how Yoshi worked in the game, and even the meaning of "dark Nintendo."
That's "dark" in a narrative sense. The underlying story that goes deeper than the bright colors and happy smiles you see on the surface. And it's that focus on the deeper layers that Nogami says makes Splatoon (and most other Nintendo properties) feel like they have so much depth.
You can find the full interview below, along with images of the slides from the presentation, which show off various prototypes in Splatoon and Splatoon 2's development. While they don't capture all of the anecdotes from the full presentation, they provide a visual summary of some of the cool development insight Nogami provided.
GameSpot: From the Splatoon panel I got the impression that you have a lot of freedom to ideate. It sounds like Nintendo encourages employees to come up with new ideas. What is your personal experience at the company?
Hisashi Nogami: I think it's as they say, "With great freedom, comes with great responsibility." [laughs] We start out by trying to create a particular type of game experience, and then we have to come up with a world, a look, a feel, that is best suited to that and expresses or help supports this game experience we're trying to offer.
Something I've heard from Mr. Miyamoto frequently, and I also mentioned something similar in my presentation, but a game's art needs to support its functionality. It has to help serve as an expression of that functionality. And so we want, when creating the way a particular world looks, to make sure that it's not doing anything to hold back or constrain the gameplay that we've laid down as a base.
So, we actually have a reason for coming up with this style of creation at Nintendo; as Mr. Yabuki [the director of Arms] mentioned in his presentation yesterday, one of those reasons is you need to be able to say when you're asked, "Okay, well why is this the way it is?" You need to be able to provide that answer to others in the company that you're going to show the game to. And if you can't answer that question yourself, then there's no real path forward for you.
It may be possible to say that we do have this wide array of choices in front us about the way we want a game to look, or that we have freedom in terms of how a game will end up finally being. But what we choose is really carefully...criticized might not be the right word, but it's carefully looked at. It's examined and analyzed. We need to be able to justify the decisions we make.
Thinking about Splatoon's early development, you mentioned starting off with rabbits and then saying, "Well, it doesn't make sense. Why are they shooting ink? Why would they they disappear into the ink?" But rabbits seem to pop up a lot in Nintendo games. More recently, they ended up being the bosses in Super Mario Odyssey. And of course, rabbits appear a lot in other games, including Mario. Are rabbits a popular pet among the Nintendo development staff? What's with all the rabbits?
[Laughs] Yeah, it is kind of curious. I'm perplexed by it myself. But when you think about rabbits, they're something that people are familiar with. They're cute and fuzzy. They are animals that can actually imagine being close by. It's true that there are previous examples of rabbits in other games, and I guess this is something Mr. Miyamoto may have thought was an appropriate character for his games as well.
He understood our reasons for wanting to initially go with rabbits as our Splatoon characters--they are mischievous, and they fit the world well in that way. But when it came time to justify things like you mentioned with the ink, especially from Mr. Miyamoto and others like him, we got that feedback of, "Well, maybe there's another option that might work better. This doesn't completely feel right."
I should stress that it's not just that Mr. Miyamoto keeps rabbits. [laughs]
During your presentation, you showed an image of Yoshi, and it looked like he was in the game. With the rabbits and with the tofu, that was obviously a prototype; but the Yoshi felt like much further along. How far did you get with putting Nintendo characters and other characters that we're familiar with in the game?
I think that option we were considering of whether or not to use pre-existing characters or IP came right around the time that we started to have doubts about our rabbit characters. We thought, "Okay, if not rabbits, then maybe we can consider these other characters."
Of course, as Nintendo developers we're aware of this stable of pre-existing characters we have and their appeal with players. It's not that if we had found a character that was perfectly matched to the type of gameplay we were trying to create that we would not have considered going with it. For Yoshi, he can come in many colors, change his color; he was in this case, more appealing and a better fit than Mario.
But then when you get that far and think, "Well, okay, Yoshi can change his color, that makes him suitable," you run into the same questions. Why would Yoshi shoot ink or dive into ink? Is it okay that he wouldn't shoot his tongue out or throw eggs like he typically does?
In that prototype, did Yoshi hold a gun or was he shooting the ink out of his mouth?
Well, at the stage we were considering putting pre-existing IP into the game, including Yoshi, we had already decided that this was a game where we wanted to have a large variety of weapons and tools for you to use in order to shoot ink in different ways. We were already pretty far along with that idea, so rather than just give Yoshi the ability to shoot ink out of his mouth in one particular way, we had him hold these weapons that we had already started to design.
On the subject of guns, and I guess going in a more serious direction--Nintendo in general has such a playful kid-friendly focus, especially with Splatoon, which definitely isn't a traditional Western shooter. But in recent weeks a big focus in the press has been on violence in video games and its affect on kids. In Japan and in Nintendo, are you having those kinds of conversations as well? What are your thoughts on all of this focus on violence in games?
As a game developer, I hate to hear that games would be thought to be capable of having a negative influence on society. Games are something that I feel have the power to have a positive influence. They've had a positive influence on me and my life as a developer, and one of the things that I see in my role as a developer is to create games that give people good experiences and have some sort of positive influence.
That's how I've made games up until now. That's how I want to continue making games. That's not to say that other companies are making games with some sort of negative intent. I think all game creators are making games because of their interest in them, and because they want their games to be positively accepted and have some sort of good influence.
So the others may make shooters with more realistic gameplay. I don't think at all that they are doing that with any sort of negative intent. I think that they're proud of the things that they're creating and want to put those expressions out into the world. But at Nintendo one of our goals, and I mentioned this yesterday as well, is to create games that can be enjoyed by as wide a variety of people as possible. To take on that challenge of making games that can be enjoyed regardless of age or background, that's one thing that we've put a lot of effort into making sure we follow through on.
Splatoon is colorful and lighthearted, and in a lot of ways even silly, but the lore is surprisingly dark. In the trailer for the upcoming Octo expansion, that especially seems to have a darker tone. How will the expansion balance with the silliness of Splatoon?
This might be just sort of one of our particular traits as developers, but we start by creating this well-built exterior to our games. But I think that, in the worlds we create, we strive to also have interesting inner content. For example we started with the gameplay necessity of a character that could transform, and we wound up with these humanoid characters that can transform into squids and vice versa.
But then we had to answer the question: "Why would they do that? What type of world would they live in?" That's where imagination comes in. So maybe it would be that these squids lived in some sort of far-future world, where humanity doesn't exist anymore, where it's met some sort of end. This was their world that they had evolved into. You think of things like that as you go along.
That ability to give this thing we've created an interesting inner world comes from the amount of energy we spend trying to answer that question: "What would their world look like?" And after creating the characters: "How will they live?" Focusing on answering those questions, it's not that we necessarily set out to create something with darkness inside of it or with those darker sides you were mentioning, but with depth. We wanted to make this world feel alive, like it has purpose, and to make it feel convincing.
Just like real life, you don't live every single day with the same attitude. You're not smiling and laughing every day of your life. In the same sort of way, we give that feeling to our world; it's not simply bright colors and fun times. There are variations in the emotions in this world that it feel more convincing and draw people in further.
We actually have a phrase in Japan: "dark Nintendo" or "the dark side of Nintendo." It's something the players have said, but I remember Mr. Iwata saying it as well. It's not something that we're spending too much time trying to make sure our games are edgy and dark, but that we want them to be believable. We want them to feel like they have heft and weight to them.
It's something that hovers in the background in order to give characters that three-dimensional feeling.
We have the squid kids. We have the Octo Expansion coming up. Are we going to see anything more about the Salmon?
We think of the Inklings and Octolings as different, but they're not so different as to prevent them from becoming friends. That's something we can imagine. But the Salmonids from Salmon Run are pretty different, so we're not sure that they'll ever be able to join Inkling Society.
This is a world where humanity has come to ruin, and 10,000 years have passed. That said, we envisioned the creatures of this world as having some of the same impulses that they've always had. In Japan we think of squids and octopi as being...maybe natural enemies is too strong, but they're compete against each other. They use each other as food sometimes, and we've continued those thoughts as we made our world.
Salmon exist in a, kind of, different world. They behave a different way than squids and octopi. So we're not sure we see a future where they are able to join this type of society. That's not to say we consider the Salmonids to be complete barbarians. It's not that the Squid are the forces of good and the Salmonids are the forces of evil. It's more that the Squids have their own society, and the Salmonids have their own different society.
Final question: Out of all of the star Inklings (Callie, Marie, Pearl, and Marina), who is your favorite?
That's like asking me to choose between my daughters! I will confess and say that I fought for Team Callie in the final Splatoon One Splat Fest so...
This interview has been edited for content and clarity.
If you saw Pacific Rim Uprisingover the weekend, there was probably one big twist that stuck with you: Charlie Day's character, the lovable, quirky Dr. Newt Geiszler, turning out to be the movie's main villain.
It turns out Newt's drift with the baby Kaiju--a major subplot in the original Pacific Rim--had a negative effect on him after all, just as multiple characters in that movie said it would. In Uprising, we learn that he's been working against humanity for years, building toward the simultaneous opening of multiple breaches and, very nearly, the destruction of the world.
Given what a major shift it is for the character, you might assume that it came from Steven DeKnight, the sequel's director. But DeKnight confirmed to GameSpot that the idea to make Newt the villain came from del Toro in the first place.
"Charlie Day being a villain is also something that Guillermo had talked to him about when he was still involved, before he had to leave to do Shape of Water," DeKnight said. "And Charlie was very interested in that turn."
Charlie Day himself hinted at the twist in an interview with Crave back in 2013 in the weeks after the original Pacific Rim hit theaters, saying that del Toro "liked the idea of Newt becoming a bit of a villain in the second film," although that was before they'd begun making the first movie. He added that because of the way the character turned out, "I don't think he would want to turn him into a villain now," so clearly he thought it wasn't going to happen.
"I didn't realize that [the idea was original del Toro's] until I talked to Charlie," DeKnight said. "When I came on board, there were three completely different versions of three completely different sequels that I read through, and I took a little bit from here and a little bit from there. I think in one of those, at one point, I want to say Burn Gorman was the villain. So there were different possibilities, and for me it just seemed like Newt was the perfect character to go down that path since he was drifting with the brains to start with in the first movie, and Ron Perlman warned him not to."
In yet another version, the villain was the movie's "billionaire industrialist" character--not Jing Tian's character Shao Liwen, but the equivalent character in an early draft. But that was too obvious, and DeKnight thought Newt being the villain was more fun.
The director added that it also gives them more setup for Pacific Rim 3--"if we're so lucky to do it," he said, "we've set up this great thing where you have Charlie Day with things in his head controlling him, but Gottlieb, Burn Gorman['s character], loves him as his best friend, and will do anything to help protect him and save him."
Pacific Rim Uprising takes things in a very different direction from the original, leaving humanity's future in the hands of a young generation of up-and-coming pilots. If you've seen it, you might have some questions.
How did the world get where it is in Uprising following the events of the original Pacific Rim? Why was it important to the movie's director, Steven DeKnight, to hand the reins to the younger generation? How did Newt sneak a massive Kaiju brain into his apartment, and why did he think it was his wife?
GameSpot: So what's the state of the world when Pacific RimUprising starts?
Steven DeKnight: It's 10 years after the end of the first movie, after the Breach was closed. There's been peace and world building, the PPDC has rebuilt from the ground up. So they've had a chance to redesign their Jaegers and their program. They learned from the first movie that Jaegers really are the best defense against the Kaiju, so they've been preparing for a possible second attack. And that's where we find the state of the world when we open this movie.
So they're not resting on their laurels.
No, no, they very much--there are people that believe the war is over, that's it, they closed the Breach, it's finished. And there are other people, like Scott Eastwood's character, Nathan Lambert, that believe sending giant monsters to stomp on a few cities is not a tactical plan to destroy humanity, and they think something else is coming.
So one of the conflicts in the first movie was that the government was going to shut the Jaeger program down. Now the conflict is between the government, the PPDC, and the private sector, the Shao corporation. The PPDC has the base in China that we see in the movie. Are there other bases?
Yes, all over the Pacific Rim, there are multiple Shatterdomes and many Jaegers.
So when the Breaches open in Uprising, are they attacking the other Shatterdomes or just the one we see?
Yes, we only see three Breaches opening, but there are multiple Breaches all around the Pacific Rim being opened by the drones--spoiler!--and the plan there was, yes, the drones were very much like a Trojan horse. When they were delivered they attacked in kind of a Pearl Harbor style attack and destroyed Shatterdomes and Jaegers.
So that's how we wind up with the final conflict being only the cadets left?
Yes. Jake and Lambert--John Boyega and Scott Eastwood--and the cadets are the last men and women standing. So that's the reason the cadets have to go in action.
There could be more elsewhere technically, but the characters we know are also the ones that happen to be at the base where they're developing the rocket jets that will get them there in time?
Yes, they're the only ones that can intercept in time. There's a little bit in the movie that talks about there were a few Jaegers left that tried to intercept, and were destroyed. And they're on their own.
So why did you want to focus on this younger generation of pilots?
A couple of reasons. I wanted to advance the story forward with the idea that it's the next generation of Jaeger pilots, and also explore the idea that when you're young you make more intense emotional connections with other people. The older you get, your walls come up, and it's harder to make those connections. And also just the positive message in the world today, that, you know, every generation says, 'The youth is going to change the world.' And I think it's particularly relevant now.
We made this movie before what happened in the United States with Parkland and everything, but it really shows that's true. And the message I really wanted to get across was that it doesn't matter where you're from, it doesn't matter who your parents are, it doesn't matter the color of your skin, your religion, none of that matters--anybody can stand up and be a hero. And that particular message really lent itself to this younger generation coming in and helping to save the world.
And you couldn't have known how relevant that would be.
Exactly, yeah.
I wanted to talk about the twist with Newt, and the thinking behind that, and then working with Charlie Day on being evil.
I'll work backward. I've been a fan of Charlie Day for many, many years. My wife and I watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia religiously, and he just astounds me with his comic timing. And getting a chance to work with him was fantastic, and he's everything you would hope he would be. He is just the sweetest, funniest, most professional guy, always showed up prepared and ready to go. I remember early on when I met with him and had breakfast and walked him through what I was thinking--and Charlie Day being a villain is also something that Guillermo had talked to him about when he was still involved, before he had to leave to do Shape of Water.
And Charlie was very interested in that turn, and when I sent him the finished script we got together, and his biggest concern was to make sure that turn wasn't goofy or over the top, and I said, 'No no no, I want it to be really grounded, particularly in your relationship with Burn Gorman, with Gottlieb, that's really to me the key of that whole turn. And when we shot it, we were both very much aware that we wanted to make it feel as real as possible. And Charlie just gave it his all. And when he saw the final product he was very happy with what he saw.
But for me it's much more interesting than--obviously, spoilers--we set up Shao Liwen to be the villain, very obviously, overly obvious, because I wanted to misdirect into that direction, and then reveal that it's actually Newt. Because I thought--there were previous drafts of the script, before I came on, where the billionaire industrialist--it wasn't Shao Liwen, it was a whole different story--but where the billionaire industrialist was the villain. And from the start, it's villain, very clearly villain. And also with Charlie being the villain, I think you get one, a lot more fun, and a lot more emotion, and especially setting up for a third installment, if we're so lucky to do it, we've set up this great thing where you have Charlie Day with things in his head controlling him, but Gottlieb, Burn Gorman, loves him as his best friend, and will do anything to help protect him and save him.
So there's room for him to be good again?
There's absolutely room for him to try to come back from that.
So the idea to have him be evil initially came from Guillermo?
Yeah, you know, I didn't realize that until I talked to Charlie. When I came on board, there were three completely different versions of three completely different sequels that I read through, and I took a little bit from here and a little bit from there. I think in one of those, at one point, I want to say Burn Gorman was the villain. So there were different possibilities, and for me it just seemed like Newt was the perfect character to go down that path since he was drifting with the brains to start with in the first movie, and Ron Perlman warned him not to.
That did kind of set it up. Do you think they had the seed of that idea back then deliberately?
I don't know, but apparently Guillermo must have, because he told Charlie something about being the villain in the next movie.
After I watched Uprising, and I went back and watched the original, and it was like, oh yeah. It's all there.
Yeah, it's definitely all laid in.
So how did he get a Kaiju brain into his apartment?
How'd he sneak one in?
Yeah.
Those are always the questions. You know, I always go back to Empire Strikes Back, when they don't have the hyperdrive up and running, and they find Lando Calrissian in a system, obviously not that system--how the hell did they get there so quick without light speed? It's one of those things. In my mind, he took a piece and he grew it, so it wasn't like he was carrying a full brain into his apartment.
Can you explain exactly what's going on with the thing where he thinks it's his wife or whatever? Does he have a romantic relationship with the brain?
Yeah, it's a little twisted. Honestly, that first came about because I didn't want to just throw this alien brain in without some kind of setup. So when Newt says, you know, 'Come over and meet dinner, you can finally meet Alice,' you know, there's a bit of a thing--is it something weird like that? Is it just a name he gave it? And also, when he was inviting Gottlieb over, if you think about it, obviously it was to infect Gottlieb.
I was going to ask what his intention there was.
Yes, it was to bonk him on the head, hook him up, and get inside his mind.
Thanks Steven! Pacific Rim Uprising is in theaters now.
Far Cry 5 pits you in a hopeless scenario: trapped in the middle of the Montanan wilderness, in a community run by a charismatic cult leader, with no help coming. It's a daunting task, but with a little help you can start dismantling the organization and picking off the fine salt-of-the-earth folks who want to murder you.
Far Cry veterans are sure to recognize some basic mechanics and tools from their previous battles against isolated despots, but this fifth numbered installment actually changes it up a bit. For starters, Ubisoft has abandoned its ubiquitous tower-climbing mechanic for more natural discovery from exploration.
The experience system has been similarly overhauled in favor of a Perks system that rewards you for completing certain tasks. That may leave you wondering which perks to pursue first, but that really depends on how you want to play. If you're a survivalist, you may want to immediately go for the Harvest Master or Repair Touch so you can get the most out of your resources. Harvest Master is especially handy for making money, which can be more scarce in this game. If you're more of a stealthy killer, try going for the Grapple to climb easily and Locksmith to access areas.
Check out the video above for our full slate of tips, including some other Perks to prioritize and how to make the most bang for your buck. Sometimes literally. Far Cry 5 releases on March 27 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
As it regularly does, Twitch is offering another free bonus for Amazon Prime members. This time, players who picked up the recently released PC version of Final Fantasy XV will be able to claim a rather...distinctive mount for their game.
For a limited time, Twitch Prime members can get the Kooky Bundle for Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition. The centerpiece of the bundle is the Kooky Chocobo, a googly-eyed, purple variant of the series' recurring giant chickens, although it doesn't seem to differ in any other way beyond its appearance. In addition to that, the Kooky Bundle includes 10,000 gil.
If you're already a Twitch Prime member, you can grab the Kooky Bundle simply by clicking the Prime Loot next to Twitch's search bar. Alternatively, you can launch Final Fantasy XV and click the "Special Gift from Twitch Prime" option from the game's main menu. The Kooky Bundle will be available until April 21.
Final Fantasy XV released for PC on March 6. Along with the base adventure and new content, it features some rather unusual crossover items. Players who pre-ordered the game via Origin could get Sims 4 costumes, while those who purchase it on Steam by the end of April will receive a Half-Life costume pack. If you're new to the RPG, we've put together a helpful guide on making money in Final Fantasy XV.
Beyond the Kooky Bundle, Amazon Prime members can still claim a number of other freebies via Twitch. Five free titles are available until March 31, plus the original Devil May Cry, which is available through the service until April 6. Additionally, Fortnite players can grab the Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack, which features free items for both Battle Royale and Save the World modes.
If you're looking for something new to play on PC, EA is offering another free game through Origin. The latest freebie as part of the publisher's "On the House" promotion is Dead in Bermuda, and it's available to download right now at no cost for a limited time.
Dead in Bermuda is billed as a "survival management game with RPG and adventure elements." The title puts players in command of a ragtag band of survivors, who are stranded on a mysterious island after their plane crashes. Players must manage the survivors' hunger and fatigue levels, craft upgrades for their camp from the materials collected around the island, and ultimately uncover the "mysteries behind an ancient atlantean prophecy."
Like previous On the House titles, once you've downloaded Dead in Bermuda, the game will remain in your library permanently. However, EA hasn't announced how long the title will be available through the On the House promotion, so if you're interested in taking advantage of this offer, you should act quickly. You can grab the game here.
Twitch users have regularly been treated to free titles and in-game bonuses as a perk for having Amazon Prime, and now a bunch of new freebies are up for grabs. The streaming service has now kicked off its expanded Free Games With Prime program, giving subscribers a chance to snag a total of five titles at no cost.
For a limited time, Twitch Prime members can download the tactical stealth game Shadow Tactics, which was the winner of the fan-selected Twitch Prime Indie Amplifier promotion, for free. Another Indie Amplifier game, Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation, is also available to download right now, as are two returning freebies: Superhot and Oxenfree. Rounding out the selection of this month's free games is Mr. Shifty, which has up until now never been offered through the service.
All five of the aforementioned titles are available to download at no charge until March 31. Like other freebies offered through Twitch Prime, they're all yours to keep permanently, though you'll need to use the Twitch desktop app in order to install them. You can claim each title right from the Prime Loot notification icon next to Twitch's search bar.
In addition to those games, Twitch Prime members have one more freebie to claim this month: the original Devil May Cry, which is available through the service until April 6. Fortnite players can also grab a free Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack that includes exclusive items for both Battle Royale and Save the World modes.
A big update is on the way very soon to Pokemon Go. As first discovered last month, developer Niantic is implementing a quest system in Pokemon Go, which will give players a variety of additional activities to complete--as well as a chance to discover the game's first Mythical Pokemon.
Beginning March 30, players will be able to take on two different types of "research" quests: Field Research and Special Research. The former are distributed via PokeStops and task players with completing various objectives, such as catching certain Pokemon or participating in battles; the latter are "story-driven activities" assigned by Professor Willow that "take Trainers further into the world of Pokemon Go than ever before."
Completing research quests will reward players with various items. Players will also earn a stamp for the first Field Research quest they complete each day, although there is no limited to how many tasks can be completed in a single day. Collecting seven stamps will lead to a Research Breakthrough, which will unlock even more rewards, including a possible encounter with a Legendary Pokemon.
The initial batch of research quests are tied to Mew, which is the first Mythical Pokemon to appear in the game. From the sound of it, players will presumably earn a chance to encounter Mew by completing Professor Willow's Special Research quests.
In the meantime, players still have a few days to participate in Pokemon Go's ongoing Eggstravaganza event. That is scheduled to run until April 2 and makes it easier to hatch rare Pokemon from Eggs. April 2 also marks the day Pokemon Go's latest Legendary, Lugia, is slated to leave the game. The Legendary Psychic-type returned to Raid Battle earlier this month with the "newly improved" Flying move Sky Attack.
Every major sporting event has people making predictions, and sometimes, predictions come via non-traditional routes like a video game simulation of the "big game," like the Super Bowl in Madden. This year, instead of predicting the winners ofWrestlemania through WWE 2K18, WWE said went an entirely different route and used an alligator to pick the winners for the April PPV.
In the video, former Tough Enough contestant ZZ takes the viewer to his alligator farm in Kraemer, Louisiana--which is 56 miles outside of New Orleans, where Wrestlemania 34 takes place--to find out who is going to win a few of the PPV matches, by way of alligators chomping on pictures. Yes, this is real, and you can see the silliness below.
The gator chose Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, Brock Lesnar, and Shinsuke Nakamura for their respective matches. This is by far the weirdest thing we've seen when it comes to predicting Wrestlemania winners. GameSpot's predictions are much more complicated, as we have chickens peck at giant, disembodied cutouts of competitor's heads--that or we just guess based on where we think the storylines are going.
Regardless of whether or not the alligators are right, this year's Wrestlemania should be a blast, especially now that Daniel Bryan is cleared to compete. The big show takes place on Sunday, April 8 and the Kickoff Show should start at 5 PM ET/2 PM PT--the start time for the Kickoff Show has not been revealed yet. As of this writing, there are 11 matches on the card, including the first ever Women's Battle Royal match, which had its original name changed because of some controversy.
Far Cry 5 releases early next week for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, but eager players are able to get an early jump on downloading the game. Developer Ubisoft has now released the pre-load dates and times for all systems.
If you're playing on Xbox One, you'll be able to pre-load first as the game is now available for download (but not to play, obviously). PC players on both Uplay and Steam can also now do so as of March 23. And PlayStation 4 players can finally do so, though they had to wait the longest; the game wasn't available for pre-load until March 25.
Far Cry 5 officially releases on March 27. The game is garnering lots of attention for its narrative, which pits players against an apocalyptic, radical, Christian cult, run by a crazed figure known as The Father, who has authoritarian control over a small Montana town. The game is open world and will take about 25 hours to play through the main storyline.
Sea of Thieves, Microsoft's first big Xbox One console exclusive of the year and the long-awaited original game from Rare, finally arrived recently. Despite the variety of server and other issues it's suffered from, a number of us here at GameSpot have already spent a great deal of time with it. And while it's certainly an intriguing game, it does at times leave us wishing there were more to it, at least in the early going.
In the video above, three of our most seasoned pirates chat about their thoughts on the game so far. One of the challenges is how you play: While some find the solo experience enjoyable, it can prove frustrating. If your friends aren't available, joining others online randomly is not always a viable option, as it can be a crapshoot as to whether you end up in a group with people who are using microphones and are willing to cooperate.
We also discuss the game's unusual progression. The gold you accumulate through your journeys can be spent on ship "upgrades," different-looking weapons, and new outfits, but all of these things are purely cosmetic. This keeps players on a relatively level playing field, but it also means you may not be provided with the motivation you'd hope for.
Despite all of this, there is fun to be had in Sea of Thieves, particularly when playing with friends. Although you might not be incredibly driven to earn the gold necessary to buy a fancy new hat, the emergent fun of puking on a buddy or engaging in pirate-y hijinks is notable.
For more discussion on the game, watch the full video above. Our review is coming soon, but in the meantime, you can read up our impressions of it so far.
Like previous games, Far Cry 5 deals with some serious subject matter. Its story centers around a radical apocalyptic cult in a small Montana town that's led by a crazed figure known as The Father. For better or worse, its developers claim they weren't trying to offer a commentary on present-day issues by setting the game in the United States. And while the game's opening is certainly eerie, that's not a tone that's maintained throughout.
That's evidenced by nothing better than one side mission in particular, which you can check out in the video above. It tasks you with helping the town to prepare for an annual tradition, which sounds innocuous enough, only this tradition is something called the Testical Festival. I won't spoil it for you, but it involves a sequence that I think it's safe to say you haven't seen in a video game before.
You'll be able to see this for yourself in-game quite soon, as Far Cry 5 releases on March 27 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Despite the number in the title, this is far from the fifth entry in the series, as we explored in our recent look back at the history of Far Cry.
Far Cry 5's story should take you about 25 hours to complete, although that will of course depend greatly on how much you engage in side shenanigans such as this. If you'd prefer to make your own fun, Arcade mode lets you create some very different types of experiences.
It's a week of new sequels, and older sequels getting re-released. There's Far Cry 5, with all of its home-grown shooting action, and MLB The Show 18, which has a few new tricks tucked under its baseball cap. Meanwhile, Injustice 2 Legendary Edition gathers all of the comic fighting game's DLC into one package, while Outlast 2 creeps onto Nintendo Switch. As for originals, Long Gone Days takes a look at warfare through a very different lens.
Far Cry 5 -- March 27
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Far Cry 5 is looking to close out the month with a bang. The latest entry in the shooter series trades the typical exotic locale for a home-grown conflict in the American midwest. You'll be fighting to liberate an entire county from a gun-toting cult.
The latest iteration of America's favorite pastime brings a few changes to the franchise. Character customization is deeper than ever, even letting you tweak your batting stance. Diamond Dynasty, Franchise Mode, and Road to the Show are all revamped with tons of new options too.
If you missed your chance to throw down with DC's finest last year, this is the definitive way to jump in. Legendary Edition includes all the previously released DLC characters like Darkseid, Red Hood, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, plus a bunch of Premiere Skins.
Outlast 2 is creeping onto Nintendo Switch this week, so if you missed out on all the jump scares last year, now you can take the horror on the go. This version doesn't include any extras like HD Rumble support, but that doesn't change the scariness one bit.
Long Gone Days is a modern-day military RPG where your mission isn't quite what it seems--and not just because of the cool-looking first-person turn-based combat. After deserting the army, your personal mission to stop all war takes priority.
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