Today, May 4, is of course Star Wars Day. In honor of this most momentous occasion, many retailers have discounted a bunch of Star Wars games, and below we've got the highlights.
There are deals on Steam, PSN, Xbox Live, and GOG listed, and we'll update this post if we see any other big deals pop up as the day progresses.
Note that the prices listed below are not necessarily the cheapest price available for each game. You'll also see a lot of overlap in some sales (particularly those on Steam and GOG), so you may have your choice of platform for any given deal.
Xbox Live
All prices are for Xbox One unless otherwise stated.
Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition -- $20 / £15 / AU $25
Star Wars Battlefront Season Pass -- $20 / £24 / AU $40
Lego Star Wars: Force Awakens Deluxe -- $24 / £30 / AU $52
Lego Star Wars: Force Awakens Season Pass -- $7 / £5.59 / AU $10.47
An updated version of the alpha test for Hello Neighbor, an unusual new stealth/horror game from TinyBuild, is now available.
As TinyBuild puts it, Hello Neighbor is a "game about sneaking into your neighbor's house to figure out what horrible secrets he's hiding in the basement." It's a single-player experience where you'll repeatedly try to break in, with the game adjusting to your tendencies from attempt to attempt. Examples of this include installing cameras near the front door if that's your path of your choice, or placing a trap in front of a window you've used before.
This update "sheds light on how the final game will be structured" and introduces "lots" of new content. Those who have purchased $30 Early Alpha Access (which gets you each alpha and the full game, once it's released) should receive an update to Alpha 4 through Steam today.
Alternatively, you can still try out an earlier version by registering for free on the Hello Neighbor website. Just bear in mind, with this being an alpha, TinyBuild advises players that they're likely to encounter glitches and crashes.
A release date for Hello Neighbor has not yet been locked in, but it's due out sometime this summer. You can check out new trailers for it above and below.
Phantom Dust fans have a lot to look forward to in an upcoming remaster of the game for Xbox One and PC: it supports widescreen and higher resolutions, and it makes some key changes to the way the single-player story progresses, Polygon reports.
"The biggest thing is moving [Phantom Dust] to 16:9 and moving to [higher resolutions]. So what that basically means is that if you're playing on Xbox One, you're running at 1080p so the game is going to render at 1080p; if you're on a PC and you're playing at 4K resolution, the game will render its assets at 4K," Adam Isgreen, creative director for Microsoft Studios, told Polygon. You can get a first look at the remastered version of the game by watching Polygon's video below.
There's still no official release date for Phantom Dust, but Microsoft has previously said the game would come out in 2017.
Isgreen said there have been some substantial challenges in bringing the game back to life, since there was no final source code when Microsoft recovered the game's archives from Japan.
"So everything that we've been able to do in this version of Phantom Dust has been through reverse-engineering the binaries, and actually hacking and cracking the code back open again," he told Polygon.
Microsoft has made a few changes to the way Phantom Dust's single-player story works, in the hopes of getting players into the deck-building action sooner than in the original.
"If you fail three times on any mission while you're playing the campaign, you can skip it...You still get your rewards, and we're OK with that. There are some achievements that are tied to not skipping and doing challenging things, so if people just want to experience the wonderful story of Phantom Dust, that's definitely one way they can do it," said Isgreen.
"So if people want to grind and they want to play exactly like they did when the original game came out, that is all in place. Everything about how the game works and functions is there. We really wanted to allow people to jump into multiplayer and play immediately," he added.
Our Phantom Dust review scored the original version 8.5/10. Reviewer Erik Wolpaw called it "a cross between the deck-building and card-collecting elements of Magic: The Gathering and the controls, speed, and environmental tactics of a shooter." His major complaint was that the single-player campaign took too long to get going, a problem the team behind the remaster is promising to solve.
By Anonymous on May 04, 2017 09:30 pm In honor of the Star Wars holiday, May 4th, we watch all of the cutscenes of Star Wars: Rebel Assault II and Dark Forces II. Join us, and together, we will relive the glory of these cutscenes once more.
The image shows Anson Mount as Black Bolt and Serinda Swan as his wife Medusa, with Eme Ikwuakor (Gorgon), Ken Leung (Karnak), Isabelle Cornish (Crystal), and Iwan Rheon (Maximus).
The show is being overseen by Scott Buck, who also was showrunner on the recent Marvel Netflix show Iron Fist. Buck spoke to EW about the decision to shoot the first episodes with IMAX cameras. "The first two episodes feel like a movie," he said. "[Using IMAX] gave us a lot more freedom and encouraged us to think bigger than we would if it was just a normal network show."
The Inhumans is one of several new Marvel shows in the works, alongside Runaways and Cloak & Dagger, which are both currently in production. A New Warriors TV show was also recently announced.
The grim visual novel/adventure game Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma looks to be coming to the PlayStation 4. The news was leaked by an early product listing on Amazon (via Wario64). According to the listing, the title launches on August 18 and has been remastered with improved HD visuals and options for both English and Japanese voice acting. You can watch a trailer for the original release below:
This isn't the first time this week Amazon has outed an unannounced title; the retailer inadvertently leaked the existence of Darksiders III before it was officially revealed by publisher THQ Nordic.
Zero Time Dilemma is the third installment in the Zero Escape series, set between the events of the 999 and its follow-up Virtue's Last Reward (both of which were also later ported to PS4 and other platforms). Like its predecessors, the game features multiple characters whose stories intertwine and unfold in a nonlinear fashion. Zero Time Dilemma was generally well-received by critics when it was released last June; while our review found some of its point-and-click mechanics dated and frustrating, we praised the game for its complex and engaging narrative structure.
Hi-Rez Studios has announced the details of the latest patch for Smite, and while it doesn't add a new character or mode, it does offer something that's arguably better: a Bob Ross skin.
Yes, the famed artist--best known for his TV show, The Joy of Painting--will soon be commemorated in Smite as a skin of Sylvanus. It still places Sylvanus on the shoulder of his tree companion, but it gives him the look of Bob Ross, complete with an easel. His basic attack takes the form of paint that he throws, and one of his abilities sees him plant an adorable tree with a smile. You can see the skin in action around the 46-minute mark of the patch preview on Twitch.
There's actually an entire Bob Ross bundle on the way to Smite, thanks to a partnership with his estate. This gets you not just the skin, but a jump stamp (what you see on the ground when you jump), loading frame, and loading screen. It's priced at 700 Gems or $10 through the Twitch Commerce and launches on May 9 on PC/Mac and May 16 on PS4 and Xbox One.
Elsewhere in patch 4.8, Erlang Shen gets the Queen's Guard skin, while Sol, Thoth, Kuzenbo, and Thanatos all get new looks as well. You can see those in the gallery below.
Among the balance changes, the price of Hastened Fatalis has been increased, though it also gains a small amount of bonus attack speed. Chronos sees a nice buff, with Stop Time's damage being boosted and the cooldown on his Ultimate, Rewind, being reduced. Jing Wei has been buffed as well: Agility's cooldown is now lower, and the ability provides physical power and movement speed bonuses for a short time after its use.
Perhaps more meaningful than any character- or item-specific changes are those intended to counteract snowballing. Hi-Rez is adjusting both the amount of experienced needed to level up early in matches and how easy the Gold Fury is to kill. The purpose of these adjustments is to address concerns over how it feels like the early portion of a match plays too large of a role in determining its outcome. These changes won't be made in the full 4.8 release; they'll be tested on the PTS alongside 4.8, and they may then be included with the official 4.9 launch.
For full details on all of the balance changes in 4.8, check out the full patch notes.
In terms of the show's tone, Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike, confirmed that it will much scarier than Season 1. "I think this season will be a lot [darker]. A lot more horror oriented," he said. "I think people are going to like it more than the first season."
Wolfhard comments are similar to those made last year by creators Matt and Ross Duffer, who stated that it would be "darker and weirder" than the first season.
Elsewhere in the interview, Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, explained that Season 2 would put extra focus on the supporting cast. "The great thing about this season is you get to see insights into each character on their own," he said. "You're going to see a lot more into the lives of how the characters are coping with what's been going on. They're all very emotionally scarred. They feel alone because their best friend is back and he's not acting like their best friend anymore. He's changed."
Last month, David Harbour, who plays cop Jim Hopper, revealed that he had seen the finished first episode of the new season. "I've seen Episode 1 and have seen a lot of the shooting at the monitor and I can honestly say that I am so excited for you all to see this season," he said. "It's so fun and dark and complex. The characters all get to deepen and develop and we get to take on even greater demons (inner and outer). The story moves so fast in the middle and the tension is so high."
A first teaser was screened during the Super Bowl in January--check it out here. Stranger Things Season 2 hits Netflix in October.
This year marks the first time that E3 will be open to the public, but that's not the only big change coming to the conference. Journalist and Video Game Awards host Geoff Keighley on Medium announced E3 Coliseum, a two-day series of panels and talks from video game companies.
Taking place on June 13 and June 14 at the Novo at LA Live, E3 Coliseum will feature panels hosted by publishers, developers, and "special guests from the broader entertainment world."
"The E3 Coliseum will only make E3 more exciting to fans," Keighley explains, "as it create an opportunity to see the world's top game creators and special guests live on stage."
Although the full speaker list has yet to be announced, Keighley confirmed that Activision, Bethesda, Gearbox, Ubisoft, Warner Bros., Square Enix, Sony, and Microsoft will all host panels. This is the first time that E3 will have live panels held during the conference.
Keighley also hinted that there will be "other surprises" in addition to the panels and talks.
If you cannot attend E3 in person, you can still watch at home. E3 Coliseum will be streamed live worldwide.
Thumper originally launched last year, and it received positive buzz for its aggressive soundtrack and trippy visuals. Now we know when the rhythm-violence game is coming to the Nintendo Switch eShop.
On the game's Twitter page, developer Drool announced that you'll be able to get your hands on the Switch version of the game on May 18. The post also asks, "Ready for Rumble Violence?" This is in reference to the game's support for the Switch's HD Rumble feature.
On the Switch, the game will run at 1080p and 60 frames per second while the console is docked, and at 720p 60 FPS while in handheld mode. It will cost $20 upon release in the United States, £16 in the U.K., and $30 in Australia.
The developer also mentioned on Twitter that the game will come to Xbox One, although no release date has been specified.
In the game, you take control of a scarab traveling at high speeds along a track, and you have to hit buttons and turn at the correct moments in rhythm. It originally launched for PC and PS4, and it's playable in PS VR, Oculus Rift, or HTC Vive.
You can check out our 9/10 review of the game here. Critic Peter Brown writes, "It sounds odd to claim that a lack of consistently original music wouldn't be a major problem for a rhythm game, but music isn't the point. Thumper thrives due to the way it marries speed, simple controls, and mesmerizing atmosphere."
Blade Runner 2049 is the much-anticipated sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner. The movie arrives in October, and two new posters have been revealed. They feature stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford--check them out below:
Blade Runner 2049 also stars Ana de Armas, Jared Leto, and Robin Wright. It's directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival). Ford will reprise his role as Dekkard from Ridley Scott's original movie, and in March it was revealed that Edward James Olmos will also return as enigmatic cop Gaff.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Villeneuve spoke about the challenges of making a sequel to such an iconic film. "It's the first time that I had to take the universe of someone else and to make it my own," he said. "It's very challenging, the biggest artistic challenge I've had in my life probably. I hesitated a lot before doing it, but when I said yes I committed at one hundred percent .
"It's very difficult to talk about it because I'm in the process of doing it, so it's a bit like asking a hockey player to describe how he will score as he's going through the other players. It's a massive challenge."
A new trailer has been released for Rogue Trooper Redux, the upcoming remastered version of 2006 third-person shooter Rogue Trooper.
The video (above) is unfortunately not one that focuses exclusively on showcasing Redux, instead introducing the character of Rogue--from the comic series 2000 AD--to those who are unfamiliar. It does, however, end with a glimpse at his in-game appearance, affording us our best look yet at Redux's visuals.
2000 AD's Michael Molcher describes Rogue as "remade from the ground up with current-gen-quality materials and higher resolution geometry." The character also has a different look than in the original game that takes him back to the classic style of the comics.
Rebellion, the developer of the original Rogue Trooper, has partnered with UK studio TickTock Games for Redux. It's the first time a non-Rebellion team has worked on a 2000 AD game.
As previously announced, Rogue Trooper Redux is headed to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch. A specific release date has not yet been announced, but it's said to be coming "soon."
By Anonymous on May 04, 2017 07:07 pm Take a look at Messrs White, Pink, Brown, Blonde, Blue, and Orange in action in this new Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days trailer.
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In honor of the Star Wars holiday, May 4th, we watch all of the cutscenes of Star Wars: Rebel Assault II and Dark Forces II. Join us, and together, we will relive the glory of these cutscenes once more.
Take a look at Messrs White, Pink, Brown, Blonde, Blue, and Orange in action in this new Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days trailer.
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