Blizzard recently teased new dance emotes for Overwatch. With the Anniversary event underway, these are now live in the game.
We've rounded up all of these for you to watch in the video above. You'll recognize some as real-world dances--Winston does The Twist, which will make Chubby Checker smile somewhere--while others are references you might recognize. Mei, for instance, does the Hare Hare Yukai dance from anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Indisputably the best of the bunch belongs to Zarya (at the 1:45 mark), who mimics a portion of the routine featured in this delightful aerobics video, which also inspired a similarly great Key & Peele sketch.
On May 25th, 1977, Star Wars came to theaters, and little did George Lucas or anyone involved in the film know, it would create a generation of impassioned fans. In April, we went to Celebration, a convention that revolves around the Star Wars universe, and here are some of the coolest things we saw on the convention floor.
Sony started bringing PS2 games to PS4 in December 2015, and right now, there are more than 40 games in the catalog. The PS2 games have been updated with Trophy support and are upscaled to 1080p. Games in the program also support PS4 features such as Remote Play, Share Play, Activity Feeds, and Live Broadcast, giving them something of a modern spin.
This is not exactly backwards compatibility. Even if you still own the PS2 discs, you'll have to buy them again to play on PS4. They typically cost between $10 and $20.
If you've been hoping for a classic controller to play Nintendo Switch games with, now you can. Third-party peripheral manufacturer 8bitdo announced today that its line of controllers received a firmware update that now allows them to work on Switch.
The company makes several retro-style controllers evocative of NES, SNES, Famicom, and Super Famicom controllers, and all of these now can be paired via Bluetooth with Switch. Not all controllers work with every Switch game, as some of 8Bitdo's products have fewer buttons than the Joy-Cons. However, the NES30 Pro and the FC30 Pro have enough buttons to fully support Switch button configurations.
We've tested them out and they work great for classic games like the Neo Geo ports available on the eShop. They'll likely also be good for the upcoming Switch port of Street Fighter 2. Not surprisingly, these controllers don't support Switch-specific features like HD Rumble or Amiibo support, but they're still cool. You can find the instructions for how to pair the controllers with your Switch here.
8Bitdo's controllers also work with PC and Android devices. They range in price from $35 for the standard NES and SNES controllers to $43 for the Pro versions.
Unsurprisingly, the delay prompted parent publisher Take-Two Interactive's stock price to take a big hit. After closing today, May 22, at nearly an all-time high of $69.04, the company's stock price took a big hit in after-hours trading, falling to $62.90 at press time. That's a dropoff of almost 9 percent.
The delay was announced right around when the market closed at 4 PM ET. The dramatic-looking chart above shows that the stock price dropped basically right after the announcement.
Rockstar apologized for the delay, saying "some extra time is necessary to ensure that we can deliver the best experience possible for our fans." The developer also released new screenshots, which you can see in the image gallery below.
Take-Two will report earnings for the latest period, tomorrow, May 23, so we'll report back then with more details on Red Dead Redemption 2 and other Take-Two titles as they're announced.
Wii U releases may have all but dried up following the launch of Nintendo's record-breaking new system Switch, but the aging console still has at least one notable release for it in Darksiders Warmastered Edition, which is out now.
Warmastered Edition is a remastered version of the first Darksiders title, which originally appeared on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC back in 2010. While Warmastered Edition launched for PS4, Xbox One, and PC last November, the Wii U version was pushed back, prompting rumors that the title may have been cancelled.
Warmastered Edition makes a number of visual refinements to the original Darksiders. In addition to HD resolution and improved shadow rendering quality, the game runs at 60 FPS, though the Wii U version only runs at 30. The series' second installment, Darksiders II, received a similar "Deathinitive" Edition in 2015 that touched up the original's visuals and made other improvements, though that version skipped Wii U entirely and only appeared on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Darksiders Warmastered Edition retails on Wii U for $20. We reviewed the original Darksiders when it first released and awarded it 8/10, calling the game "a fun and entertaining adventure with a host of fair but challenging puzzles." Darksiders fans also have the recently announcedDarksiders III to look forward to, which is coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC next year.
Following the announcement of a delay to Red Dead Redemption 2, publisher Take-Two has reported its earnings for the most recent fiscal quarter and its full fiscal year, both of which ended on March 31, 2017.
The most significant revelation concerned Red Dead Redemption 2's release date. Yesterday's delay announcement said only that the game would now arrive during Spring 2018, which is a somewhat vague window. We can now narrow that down slightly further, as Take-Two confirmed it will not be out until fiscal year 2019. That means it will launch no sooner than April 1, 2018. Regarding the delay, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said, "Such decisions are not made lightly and are driven by our team's unwavering commitment to unparalleled quality."
Asked about the level of anticipation for the game, Zelnick responded, "It's not really my nature or our nature to claim victory before it occurs; it's more our nature to do the very best we can to delight consumers and then report the results. To say that we're highly confident about Red Dead Redemption 2 is an extraordinary understatement. But I'm not sure that really matter ... it'll be released, and consumers get to vote."
Additionally, Zelnick noted that fiscal year 2019--which runs from April 2018 through March 2019--will also see the release of "a highly anticipated new title from one of 2K's biggest franchises." He didn't offer any further specifics regarding what the game might be. Borderlands 3 has long been rumored--and a new Borderlands is definitely in development--but there's no official indication that it's the franchise Zelnick was referencing.
With Red Dead Redemption 2 pushed back, Zelnick described Take-Two's release slate as "unusually light" during the current fiscal year, which runs through March 2018. New NBA 2K and WWE 2K games are on the way, and the company will continue to lean on Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online.
During a post-earnings conference call with investors, Zelnick stated that GTA V and GTA Online "outperformed [Take-Two's] expectations during the fourth quarter quarter as they have in every period since they released." GTA V has now shipped 80 million units worldwide since release, and with the game continuing to do well--it continues to see year-over-year growth in recurrent spending--"much more" is still planned in terms of future updates.
NBA 2K17 is on track to become Take-Two's best-selling sports game ever, Zelnick noted during the call. To date, it has shipped 8 million units. Other sell-in figures the company shared included Civilization VI ("nearly" 2 million, making it the fastest-selling game in series history), WWE 2K17 (3 million), and Mafia III (5 million).
Net revenue for the most recent fiscal year was $1.78 billion, up from $1.414 billion in the prior year. Digitally delivered net revenue was up to a record $921.7 million, half of which came from recurrent consumer spending (which includes things like DLC, microtransactions, and virtual currency purchases). That means 26% of the company's total net revenue stemmed from those sources.
In the wake of today's earnings news, Take-Two's stock has rebounded. The news of Red Dead Redemption 2's delay yesterday caused the company's share price to plunge in after-hours trading. However, it's performed strongly today, briefly reaching a new all-time high of $76.70. It stands at $72.04 as of this writing, which is also higher than the company had ever reached before today.
Update: Squad has released a statement clarifying the news, reiterating that these are former members of the studio who have joined Valve and reassuring fans that Kerbal Space Program remains in development.
"There was news today that former KSP developers have joined Valve," Squad wrote on its forums. "We want to clarify that Squad is not joining Valve, and we continue to be an independent studio with the core KSP team remaining at Squad, hard at work on the improved KSP for consoles port, Update 1.3 and the Making History Expansion. The KSP community shouldn't be concerned about this news having any impact on the game.
"Regarding the developers joining Valve, it is important to note that we have had several people working on our team over the years, and it is common among development studios for team members to come and go. If some of them joined Valve, it is on their own behalf and we wish them good luck and success in their current and future endeavors.
"So do not worry, everything continues normally with KSP"
Original Story: Valve has hired a number of developers from Squad, the team behind acclaimed PC sim Kerbal Space Program.
Although the developers were hired around six months ago, the news only surfaced recently. Speaking on the Game Dev Unchained podcast, Roger Lundeen, who worked as an environmental designer at Valve between 2010 and 2013, indicated that Valve is paying close attention to smaller devs and modders.
"[Valve] is still buying up mod teams," he said. "There's the group that made Kerbal Space [Program]--I think that happened four or five, [maybe] six months ago. They just gave that entire team jobs."
During the podcast Lundeed referred to ex-Squad members as "modders," which briefly led to some confusion as to whether Valve had hired people from the main Kerbal Space Program development team or modders that had created content based on the game.
PCGamesN received clarification that Lundeed did indeed mean former Squad developers, not modders. While it's unclear what they're working on, a representative for Valve also told the site that "they joined a little while ago" and there will be "more news about what they are doing soon."
In GameSpot's Kerbal Space Program review, Justin Clark awarded it a 9/10, saying "you will fail at this game. It will demoralize you and it will stress you out, but, more often than not, it will soothe, quiet, and inspire you."
He continued: "Innovative muscles will be stretched here that aren't stretched very often by games, and more complex moments require a sort of zen beyond being simply twitch-ready for a surprise attack. Even failure imparts a lesson. No matter how big or small the achievement, anything else that can be done is limited only by your imagination.
"Even with its cartoonish humor and quirks, Kerbal Space Program has an almost sacred respect for the tiny miracles involved in space travel, and even at its most difficult, it deserves that respect in return."
Get Even, the first-person shooter coming from The Farm 51, has been delayed until June 23, the developer announced today.
The game was originally scheduled to launch on Thursday, May 25. In a statement, the studio confirmed the delay, saying that the attack at a concert in Manchester yesterday was the motive for the decision.
"Given recent events and out of respect we have decided to postpone the commercial release of Get Even," the developer stated. "We would like to express our deepest condolences to everyone concerned."
Get Even is a narrative-focused thriller with a heavy emphasis on plot twists and psychological horror. It's coming for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Yesterday, a bomb exploded at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, resulting in 22 deaths and dozens wounded. The attack has been classified as an act of terrorism by authorities, and the Islamic State has claimed responsibility.
Nintendo is hitting the road this summer, taking Switch and 3DS games to several locations around the United States. At each stop, you'll get to try out the systems' new games new games. Visitors will also get the chance to try the new Nintendo 2DS XL, the company's latest system which promises to be a hybrid between the current 3DS and previous versions of the 2DS.
Top games that will be playable include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8, and Pokemon Sun and Moon. Nintendo will be setting up "playgrounds" for each of the games, where you can snap photos in front of the "colorful visuals" of characters like Mario and the Inklings from Splatoon.
Here's the full list of games Nintendo is featuring:
Nintendo Switch:
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
1-2-Switch
Snipperclips – Cut It Out Together
Arms
Splatoon 2
Super Bomberman R
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers
Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition
Nintendo 3DS:
Pokemon Sun
Pokemon Moon
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Hey Pikmin
Miitopia
The Summer of Play Tour starts on June 9 in California and finishes on September 4 in Baltimore. Here's the full schedule:
June 9-11 -- Irvine, California -- Irvine Spectrum Center
June 16-18 -- Pleasanton, California -- Alameda County Fair
June 23-25 -- Bloomington, Minnesota -- Mall of America
June 30-July 2 -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin -- Henry Maier Festival Park (Summerfest Grounds)
July 7-9 -- Chicago Navy Pier
July 14-16 -- Glendale, Arizona -- Arrowhead Towne Center
July 20-23 -- San Diego -- Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina (San Diego Comic-Con)
July 28-30 -- Arlington, Texas -- The Parks Mall at Arlington
Aug. 4-6 -- Miami, Florida -- Aventura Mall
Aug. 11-13 -- Bethlehem, Pennsylvania -- Musikfest
Aug. 18-20 -- New York -- DUMBO Waterfront
Aug. 25-27 -- King of Prussia, Pennsylvania -- King of Prussia Mall
Sept. 2-4 -- Baltimore Harborplace
Nintendo is offering an extra bonus for those who live near the tour stops: anyone who buys or pre-orders certain Nintendo games at participating GameStop locations nearby will get a Nintendo-branded PopSocket mobile accessory device. Nintendo has published more details about the upcoming tour on its website.
Battlefield 1's next big DLC pack is called In the Name of the Tsar, and its main addition is the Russian Army. Alongside four new maps, the pack will include Russian vehicles, soldiers, and weapons. This week, EA revealed a cool detail about the map pack: the Russian Scout class will be represented by a female soldier from the Women's Battalion of Death.
The publisher recently announced this on Twitter, giving no other details about the Russian Army or the Scout Class. However, this is a notable addition to a series that until now has predominately featured men in multiplayer modes.
This seems like a good way to increase awareness of a part of World War I that isn't widely known. The Women's Battalion of Death was formed in 1917 as a desperate attempt by the Russian Provisional Government to inspire morale and support for the war effort. Although women had been serving in small numbers in the standard Russian Army before this, some women pressured the government to create female-only units. Several of the resulting battalions were sent to the front lines to fight against Germany. Estimates of the number of women who fought range in the several thousands.
This isn't the first time that Battlefield 1 has featured relatively unknown and underrepresented units. The cover of the game and one of the chapters in its story highlight the Harlem Hellfighters, the first African American regiment to serve with the American military during the war. In addition, the "Nothing Is Written" chapter of the story features a playable female Bedouin rebel.
Battlefield 1's In the Name of the Tsar DLC pack is planned for release in late summer, and it'll be shown off at EA's E3 event in June. In addition, Battlefield 1 is getting several other pieces of content this summer, including the Nivelle Nights and Prise de Tahure maps. All DLC is included in Battlefield 1's Premium pass.
By Anonymous on May 23, 2017 09:49 pm Check out these awesome new dancing emotes for the heroes of Overwatch. You can get them in the new Overwatch Anniversary Loot Boxes!
Along with new Arena maps, the Anniversary Event features its own special Loot Box that consists of more than 100 new items. There are dance emotes, sprays, and the usual array of new cosmetics to obtain, but the highlight are the new Legendary skins. There is a total of 11 to get your hands on, with Genji, Symmetra, Bastion, and others all getting a new look.
You can check out all of the new skins in the gallery above.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is getting its second major update this week, and today developer Bluehole revealed what players can expect. It was already announced that an irritating targeting bug will be fixed, and now we know that several other significant improvements are coming.
This patch focuses on client performance, so headlining it are a number of tweaks that are designed to increase efficiency and quality of the game's processes. For example, the patch will improve the rendering performance of fences, grass, and weapons, the performance of character animations, and visual effect performance.
The patch also adds a new weapon, the VSS, a suppressed sniper rifle. It has a permanent 4x-magnitude scope and uses 9mm ammo. Considering the usefulness of both sniper rifles and silenced attacks, the VSS will likely be a particularly powerful weapon. As such, it's extremely rare: It can be found in care packages and as a very infrequent loot spawn.
There are a number of UI tweaks and quality-of-life improvements, as well. You'll now be able to press the Delete key to remove a waypoint marker, and a dotted line on the mini-map will now show the way to the next playable zone.
You can check out all the main changes and additions below, and you can see a full list of bug fixes at the game's Steam page. The developer will push the update to the game's servers on Thursday, May 25, at 1 AM PT/4 AM ET/9 AM BST, and the patch is expected to go live for everyone an hour after that.
Battlegrounds has found a great deal of success since its release earlier this year; as of early March, it had sold 2 million copies, according to the developer. Steamspy.com now shows that 2.5 million people have played the game. It's currently only available on PC, but PS4 and Xbox One versions are in the works.
Early Access Month 2 Update additions and changes:
Client Performance
Improved CPU usage for world level streaming
Improved rendering performance of fences
Improved rendering performance of grass
Improved rendering performance for weapons and attachments seen at distance
Improved rendering performance by modifying certain weapon and vehicle effects that were unnecessarily rendered at distance
Improved character animation performance
Improved effect performance
Improved the performance of teammate name plate, map and mini-map in teamplay
Content
Added VSS. A suppressed sniper rifle with permanent 4X scope & chambered for 9mm ammo. This new weapon can be found in care packages and as a very rare loot spawn
Added Motorbike
Gameplay
Reduced the moving speed of the two final play zones for better engagement during the endgame
Made a balance pass on certain weapons:
Vector
Reduced bullet damage slightly
Increased deviation gain per shot
Winchester/S686/S12K
Reduced pellet damage slightly
AKM
Increased bullet damage slightly
Fixed an issue where the players alive count would reduce when a player disconnected. Now the count will only go down upon the players death.
Action and Gunplay
Now players can put stock attachments on following weapons:
SKS : Sniper rifle cheek pad
Vector : Tactical stock (for M416)
Adjusted the color of the aiming point for the basic crossbow scope.
Added new scope rendering method (parallax free) allowing for greater aiming precision
Improved ADS view
Modified recoil for following weapons: AKM, SCAR, M16, M416
Fixed an issue allowing a player to zoom in with right click when waiting before throwing a grenade
Decreased the time to ADS when using the 2X scope
Vehicle
Added punctured wheel effect and sound
Added burnt markings to vehicles after being destroyed
Added the motorbike number plate image
When a vehicle explodes, the fences near the vehicle will now also be destroyed
World
Added new vegetation to the lobby
UI
Players can press "Delete" to remove their marker placed on the world map
Adjusted the transparency of mini-map grid and coordinates text to make the map more visible
Added a dotted line towards the next play zone on the mini-map
Modified the icon design of the First Aid Kit
Added Thai language in language options
Added new key bindings for hold breath, motorbike air control and switch to previous weapon
Sound
Improved the sound of Motorbike
Added sound for door destruction effect
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Check out these awesome new dancing emotes for the heroes of Overwatch. You can get them in the new Overwatch Anniversary Loot Boxes!
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