With Mass Effect: Andromeda's release coming up soon, more details about its PC version have been announced while new 4K screenshots are now available.
The images that you can see in the gallery linked below were captured at "max settings" at 4K using Nvidia Ansel. No post-processing was used, Nvidia said.
As announced by Nvidia today, there are a total of 16 options that affect image quality that Andromeda players on PC can make use of. Options will be available for the following:
In an interview with Deadline, Mangold was asked when fans would see the black-and-white Logan. The site states: "After dancing around the question he confirmed [it would be on the Blu-ray]."
"I think it surprised everyone," he said. "There is a kind of a running assumption that black-and-white is a turn-off for most people. It caused such an extreme reaction, and so much appreciation for these pictures, and then people immediately wondering if the film itself was going to be in black and white.
"We are giving it a whirl, and I think the Blu-ray will come out with a pass on it. I think it will be a very handsome black-and-white version of the picture."
Logan hit theaters last weekend, and has proven to be a huge success. The movie had a $85.3 million US opening, which is the highest first-weekend gross for an R-rated movie in March and fifth highest overall for an R-rated movie. So far, the film has made $254.6 million worldwide.
Earlier this week, a highly entertaining clip of star Hugh Jackman recording Logan's production sound was released--watch it here.
[UPDATE] The show is starting now. You can watch it through the Twitch embed below; we will report back with more details as the show goes on.
Age of Triumph Livestream Takeaways:
All raids are coming up to the current Light Level; Light Level is not being raised.
Brings back the old raids, including Crota's End, Vault of Glass, King's Fall, and Wrath of the Machine.
There will be weekly featured raids, featuring modifiers that make it even tougher.
It's the last major live event for Destiny before Destiny 2.
Includes the biggest record book Bungie has ever made. It's 13 pages long.
Bungie wants every Destiny player to be able to use the record book. There will be distinctions for things like playing the game at launch completing all of the story, and also items for newer players.
No one will be more than half way through the book at the start, even if they've been playing Destiny since launch.
Age of Triumph is launching on March 28.
Destiny 1 will stay online "for the foreseeable" future.
The original story is below.
Bungie will announce more details on Destiny's Age of Triumph update today during a livestream. The show kicks off at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, and you can watch it through the Twitch embed above.
The Age of Triumph update introduces a new record book that's described as being the biggest one yet. It covers various Destiny Year 3 tasks, apparently including a trip to the classic Vault of Glass raid. The Speaker also receives some new dialogue.
The first quarter of 2017 has already been ridiculously busy with amazing games, but if you can squeeze a few more hours into your day, this is your chance to try out the closed beta for Games of Glory.
A top-down team shooter developed by veterans from DICE and Ubisoft, Games of Glory recently closed it's Early Access access on Steam to finalize development. And now you can try out the closed beta before its upcoming launch.
The closed beta will start on Friday, March 10 and end on Sunday, March 12. You can get codes to try it out yourself by following the links below:
The protagonist of the upcoming Prey lives in a creepy, weird world. We already know that one of your powers in the game is to be able to turn into mundane objects (like a roll of toilet paper), but the game is filled with unsettling imagery and intriguing mysteries.
To promote the game, and allow you to dig deeper into the lore of Prey, the publisher is releasing a journal showing off the main character, Morgan Yu's, discoveries and thoughts as they explore the world. The in-game explanation for the art below is: "Important message from the TranStar Corporation Central Office of CommunicationsAs requested, please find enclosed the journal of Morgan Yu, confiscated from him following his research aboard TranStar space station Talos I.In the interest of ensuring Dr Yu's story is told, please feel free to share any of the information enclosed inside as far as possible. Only with this knowledge will you be fully armed to counter the Typhon threat aboard Talos I."
The above art is just a sample of the book-length compilation of teaser imagery. It will, at some point, also be collected into a physical version, but the team hasn't yet revealed how that will be made available to fans.
Prey releases on May 5 for PC, Xbox, and PS4, and according to developer Arkane (a name you might recognize as the studio behind Dishonored), this new Prey will have "a wide variance" of endings.
Taboo, a historical drama starring Tom Hardy that airs on FX and the BBC, has been renewed for a second season, the networks announced today.
There will be eight hour-long episodes in Taboo Season 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Season 1 took place in 1817, with Hardy's character, James Keziah Delaney, traveling from Africa to London, with a lot of action and drama unfolding.
"We are grateful and excited to continue our relationship with the BBC and FX in contributing towards British drama," Hardy said. "Fantastic news."
Taboo creator and executive producer Steven Knight said in his own statement that he has been blown away by the show's success.
"I'm thrilled that a work which pushes boundaries has been so well received and found such a large and enthusiastic audience in the U.S. and Britain," he said. "We have tried to take an impressionistic, rather than figurative, approach to a narrative which we hope more accurately portrays the spirit of an extraordinary time in history."
[UPDATE] During a Twitch livestream today, Ubisoft said it's celebrating The Division's birthday by giving everyone who logs in over the next week a free emote, as well as 200 premium credits. Additionally, there will be some in-game events to mark the anniversary.
Also during the livestream, creative director Julian Gerighty confirmed The Division will not have a Season Pass for its Year 2 DLC; everything will be free.
There are three elements to the first expansion (which doesn't have a name or release date), including limited-time events that will pay out rewards for participation, completition, and competition. There will be leaderboards for these.
The second part of the expansion are loadouts, while the third is an in-game achievements rewards system that is, at least right now, called "Feats." Players can earn rewards, described as "marks of distinction," for short-, medium-, and long-term activities. Players will be able to earn another vanity slot.
This first expansion of Year 2 is expected to launch this summer, possibly in July or August.
Gerighty also said during the livestream that the second content pack for The Division for Years 2 will focus on providing more story and narrative to the game. This pack will have "more narrative weight," Gerighty explained.
Finally, Gerighty again stressed that a level cap increase and more paid expansions are off the table for The Division Year 2.
Outside of the new content packs, Ubisoft will continue to adjust The Division's gameplay and balance as needed, the developer said.
The original story is below.
Ubisoft's post-apocalyptic shooter The Division launched one year ago today. It was an up and down year for the game, as the launch was strong, but players dropped out due to lingering issues and a lack of reasons to keep playing.
It seems Ubisoft's efforts paid off, as The Division saw a massive spike in daily active users (up 150 percent) for the company's latest quarter. Now, with The Division's final expansion, Last Stand, released in February, Ubisoft is looking to the future and a second year's worth of content.
Creative director Julian Gerighty tells GameSpot that Ubisoft is planning two "major" free content updates for Year Two. New features are coming as well in the form of the "most-awaited loadouts, more achievements to collect, and The Division's take on a "seasons" format.
"We want to give our players new ways to challenge themselves, play in different ways, and give them means to compete with others in various activities," Gerighty teased.
That's all we know for now, but Ubisoft promises to share more details on what's next for The Division soon.
GameSpot's full interview with Gerighty covers a number of subjects, including how The Division is a "comeback" story, learnings from Year 1, why criticism is important, what his hopes are for Year 2, the possibility of a Nintendo Switch version, and a lot more. You can read the full thing below.
GameSpot: The Division is one year old today. The ups and downs of that year have been well-documented. In one word, how would you describe the first year?
Gerighty: I would love to have more than one word to describe the amazing journey of working on a project such as The Division, but for the purpose of this exercise I would say that it is the story of a comeback.
In as many words as you want, how would you evaluate the game's first year?
We started with a very successful launch, as bestselling new IP and we have proposed a very compelling universe. When we entered our post launch we realized that our community was not satisfied with the experience in the end game. We made the very difficult decision to put our post launch plans on hold to take the time to listen and work on their feedback, in order to provide them with the experience they wanted for the end game of The Division.
"When we entered our post launch we realized that our community was not satisfied with the experience in the end game." -- Gerighty
Looking at the feedback from the community on 1.4, Survival and now Last Stand, we are very happy to have changed the way we work on our DLCs. Focusing on iteration and quality, with more testing time and also with the PTS, that we started to run with 1.4 and really helped us raise the bar in term of quality. Being part of such a big project with a very passionate community is a great opportunity, it's both really exciting and humbling. We have all learned so much in this first year that we can't wait to see what we will be able to achieve in the future.
What are some specific pieces of feedback about Year 1 that you want to address going forward with Year 2?
The content we designed in Year One brought us the foundations to build on in Year Two, and the learnings we had with our 1.4 update will certainly stick with us moving forward. We want to give our players new ways to challenge themselves, play in different ways, and give them means to compete with others in various activities.
For as much criticism as The Division received, there is no question it was a huge hit commercially. It seems like it will be Ubisoft's next big franchise. There can sometimes be a disconnect between what you read online and what you know to be true about your game. How do you manage that disconnect?
I wouldn't identify criticism and commercial success as a disconnect. The Division has a fantastic, very engaged community, who has been following us for years, supporting us in every step of the way and waiting for the release of the game. Such a big project generates high expectations as well.
Criticism is very healthy for a live game in particular and is a sign that our game has found a truly passionate audience, who really care about how the game is evolving and what choices the developers are making for the future of their cherished hobby.
You released some of the biggest and boldest patches in recent memory for any game, and you delayed DLC in some cases to make the game better. That doesn't always happen in games, since it also means delaying revenue. Can you talk more about why was it important for you to get the game's issues ironed out first before releasing the Survival and Last Stand DLCs?
We listened to our community feedback and realized that the core mechanics of the end game were not working as intended, and were very frustrating. Each of our DLC added new features, game modes and gear that changed the balance and economy of the game and it was time to pull the break, look back at where we were at, and improve on the core of the game and its overall quality, in order to open the way for even more new activities, with Survival and Last Stand.
It was a difficult decision to make as we were all pretty excited at the idea of working on Survival back then. This decision wasn't driven by revenue, we are gamers ourselves and we want to be proud of our work. We all agreed that it was better for the game, the community and even our own satisfaction as developers to delay the next updates to focus on the current state of the game. At the end of the day, we all love great games.
Looking ahead to Year 2, what are you hoping to achieve this year and what can fans look forward to in terms of new content or features?
Year One brought the foundations to a very strong end game, our intention with Year Two is to build up on what we do best to deliver experiences that our players enjoy and will be able to play and replay with their friends or in solo. In Year Two we are planning two major free content updates, more content for everyone. For now I can give you a quick peak on features like the most awaited loadouts, achievements and on our own take on seasons. We will reveal more content and features as we progress further in the development of our next updates.
Is there an update on player figures you can share that speak to how popular The Division remains today?
Since launch, players have spent over 100,000 years on The Division! There is an extremely high engagement on The Division. The average player plays several hours a day on the game. We are proud to be a part of their everyday life and this is also why we want to continue to provide them with fun and rewarding experiences.
The fact that there is a Year 2 for The Division instead of a full sequel might surprise some fans. When you created the massive world for The Division, I have to imagine a sequel was also planned. Is that something that could still happen?
All we can say is that we have a full team dedicated team to The Division and we are going to be busy for a long time.
One of the most exciting new platforms this year in the Nintendo Switch. Is there any hope that The Division could come to Nintendo Switch? Why or why not?
At this moment in time, no decision has been made in regards to bringing The Division to other platforms.
Sort of a housekeeping question, but with Massive's newly announced Avatar game, how is that impacting ongoing development of The Division or other projects that might have been in the works?
Avatar is a new project with its own dedicated team, and Massive is currently recruiting top talents to work on it. Avatar's development has no impact on the team working on The Division or on our plans to continually support and update the game and brand for the long term. We're proud of what the team has accomplished with The Division, thankful for our community's dedication, and looking forward to sharing more about what's coming next for the game very soon.
The Division and Avatar are obviously incredibly different properties, but I would imagine there could be some crossover potential in terms of learnings that developers from one project can share with those on the other. Is that the case?
Absolutely. And that is the great thing about working at a place like Ubisoft. Sharing our development experiences within the studio and across different studios is one of our strengths.
A movie based on The Division is in the works and it has some serious talent attached to it with Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Chastain, and now writer-director Stephen Gaghan. How closely are you working with the movie team? And what kind of upside do you think there could be for how this film could grow the series?
Ubisoft's internal studio--Ubisoft Motion Pictures--is working to develop the film and have put together a great team. They are collaborating with us to make sure that everyone involved in the project has a full understanding of The Division's DNA and what helped make its lore such a success. And we will continue to work with them as a resource throughout all phases of production.
We're excited that the film will be able to introduce a new audience to the world of The Division as well as tell a brand new story meant to be experienced on the big screen.
Anything else people should know about The Division and Ubisoft's commitment to it this year and beyond?
The Division joined the group of Ubisoft's and of the industry's biggest new IP, and we are working on the exciting plans for the future of the brand.
Those details change slightly for the Nintendo Switch version, whose boxed and virtual copies will set you back $40 / £40 when it launches "shortly afterward."
The game could have actually ended up an Xbox exclusive at one point: the title was pitched to Microsoft prior to its arrangement with Sony, but the computing giant decided to pass on helping fund Rime's development.
Game of Thrones actor Isaac Hempstead Wright, who plays Bran on the HBO show, has offered some teases about what fans can expect about the upcoming seventh season.
SPOILERS FOLLOW BELOW.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Wright said things are "not looking great" for Bran.
"Bran is in the same position he's in, which is kind of like, 'What am I gonna do? What's gonna happen?' Is he gonna tell Jon? Is he gonna find anyone? Is he even going to make it past the Wall? He's only with Meera now, and he's out in the middle of nowhere, so it's not looking great."
Wright went on to say that Bran the character had to "change massively" over the course of the seven seasons--and it hasn't been an easy ride. "His circumstances are pretty bad, but overall I think Bran has maintained his sense of being good," Wright said. "He hasn't gone, like, 'Oh man, I have all these amazing powers now, let's mess some things up!'"
"He suddenly lost his legs, and then his family got killed, and then his house burned down, so it's like, okay, 'Now I'm in this forest with all these random people, and now I'm having weird dreams,' but what Bran is thinking of above anything else is this sense of responsibility and purpose and not just being a kid anymore and doing whatever he wants to do. Bran has certainly understood that this is out of his control now. He's a piece on the chessboard that has to make a move, and he hasn't got any moves."
Asked to give a one-word tease about Game of Thrones Season 7, Wright said, "Connections." Pressed on if he meant Stark connections, Wright said with a shrug, "Take that how you will."
Go to EW to read the full review to hear what Wright had to say about saying goodbye to Game of Thrones, filming without Hodor actor Kristian Nairn, and a lot more.
Disney has released a new clip from Beauty and the Beast. This newest video for the live-action remake, titled "Lumiere Plots Romance," shows Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) and Cogsworth (Ian McKellan) preparing for a very important dinner for Belle (Emma Watson) and Beast (Dan Stevens).
Lumiere is as witty as ever, quipping at one point as he approaches a pot of food, "I have no taste buds, but I can tell this is exquisite!" The video shows off the movie's incredible-looking CGI.
Belle and Beast falling in love is very important for Lumiere, Cogsworth, and the rest of the houseware items, as that needs to happen so they can return to their human forms.
Earlier this week, Disney released a TV trailer for Beauty and the Beast that showed Beast's castle under siege and a fight between Beast and Gaston (Luke Evans)--watch it here.
Beauty and the Beast opens on March 17, directed by Bill Condon (Twilight series).
Curious about Ubisoft's extreme sports game, Steep? Here's some good news: Ubisoft has announced that a free trial version of the game will be available on all platforms this weekend.
Starting March 10, everyone on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC can play the game for free until March 13. Here is a rundown of when the free version will be available on each platform where you live:
You're getting access to the entire game, which includes courses in the Alps and in Alaska, a region that was added in a recent free update. The game lets you ski, snowboard, wingsuit, and paraglide in an open-world, sandbox-style environment.
During the free weekend, Steep's standard edition will be 50 percent off. The Gld Edition will be 40 percent off on Xbox Live until March 13 and until March 20 for PS4. Ubisoft's own Ubisoft Store will discount the game's standard and gold editions by 50 percent until March 14.
All progress from the free weekend will carry forward if you decide to buy the game. You can read more about Steep's free weekend here on the game's website.
Steep launched in December and has been updated multiple times. In addition to the free Alaska DLC, the game has added things like new camera angles and the ability to record replays without the HUD.
Right on schedule, Bethesda today released a new gameplay trailer for its upcoming PC shooter Quake Champions. This new video spotlights the character Nyx, a fast-moving, agile character who can wall-run, and sneak around with her ghost-walking ability that makes her temporarily invisible and invincible.
Bethesda also shared an official character profile for Nyx, who is a "Fathom Agent." You can see a rundown of her abilities and statistics below, with descriptions written by Bethesda.
If you're attending PAX East this weekend in Boston, you can play the game--including Nyx--at Bethesda's booth on the show floor. A closed beta is coming up later--here's how to sign up.
"We want to make sure that we have as many people as we possibly can," id boss Tim Willits said previously. "You'll be able to turn down your specs and get a decent game at lower-end. But we want to shine on good systems."
For more on the series, be sure to check out GameSpot's feature, The History of Quake.
Nyx:
Starting Statistics:
Starting Health: 100
Starting Armor: 75
·Speed: 270
Active Ability -- Ghost Walk: using the Ghost Walk Active Ability moves Nyx into another dimension, instantly making her invisible and immune to damage. Players can use this ability to escape tough battles, maneuver unseen behind unsuspecting enemies, or even avoid damage from incoming projectiles. Re-materializing in the same spot as an enemy will result in an instant Ability Kill.
Passive Ability -- Wall Jump: Nyx's Passive Ability extends her mobility by allowing her to jump twice--once off the floor and another time off of a nearby wall. Wall Jump can help players traverse wide distances between heights or gain the upper hand in a showdown with foes by creating more space to aim and frag.
You can now play your NES Classic using your brand-new Nintendo Switch controllers.
A third-party wireless receiver, made by hardware company 8Bitdo, has been updated, allowing you to connect your Switch's Joy-Cons and Pro Controller. You can then play all of the system's 30 included games using the new pads.
In our review, Peter Brown said the NES Classic is "the most attractive option" for playing NES games since it's both affordable (when in stock) and it out-performs previous Virtual Console efforts. For more, check out our NES Classic unboxing.
The Wrap states that the studio is definitely considering R-rated films. A "well placed" source at DC told the site: "One hundred percent yes. With the right character(s)." The studio has not commented on this report.
Executives at DC had previously spoken about wanting to keep all the movies within their cinematic universe at a PG-13 level. Last year, after Suicide Squad was given the lower rating, producer Charles Roven said: "We really want to make these films tonally consistent, because this is a shared universe. Our plan right now is to make all these films PG-13. In some cases, you know, right there on the edge of PG-13, but still PG-13."
Nevertheless, Deadpool has now become the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time, as well as the biggest movie in Fox's X-Men universe, leading to the decision to also make Logan R-rated. Logan has already made $254.6 million at the worldwide box office in less than a week on release.
DC did release an R-rated extended cut of last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on home entertainment platforms. At the time, Batman actor Ben Affleck spoke about the decision to release a more violent cut of the movie. "I'm a parent of young kids, and I feel like I wouldn't want to have a Batman v Superman that I couldn't show to my younger kids," he said. "But on the same token, as an adult, I like to see movies that are R-rated.
"I think nowadays because we have so many means of distribution and ways that we can do different things, it's the creative solution to a creative challenge."
The Legend of Zelda's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, reacted in a rather strange way when he was shown Breath of the Wild for the first time. The game's director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, told Kotaku that when he first showed Miyamoto the then work-in-progress title, the games industry legend spent an entire hour climbing trees.
"When we first presented this to Mr. Miyamoto, he spent about an hour just climbing trees," Fujibayashi said. "We left little treats like Rupees on the trees, but we also left other things in other places we thought he might go. But he just kept climbing trees. Up and down. And so we got to the point where we go, 'Do you want to look at other stuff?' But he just kept on going. Once [he] got out of the Shrine of Resurrection, he spent an hour just within a 25-50 meter radius outside of that cave just climbing trees."
Hidemaro was presenting the game to Miyamoto and Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma, and was understandably nervous about what they would think.
"My response to Mr. Miyamoto and Mr. Aonuma was: You can do everything," Fujibayashi said. "But I had to sell it to them. [And show] how we're going to make this happen. And I felt like the best way to convey this idea to them was to show them that you could climb walls."
The development team therefore built a small section of the game and filled with some trees, placing currency and other items where it thought Aonuma and Miyamoto would explore.
"We put Rupees at the top of the tree to let them know that this is something we're taking into account, but I didn't tell them," Fujibayashi said. "All I did was say, 'Here, play the game.' So the first thing [Miyamoto] did was start climbing, and he climbed the tree, and once he was able to do that and see that he can go anywhere within this small field, he got how this game will play out and that's how I presented it to him."
Fujibayashi and his team's efforts obviously worked perfectly with Breath of the Wild; the game was met with universal acclaim, including a 10/10 from GameSpot. Our critic, Peter Brown, called the latest Zelda title "the most impressive game Nintendo has ever created." Read more in our full Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review.
And if you're playing the open-world game right now, you might want to check out our in-depth guides and tips roundup.
The Nintendo Switch launched without support for Netflix or any other video-streaming services. Now, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has confirmed that Nintendo is in discussions with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon to bring their streaming services to Switch...eventually.
Fils-Aime told The Washington Post (via The Verge) that part of the reason why Nintendo did not push for Netflix or Hulu on Switch for launch was because he does not view those as things that would set the console apart.
"We built the Nintendo Switch to be a world-class gaming device, meaning we want you first and foremost to play games on the system and have an incredibly fun experience," he said. "We're talking to a range of companies about other services, companies like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon--things that will come in time. In our view, these are not differentiators."
He added: "What differentiates us is the way you play with the Nintendo Switch and what you can play. And that will continue to be our focus into the future as we continue driving this platform."
Nintendo confirmed before the Switch's launch that there would be no streaming services available out of the gate, but that they could come at a later date. Additionally, the Switch does not have a web browser, though, like the streaming apps, this feature might be added over time.
"When you think about a new platform, what will define it as a long-term success are the ongoing range of games and experiences that come to the platform--not what's available on day one," he said. "For the Nintendo Switch, we were very deliberate in wanting to make sure, from a Nintendo publish[ing] standpoint, that we had a steady cadence of great games in addition to strong titles at launch.
Ahead of its release later this month, Bandai Namco today shared a series of new screenshots from Dark Souls III's Ringed City expansion.
The images, posted on Facebook, show off some of the new environments you will explore, as well as its nasty-looking inhabitants. Also on display are some of the new weapons players can use. Click through the images in the gallery below to get a closer look at the new Ringed City DLC.
A gameplay trailer for Ringed City was released last month and can be seen here. It shows off a few different locations and encounters, including a boss fight against a giant winged beast.
The Ringed City launches for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on March 28. It costs $15 on its own or is included with the $25 season pass, which also provides access to the first expansion, Ashes of Ariandel.
The upcoming Uncharted standalone game, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, will contain the largest level developer Naughty Dog has ever made for an Uncharted game. In the latest issue of Game Informer, Naughty Dog talked about how this level, which is set in the Western Ghats mountain range, surpasses Uncharted 4's Madagascar level in terms of size.
"This is the single largest level we've ever done in Uncharted," designer James Cooper explained. "Geographically, it's much bigger than Madagascar, which was previously our largest level."
Game director Kurt Margenau added that players won't be forced down one path.
"We have this really great location with the rural Western Ghats that allows us to get a true sense of exploration, unlike anything we've done before where the level design isn't directing you exactly where to go," he said.
Every area in The Lost Legacy will have its own unique theme, and the Western Ghats level is focused on waterfalls, currents, mud climbs, and boulders--"stuff that's really challenging to get around," Cooper said. The jeep from Uncharted 4 returns for The Lost Legacy, as does its winch tool.
Margenau went on to say that never before has Naughty Dog given players so much side content and extras to discover. There will be "more collectibles, new weaponry, extra encounters, and special triggers for dialogue between characters," Game Informer said.
Chloe, the playable character in The Lost Legacy, will not have a paper journal like Drake does in Uncharted 4. Instead, she uses a phone to record activity and take notes.
"The journal is kind of Drake's thing. "We didn't just want to give her a journal," Margenau said.
Also in Game Informer's feature story, it's revealed that Naughty Dog considered other characters to star in the new game before settling on Chloe and Nadine. Other combinations included Sam and Sully and Nathan and his daughter Cassie. Naughty Dog said the Sully idea did not work because he's an older person and this would have made him "kind of a liability," in turn compromising the gameplay. Naughty Dog considered exploring Sully's past, but this didn't work either, because he was in the Navy and that wasn't all that exciting for a game.
The Cassie idea was abandoned because Naughty Dog felt that putting a gun into a teenager's hand felt wrong.
Intriguingly, Naughty Dog also worked on something "with the scope and ambition of an Uncharted 5." The studio moved on, however, to instead put more of its focus on The Last of Us Part II.
"We are taking a lot of time to dig in and consult the right people--to not offend on the religious level, on all levels" -- Creative director Shaun Escayg
A game featuring Chloe and Nadine made the most sense in the end. "[It was] the cleanest break without having to tie too much to what we had just wrapped up," creative director Shaun Escayg said.
The Game Informer piece goes on to shed some new light on the story for The Lost Legacy. Chloe and Nadine are on an adventure to find a jewel that the Hoysala people of India created to honor the Hindu god Ganesh's story. This is not a real-world item, but instead something that Naughty Dog invented.
"The understanding of the [Ganesh] story is what is interwoven into Chloe's story," Escayg said. "As she goes across her journey, she has one understanding of that story and at the end of the journey she has a new understanding of that story."
"We are taking a lot of time to dig in and consult the right people--to not offend on the religious level, on all levels," he added. "We also want to make sure we represent the people of that region properly."
As part of this, Naughty Dog cast "local Tamil insurgents" to voice characters in the game.
It's also confirmed in the feature story that The Lost Legacy will come with access to Uncharted 4's multiplayer and Survival modes. The Lost Legacy will be available to buy physically and digitally, though pricing has not been announced. People who bought the Uncharted 4 Digital Deluxe Edition or the Explorer's Pack by December 13 will get The Lost Legacy for free.
The full Game Informer story is a great read, stuffed with details on what is one of GameSpot's most anticipated titles of 2017. You can find out how to get your hands on the newest issue of the magazine here
The next major software update for the PlayStation 4, which contains a new Boost Mode feature for PlayStation 4 and adds support for external hard drives, is coming very soon. Sony announced today that the console's 4.5 update, which has been available to testers for a while now, will be released for everyone tomorrow, March 9.
The Boost Mode feature aims to improve the quality and performance of games that have not been patched to support PS4 Pro.
"This can provide a noticeable frame rate boost to some games with variable frame rates, and can provide frame rate stability for games that are programmed to run at 30 Hz or 60 Hz," Sony explained. "Depending on the game, the increased CPU speed may also result in shorter load times. You can turn on Boost Mode by going to Settings > System."
Boost Mode is "not guaranteed to work with all titles," Sony explained. Additionally, the setting can be turned off so that the experience is that of a standard PS4.
The PS4 4.5 update also includes a tweak for PlayStation VR that makes 2D images look better on the virtual reality headset.
"If you're playing a game in PS VR and you return to the PS4 home screen, you may notice that the resolution looks lower than normal on the TV Social Screen," Sony said. "Following this update, you'll find that the resolution of the system screen displayed on your TV is significantly better when you're out of VR mode."
Additionally, the resolution quality for PlayStation VR's cinematic mode will improve with the update, jumping from 90 Hz to 120 HZ if your screen size is set to small or medium.
PS4 4.5 also adds voice chat for Remote Play on Windows PC, Mac, or an Xperia device. This can be toggled on and off by clicking the microphone icon on the tool bar, as seen in the image below.
Also new with PS4 4.5 is an icon, shaped like a smartphone, that will pop up when a person is logged into PSN but is not actually using their console. This would be for instances where you're logged in to PSN through the PlayStation App or the PlayStation Messages app.
Lastly, Sony announced that it is upcoming the PlayStation Message and PlayStation Communities iOS and Android apps with the following features, as written by Sony:
When you receive a Party invitation from your friends on PS Messages, now you can respond with a quick reply, "I'll join later" or "Sorry, I can't join," when you want to get back to them ASAP.
On the Communities app, you can now easily check the PSN service status under Settings > View Status of PSN Services.
Also on the Communities app, iOS users can tell at a glance if there are any new posts in their community by checking the badge app icon (the number in a red circle at the top-right corner of the app's icon).
The Shadow of Mordor sequel, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, was announced last week during GDC, but today developer Monolith Productions revealed a full 16 minutes of the game in action.
Talion returns, and this time he's commanding an army of orcs, raiding strongholds in a world with much larger scope, and even flying on the backs of dragons. Check out the full gameplay breakdown in the video above.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War will release on August 22 in the US (August 25 in the EU) for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. In addition, it'll be an Xbox Play Anywhere title, so buying a digital copy for either Xbox or Windows 10 will allow you to access the game across both those platforms. Shadow of War will also be available on Project Scorpio later this year, though Monolith hasn't yet revealed what, if any, changes will be made for Microsoft's upcoming system.
NetherRealm Studios' current facility was, at one point, a bank. The vault has been converted into a recording space, the storage area into a motion capture studio, the loading dock into a basketball court. The hallways, however, have become an elaborate shrine, a sort of painstaking tribute to 25 years of fighting game history dating back, of course, to the original Mortal Kombat. The walls are lined with memorabilia ranging from enormous E3 banners to rubber Halloween masks to the original Goro model used in the ineffable Mortal Kombat movie.
And directly adjacent the shelves of box art and movie props sits the office of the guy who started it all: Ed Boon. Boon's worked on 16 additional Mortal Kombat games since creating the original with an astonishingly small four-man team and currently serves as the director of the upcoming DC universe fighter Injustice 2. I recently had a chance to visit NetherRealms' Chicago offices and speak with Boon about not only his life's work, but the past, present, and future of fighting games as well.
GameSpot: Just recently, NetherRealms revealed new details about Injustice 2's gear system, which seems like a pretty radical idea for a fighting game. But it seems like the reception, at least so far, has been pretty positive.
Boon: Yeah, absolutely. There's always a percentage of players that are looking for the regulation, no enhancements, "I just want a level playing field" version. We knew that there was going to be a percentage of people that would want [that]. So, for tournaments and for people who want to do ranked matches and all that stuff, we do have a way to disable the enhancements. But the fun of it, what's so cool, is being in this constant process of crafting your version of Batman or your version of Atrocitus or Supergirl, and just being in this constant state of making them a little bit better, a little bit better and playing them online and being rewarded. That iterative loop is really proving to be a lot of fun.
So is that the way forward for fighting games? Offering both a baseline version and then the full version with all of the new ideas layered on? Are you always going to be forced to separate the two?
Well, yeah. I don't think every idea necessarily does as radical of a gameplay thing as what we're doing with this gear stuff, you know? The big thing that we're doing is introducing, like, "Yes, it actually affects gameplay." I think that's the main way people will play, but, like I said, there's tournaments where you're playing for money. There are online tournaments and gatherings and all that stuff--esports and everything. So we absolutely knew we were going to have another mode that strips away the [stat boosts].
NetherRealms Studio Head Ed Boon
Is competitive play something you guys enjoy about the genre? Because not every genre has a competitive scene built into it. How does knowing that you have multiple audiences to cater to impact the design?
Huge.
Is it something you guys embrace, or is it frustrating?
It's part of the definition of the game. Even the first few games that we made, we knew that arcades would be having tournaments. Even like, '95 and the early '90s, we knew that there would be a competitive scene, and we knew there had to be a feeling of balance. You're always going to have some character that's perceived as being more powerful than another character, but that's just part of making a fighting game, is balancing it.
Fundamentally, how similar is the design process now compared to what it was like 20, 25 years ago?
The only similarity there is the whole aspect of, "This character can do these moves and punches and kicks this way, and this [other] character can do these moves and punch and kick this way. Make them balanced." That's where it ends. That's where everything ends because the volume of moves that you can do has grown exponentially. Like, Scorpion can do a million more things than he could do in the first game. And the modes--like the story mode, the online modes, the King of the Hills, and all of the numerous game modes that are in the game never existed back then. We weren't thinking of how to make Scorpion interact when he's talking with Subzero because they never talked! So that one aspect of balancing the characters is the only thing that still exists today for the games.
Something that you're sort of hinting at that I think is really fascinating about Injustice 2 is, it almost feels like a culmination of a lot of different ideas that NetherRealm has been pursuing for years. You guys still have a poster up for Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, which is essentially an action-adventure game.
Yes.
You can kind of see the kernel of what Injustice is doing in a game like that--the emphasis on story and interactions between battles, things like that.
Sure, absolutely.
I'm curious if Injustice is maintaining that legacy, or if it emerged separately?
I think every game that we do has something drawn from the previous games--things that we felt, "Oh, that really worked well. Let's either put a hint of it or just plop the feature in there outright." Every game that we make is the culmination of everything that we learned in the previous games, and then at the same time trying to keep layering on something new. We always want to answer that question of, "What is new and cool about this game?" with a really simple answer. That's kind of our philosophy with designing games.
Is there a breaking point that you could reach, potentially? Is there a point at which you will have layered on too much?
Yes.
Where do you draw that line? What is that point, and how do you avoid it?
It's certainly not anything that I could say of like, "Nine features and nothing over nine." [Laughs] It's more of like a feeling. The more recent games that we've done have been very content heavy. We have this very elaborate story mode, we have all these online modes, and we have many characters, thirty-plus characters in the game. We're always piling on more stuff, but there've been a couple ideas that have been really cool that we've just gone, "You know what? Let's save that one for the next game." And also, just finishing the game on time. So there's always kind of that line, but I don't think there's a formula that we follow.
Any hints of what those next ideas might be? I mean, where do fighting games go from here? What are fighting games going to look like five years from now?
Oh, God, I don't know. We're so laser-focused right now on finishing this game. At some point when we're playing what's close to the final version of the game, that's when we have the ideas of, "Oh, that would be cool." It's a really interesting process how those ideas start floating to the top towards the end of the previous game.
For me personally, a lot of ideas pop into my head as a feature that I was surprised one of our competition didn't do. Like if I'm playing Street Fighter, if I'm playing Tekken, sometimes I go, "God, they should've done this." And then I go, "Oh, that would be cool." And then that kind of goes into [the next game]. So a lot of when I'm playing even first-person shooters or just other games in general, that's when a lot of ideas... I don't know. It just kind of opens up a part of your mind.
I wanted to talk about how Mortal Kombat compares to Injustice since those are the two major franchises driving NetherRealm. Is there anything you find particularly enjoyable or challenging about one that you don't experience when working on the other?
They have such different histories, you know? Mortal Kombat's 25 years old, and Injustice is like four or five years old now. Flash and Green Lantern were like my favorite comic book characters, so oddly, there's actually, in some ways, more nostalgia with Injustice than I have with even Mortal Kombat. But then, Mortal Kombat there's just so much life experience over the last 25 years. God, in different ways... Mortal Kombat's like a child. Injustice, it's like, we feel a little bit more of a sense of duty.
Like, there's this history with these characters, they've been around for so long. We want to present them in a way that people are proud of it. We've kind of carved out our own universe of the Multiverse. Oh, and in our universe, Superman is a dictator and all that stuff. So there's this sense of duty with Injustice, whereas Mortal Kombat's more like our child.
That makes sense. And it sounds like you are a DC fan going way back.
Oh, huge, huge. I just happened to be one of the people that fell into the DC thing. I was way more Justice League, whatever. I think I might have bought some Spiderman comics and stuff like that, but I was all about Justice League. It's Flash [and] Green Lantern. Even like Justice Society, I was really into the Multiverse concept and stuff like that. That struck a nerve with me.
Have you had a chance to work with any of the creators responsible for those comics?
Yeah. Jim Lee designed our Scorpion for Injustice 1, and that was really cool. He's an amazing artist. And Jeff Johns is always a wealth of knowledge with these characters. And again, we look at DC as collaborators with us. It's not so much as, "Can we do this? Can we do that?" We're all kind of like, "Well, what could we do that's really cool?" So, yeah, there are people at DC that are very influential that we have managed to draw from.
Of all of the games that you've worked on, is there one you're most proud of?
A lot of the games were released under, like, really peculiar circumstances. Like the first Mortal Kombat was a very rushed job. It was four people. We did it in eight months, and it sold six million copies. Like, it exploded. It was the first one, so there's leaning towards favoritism with that. And then Mortal Kombat IX was kind of like a return to that. We were doing the 3D games, and then we kind of went back to 2D. So there's like some nostalgia with that game too, I think. And Deadly Alliance was another one--our first foray into 3D.
So those are some of the peaks, but for a lot of people, Mortal Kombat II was their favorite one. So there's nostalgia there and everything. So I don't know if I can name any particular one that I'm the most proud of or something. That's a tough one.
I want to close with a more broadly focused question. In the mid- to late-2000s, people seemed to lose interest in fighting games.
They did.
So now that there's been this sort of resurgence and there's an audience out there again, how do you retain that audience and prevent another exodus like we saw 10, 15 years ago?
This is just my theory: there are some games in particular that I thought contributed to it. I thought they got way too technical, and the amount of people that could access what was so fun about them just kept shrinking. I thought they were still great games, but they just demanded too much of the reflexes and timing and stuff like that from players. And so, people were just like, "I'm not having fun."
Mortal Kombat was fortunate enough that Mortal Kombat games continued to sell well, but I always thought that we were just a little bit more accessible. We were casting a wider net. We were trying to appeal to the person who doesn't spend three hours a day practicing the game and getting it perfect but just wants to have fun with his buddies drinking beers or something like that. We can have a lot of fun right off the bat while still trying to do the hardcore tournament player stuff. But always being accessible. And telling a story.
We always felt like we were enhancing the storytelling process of fighting games because when you have an array of characters, how do you not talk about how they interact with each other? So it's kind of like Enter the Dragon; there's just a little backstory of why this character is there in this tournament.
And certainly storytelling's become an increasingly important part of your day thanks to Injustice.
Yeah, even more so, I think. As much fun as it is to play with your buddies, the reality is a lot of people who play video games play alone, and you need other things to do when your friend isn't sitting right next to you.
So that's where story comes from for you guys?
Yeah. Yeah. Really.
Based on your theory that fighting games got too technical, is it safe to assume you're a Street Fighter fan but maybe not a Street Fighter III fan?
Actually, I wasn't thinking of it when I was... It wasn't Street Fighter III. I won't pick at... Street Fighter was always the series that I enjoyed the most of our competition.
Developer 343 Industries this week pushed out new patches for first-person shooter Halo 5: Guardians and the RTS Halo Wars 2, introducing new features and tweaking balance, among other things.
The Halo 5 update includes fixes, tweaks, and improvements to many aspects of the game, though the focus is on the map- and mode-making Forge tools for Xbox One and PC.
Specifically, the rendering performance for some Forge objects has been "greatly improved" and should no longer have as many frame rate issues. The update also fixes a problem where some user-made maps were corrupted or impossible to load. A new feature comes to Forge with this update in the form of "score to win" now being available as a value source.
Switching to Halo Wars 2, that game's patch is out now on Xbox One and should arrive later this week on PC. The 9.9 GB update fixes a number of bugs, including one where units became unresponsive in the Blitz mode. It also clears out a problem where some units could get stuck in bases. Additionally, this patch sets the default difficulty for AI to "normal" from "easy," (you can change this) and lays the groundwork for ranked multiplayer, which is still not available.
343 added that it is aware of a number of other Halo Wars 2 issues, including instances when the game freezes or drops frame rate significantly, but that problem and others will be fixed in future patches.
Fixed issue where damage done at the end of a match was not properly being reported in the damage dealt and accuracy stats
Fixed issue where grenade damage was not properly being reported in the damage dealt stat
Movement speed and jump height now have 0% option in custom game settings
Added custom game option to control clean up times for weapons and vehicles
Improved score to win increments in custom game options
Fixed a problem where the last player to damage a Beam Mech before it goes kamikaze would get credit for the kill (Warzone ONLY)
Disabled Grunt Mech kamikaze in Warzone (it's still active in Warzone Firefight) to fix the issue where kill credit would get assigned to the wrong team when the Grunt Mech decided to kamikaze
Added new Motion Sensor functionality for community testing in the upcoming "Proving Grounds" playlist
Miscellaneous performance improvements and bug fixes
SANDBOX
Fixed issue with Grenade launcher projectiles passing through geometry
Lowered Sniper Rifle hip aim assist
Reduced Plasma Caster fall-off damage range
Improved golf club damage and feel
FORGE
Greatly improved rendering performance on Forge objects with material swap that was causing framerate issues across many maps
Fixed issue where user maps were becoming corrupt/unloadable
Fixed issues where action description text was incorrect and/or confusing
Fixed an issue where "reset map state" did not work as intended
Fixed issue where game was forcing users into FOTUS Armor causing a large hitch
Fixed issue where invisible Phaeton could become visible
Comparing team values now works as intended
Added "maintain offset" option to teleporter properties
Can now select "score to win" as a value source
Fixed issue where you could despawn held weapons for players, causing a bad state
Can no longer accidentally target Monitor with scripts
When comparing a player value to a team value, it will now only compare against the team the player belongs to
Round end condition now works as intended
Classic Cargo Container no longer has visual issues
Added mini game decal
Target transforms now support excluding objects and players
Reset action now supports resetting either the position or rotation of an object
Added local or world space support for movement scripts
Round timer event can now trigger continuously
Improved spawn behavior using spawn order
Added "select nearest scripted command" to map options
Added action to allow users to force variable checks "force dirty"
Miscellaneous object collision fixes
Fixed miscellaneous vehicle welding issues
Fixed issue when modifying the physics type of joints
Fixed issue where script brains still had collision in play
Boundaries now render on objects that don't have a primary color option
Value source for number of players on a team now works properly
Continuous boundary check is now more accurate
Miscellaneous performance improvements and bug fixes
HALO 5: FORGE
In addition to all of the above, Halo 5: Forge on Windows 10 will also include:
Fixed mouse acceleration issues with Spartan/vehicle/turret movement
Halo Wars 2 Update
CRASHES/ERRORS/PERFORMANCE
Fixed an issue where players could get stuck on the loading screen
Fixed an issue that caused some PC players to see a black screen on startup
Several "desync" fixes, one of which covered most of the tracked occurrences
Fixed a variety of PC crashes that were hardware-dependent
Fixed a Network Error on opening Blitz Packs
Fixed some AI issues in Skirmish that could cause performance hits
Fixed some performance hitches in Cooperative Campaign
Made performance improvements on various hardware
Overall multiplayer performance improvements
Fixed some crashes that could occur when loading a saved game
Fixed an issue that would cause a Campaign mission to get stuck after loading a save
Fixed a bug with joining a party and getting a network error
Added a driver check on PC to alert users to the presence of old drivers
Fixed an issue that caused players to disconnect from multiplayer games at the beginning of the match
GAMEPLAY
Fixed issue with 'Detect' on some starting units not working properly
Fixed an issue with getting the Palmer's Pure Gold Achievement
Fixed some bugs with Kodiaks in Campaign
Fixed a bug with garrisoned Snipers not getting additional stats
Fixed issue with squads getting stuck trying to garrison if another squad beats them to it
Gold medal can now be more easily attained in 'Hold the Line'
Fixed a Cyclops and Reaver pathing bug where they would sometimes stop moving
Fixed an issue with units getting stuck in bases after being made
Fixed various skull functionality not working on some units or abilities
Fixed some cross-skull interactions between Annihilation and Pestilence
Fixed some Locust pathing issues in Blitz (even though they're driven by Grunts)
Fixed an issue with units becoming unresponsive in Blitz
Fixed an issue in Blitz with units getting a x4 speed boost in a specific situation
Fixed a conflict created by swapping d-pad functionality in Blitz
Fixed an issue with the Blisterback not recovering from damage in Blitz
Fixed behavior of Marines sometimes failing to get new targets after throwing a grenade
Friendly cloaked units now appear on the minimap
Made some adjustments to Scarab creation
Tweaks to Grunt Mob, Bloodfuel Grunts, and Bloodfuel Locust
Holo Decoy can no longer be used on Pelicans or Spirits
Fixed card level of units affected by Holo Decoy not showing over clones
Glassing beam always creates vision now in Blitz
Adjusted AI to make better use of Healing and Cloaking fields
Skirmish AI now uses Extraction and Teleport
AIs have been practicing their Domination game
METAGAME
Fixed a bug where parties were always assigned to Team 1
Fixed a rare issue with users not actually getting to play the leader they selected in Blitz
"Halt" cinematic should no longer be unlocked early in theater
Fixed some daily/weekly challenge issues where they were not tracked in some playlists
PC players can no longer tab target to whisper to themselves
Phoenix Log page adjustments
Pause menu adjustments
Set default difficulty of AI to normal from easy
COSMETIC
Cleaned up some language localizations
Fixed a bug with UI textures failing to load
Fixed some minimap graphical issues
Fixed a PC issue with starting army text overlapping some UI
Fixed some issues with individual card pack opening animations
Fixed an issue with a terminal for a red barrier not having a display string
Fixed a Domination icon issue, where it would rotate briefly when being recaptured
Fixed an issue with Health bars getting stuck on the screen
Fixed some issues with particles randomly shooting across the maps for various objects
Adjusted transparency on locked skulls in the side panel
Radial menu has been cleaned up a bit
Added extra visual indicator to aid players when they are selecting cards
Made some enhancements to the leader selection carousel
AUDIO
Fixed an issue with the announcer constantly reporting Zone B is contested when it's not
Fixed an issue with the Condor being able to be heard through fog of war
Fixed incorrect audio playing on some units when damaged
Fixed some issues with units calling out the wrong attackers
Fixed an issue with using right trigger or mouse wheel would cause audio spam
Added audio to Plasma Mines deploy
Added a variety of sound effects, and adjusted timing on some existing ones
LAST, BUT NOT LEAST
Under-the-hood preparation for future ranked multiplayer
Gaming veteran Ken Lobb, who is a creative director at Microsoft, is the latest to weigh in on the company's upcoming super-powerful Project Scorpio console.
He was interviewed in the latest issue of Game Informer, which is out now. Asked for his take on the new platform, Lobb praised the device, specifically its backwards compatibility component.
"What's new is we've figured out how to write software in such a way that it can be better, but still be forward and backward compatible," Lobb explained. "The Xbox One S is a good version of this. It's better than the One. It's, you know, less than 10 percent better, but it's better, and that kind of thing was sort of impossible when you go back to the Super NES. We couldn't have shipped a 10 percent faster Super NES. Most of the games would have broken. They would have run at a different clock rate, and things would have melted down."
He added: "The way we do software development today makes it possible. How can a PC game run on a laptop and on a Titan X? How is that possible? Well, because developers over the last 15 years-plus have figured out how to make their games scale with hardware. So it's not rocket science to think, 'Well, gee, if I have an Xbox, can't I have a more powerful Xbox? And isn't that better than just one that's a different color or a little smaller?' I think that this idea is fantastic."
Before joining Microsoft, Lobb worked at Nintendo of America. One of his credits includes the landmark shooter GoldenEye 007. One of its guns, the "Klobb," is named after Lobb.
The full interview Lobb gave to Game Informer is a great read that covers his life and career. You can find out how to get your hands on the newest issue of the magazine here.
Project Scorpio is set to come out this year. Last week, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said Microsoft may announce more details about it before E3 and then during the show itself.
One of the biggest unanswered questions is about price. Spencer says the system will carry a "premium" price tag, more than the $300 Xbox One S, but that's all we know for now.
"I'm not trying to scare anybody on the price," he said. "We're going to come out on a price that we think is fair for the product that we build and the customers will tell us as they always do. I call it premium because I don't want people to get confused that somehow Scorpio is the thing that is going to take over the Xbox line."
Spencer added that he fully expects that Xbox One S, with its lower relative price point, will sell far better than Project Scorpio.
"The majority of the consoles that we're going to sell are the Xbox One S and I'm very proud of that," he said.
Keep checking back with GameSpot for more details on Project Scorpio.
Deadpool will feature in the X-Force movie. Producer Simon Kinberg has confirmed that the wisecracking mercenary will play a part in the X-Men spinoff, which is currently in development.
In an interview with Deadline, Kinberg spoke the various X-Men titles that are currently in the works. "We are working hard on New Mutants, Gambit with Channing Tatum, Deadpool 2, and the new X-Force movie where Deadpool is alongside Cable and other main characters," he said.
Although it has been known that Fox are planning an X-Force movie for some time, this is the first confirmation that it will include Deadpool. Star Ryan Reynolds has previously stated that he was keen to do an X-Force movie, saying: "X-Force is really my priority. I really want to get that in." However, this was before Deadpool became the most successful film in the X-Men franchise, and since then the focus has been on Deadpool 2.
X-Force is a superhero team that was conceived by Deadpool's co-creator Rob Liefeld. They first appeared the 100th issue of Marvel's X-Men spinoff comic The New Mutants in 1991, and have gone on to include such other heroes as Cyclops, Psylocke, Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus.
Verdun claims to be the first "realistic" multiplayer first-person shooter set in World War I. The squad-based game features trench warfare as well as period-accurate weaponry and uniforms. It's inspired by the infamous Battle of Verdun in 1916 and also features maps based on real battlefields in France and Belgium.
The game is marked down to just $12 right now on Xbox One as part of the latest Xbox Live weekly deals. You may not have to pay a penny for the game, however, as GameSpot is giving away 32 codes for Verdun. Find out more about the giveaway here; winners will be chosen on March 10.
The Banner Saga 3's Kickstarter campaign has ended--and it was a huge hit. Developer Stoic Studios was looking to raise $200,000, but ended up with a total of $416,986 from 8,086 backers. This does not cover the game's entire budget, as Stoic, an independent studio, is investing its own money as well.
Four stretch goals were unlocked, including playable Dredge and the addition of Ubin as a combat character, as well as new modes in the form of Survival and Eternal Arena.
"The support from backers and the community has been amazing, and it's humbling to know that RTS fans around the world really want to support us," Stoic cofounder John Watson said in a statement. "The additional funds will be invested into bringing as much of our intended vision to the final game and rewarding our backers' support with an unforgettable experience to conclude this epic tale."
As announced previously, The Banner Saga 3 is the third and final game in the viking-themed series. Here is the official description for The Banner Saga 3:
"In Banner Saga 3, players will embark on their final journey beyond the wall of Darkness to traverse the world unlike anything encountered in previous sagas. The beautifully hand drawn Viking role-playing adventure will once again test the player's resolve through epic tactical battles against deadly adversaries where a player's choice directly affects their personal journey. The lives of your clansmen and their families have never been more significant than in the final act of the series."
The Banner Saga 3 is tentatively scheduled to come out for PC in December 2018.
Nintendo has won what it describes as a "groundbreaking copyright case" against a large-scale seller of mod chips, flash carts, and game copiers like Sky3DS and Gateway 3DS.
The Japanese publisher was awarded around US $9.5 million by a Canadian federal court, reaffirming that the distribution of these "circumvention" devices is illegal.
The defendant, Jeramie King, ran a business called Go Cyber Shopping, which sold "large quantities" of the devices, Nintendo said in a press release. The chips allow users to illegally download Nintendo games, violating the company's copyrights.
As part of the verdict, King will be forced to issue an apology on his website.
"Nintendo has an established track record that demonstrates our resolve to protect our iconic characters and franchises," said Devon Pritchard, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of business affairs. "We will continue to protect the creative works of our developers and vigorously enforce our intellectual property rights against those that attempt to steal or misuse them."
Bad Boys For Life has lost its director. The third movie in the hit action series was to be directed by The A-Team's Joe Carnahan, but it has now been reported that he has left the movie.
Carnahan himself took to Twitter to comment on his departure from the movie. "Scheduling conflicts happen all the time," he wrote. "Frank Grillo and I started [production company] WarParty and we're building our company. There's no other story."
EW states that Sony are actively looking for a new director, with three names under consideration.
Ghost Recon: Wildlands is out now, but as with most games, that's not the end of the story. Its day one patch is out now, bringing with it a load of bug fixes.
In addition, the update optimizes the title's weapons and improves some aspects of in-game vehicles. The majority of changes, however, is limited to bug fixes and stability improvements; see the full list of tweaks at the bottom of this article (via VG247).
Critics' early responses have been positive for Ghost Recon: Wildlands. Check out our review in progress to see how we're getting on so far, or this review roundup for a look at the wider critical reception.
The Marvel Netflix shows have consistently introduced new characters and fleshed out their stories. Each one shares a common trait--they contain hardcore grittiness and action. In the latest one, Iron Fist, we'll meet Danny Rand. Trained in martial arts, the character and the story continues the high-octane tone and fight scenes we've come to expect.
Despite being the fifth Marvel Netflix series, it's not simply more of the same. We are seeing some new ground explored as another comic book character is brought to life. However, there will also be some familiar faces and concepts to ensure the show fits in with the others. We watched the first six episodes. Here are five reasons you'll want to catch Iron Fist when it debuts on March 17.
Iron Fist Isn't A Mopey Character
Imagine being a kid, having your parents die in front of you, and finding yourself in a strange city. We know what happened to Bruce Wayne when he witnessed his parents' death--he became an obsessed and brooding vigilante. Danny Rand's story is a little different. Even though he returns home 15 years later and discovers how much has changed, he's still pretty upbeat. Maybe it had to do with the training and upbringing he received. Perhaps he's had plenty of time to unleash any anger or frustration during his experiences. Whatever the case, he is simply more well-balanced than characters like Daredevil and Jessica Jones. It's refreshing to see a character that has a more positive outlook on things.
This isn't to say Danny will sit around with a big smile on his face. When it comes down to it, he won't hesitate to act. That means kicking a lot of butt. Along with his martial art skills, he has the ability to channel his chi so he can draw upon the superhuman energy derived from the heart of the mystic serpent Shou-Lao. At least, that's the explanation given in the comics. The bottom line, though, is the same: His fist glows, and he delivers a massive blow.
The Mystical City Of K'un-Lun Exists
In the comics, K'un-Lun is one of the "Capital Cities of Heaven" and exists in another dimension. The city only appears in the earthly realm every 10 years. This has changed to 15 for the show. Comic fans may have wondered how K'un-Lun would be utilized and if it would actually exist in another dimension. He does explain this to a doctor early on. Often elements from the comics have to be changed. K'un-Lun and Danny's time there is a huge part of what shaped his character.
The Defenders Are Being Set Up
During 2016's San Diego Comic-Con, Netflix showed a teaser for the team show, The Defenders. It's been known that Iron Fist will eventually join Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage to take on a threat. While we do see different parts of New York City, there are some familiar faces to tie the characters together.
Claire Temple, played by Rosario Dawson, is friends with one of the characters Danny meets. Temple is the former nurse who has put her abilities to use helping out Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage. She's becoming the Stan Lee of the Marvel Netflix Universe, making an appearance with each character.
Jeri Hogarth, played by Carrie-Anne Moss, was introduced in the Jessica Jones series. Her character was loosely based on Jeryn Hogarth, an attorney for Danny Rand in the comics. You can imagine knowing a lawyer could useful when the world believed you were dead for 15 years.
Misty Knight, introduced in Luke Cage, is also listed as appearing in a later episode.
Then there are a couple of villains...
The Hand and Madame Gao
Remember Madame Gao from Daredevil Season 1? She was selling heroin that had a serpent symbol. That symbol is similar to Danny Rand's chest "tattoo." When Daredevil confronted her, she easily sent him flying with the palm of her hand. It's been theorized that perhaps she had visited K'un-Lun at some point. It's possible she may even turn out to be a version of the Crane Mother from 2007's Immortal Iron Fistseries. The Crane Mother was a mystic and ruler of one of the other Legendary Cities of Heaven. If any of this plays out in the Netflix series, Iron Fist is going to definitely have his hands full.
The Hand also makes its return. An army of evil ninjas is never a good thing. The Bride of Nine Spiders is also a great addition.
Plenty Of Action And Violence
If you have a main character trained in a mystical city to become a living weapon, you can imagine the fighting to expect. Danny is quick to action. He fights with ease and grace. You'll even see him fight against multiple foes at the same time.
The great thing is he is not the only one that can fight. Colleen Wing, the Daughter of the Dragon, as she calls herself, makes the jump from the comics as well.
Colleen runs a dojo and trains others to fight and defend themselves. There is a connection between her and Iron Fist, and she also forms a strong friendship with Misty Knight in the comics.
Colleen gets plenty of time to show off her fighting abilities. Danny will absolutely need her help to take on the incredible odds stacked against him.
You have all this and more to look forward to when all 13 episodes of Iron Fist Season 1 debut on Netflix on March 17.
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