With Mass Effect: Andromeda's release date coming up soon, BioWare today announced new bonuses for the game's Deluxe ($70) and Super Deluxe ($100) versions. As outlined in a blog post, people who buy those editions get extra digital content that will become available in May. This includes:
1 exclusive Multiplayer Pack – featuring your highest chance of getting an Ultra-Rare item
2 additional custom Nomad Skins – explore open worlds in style
1 additional Pathfinder Casual outfit – perfect for your romance ambitions
This is in addition to previously announced extra content for the Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions such as a Pathfinder Causal outfit, Scavenger armor, a Pathfinder elite weapon set (containing four weapons), a pet Pyjak, the game's soundtrack, and the multiplayer deluxe launch pack, which comes with "a set of weapons and equipment."
The Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions also include the preorder bonuses for the standard edition, which consist of the Deep Space explorer armor, five 50 percent XP booster packs for multiplayer, and a Nomad skin.
People who buy the Super Deluxe Edition also get multiplayer super deluxe booster packs, which provide a weekly premium pack for 20 weeks.
A sequel to 2011's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is moving forward. Sony announced today that the new movie, Spider's Web, will hit theaters on October 5, 2018, according to BuzzFeed.
Production is set to begin in September. Confirming an earlier report, Sony announced that Don't Breathe director Fede Alvarez will direct Spider's Web, which will feature an "entirely new cast."
The David Fincher-directed Girl With the Dragon Tattoo featured Daniel Craig as author/investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist, with Rooney Mara playing the central character Lisbeth Salander. They will both be replaced for Spider's Web. A "global search" is underway for Salander, Sony said.
"I'm hugely excited and grateful for this opportunity," Alvarez said in a statement to BuzzFeed. "Sony has become family to me, and I can't think of a more thrilling project to celebrate our relationship. Lisbeth Salander is the kind of character any director dreams of bringing to life. We've got a great script and now comes the most fun part--finding our Lisbeth."
The wording of this statement suggests that Sony may have already found someone to take over for Craig in the role of Blomkvist.
2011's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Film Editing, while Mara earned a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
It made around $233 million from a $90 million budget, but this was ultimately what co-financiers MGM described as a "modest loss." Fincher's film followed the acclaimed Swedish adaptations of Larsson's three Millennium books, which starred Noomi Rapace as Salander.
In November, Sony announced that Spider's Web was being "fast-tracked." The movie is based on the David Lagercrantz novel, who continued the Stieg Larsson series after the author died in 2004.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild holds many secrets within its open world, and if YouTuber Seaniccus is right, one such secret is an homage to the late Nintendo president and CEO Saturo Iwata.
Close to the game's opening area, a Watchman named Botrick can be found. As you can see below, Botrick bears a striking resemblance to Iwata, which Seaniccus suggests is a deliberate move by Nintendo to pay tribute to its leader, who passed away in 2015.
Iwata passed away partway through Breath of the Wild's development, and during his 13 years in charge of Nintendo, he oversaw multiple Zelda titles, including The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and A Link Between Worlds. It's clear the Zelda team was close to Iwata: In an interview with The New Yorker, Breath of the Wild's director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, said, "When he passed away, there were moments we'd come up with an idea which we'd be excited to talk to Iwata about. Then we'd remember he was no longer here." It would make sense, therefore, for the group to want to pay tribute.
The potential Iwata homage isn't the only secret in Breath of the Wild. There's a hidden survival island for one--check out our Let's Play of that here. For more on the open world game, check out some of our other coverage below.
Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events is getting a second season. This was confirmed today in a note written by the fictional character Lemony Snicket and published on this viral marketing site.
"It has come to my attention that, despite my repeated warnings, you have viewed the Netflix adaptation of my distressing work, known collectively as A Series of Unfortunate Events," Snicket wrote. "Some of you have even binged, a word which here means, 'Watched several episodes right in a row, despite having much better things to do with your time.'"
The note goes on: "To my horror, Netflix has been encouraged by this, and funneled their ill-gotten gains toward a second season of this unhappy and unnerving series."
You can read the full note below. No date has been set for the Season 2 premiere, nor do we know anything about the plot or potential new cast members.
The first season of A Series of Unfortunate Events premiered in January behind a lot of praise, including high marks from GameSpot. Netflix does not disclose viewership numbers for any of its shows.
A Series of Unfortunate Events stars Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as Count Olaf and Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld) as Lemony Snicket.
It has come to my attention that, despite my repeated warnings, you have viewed the Netflix adaptation of my distressing work, known collectively as 'A Series of Unfortunate Events.' Some of you have even binged, a word which here means, 'Watched several episodes right in a row, despite having much better things to do with your time.'
To my horror, Netflix has been encouraged by this, and funneled their ill-gotten gains toward a second season of this unhappy and unnerving series. Even as we speak, set buildings, costume designers, and trauma specialists are snapping into action, the better to bring you even more upsetting episodes, all because of your reputed enthusiasm for this grim so-called family programming.
I hope you're happy. Because you won't be, ever again.
PlayStation Now will soon expand its streaming catalog to include PlayStation 4 games, Sony announced today.
Starting "soon," PlayStation Now subscribers on both PS4 and PC will have access to PS4 games in addition to the huge library of PS3 games that is already available. These will be included as part of the standard subscription, not as some kind of premium add-on, and there's no indication--at least at this point--that the service's price ($20/month or $45/three months) will be going up.
That said, no specific games have been confirmed as of yet, but it seems safe to assume they'll be smaller or older games, rather than something like Horizon: Zero Dawn.
Before PS4 games go live for all PlayStation Now members, Sony will launch a "private test" that will be open to select subscribers in the "next few weeks." Those chosen will be notified by email.
"Jaal is a very cards-on-the-table, heart-on-the-sleeve kind of guy," writer Cathleen Rootsaert explains. "So that can make your interactions with him very fun and interesting."
When you first encounter Jaal, he's a member of the Angaran resistance, which is fighting a long war with the Khet and emboldened by its new leader, Ephra. Jaal accompanies you because the Angara don't trust humans. That's because the last group they met, the Khet, have only done bad things to them.
"It's kind of a really nice journey to watch him grow from someone who is not so sure of himself to someone who is. And that very much mirrors the journey of the Pathfinder as well," Rootsaert says.
GameStop has brought back a promotion for members of its PowerUp Pro program that allows them to save $10 on certain games.
Pro members can now head to a GameStop store to pick up the Spring Pro Gaming Pass for $10. By doing so, they'll receive coupons to save $10 off select games, including Mass Effect: Andromeda and Prey, when they purchase them within 30 days of release. This only applies to the standard, physical versions of each game; any deluxe or digital versions don't count.
Here's the full list of games included in the promotion, and the dates that the coupon for each is valid until:
This is a good deal for those planning to pick up more than one of these games through GameStop. That said, Best Buy's Gamers Club Unlocked arguably presents a better value, as it allows you to take 20 percent off the price of games for two years for $30. Amazon offers an identical discount to Prime members, although that's only available on preorders up through the first two weeks after a game's release.
You can read more about GameStop's new offer on its website.
The game will be available physically and digitally in North America and Europe, Capcom said in its announcement on Twitter. Pricing was not announced, nor were any details provided about what might be new for the current-generation console port. More information is "coming soon."
Resident Evil Revelations is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One physical and digital (NA and EU) Fall 2017! More information coming soon. pic.twitter.com/RnhFbk3xvE
Revelations was released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC in 2013. The story is set between the events of Resident Evil 4 and 5 and features the characters Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine.
GameSpot's Revelations review scored the game an 8.5/10. "Resident Evil: Revelations is a thoroughly successful crossbreeding of old-school chills and new-school action," reviewer Jane Douglas said.
Though the launch of the Nintendo Switch has been a successful one for the Japanese publisher, it seems the console is now faced with low stock worldwide.
The device experienced a record-breaking opening few days, but at least one retailer isn't sure when the hybrid device will be back in stock. "We are in communications with Nintendo, but there is not a confirmed date as of yet," one anonymous UK manager told MCV. "With Mario Kart coming in April, I would hope there would be more [Switch console] stock before then but that's not been confirmed."
Fellow UK retailer GameSeek told the magazine that stock levels had already hit "zero." The online shop wasn't able to sell any more units of the console over the weekend as it simply "wasn't on sale," according to the store's managing director, Stephen Staley.
In the US, Amazon is currently out of Nintendo Switch stock, with third-party sellers advertising the console for upwards of $400 (its MSRP is US $300 / £280 / AU $470). GameStop, meanwhile, is also out of stock; only a $600 bundle launching on April 16 is available to purchase.
Australian stores such as EB Games do seem to have Switch stock, but the console is a little harder to come by in the UK. Both the gray and neon color variants are currently unavailable at Game and Amazon UK, with the latter saying it will receive stock on March 31. On its website, Game states, "At this time we have not received official confirmation of the next stock delivery of this product from Nintendo. Please pre-order and we will notify you of your delivery date once the delivery of stock has been confirmed."
The challenge remains, however, to maintain the flow of units throughout 2017 as the console's games lineup improves. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe launches on April 28, before Arms arrives at some point in spring and Splatoon 2 in the summer--these will likely drive further interest in the hybrid console.
GameSpot has contacted Nintendo for comment on the stock shortages; we'll update if we hear back.
Battlefield 1's first paid expansion, They Shall Not Pass, comes out tomorrow, March 14, for people who own the game's Premium pass. The DLC arrives in the game through an update that all players will need to download. Now, DICE has confirmed when the update goes live on all platforms and how much downtime players can expect.
In a post on the Battlefield forums, DICE explained that the mandatory update will go live on PC at 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET / 7 AM GMT on March 14. On PlayStation 4, the update arrives at 2 AM PT / 5 AM ET / 9 AM GMT, with Xbox One getting the update at 4 AM PT / 7 AM ET / 11 AM GMT. In all cases, multiplayer will be unavailable for a period of one hour as the update is applied.
We'll report back with the full patch notes when they are released.
Battlefield 1's They Shall Not Pass adds the French army and four France-set maps, as well as new weapons, items, and a Behemoth. A new mode called Frontlines is also included. You can watch GameSpot's video above to learn everything you need to know about it.
They Shall Not Pass is exclusive to Premium owners until March 28 when it will be available for everyone else to buy.
The Spring update for Planet Coaster has been revealed, and it introduces a variety of new content for free in about a month's time.
Among the new attractions are three new rollercoasters, including the game's first suspended swinging coaster and two new shuttle coasters. There's also a go-kart ride, which allows you to create your own tracks, and three new flatrides. You can see a full list of these with descriptions below.
Potentially more interesting than more rides is a new crime system. Thieves will come to the park to rob other guests of their money, while disappointed visitors "may vandalize park scenery," which sounds like a hilarious reaction to a subpar theme park visit.
To curb this kind of activity, you'll need to invest in CCTV cameras and a security staff. Not addressing the problem will cause guest happiness to drop.
All of this arrives as part of the free Spring update on April 11. This update follows last year's Winter update, which introduced new rides, shops, and winter-themed objects.
Spring Update Contents
New Rollercoasters
Steel Hydra: Feel the G-force aboard Planet Coaster's first suspended swinging coaster.
Trident: Go there and back again with the first of Planet Coaster's two new shuttle coasters.
Bakasura: Trident's bigger, badder brother is a thrilling inverted boomerang coaster.
New Tracked Ride
'Speed' Go Karts: Design your own karting tracks using Planet Coaster's powerful track editor and see your guests put pedal to the metal! Who will win and who will spin?
New Flatrides
Elixir Machine: 360 degrees of spinning, swinging, twisting, upside-down insanity.
Big Wheel: An iconic favorite from the golden age of theme parks.
ZoZo: The long-armed ZoZo is another addition to Planet Coaster's lineup of vintage classics.
New Feature
Crime and security: Dissatisfied guests may vandalize park scenery, and pickpockets will infiltrate your park to steal other guests' cash. Keep your law-abiding guests safe with security staff and CCTV cameras.
Will Samuel L. Jackson reprise his role as Nick Fury in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War? The actor apparently does not know. In a chat with Collider, the interviewer said it's known that Fury is in the movie, but Jackson said he hasn't been told yet if that's actually the case.
"You know that?! How do you know that, and I don't know that?! You know that, for real?!" he said to the interviewer.
Asked what he's most excited about for Infinity War, Jackson said he doesn't know since he hasn't heard if he'll be in it. "I keep asking, 'Am I in Infinity War?'" he said.
Filming on Infinity War is currently underway in Atlanta, with a number of cast members, including Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), and Tom Holland (Spider-Man) seen on set already.
But when will Jackson head down to shoot his scenes, if he is indeed in the movie? "I don't know," he said, providing a flat-out "no" when asked if he'd been given a date to report to set.
The first footage of Infinity War was released last month--watch it here.
"Avengers: Infinity War is the culmination of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe that started in May 2008 with Iron Man," Marvel boss Kevin Feige said last month. "Thanos shows us why he is the biggest, the best, the baddest villain that we've ever had. And the most frightening villain that the Avengers have ever faced."
Directed by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018. In other news, it was recently confirmed that actor Terry Notary, who plays the massive CG beast King Kong in Kong Skull: Island, will play one of Thanos' henchmen in Infinity War.
A new Doctor Who poster has been revealed, along with the announcement that a new trailer for the upcoming Series 10 will be released later today, March 13.
The poster shows off Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, in his last series as the legendary sci-fi character. In addition, new companion Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie) and returning favourite Nardole (Matt Lucas) also featured. The trio are holding on to the TARDIS above what looks to be a burning alien planet.
As for the trailer, the 60-second video will air during the half-time break of the Manchester United vs Chelsea FA Cup match on BBC One. That means it will appear within 15 minutes of 8:30 PM GMT / 1:30 PM PT / 4:30 PM ET, and will hopefully be available online soon after. We'll embed the trailer here as soon as we can get our hands on it.
The last tidbit is that the first episode of the new series, which starts on April 15, is called The Pilot.
The upcoming season is to be both Capaldi and showrunner Steven Moffat's last. The pair are departing after three and six seasons in their current roles, respectively. Moffat, who serves as head writer and executive producer, will step down at the end of Series 10, to be replaced by Chris Chibnall, who previously contributed episodes such as 42 and The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood.
Capaldi's replacement, meanwhile, is currently unknown, with Ben Whishaw, Richard Ayoade, Rory Kinnear, and Rupert Grint tipped to step in.
Atomic Blonde is a new action thriller from David Leitch, who co-directed John Wick and will helm the upcoming Deadpool 2. It stars Charlize Theron as a deadly spy causing all sorts of mayhem in late '80s Berlin. Check it out below:
Atomic Blonde is set for release on July 28 and also stars James McAvoy (Split, X-Men: Days of Future Past), John Goodman (Kong: Skull Island), Sofia Boutella (Star Trek Beyond), and Toby Jones (Captain America).
The movie's synopsis reads: "Agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on an impossible mission. Sent alone into Berlin to retrieve a priceless dossier from within the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival (McAvoy) to navigate her way through a deadly game of spies."
Back in the Groove was successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2015, when people donated more than $500,000 to make it happen. Johnson and his team at Humanature Studios are developing it.
Back in the Groove is being published by Adult Swim Games, a division of the TV network. It is due out this year on all platforms, though a specific release date has not been announced.
As you can see in the gameplay video below (starting at around 7:45), Firestorm is a far-range character who can fire projectiles to attack from distance, including fireballs and torpedoes.
Firestorm is just the latest confirmed character for Injustice 2. You can see all the confirmed characters in GameSpot's previous coverage here.
Injustice 2 launches for PS4 and Xbox One on May 16. In other news, an Injustice 2 mobile game has been announced. Additionally, NetherRealm recently discussed the game's gear system--read GameSpot's interview feature below to learn more.
Games have allowed players to create their own spells before--that was the basic concept of Magicka--but I've never seen a system quite like the one featured in Mages of Mystralia.
On the surface, Mystralia plays out a lot like a Zelda game. You set out on a quest that has you squaring off against enemies, smashing jars to restore health and mana, and collecting treasure. You'll face puzzles where you have to find a way to light a hard-to-reach torch, avoid traps, or defeat all of the enemies in a room before you can proceed. It's fairly standard fare in that regard.
Where Mystralia becomes something more than a Zelda clone is with its spells. Rather than a hookshot, bow and arrow, or bombs, you acquire four different magic spells: a fireball, shield, electric melee attack, and a ground-freeze. On their own, these are extremely simple, as a fireball merely sits in place until it makes contact with the enemy, while the melee is a basic cleave.
Over the course of the game, you'll earn a wide variety of modifications for these spells, allowing you to potentially create millions of combinations according to developer Borealys Games. No doubt many of those are only slight variations, but they can be substantially different, and the level of customization at your disposal is impressive.
Early on in my time with the game, the modifications were as simple as making the fireball shoot in a line. Before long, I could shoot multiple fireballs at once or cause them to fire out at a curve (which will undoubtedly be useful for puzzles), or turn my shield into a dash that leaves behind a clone to attract enemies.
These mods are lumped into three categories: behaviors, augments, and triggers. You're not limited to using any one mod, and it's the ways in which you can combine these--particularly the Impact trigger, which causes a spell to then cast another one once it hits something--where things get exciting. Using this, I created an attack that launched five homing fireballs out in a line. Upon hitting something, it would then trigger this same spell to cast again, creating a devastating loop. I also watched a developer create one where you'd dash to create a clone that casts three fireballs that bounce off walls, and those would trigger another spell that causes boulders to fall from the ceiling. (You can see all of this in the video above.)
While you have a good deal of freedom in creating spells, there are some limitations. The customization screen presents you with a sort of grid centered around a spell. The spell and each mod has arrows pointing in certain directions, and in order to take effect, mods need to be connected back to the spell itself in some way. This turns spell-creation into a puzzle of its own.
Your mana pool also forces you to account for more than just what would be cool on paper. Everything from the basic melee spell to the crazy ones I outlined above cost some amount of mana. Creating a hugely powerful one that consumes all of your mana can leave you vulnerable, as a dash or shield spell then can't be used to escape danger until you regenerate enough mana. Spells that trigger additional spells can easily suck up your mana, as each subsequent cast requires mana.
Even with these restrictions, it's still possible to "break" the game. After trying a more traditional approach against a boss at the end of my demo, I equipped the fire spell I described above and instantly wiped out the boss's remaining health (which was still nearly 75 percent full). That might sound like a recipe for an exceedingly easy game. Business development manager Dan Adelman, who is working with Borealys after helping shepherd indie darling Axiom Verge to success, noted that such a spell needs to be well-timed (in addition to well-designed) in order to legitimately one-hit the boss. Even so, Borealys isn't looking to stomp out these kinds of possibilities.
"If someone can come up with a spell that can do that--like, they think it through and they figured out how to do that, then more power to them," Adelman explained. "But that's why we're doing a lot of beta testing. Since there are potentially millions of spells you can make, we want to see if there is something that's really game-breaking. Being able to one-shot kill a boss isn't really game-breaking if they thought it through. That's kind of the game: can I outsmart the game? But if by doing a spell, you can bypass an entire area [where] you needed this thing and you didn't realize that, that wouldn't be fun."
Even if Mystralia does prove to be a cakewalk if you manage to create incredibly powerful skills, it looks as if experimenting with the spell-creation system will still make for an enjoyable experience. If it can provide a challenging journey over its 15 hours, Mystralia could turn out to be something special.
With its release now just days away, a new behind-the-scenes video for Beauty and the Beast has come online. This newest video shows off some of the magical movie's spectacular sets and costumes, including Belle's iconic blue and yellow dresses.
Academy Award-winning costumer designer Jacqueline Duran (Pride & Prejudice) worked on Beauty and the Beast. The costumes are inspired by those seen in the 1991 animated original, though some changes have been made. "I can think of very few dresses that are as iconic as that yellow dress," Belle actress Emma Watson says.
The dress features gold leaf designs and Swarovski crystals, Duran explains. It's seen in the movie during the sequence where Belle and Beast (Dan Stevens) dance together. "We wanted the dress to feel like it could float--and it does," Watson says.
Belle's blue dress, meanwhile, now has pockets so she can carry around books. Additionally, it's been altered so she can ride her horse more easily and comfortably.
Beauty and the Beast opens on March 17, directed by Bill Condon (Twilight series). It also stars Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, and Stanley Tucci.
Rocket League developer Psyonix today announced the game will receive another new match type later this month. "Dropshot" launches on March 22 and, as with previous additions, will be free to all players.
Unlike standard Rocket League--which largely follows the traditional rules of soccer--or the basketball-inspired Hoops update, Dropshot does not directly emulate an existing sport. According to the developers, it was originally inspired by volleyball but gradually morphed into an entirely original concept as the team worked to make the mode accessible to all skill levels while still retaining the game's signature physics.
Dropshot matches take place in a hexagonal arena that's divided down the middle and overlaid with a grid of smaller hexagons. There are no fixed goals or scoring areas; instead, players must break through the floor on their opponents' half of the field by knocking the ball downward. The ball itself charges every time it's struck by a car--the harder the ball is hit, the more it charges, and the more charged up the ball is, the more hex tiles it damages when it eventually touches down.
However, the ball changes colors and always matches the color of the team that last touched it--if an orange player touches the ball while it's blue, the ball becomes orange. If the ball is already orange when an orange player hits it, no change occurs. Importantly, the ball only damages tiles of the opposite color, so if a blue players knocks a ball onto the orange side, the ball will damage tiles when it hits the floor. But if an orange player manages to hit the ball before it touches down, the ball will no longer damage the floor.
In order to create an opening in the floor (and ultimately score), players must first damage a tile, then hit that same tile again to destroy it, then knock the ball through the resulting hole. The ball will fall through openings, but cars will simply drive over them. Once a goal is scored, the scored-on side of the field resets to a fully filled-in and undamaged floor. The scoring team's side retains whatever damage had previously been done, giving the other team a chance to catch up. In the event that a match reaches overtime, any damage done during regulation remains.
Unlike standard Rocket League, there are no boost pickups. Instead, every players' boost meter automatically refills over time. In theory, this should make it easier for players to utilize high-flying aerial techniques to spike the ball downwards--a crucial skill in Dropshot since the ball does not damage the floor if it's simply rolling. And because there are no set goals, defense become less about goaltending and more about diving beneath the ball to change its color before it touches down and damages tiles on your side.
In addition to adding Dropshot--which will be playable in its own online playlist, as well as both private and exhibition matches--the March 22 update also includes six new Dropshot-specific Trophies and Achievements, a new car called the Endo, seasonal Easter items, and an "Esports Live Now" button that appears at the top of Rocket League's main menu and links to major Rocket League livestreams. This update also marks the end of "Competitive Season 3" and the beginning of "Competitive Season 4." Players who completed the third season will receive exclusive wheels as a reward.
GameSpot recently had a chance to try Dropshot at PAX East. Our video impressions will arrive on site and on YouTube later this week.
This is a demo version of the game, so the content is limited. The product page explains that the demo includes the RTS game's first mission, as well as a sampling of the Blitz Firefight multiplayer mode.
The download size on PC is around 16.7 GB. You can see the minimum and recommended system requirements in the image below (via WindowsCentral).
Halo Wars 2 launched without ranked multiplayer; this feature is coming "soon," but a date has not been announced.
"Halo Wars 2 carries forth enough of the series' beloved elements to make any fan of Halo feel right at home at first, but not in the long run," reviewer Kallie Plagge said. "It's palatable for those used to the FPS games, taking inspiration from favorite missions and putting a strategic spin on them; but just when things become more challenging and actually interesting, it runs out of steam."
BioWare's next big RPG, Mass Effect: Andromeda, has considerably more speaking characters than Mass Effect 3, it's been revealed. Lead writer Mac Walters revealed this during PAX East, saying Andromeda has "over 1,200" speaking characters" compared to around 670 in Mass Effect 3.
"When you look at the dialogue options, we're basically [at] the equivalent of Mass Effect 2 and 3 put together," he said, according to PC Gamer.
Producer Michael Gamble told PC Gamer that not only does Andromeda have more characters, but "the amount of stuff you and that character can talk about is also larger--especially the squad."
"We made sure the squad was beefy, and developed, and that you could do different things with them and then that information would basically carry through the conversations," he explained. "That was a large focus."
Pressed for more details on the 1,200 number, Gamble said these are not as low-level as shopkeepers, but instead "one step above that."
Players can encounter new characters in Andromeda by scoring "Andromeda Viability" points, which let you wake up colonists. Additionally, planets have Viability levels, and when this is high enough, you can create an outpost. This in turn unlocks new areas that feature more people to encounter.
Platinum Games producer JP Kellams has left the Japanese developer after almost a decade. In a statement posted to Instagram, Kellams said he is grateful for his time at the Bayonetta, MadWorld, and Scalebound studio, and is leaving the team because branching out is part of his DNA.
"15 years ago, I came to Japan to fulfill my childhood dream of making games with my heroes," he said. "No matter how hard the day, I always walked into the office in awe of the creativity around me, and with the joy that working with each and every one of my coworkers brought me. It is hard to say goodbye to them, to PlatinumGames, and to Japan. Yet, embracing new challenges is part of my DNA, and after almost 10 years of working with the team (more with my Capcom/Clover days), it is time to move on to new challenges that I'm excited to share soon. I'll be forever grateful to all people who have touched this journey, because they've shaped who I am."
"Platinum maintains its luster forever."
Kellams leaves Platinum Games following the cancellation of the developer's high-profile and ambitious-sounding Xbox One and PC game Scalebound. It is unclear if Kellams' departure from Platinum Games is in any way tied to the game's shutdown.
His LinkedIn page shows that he was involved with Scalebound from its start, including the pitch to Microsoft, and eventually led a team of over 100 developers on the title.
Before joining Platinum Games, Kellams worked at Capcom in the localization/game writing department.
On his Twitter page, Kellams updated his bio to say, "Currently riding bikes. Or drinking beer. Nah. Probably just eating donuts."
The ending of the video game movie Assassin's Creed is not the only one that the filmmakers shot. It's now been revealed that they also filmed another ending that was very different.
SPOILERS FOR ASSASSIN'S CREED FOLLOW.
In the theatrical version of Assassin's Creed, Michael Fassbender's modern-day character, Callum Lynch, successfully escapes Abstergo alongside some of the others that were being kept in the facility. The idea is that they'll go on to form their own group of assassins. But a different, more dramatic ending was originally conceived.
Collider reports that Lynch was originally going to be the only survivor of the breakout. In the sequels, which are planned, he would be alone. Director Justin Kurzel and editor Christopher Tellfsen explain in the clip above that test audiences did not exactly love this direction, so it was changed. As you can see in the clip, all of Lynch's assassin colleagues are killed, including Michael Kenneth Williams' character.
This alternate ending is presumably on the Assassin's Creed home video release, which contains 90 minutes of bonus footage. The movie arrived in digital stores on March 10 and comes to Blu-ray/DVD on March 21. You can see a behind-the-scenes clip from an on-location shoot here.
Assassin's Creed, which came out at the end of December, made more than $211.6 million at the worldwide box office. It performed much better internationally, taking in $157 million from foreign markets, compared to $54 million in the United States, according to Box Office Mojo.
The working title of the X-Men spinoff TV show has been revealed. The show is now in production, and is being referred to as Gifted.
The news come via X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner, who tweeted an image of a script reading session, with the words: "Cast reading of Gifted." Check it out below:
EW have since confirmed that this is a working title, and could change between now and the show's broadcast date, which is currently unknown.
Gifted is set to star Stephen Moyer (True Blood), Jamie Chung (Big Hero 6), Amy Acker (Person of Interest), Emma Dumont (Inherent Vice), and Percy Hynes White (Night at the Museum 3). It will be shot in Dallas, with long time X-Men director Bryan Singer helming the pilot episode. Donner also tweeted an image of the cast and crew arriving Dallas.
It is known that Blink and Polaris are among the Marvel comic book characters who will appear in the series, as well as mutant-hunting robots Sentinels. "There are a certain amount of [familiar] characters that I can use and am using and then other characters I'm inventing," Nix said in a recent interview. "But everything is invented with a nod toward the existing mythology."
Gifted isn't Fox's first attempt at an X-Men series. In 2015 it was reported that the network was developing a show called Hellfire, but this was later abandoned in place of this new series. Another X-Men related show--Legion--is currently screening on FX to much acclaim.
It's not just Paladins and Battleborn that get compared to Blizzard's hero shooter Overwatch. Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski's new shooter, LawBreakers, is also in that category. Now, the gaming veteran has responded to those comparisons and more.
"It's humanity, dude! I've been dealing with this my entire career. The human mind loves to pattern-match. It's a survival technique," Bleszinski told PC Gamer (via DualShockers). It's like, 'Oh, see that big bear over there? It ate my friend.' And then you meet a new bear and you're like, 'Oh, my god! This bear is going to eat me because it ate my friend.' People just like to put things into tidy little buckets, and to the point where they will stretch it so far."
Bleszinski also shared a story of a specific comparison that a fan made between Overwatch and LawBreakers--but Bleszinski doesn't buy it.
"Some kid was trolling my Instagram one day on a random photo I posted of my dog. If you've seen our characters Maverick and Tosska who have the Gatling guns. They've got their jetpacks, they can create zero-G pockets, and everything," he said. "And he was like, 'Oh, you guys have a girl with a minigun, so you're cloning D.Va,' and like, 'You're dealing with a tiny Korean girl in a big pink mech who can launch her mech and explode.' So girl and a minigun means copying Overwatch? Right. OK. You're reaching there, buddy."
Bleszinski went on to say that he's happy to see Overwatch have so much success because it suggests that those types of games can be viable. He said if Overwatch is Coke, LawBreakers would be happy to be Pepsi or RC Cola, with the idea being a rising tide raises all ships.
"The second you say the number one game in a genre, that you're going to be a killer of it, you're admitting that game's never going to be killed," he said. "Remember all the 'Halo killers' that were coming out? Halo still hasn't been killed. So again, it's not a killer thing, it's coexist. You know, I play Battlefield and Call of Duty. Back in the day I'd play Tekken and Street Fighter. There's room for two or three games at the top of a given genre, and after that it's fighting for the scraps."
People will understand LawBreakers better when they get to try it, Bleszinski said. A closed beta for the game is coming up soon, and Bleszinski said he believes it offers a more complete picture of what LawBreakers is when compared to the alpha from 2016.
"I think now we've really kind of turned the corner to really starting to become the robust game that I originally wanted to make," he said.
Ahead of Iron Fist's premiere on March 17, reviews for the new Netflix show came online--and they were probably not what Netflix would have wanted. A number of high-profile outlets wrote mostly negative reviews of the superhero action show.
Now, star Finn Jones (Game of Thrones) has responded. Speaking to Metro (via CBM), Jones started off by saying Iron Fist was made for fans, not critics, which might explain some of the lower scores.
"These shows are not made for critics, they are first and foremost made for the fans," he said. "I also think some of the reviews we saw were seeing the show through a very specific lens, and I think when the fans of the Marvel Netflix world and fans of the comic books view the show through the lens of just wanting to enjoy a superhero show, then they will really enjoy what they see."
"I think it's a fantastic show which is really fun and I think it stands up there with the other Defenders' shows without a doubt."
For what it's worth, critics were only shown six of the 13 episodes in Iron Fist's first season.
Entertainment Weekly said about the first episodes, "Iron Fist--devoid of vision, lacking in executional chops--barely even tries." The Hollywood Reporter said, "Iron Fist feels like a step backward on every level, a major disappointment..." while Collider weighed in with, "Despite a very good cast and a great origin story, Iron Fist is predictable, a little hammy, and has no real sense of how to tell a cohesive story." For more on the critical reaction to Season 1, go to GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Iron Fist is the fourth Marvel show made for Netflix, following Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage. In addition to Finn, it stars David Wenham, Rosario Dawson, and Jessica Henwick.
The events of Iron Fist will tie into The Defenders, the superhero team-up show that will also feature Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage. The first season is expected in late 2017--click here to see official images.
Iron Fist Season 1 hits Netflix in its entirety on March 17, 2017.
The next big Marvel movie, this summer's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, will have a post-credits scene, director James Gunn has basically confirmed. Writing on Twitter, the director said you may want to stay in your seat after the credits roll--unless you really need to leave the theater.
"All I'll say is, unless you have to rush out because your mother is dying, stay through the entire end credits," he said to a fan who asked if there will be a post-credits scene (via Collider).
Unfortunately, that's all there is to go on at this point, as Gunn did not share or even tease any details about what the scene may contain. One possibility is that the sequence may include a tease for 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, though this is not confirmed.
A new clip from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 aired during the Kids Choice Awards on Nickelodeon over the weekend. It has not been officially posted by Marvel, but you can find it on YouTube.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5, 2017. It stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, and Kurt Russell.
The first clip from the upcoming Transformers: The Last Knight has been released. The fifth movie in the blockbuster action series arrives in June, and this clip introduces two new characters--young star Isabela Moner and an Autobot called Canopy. Check it out below;
Transformers: The Last Knight opens on June 23, 2017. Mark Wahlberg returns from 2014's Transformers: Age of Extinction and will be joined by Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel, Stanley Tucci, and John Goodman. It is directed by Michael Bay, who has previously stated that this will be his last movie in the series
In December, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura spoke about what fans could expect from The Last Knight, part of which is set in the UK. "It's going to have a different texture and different look, and a different kind of environment, so it's going to feel very different," he told Collider. "The kind of action we're going to do there is going to be a little bit different and reflective of the place that we're in.
"We're constantly trying to do what haven't done. It's not necessarily bigger. Bigger is great, but it's all pretty damn big. It's really about being singular."
In GameSpot's verdict, critic Miguel Concepcion called the Tom Clancy title "a middlingly safe tactical shooter and a slightly wasted opportunity," though he did praise its "seemingly boundless map" and its mission diversity. Read more in our full Ghost Recon: Wildlands review.
For a wider view on Wildlands' critical reception, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic, or read on below for a snapshot of critics' reviews.
"As only the second open world game in the Clancyverse, Ghost Recon: Wildlands is a middlingly safe tactical shooter and a slightly wasted opportunity given the ambitious scope of its seemingly boundless map. While its main strength is its mission diversity, it doesn't take long to lose the motivation after reaching El Sueno's doorstep. Even with a foursome of highly trained friends, Wildlands eventually reveals its diminishing returns. The feeling of positive immediacy and dopamine hits begin to wane sooner than you expected from a game with such a large and diverse world." -- Miguel Concepcion [Full review]
IGN -- 7.9/10
"This huge, wide-open shooter constantly shows its flaws in its mission variety and vehicle physics, but its strong, sandbox-style gameplay and seamless co-op kept me coming back for more madness. If you must repeat experiences over and over, you could far worse than helicopter chases, assassination missions, or drug busts gone wildly wrong." -- Brian Albert [Full review]
PC Gamer -- 67/100
"I like a lot of aspects about Wildlands, specifically its co-op experience. It's easy to assume that any game can be fun with some friends, but Wildlands makes specific, clever design decisions that make for a better multiplayer experience--albeit to the detriment of solo players. If that consistency of vision had run through the entire game, Wildlands could have been something special. Unfortunately, there are too many mitigating factors--from design and tone, to performance and AI. Wildlands is often good, and infrequently great. In the main, though, it's a bit of a mess." -- Phil Savage [Full review]
GamesRadar+ -- 4.5/5
"None of those recurring glitches or other, one-time bugs I experienced were game-breaking, and most of the time they resulted in a fit of laughter rather than any actual frustration, but they're definitely present. Still, it's hard to look at those shortcomings as anything other than the small unwanted side effects of building a game as massive, detailed, and rich as Wildlands is. In fact, Wildlands is so far removed from what most have come to expect from a Ghost Recon title that it could have benefitted from shedding its sub-franchise namesake and simply standing on its own. It's certainly got the legs for it." -- Mike Wehner [Full review]
Eurogamer -- No score
"It's easier to ignore the game's fundamental toxicity and hand-worn elements in co-op, but all that's still there at the back of your mind, like the smell of something burning in a crowded room. Earlier in the week I asked whether the Ubisoft open world had run out of steam. After a few days in the Wildlands I think the answer is a hesitant 'no'--few development studios are capable of landscapes as grand yet delicately worked as this, but the methods by which we traverse and uncover them are overdue a rethink, and the concept of a godlike special operator killing without compunction is rotten to the core. Wildlands is an environment worth lingering over, but the mechanics and themes it propagates are wearing extremely thin." -- Edwin Evans-Thirlwell [Full review]
In its debut week, Ghost Recon: Wildlands soared to No.1 in the UK physical games chart, sending Horizon Zero Dawn to No.2. The Tom Clancy title is 2017's biggest launch so far--overtaking Horizon's launch just a week previous.
Another new entry, Lego Worlds, managed to beat The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to No.3 for the week ending March 11, reports sales monitor Chart-Track. The Nintendo Switch launch title could only finish at No.4 in its second week on the market, down from No.2 last week.
Ghost Recon: Wildlands' strong opening comes despite mixed reviews. Our critic called the open-world game "a middlingly safe tactical shooter and a slightly wasted opportunity," though he did praise its "seemingly boundless map" and its mission diversity. Read more in our full Ghost Recon: Wildlands review.
You can read the full top 10 sales chart below. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Horizon Zero Dawn
Lego Worlds
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Grand Theft Auto V
Nier: Automata
FIFA 17
Rocket League
1-2-Switch
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Recent Articles:
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website.
No comments:
Post a Comment