If you weren't already disappointed enough over the cancellation of Silent Hills, Guillermo del Toro made things a little worse this weekend, particularly if you're a fan of horror manga.
On Twitter, the director--who was working on the new Silent Hill along with Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima--revealed another noteworthy creative mind who was to contribute to the game. "Junji Ito, undisputed master of horror in Japan (along with Hino and Tsubaki) and our collaborator in Silent Hill (s)," he said in a message accompanied by the creepy image below.
He followed this up with another picture of Ito's work along with the words, "Kojima and myself are fans."
Ito is a Japanese manga artist known for his work on Tomie, Uzumaki, Gyo, and a number of other projects, some of which have since been adapted to movies.
First, Nintendo confirmed that the game will support download play. This allows people who do not own a copy of the game to play it, provided they are on the same local network as a friend who does. IGN reports that download play is available only in the game's three-player campaign mode--not the PvP Coliseum. In addition, people who don't own a copy of the game can create two in-game outfits, but they can only be based on ones designed by the game owner. These outfits, as well as items earned in dungeons, will transfer over if the download play user decides to buy the game.
Nintendo also confirmed today that Triforce heroes will have 32 total stages that you can play solo (with two AI companions called "Doppels") or with two others through online co-op. Nintendo made a point to mention that your co-op partners don't need to be on your 3DS friends list.
Triforce Heroes will have 36 outfits to collect, each sporting its own unique abilities to help you solve puzzles. Examples provided were the "Goron Garb" (lets Link swim in lava) and "Zora Costume" (allows Link to swim through water faster than usual). The game also includes "Phto Bro" in-game shop where you can post images to Miiverse and also unlock special Miiverse stamps that you can collect.
Even though there are three heroes and numerous costumes to wear, you can't play as a woman in Triforce Heroes, Nintendo announced earlier this year. For a closer look at the game, check out the video above.
Star Trek Beyond, the third film since the iconic sci-fi property rebooted in 2009, is currently in production. Idris Elba, star of Prometheus and The Wire,was confirmed as the film's villain back in July, and now the British actor has given some clues as to his role.
In an interview for MTV, Elba explained that the character broke new ground for him. "Simon [Pegg, who has co-written the film] and the team have written a very interesting, complex journey for my character," he said. "You've never seen me play a character like this. I think Star Trek has prided themselves as being quite classic when it comes to villains, like 'He's a guy who wants to end the world,' there's no doubt about that. But in this version of the film, there's a slightly different twist to that.
"It's quite an interesting journey, which I think is groundbreaking for the franchise. But, it still keeps with the 'classic bad guy is a classic bad guy' tone."
Last month, pictures leaked from the Vancouver production of Star Trek Beyond, showing actors Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, and Sofia Boutella on set.
The film is being directed by former Fast and Furious director Justin Lin, and also stars Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, and John Cho. It arrives in cinemas on July 22, 2016.
With Prison Architect leaving Steam early access in October, developer Introversion is adding a new mode where you have to escape from prison.
Appropriately titled Escape mode, you'll take control of a prisoner no different from those located in the prisons you'd ordinarily be designing. Introversion says it's not greatly expanding on what those prisoners are able to do; you'll essentially have the same tools and abilities at your disposal, though there are some new systems in place; you can earn experience by shanking a prison guard, for instance.
You can also form a gang while still in prison, but your ultimate goal is to get out. You can do this through direct means, like getting your hands on guns and shooting your way out, or you can choose to get tools to dig a tunnel to freedom.
Escape mode is compatible with all of the prisons that players have uploaded to the Steam Workshop, of which there are more than 11,000. You can see a demonstration of this in the video above (starting around 19:24).
Also coming for the game's proper launch is a new story for the standard mode. Four new chapters will tell the stories of characters like mobsters and politicians, with comic writer Christopher Hastings contributing to the story.
Both the new story and Escape mode will be available when Prison Architect officially launches on PC on October 6.
While job postings aren't always indicative of what a game studio is working on, newly discovered listings for positions at Rockstar studios offer some tantalizing teases for what the company may have in store.
Perhaps the most noteworthy of the bunch is one for a gameplay designer at Rockstar Toronto. As discovered by GamesRadar, qualifications for the job include "[a]dvanced physical and digital prototyping skills to establish the pillars of the asymmetrical cooperative stealth experience." It also mentions needing experience with destructible environments and tuning weapons and physics.
GTA V
There are references to "sandbox environments," too, and a programmer position at Rockstar NYC says the employee will "research and develop new animation technology for use in our large open-world character-based games."
It's possible that these two job postings (and a number of others) aren't all for the same project, but the fact that they are at different Rockstar studios doesn't preclude that possibility. Rockstar Toronto's past games have included PC versions of GTA IV, its first expansion, and The Warriors, while NYC is where Rockstar is headquartered.
At the same time, these postings could be outdated, inaccurate, or tied into updates for, say, Grand Theft Auto V. We know that's what the GTA team is focused on: Delivering new content for the Xbox One, PS4, and PC versions of the game which take advantage of those platforms' power now that Xbox 360 and PS3 aren't receiving major updates.
Developer Studio Wildcard on Monday released two new swamp- and snow-themed regions for PC dinosaur-survival game Ark: Survival Evolved. Players will find new creatures and items there, including a frog so big and powerful it can hop around with you on its back and the now-extinct Megaloceros deer.
Watch the video below to get a closer look at the new content now available in Ark. Read on for more detailed descriptions of the two new biomes.
Here's what to expect from each new region:
Swamp:
Prehistoric snakes, gators, bugs, and piranhas. A new "Beelzebufo" creature, a huge frog that you can ride and use its tongue to catch prey.
Poisonous plants are everywhere, but slogging through the mud may be worth your while as there is "unique plant life" in the muck to harvest for recipes.
Snow:
Players will need to wear heavy clothing to stay warm in the below-zero temperatures.
"Dire Wolves" prowl the terrain, trying to kill you. You can also tame them to help you hunt.
Megaloceros also live here, and you can ride them.
In addition, new furniture items are now available to buy to decorate your Ark home and base with, though these were not named outright.
Amazon Prime members can get a 3.5mm jack-equipped Xbox One controller with a Play & Charge Kit for $58. Just add the bundle to your cart (make sure it's the one sold by Amazon, not a third party) and proceed to checkout to see the discount.
Green Man Gaming has a sale on Rockstar games, offering GTA V for $48, Bully for $3.74, Max Payne 3 for $5, and more. You can save a further 23 percent on select games with promo code 23PERC-AUTUMN-SAVING.
The newest Humble Bundle featuring Total War games has one day left. Paying any price gets you a few games and beta access to Total War: Arena. Beating the average sale price gets you a couple more games, while paying $15 or more adds in Total War: Rome II and four DLC packs.
The latest Humble Weekly Bundle is the Fantastic Arcade bundle. You can get a handful of games no matter how much you spend, while ponying up $8 or more gets you everything, including Fez, Luftrausers, Hotline Miami, and Fract OSC.
Amazon prices are accurate as of publishing, but can fluctuate occasionally throughout the day.
GameSpot's gaming deals posts always highlight the best deals we can find regardless of retailer. We also occasionally use retailer affiliate links, which means that purchasing goods through those links helps support all the great content (including the deals posts) you find for free here on the site.
With the release of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection just around the corner, Naughty Dog has now revealed what the original character mode for Nathan Drake looked like and who he was modeled after.
The Verge has obtained the mesmerizing animated GIF below that depicts a Nathan Drake that was partially based on Johnny Knoxville of Jackass fame. We can definitely see the resemblance. However, this design was ultimately scuttled for the "more traditionally handsome" version seen in the franchise today.
Writer Josh Scherr, who has been with Naughty Dog since the inception of the Uncharted series, also reveals that about 20-30 actors auditioned for the role of Nathan Drake. But the part ultimately went to Nolan North, who had the ability to perform scenes of seriousness and levity better than anyone.
Also included in The Verge's story is the original pitch video for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, which was known at the time as Project Big. It's quite a sight to behold, showing off the game's high-level concepts, some of which would not make it into the final game.
Speaking at Europe's EGX convention this weekend, Naughty Dog community strategist Arne Meyer revealed that adding Golden Abyss to the collection was "definitely under consideration." However, it was ultimately decided that the three PS3 games--Drake's Fortune, Among Thieves, and Drake's Deception--would be sufficient to set up the story for 2016's Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
"We realized that those three games--the trilogy--actually provided a particular narrative arc that led into Uncharted 4," Meyer told Power Up Gaming. "We wanted to keep that as a holistic collection for that reason, and Golden Abyss kind of lives a little bit outside of that."
Golden Abyss is the only entry in the series (apart from the card game Uncharted: Fight for Fortune) developed outside of Naughty Dog. Reviews for the game were generally positive; GameSpot's review scored Golden Abyss a 7.
The Nathan Drake Collection launches on October 8 exclusively for PS4, though you can play a free demo starting September 29. In addition to 1080p/60fps versions of the three Uncharted games, players can look forward to, among other things, new difficulty options and a Photo Mode. Everyone who buys the collection also gets access to the Uncharted 4: A Thief's End multiplayer beta, which runs December 4-13 on PS4.
Van Halen isn't the only iconic band making their Rock Band debut in Rock Band 4. Harmonix on Monday announced that songs from another legendary rock group, U2, will be featured on the soundtrack.
The songs span U2's discography, starting with "I Will Follow" from the Irish rock band's 1980 debut album, Boy. Also included is "Cedarwood Road" from their latest record, 2014's Songs of Innocence. That album generated a lot of buzz, in part for the way it was released--free for all iPhone owners.
In the market for a new Xbox One and have some old systems you're willing to part with? If so, Best Buy has a new deal you may want to consider. Now through October 3, Best Buy will pay you as much as $150 in credit towards the purchase of a new Xbox One, meaning you can get the system for as little as $200.
Here's how it works. Trade in any workingXbox 360 or PlayStation 3 and you'll receive a $75 coupon. If that system is a Xbox 360 250 GB E Series model or the PS3 250 GB slim system, you get an additional $75, for a net of $150. Apply that to the starting cost of a new Xbox One ($350) and you can get a system for $200.
To be considered in working condition, consoles must be able to power on and can't be damaged or have their warranty seal broken. In addition, you'll need to include the console's AC adapter/power cord. Best Buy also warns that this offer is not available everywhere and some stores may have additional limitations. As always, it's a good move to call ahead before heading out. This trade-in promo is available in stores only.
More details about Best Buy's trade-in program are available here.
Looking for more gaming deals? Check back later today to see GameSpot's complete roundup of the day's best offers.
In addition, the bundle comes with an "exclusive" Tactical Survival Kit DLC pack, which features a new outfit, "upgraded abilities," and weapon skin for main character Lara Croft. The Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox One bundle will sell for $400 and launches on November 3, one week before the game arrives. Presumably, this will work like the Halo 5: Guardians bundle, and Rise of the Tomb Raider won't actually unlock until its official release date a week later. We've followed up with Microsoft in an attempt to confirm.
In the United States, the bundle will be sold exclusively through Microsoft Stores and Best Buy.
In a new interview, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End co-director Neil Druckmann sheds new light on the action-adventure game's themes. Specifically, he says the PlayStation 4 game will dive into Nathan Drake's personal dilemma between following his passion and spending time with the people he cares for.
"With Uncharted 4, as we were building it we were realizing more and more what the theme is: it's that balance between pursuing your passions and being with the ones you love, and what happens when you have to choose between those two things," Druckmann said in the latest issue of OPM(via PSU).
He added: "Is there a way to reconcile that? That's the message of this game, and everything is constructed around that very simple concept."
The upcoming game is the final entry in the series to star Nathan Drake. Looking to the future, Naughty Dog hasn't ruled out an Uncharted 5, but says it's "hard to imagine" the franchise without Drake.
The Pope's journey to the United States last week might have delayed some iPhone 6S shipments, but sales of the new smartphone line were stronger than ever. Apple has announced that it sold a record 13 million new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus phones in the three days following their release on September 25.
Sales are expected to grow soon, as the new phones will be available in 40 more countries, including Mexico, Russia, Spain, and Taiwan, starting October 9. By the end of the year, the new iPhone 6 models will be available in more than 130 countries around the world.
The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus were announced earlier this month. One of the biggest new features for the phones is 3D Touch, which Apple is calling the next evolution of multi-touch input.
Last week it was reported that the producers of the Fast and Furious franchise were having trouble finding a director for the eighth part of the long-running action series. Now producer/star Vin Diesel has issued a statement on Facebook, denying that this is the case, and stating that a new director would be announced soon.
The full post reads:
The fans of the Fast & Furious SAGA are the best fans in the world... Since I became the Producer in 2008, you have been with me every step of the way... literally giving me feedback that proved invaluable. Thank you.
My producing partner Neal would love for me to just sign off on a director, but this is too special a franchise, so these matters have to be very carefully handled. To be clear, NO ONE has been offered to helm Fast 8 yet... let alone seen a script.
Universal has been so good to me and so trusting of the vision... they have been like family... I promised the studio I would deliver one last Trilogy to end the saga.
I will announce the directors on my next post...
The initial story was broken by the Hollywood Reporter, who stated that previous directors James Wan and Justin Lin had both turned down offers to helm Furious 8, which is scheduled for a April 2017 release.
In addition, the article quoted sources who described Diesel as "extraordinarily difficult" to work with during the troubled production of Furious 7. Star Paul Walker was killed in a car crash halfway through shooting, with the movie completed using body doubles and visual effects.
Despite the problems, Furious 7 went on to become the biggest film in the series to date, earning more than $1.5 billion worldwide.
Like variety? Borderlands developer Gearbox Software's next game, Battleborn, sounds like it will have you covered. 2K Games on Monday released a new infographic that speaks to the numerous different hero characters you can play as and how many variations there are overall--in short, there are a lot.
Battleborn has 25 playable characters, which is more than Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel combined--even after more came as DLC for those games. All heroes have 10 levels and two skills per level, which combines for a total of 1,024 ways to play every character. In addition, there are 7,776 ways to reach full rank with every Battleborn hero, 2K says.
The biggest number of all, however, is 49,576,665,600. That's the total number of Battleborn's different hero and team configurations (7,776 ways to play X 6,375,600 team combinations). For more Battleborn numbers, check out the video above and the full infographic here.
The Battleborn release date is set for February 9 across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The game's story mode can be played totally alone, and also supports split-screen and online co-op. It also has a competitive multiplayer mode where teams of five can go head-to-head. The experience and items you earn in gameplay carry with you, regardless of which mode you're playing.
An open beta for Battleborn will be held prior to launch, though 2K hasn't announced yet when it will start.
In the wake of rumors that Konami was planning to mostly exit the AAA console gaming space, a community manager at the company now says "don't believe everything you read in the press." UK community manager Graham Day claims in a new interview that things have been "taken out of context" and also stresses that the Metal Gear Solid franchise can continue, even if Hideo Kojima is not a part of it.
In an interview with Game On Daily (via Videogamer) about Kojima's rumored departure from Konami, Day was asked directly if the Metal Gear Solid series can live on without Kojima. He replied: "Yeah, course it can. Metal Gear is about the story, it's about the characters..."
The interviewer then jumps in to say that Metal Gear Solid is Kojima's "baby" and that it would be tough for someone new to come in and steer the ship. Day cited Metal Gear Rising as an example of a third-party development team (Platinum Games) working on the franchise without direct, daily involvement from Kojima.
"That was an example of the title being taken in a new direction by separate teams with obviously hands-in from other parties," he explained. "And that was in itself a very, very good game as well, and that was obviously led by a completely different team."
Regarding Konami's rumored exit from AAA gaming (a report claimed Konami would cease development on all AAA projects outside of the PES series), Day said, "Don't believe everything you read in the press." Konami's commitment to console gaming has "never changed," he claimed.
"Things have been taken out of context but that's never changed," he explained. "Just because mobile gaming has been embraced, that doesn't mean everything else has to quit. Konami has a history of making the best games around and that is something that will continue. That won't change anything going forward. So people should believe in Konami, and if I was to use a tagline, PES 2016's tagline is 'Love the past, play the future.' And that is there for a reason. The future isn't ending now. The future has a long, long way."
Rockstar Games never seriously talked about bringing its 2010 western action game Red Dead Redemption to PC. That's according to Kris Roberts, who worked on the title as its lead multiplayer designer. He talked about the project recently while answering questions on a Twitch livestream for Forza 6.
Roberts said Red Dead Redemption was developed in a PC environment, but the game was "pretty much always" going to be a console game only. He added that he was "super shocked" that Rockstar made a PC edition of Grand Theft Auto V, which was released 18 months after the console edition originally shipped.
"I don't think there was ever an intention to have a PC version of Red Dead Redemption," Roberts said. "I was actually super shocked that they did a PC version of Grand Theft Auto V. Obviously in development, we were all PC-based and had it running for win32 clients for the entire development. But as far as the licensing for the consoles and stuff, it was pretty much always going to be a Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 title. To the best of my recollection, we never even seriously talked about optimizing it for PC."
Roberts no longer works for Rockstar. He now serves as vehicle design specialist on H1Z1 for Daybreak Game Company, formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment.
His comments don't completely rule out Red Dead Redemption coming to PC. He left Rockstar in 2010 and it's possible Rockstar has reconsidered the idea, though this is not confirmed.
A fortuitous purchase of an old debug Xbox has unearthed an unreleased South Park game.
The existence of the game was first revealed in August 2014 by Qixmaster, who posted on the NintendoAge forum about it.
"Just purchased an Xbox dev kit and was going through the files and found two separate xbe binary files title [titled] spark," he said. "Game is something I have never seen or heard of."
At the time, Qixmaster noted that the gameplay is "very buggy and incomplete," but described it as similar to GTA and Simpsons Hit and Run. YouTube user HappyConsoleGamer has since conducted a more thorough examination of the South Park title and released a video about it. Watch below.
Given the unfinished nature of the code, the game frequently crashes and is filled with incomplete textures and mechanics. Still, it provides a look at a number of sections from the game, including a Find the Show quest inside Cartman's house.
A combat system where Carman is shown hitting dogs with dive kicks and Shoryukens is also shown, along with a vehicle section in a school bus, and a character test mission in which Kenny was playable.
Series creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are once again collaborating closely with Ubisoft on the project.
While The Stick of Truth riffed on the fantasy role-playing genre, The Fractured But Whole uses the superhero genre for its inspiration. The trailer makes obvious references to Marvel's Avengers movies.
When Avengers: Age of Ultron was released earlier this year, writer/director Joss Whedon revealed that his first cut of the superhero adventure was considerably longer than what ended up in cinemas.
One of the key moments that was changed was the Norn Cave sequence. In the original version, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) discovers how to use the Infinity Stones to defeat the evil robot Ultron, when he steps into a pool and becomes possessed by the mystical Norns. Now Marvel have released the scene. Check it out below:
In an interview with Empire in May, Whedon explained why this sequence was cut from the final version of the movie. "Chris got to do something different, and he really threw himself into it, and he did a beautiful job, but it wasn't well regarded by the test audiences," he said. "I feel it's probably largely because it was a rough cut with no effects, but also because it's something that in a Thor movie would work brilliantly, but in this movie is just a little too left of centre.
"I came up with what I felt was a huge win: it's about Thor getting answers without having to answer the questions, and Chris gets to do something exciting as an actor, and he's got his f**king shirt off, so everybody wins! I do feel like they threw out the baby with the pond water, because I tried to set it up so people would accept it when it happens."
Avengers: Age of Ultron has made $1.4 billion at the box office since its release in May, and now stands as the sixth most successful film of all time. The next Avengers film, Avengers: Infinity War Part I, is scheduled for release on May 4, 2018.
Harmonix has announced that the first "major feature update" for Rock Band 4 will land in December, adding, among other things, new social and competitive features along with "Variable Breakneck Speed." This update, which is free, will land on December 8 across PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Variable Breakneck Speed is arguably the biggest feature of the update. It allows players to control how fast notes speed across each track independent of one another. Harmonix says this is a long-requested feature by Rock Band players. It's a first for the Rock Band franchise.
Harmonix CEO Steve Janiak added: "We already have a team hard at work building new features for the platform, some based on player feedback, along with some surprises, including a new mode that changes gameplay in a really significant way that we think people are going to love."
As announced previously, Rock Band 4 is the only Rock Band game that Harmonix plans to ship on Xbox One and PS4. Instead, Harmonix sees Rock Band 4 as more of a platform that the studio will add new features to through future updates, like the one coming in December.
"This first feature update is just the beginning; we can't wait to share more details after launch," Rock Band 4 product manager Daniel Sussman said.
CD Projekt Red has released new screenshots for The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone, the first paid expansion for its acclaimed role-playing game.
The images show some of the characters that will feature in the expansion--including returning love interest Shani--as well as some new environments. To avoid spoilers, CD Projekt Red has blurred out text and maps.
Hearts of Stone is expected to deliver about 10 hours of gameplay, comprised of new characters, powerful monsters, a unique romance, and a brand new storyline shaped by player choices.
Players will venture into an area called No Man's Land, and another called Oxenfurt. Quests assigned by the "mysterious Man of Glass" will be Geralt of Rivia's main concern here.
"Step again into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster slayer, this time hired to defeat a ruthless bandit captain, Olgierd von Everec, a man who possesses the power of immortality," the Hearts of Stone description reads.
"The expansion lets you choose your own path through an experience that includes recruiting a crew of break-in artists, spending a night partying with a ghost, and outsmarting the most bizarre creatures Geralt has ever faced."
Hearts of Stone also includes a new "Runeworld" system that its developer says "significantly" affects gameplay.
"Each Runeword will impact different aspects of in-game mechanics, allowing players to experiment with various strategies and tactics."
EA's lucrative soccer series FIFA 16 has debuted at No.1 on the UK all format chart for the week ending 26 September.
According to sales monitor Char-Track, the latest entry in the series sold seven percent less than FIFA 15 had on its first week.
At second spot is Destiny: The Taken King, which moves down one place to make way for EA's new sports sim. Also moving down one spot is Forza Motorsport 6, which finishes at third.
The remaining games in the top ten is a reshuffle of last week's entires. Elsewhere in the top 40, the fantasy sports strategy Blood Bowl II debuts at 15, while the PlayStation 4 exclusive Driveclub returns to the chart at 23.
This chart does not include digital sales data, and thus should not be considered fully representative of all UK game sales.
Within the first two hours of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's upcoming expansion, I fought three bosses, angered a royal family, prevented a beheading, committed a beheading, battled the spirits of a legendary bloodline, and attended a wedding while possessed by a sarcastic ghost.
There are still eight more hours of content I haven't touched.
Hearts of Stone, The Witcher 3's first paid expansion, bolsters a game that didn't need any help to begin with. But as with the rest of CD Projekt Red's massive RPG, the new content is well written, well paced, and replete with vibrant characters offering nuanced quests. I'm hesitant to detail my journey too much, as spoilers would ruin its impact--but this expansion seems to have it all: backstabbing, political intrigue, and even comic relief.
This new content is also easy to access in the open world. The recommended character level sits around 30, CD Projekt told us during a recent demo, and can be completed before or after you finish the main game. In fact, you initiate it much like any number of side quests: by reading a notice on a town bulletin board. From there, it propels you forward, introducing new characters and storylines with various options outside of the main narrative. GameSpot host Danny O'Dwyer played the expansion as well, and experienced content I didn't see at all.
Both of us, however, accepted the same Witcher contract on the same town's bulletin board. Rumors existed of a malicious beast attacking people in the sewers, and someone named Olgierd von Everec wanted it dead. And as a Witcher, protagonist Geralt was the one best equipped to get the job done.
But as is often the case in The Witcher 3, things took a sharp turn. I met Shani, a scholar from previous Witcher titles, whose motives for chasing the beast were unclear. Shani's dialogue is sharp and cutting--you can tell she's smarter than Geralt--and that gap affects conversations more than once. I got the sense Shani was dumbing down her vocal skills on purpose. I also got the sense that Geralt noticed. And much of the give-and-take between them, these two characters who've known each other for the entire trilogy, was endearing and sincere.
But there was still a beast to track, so we slogged through the sewers until we found it. And it was massive. Unlike other monsters, this one didn't fall into the archetypes other Witcher contracts might: this wasn't a wraith, or griffin, or drowner. This was something else. And again, I don't want to spoil anything, but as a boss fight, this creature was versatile and difficult to bring down. But when I finally finished it, the story took another sharp turn. As it turns out, von Everec, the contract giver, had ulterior motives of his own. At this point, I stopped trying to analyse Hearts of Stone, and let it pull me forward on its own whims.
It was here when the expansion's breadth of content made itself known. There are various paths to go down, and differing plot threads to chase. I took another quest from von Everec, who asked me to bring his brother out for a day of partying, which brought us both to a wedding. This scene was among CD Projekt Red's best, with hilarious encounters well suited for some sort of fantasy sitcom. It also served as welcome comic relief.
My co-worker Danny chose a different quest involving a heist. He gathered a crew, walked through the planning stages, and carried out the scheme to great effect. And charming as the wedding was--I can't wait to see the heist myself.
The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone is full of varied quests to follow, and striking characters to meet. There's so much I can't share, but only because the expansion is so story driven, and laced with powerful moments throughout my two hours. It's also well paced, a facet that's hard to come by in an open-world RPG, wherein players have every chance to venture off the beaten path. There's no shortage of promising games releasing this fall. But judging by the time I spent with it, Hearts of Stone deserves just as much attention on October 13.
Downloadable content for Fallout 4 will not be exclusively tied to any single platform, according to Bethesda marketing executive Pete Hines.
Hines was asked on Twitter whether additional downloadable content for the studio's upcoming open-world RPG would be available on Xbox One first, or if it would be available on all platforms simultaneously.
"We aren't doing a DLC exclusive with anyone," Hines replied.
Bethesda previously announced it will offer a $30 Fallout 4 Season Pass that comes with "all of the Fallout 4 DLC we ever do." Although the studio doesn't yet know what form this content may take, it has said it won't be available until 2016.
"Since we're still hard at work on the game, we don't know what the actual DLC will be yet, but it will start coming early next year," it said. "Based on what we did for Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Skyrim, we know that it will be worth at least $40, and if we do more, you'll get it all with the Season Pass."
It is also planning "regular free updates" to the game which are designed to fix problems that crop up and also introduce new features, much like it did with previous titles. Skyrim, for example, was updated to introduce a kill cam, a legendary mode, and more.
"We'll work with all of you to figure out what new things you'd love to see added to Fallout 4, whether they are small tweaks or new features," Bethesda said.
Also arriving in "early" 2016 is Fallout 4's Creation Kit, which has been described as the same tool Bethesda's own designers use at the studio to create content for the game. The kit will allow people to make mods, some of which will then come to Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Publisher Ubisoft has announced the closed beta for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege has been extended until October 1.
Eligible participants for the beta recently found they were unable to join due to high levels of traffic. This meant that many had to wait to be granted access. According to a post on the official Ubisoft forum, the publisher has tried to implement a better entry system, and has extended the beta to make up for the issues.
"We are now utilising alternative invite distribution tools that should help speed up the process. Sometimes the emails wind up in your spam folder so be sure to check there as well," it said.
"The good news is that for those who have received their access, the experience has been trending positively.
"We've been getting good feedback on the content of the beta, and matchmaking and server stability have already been improved. There are still a few issues to work out, of course, and we will continue to do that over the course of the beta."
It continued: "Given the current situation, we've made the decision to extend the Closed Beta by three days. It will run through Thursday, October 1st."
A Rainbow Six Siege FAQ has revealed the closed beta is running at 1080p on PlayStation 4 and 900p on Xbox One, while the PC version will fluctuate between 720p and 1080p depending on how the hardware performs.
Ubisoft has moved to assure that this could still improve before the game is released.
The publisher said: "We're still looking to push the hardware as much as possible in order to deliver a quality experience for players and will be able to share more about the final resolution once we're closer to release date."
Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony's worldwide studios, has discussed the possibility of bringing back futuristic racing series Wipeout,
Speaking at a Q&A session during EGX in London, as reported by VG247, Yoshida was asked whether the series, which was developed by now defunct Studio Liverpool, could return and replied "never say never."
"There are many IPs that we kind of stopped iterating with new games," he continued. "One of the reasons is we always love to work on new IP.
"From my standpoint I try to balance the number of games in a franchise. In the future there might be a chance to come back to a game like Wipeout."
Sony closed studio Liverpool in 2012 and, in a statement made at the time, Sony explained the change was deemed necessary due to an "increasingly competitive marketplace."
It said: "Liverpool Studio has been an important part of SCE Worldwide Studios since the outset of PlayStation, and have contributed greatly to PlayStation over the years. Everyone connected with Liverpool Studio, past and present, can be very proud of their achievements.
"However, it was felt that by focusing our investment plans on other Studios that are currently working on exciting new projects, we would be in a stronger position to offer the best possible content for our consumers."
At the time of its closure Studio Liverpool was reportedly working on multiple titles for the PlayStation 4, including a new Wipeout entry which had been in development for 12-18 months, and was to be "dramatically different," as well as a Splinter Cell-style action game.
Later during the Q&A session, Yoshida provided an update on Sony Bend Studio, famed for the Syphon Filter series.
"Sony Bend exists," he said. "They are making [an] awesome cool game that we have not announced. I'm not allowed to say."
In January 2015, Sony Bend technical director Christopher Reese said the studio's unannounced PlayStation 4 game is going to "push the PS4 somewhere it's never been before."
He said: "I think the thing I'm most excited about is the fact we're doing a PS4 game, and it's next-gen, and to me that means we face the challenges of reaching a quality bar that's going to make for an awesome experience for the player.
"Being able to do that, as a small studio in central Oregon [US], but as a fully-owned studio with PlayStation's full support, means we can reach a quality bar that's really really high. We're looking for badass coders to help us push the PS4 somewhere it's never been before."
Microsoft has unveiled a new TV spot for the upcoming Halo 5: Guardians on its YouTube channel. The trailer is titled "A Hero Falls" and centres on a speech announcing the death of Halo series protagonist, Master Chief. You can watch the full video above.
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