The iconic futuristic lawman Judge Dredd is heading to the small screen. It has been reported that the star of the long-running 2000AD comic book is to feature in a new animated series called Judge Dredd: Mega City One.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the series is being developed by independent studio IM Global and British games developer and publisher Rebellion. The site states that the show will focus on "a team of Judges--futuristic cops invested with the power to be judge, jury, and executioner--as they deal with the challenges the future-shocked 22nd century throws at them."
While there is no news on casting or on what channel the show might end up, a teaser poster has been released. Check it out below:
In a statement, IM Global TV boss Mark Stern said: "This is one of those seminal sci-fi properties that seems to only become and more relevant with age. Not only is it a rich world with biting social commentary, but it's also fun as hell! As a fan of the comics and both films, it's a dream come true to be able to work in adapting this for television."
This will be the third time that the character has been brought to the screen. In 1995, Sylvester Stallone starred in the big-budget Judge Dredd, while Star Trek's Karl Urban played him in 2012's Dredd. Although neither version was commercially very successful, the 2012 movie has attracted a cult following over the years and there has been talk of a potential sequel.
Judge Dredd was created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, and he first appeared in the second issue of 2000AD in 1977. The character has also appeared in a number of video games, including Judge Dredd and Judge Dredd: Dredd VS Death.
Microsoft's Xbox One was released back in November 2013, and some years after its release, you may be wondering what's worthwhile playing on the new system. As it turns out, there are plenty of great games already available for the successor to the wildly popular Xbox 360. Check out our list of top Xbox One titles below, and let us know what you think about our picks in the comments. Of course, with even more games scheduled to come out, expect us to add and update this list as the months roll on!
"There's an incredible scope to what you can do in Black Flag, with a level of harmony between its component parts that encourages you to try it all, and a story that keeps you invested throughout the whole thing."
"Coupled with strong, loveable leads and a seemingly endless procession of ways to leave your (fictional) mark on London's history, Assassin's Creed Syndicate is a shining example of gameplay and storytelling."
"Battlefield 4 multiplayer is a blast and definitely the best reason to return to this hallowed franchise or dive in for the first time. Though the campaign makes strides in the right direction, it remains a sideshow to the main event. Expansive and exciting, challenging and empowering, Battlefield 4 multiplayer is a thrilling endeavor in this generation or the next."
"There are so few games willing to explore that dull ache that I became mesmerized by Aurora's journey, even when I needed to step away from her plight while I regained my composure. Child of Light is a wonderfully realized, somber adventure, and I couldn't be happier that such a game exists."
"There are several possible endings to Dark Souls III, and although most are anticlimactic, they drive home the loneliness of the paths we took. The old lords have abandoned their posts, and in the hunt to usurp them, we descend into those dark valleys, and climb those imposing peaks. This is the essence of Dark Souls III: periods of doubt, followed by great reward. The journey may be rocky, but there's a throne waiting at the end."
"Survival may not be always be pretty in Dead Rising 3, but it's fun to roam around in this LA-inspired setting for Capcom's latest take on a zombie apocalypse. You'll be able to hop in a car and traverse from one end of this city to the other in about five minutes, but the thrill is in the journey rather than the destination."
"Deus Ex: Mankind Divided refines and reinforces the defining foundations of the series. It creates challenging situations and gives players the tools and flexibility to deal with them in a multitude of ways, all within an absorbing cyberpunk world. Although not a significant departure from Human Revolution, Mankind Divided is still a uniquely fulfilling experience, one which feels rare in games today."
"Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition feels like the happy conclusion of a two-year public beta, with the initial purchasers on PC bearing much of the grief with the auction house and the slow pace to reach level 60."
"When trumpet fanfares and wailing guitars fill the room, the game calls for dramatic sweeps and swift punches; when plaintive violins and cellos encourage quiet contemplation, your hands swish about in graceful arcs."
"Many shooters chase the thrill Doom delivers, but few are as potent in their execution. It captures the essence of what made the classic Doom games touchstones of their day, and translates it to suit modern palates with impressively rendered hellscapes and a steady influx of tantalizing upgrades. Doom is the product of a tradition as old as shooters, and while it's not the model to follow in every case, modern shooters could learn a thing or two from Doom's honed and unadulterated identity."
"Fallout 4 can be an intoxicating experience. You're often forced to sacrifice something--a relationship, a lucrative opportunity, or your health--to make gains elsewhere. And the deeper down the rabbit hole you go, the more you wonder: what if I chose a different path? You second guess yourself, not just because you had other options, but because you aren't sure if you did the right thing. The fact that your decisions stick with you after walking away from the game is a testament to the great storytelling on hand. Fallout 4 is an argument for substance over style, and an excellent addition to the revered open-world series."
"When it uses the Stone Age setting to elevate the combat and reinforce the brutality of nature, it thrives. It fosters a give-and-take relationship with the wilderness, granting you the means to survive, but also the threats you have to overcome. That focus on primitive times can become a hindrance at certain points, with limited tools and repetitive combat, but in the end, Far Cry Primal stays true to its callous setting, fleshing out every layer of the captivating world it creates."
"FIFA needed a year like this. Without serious competition from Konami's PES in the past few years (until now), and with Ultimate Team keeping players playing and paying all year round, there's been no pressing motivation to ring the changes. Annual titles will always evolve gradually, but recent progress has felt glacial. FIFA 16 can be stubborn and stifling, but it feels gloriously new, and having to learn fresh strategies and nuances in a game series like this is an almost-forgotten pleasure."
"As merely the second installment for the Xbox One, Forza Motorsport 6 not only keeps up with the high bar set by Forza 5, it capitalizes on that foundation of quality. The Mod system and the weather effects are reasons enough for Forza 5 enthusiasts to seriously consider this sequel and the abundance of difficulty and assist options makes Forza 6 an immensely accessible driving simulation for newcomers."
"In some ways, Halo 5 is the boldest Halo yet. The franchise's multiplayer is at its peak, with a mode I'm sure I'll return to several times over. But then there's the campaign, which introduces fluid new movement and open level design, yet can't tell a coherent story to match. There are signs of a phenomenal shooter here, but certain narrative aspects feel underdeveloped, holding the franchise's newest sequel back from true excellence."
"This is a beautiful, haunting, and memorable game, a worthy follow-up to Limbo. Its puzzles, although rarely difficult, are engaging complements to the story. The real achievement of this game, though, is the way that it crafts its narrative: detailed environments convey the bizarre world that you travel through; introspective moments are filled with minimalist sound design and just the barest touches of music; and the things you must do to complete your journey force you to confront the realities of humanity, freedom, and existence."
"Superficially, you could call Lords of the Fallen a Souls game for the meek and the uninitiated. But it earns more respect than such a flippant description."
"When it comes to storytelling, there has never been a Metal Gear game that's so consistent in tone, daring in subject matter, and so captivating in presentation. The Phantom Pain may be a contender for one of the best action games ever made, but is undoubtedly the best Metal Gear game there is."
"Minecraft: Xbox One Edition surpasses the Xbox 360 Edition with cleaner, sharper visuals, and a farther view distance, and it runs at 60 frames per second for complete smoothness."
"The fact that NBA 2K16 is a great basketball experience can’t be ignored. Few sports games come close to providing a more authentic and fun virtual representation of the real thing, and even if this is the least user-friendly entry in years, I can’t stop playing it."
"Overwatch is an intelligent cascade of disparate ideas, supporting one another, pouring into one another, and coiling around themselves as they flow into the brilliant shooter underneath."
"Rare Replay is a great way to experience some of the best games from the studio's past, and the new videos that document Rare's storied history are the icing on the cake; it's just a shame that you can't access them from the start."
"It's the very epitome of a pure gaming experience, one that can be as deep or as simple as you want it to be, and one that never loses sight of what makes it so appealing to so many people."
"Momentum is the name of the game in this 2D platformer. Rayman runs, leaps, swings, glides, and swims with a kinetic grace that compels you ever onward. Being able to squeeze past spikes and thunder across toppling towers should be expected in any adventure that presents such formidable challenges, but what makes Legends special is how joyful such movements are."
"Rise of the Tomb Raider's first shot pans over the vast, foreboding landscape we'll soon come to know. In many ways, it functions as a promise on the part of Crystal Dynamics: there are big things ahead of us. And at the end of Lara's journey, after we've seen her through this adventure, and experienced everything the world has to offer, it's clear that promise was kept."
"From the moment you embark on your journey right up until the final deathblow, Strider is a blast to play. Controlling this agile ninja feels empowering right out of the gate, and each new upgrade brings with it an enjoyable new way to engage your foes."
"Super Time Force gleefully shreds conventional concepts of time travel in both its writing and gameplay, making it a refreshing twist on the side-scrolling shooter."
"Where the Witcher 2 sputtered to a halt, The Witcher 3 is always in a crescendo, crafting battle scenarios that constantly one-up the last, until you reach the explosive finale and recover in the glow of the game's quiet denouement. But while the grand clashes are captivating, it is the moments between conflicts, when you drink with the local clans and bask in a trobairitz's song, that are truly inspiring."
"The high-flying action intertwines beautifully with the brutish, tactical titan battles, creating battlefields that crackle with possibility. Titanfall is a leap forward for shooters, a game that combines the vibrant and new with the tried and true to create something special."
"What's most remarkable about Tomb Raider is how its many elements so perfectly complement each other, so that no matter which activity you're currently engaged in, you're fully invested. Even the straightforward platforming, in which Lara's sticky hands ensure there's little chance of failure, is thrilling thanks to brief quick-time events that keep your mind focused on even your smallest actions."
"My experiences weren't always perfect, but when Siege works, there's nothing else like it. It's not designed to appeal to all players, and that's exactly what allows it to be something special. With so much strategic depth, those periods between firefights actually become some of the most rewarding, while firefights themselves are made all the more intense by the knowledge that you're fighting for your life, not just your kill/death ratio."
"No matter how frustrated I grew with the game's semi-indestructible enemies or its repetitive leveling structure, I absolutely could not stop playing. The world was too engrossing, the loot was too enticing, and the campaign was too gripping for me to simply walk away. I stopped caring about the game's flaws after the first few hours and proceeded to lose myself in obsessive stat optimization and cooperative gun battles. The problems (and frustration) never disappeared, but I was more than happy to play through the pain."
"This is another expertly designed entry in the enthralling series. Though the core action remains largely unchanged, it's as exciting as it has ever been, thanks in part to the gorgeous visual design that brings each location to life."
"Watch Dogs is a lushly produced and riotous game with an uncanny ability to push you from one task to the next, each of which is just as fun as the last. This version of Chicago is crawling with a hyperbolic number of degenerates, and I didn't mind squashing pyromaniacs and slavers."
The game, which MercurySteam describes as an "asymmetric 4 divided by 1 cooperative/competitive online game," is a tactical shooter also focusing on close-quarters combat.
"Players can either join a team as a Raider, enjoying fast-paced tactical, cooperative gameplay, or they can choose to fight against them! Don't worry as you won't be alone; you fight along with an AI-controlled army leading the charge against the Raiders," MercurySteam said in a press release.
The studio says their sci-fi adventure is heavily story-driven and can be enjoyed as a single-player experience across multiple campaigns, to be released at different times.
"Raiders of the Broken Planet will launch with the Alien Myths campaign soon and be followed up with three additional self-contained adventure campaigns throughout 2017. Wardog Fury, Hades Betrayal and Council Apocalypse all form part of the 2017 season of campaigns for the game," MercurySteam said.
"Each campaign tells a parallel story and can be enjoyed in any order and will be packed to the rafters with new missions, new characters and tons of new content each developing and growing the sci-fi universe of Raiders."
There's no release date yet for Raiders of the Broken Planet, but it's set to debut on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One sometime this year.
A group of former Lionhead developers who worked on the Fable series have revealed their newest project, Kynseed.
Described as "a whimsical sandbox adventure," Kynseed is a persistent 2D RPG in which players "make choices that impact generations to come." Like the popular farming sim Stardew Valley, players can spend their days harvesting crops and raising livestock, or managing their own apothecary or tavern. Each character you encounter in the game remembers your deeds (and misdeeds) and will eventually age and pass on. When your own avatar dies, you take control of your children and continue your story through successive generations.
Lionhead, the developer responsible for the Fable series, was shut down by Microsoft last March, following the cancellation of Fable Legends. After the studio's closure, a group of its former developers went on to found PixelCount. Kynseed marks the studio's first independent venture and is estimated to launch in December 2018.
PixelCount is raising funds for Kynseed's development through Kickstarter. The studio's goal is $38,850; at the time of writing, the campaign has raised over $14,000. Kynseed is currently in the works for PC, though the developers have included a stretch goal to also bring it to consoles. You can download a free prototype of the game from its Kickstarter page.
Deadpool fans will have much to celebrate in 2018. Not only does Deadpool 2 hit theaters in the summer, it has been announced that a new animated adult Deadpool show is on the way.
The currently untitled series will be overseen by Atlanta star and creator Donald Glover with his brother Stephen, who will both act as showrunners, producers, and writers. It is being developed for FXX, the sister channel to FX, and the 10-part first season will premiere next year.
This is the second TV collaboration between FX and Marvel, following this year's highly acclaimed Legion. In a statement, FX's co-president of original programming Nick Grad said: "Donald Glover is an incredibly gifted and versatile artist who'll bring the Deadpool series to life with the same intense, singular vision as his breakout hit Atlanta. With the success of Legion, we're looking forward to again partnering with Marvel Television to create a series that is bold, striking, and entirely original."
Fans have been eagerly awaiting further updates for Mass Effect: Andromeda, and the latest one is now available.
The new 1.06 patch makes changes to a wide variety of areas, although the patch notes and BioWare's accompanying explanation doesn't provide much insight into precisely what's changed on all fronts. For instance, cinematic scenes have seen "various improvements." BioWare says this is true "particularly in the opening hours of the game."
Elsewhere in the patch, conversation options should no longer be greyed out when there is new dialogue still to be heard, chest armor now has level requirements, and performance and stability have been improved. Among the bugs addressed is one that sees SAM tell Ryder he has email when he does not.
Players who purchased either the Deluxe or Super Deluxe editions of Andromeda receive some new freebies with this patch: two Nomad skins, a casual Pathfinder outfit, and an exclusive pack for multiplayer (offering "high" odds to get an ultra-rare item).
Multiplayer also receives some attention, with BioWare explaining, "Powers and weapons were underperforming at higher difficulties--particularly power combos and assault rifles. As a result, players relied heavily on the Vanquisher sniper rifle and melee-focused classes."
"We found current damage levels significantly slowed the pace of games on Gold and Silver difficulties," it added. "To fix this, we started to overhaul the balance in multiplayer. Today's changes are the first step in that process."
Among the tweaks are an increase to the base damage of powers and certain weapons so that they'll now be more effective. Shotguns, in particular, have been buffed to deal more damage and have greater accuracy when not in cover. The aforementioned Vanquisher has been nerfed to "make it comparable with other weapons," as it was deemed far too effective, particularly on Gold difficulty.
Patch notes can be seen here, while the lengthy list of multiplayer changes are located here.
During a recent conference call with investors, EA addressed the reception to Andromeda, voicing its support for BioWare and the Mass Effect franchise overall.
Bethesda plans to offer an early access period for The Elder Scrolls Online's upcoming Morrowind expansion, but only for those who play on PC and Mac.
Existing players on either of those platforms who purchase the digital upgrade of the expansion or the collector's edition can access Morrowind starting on May 22. That's a full two weeks ahead of the expansion's official release on June 6.
This access isn't limited to a portion of the expansion, nor is it only a preview where progress will be wiped afterward. Players will be on live servers and will not lose any of their progress once Morrowind launches in June.
Purchasing the digital upgrade or digital collector's edition before launch will get you into early access. Those who buy the physical version of the collector's edition will need to contact the game's support team in order to receive access.
While this isn't labeled as a beta, Bethesda did note that this early access period will "allow for final gameplay tuning and polishing before the game launches."
After teasing it repeatedly, Sega today officially announced that Vanquish, the third-person shooter developed by Bayonetta studio Platinum Games, is coming to PC through Steam on May 25.
Its Steam page promises many of the critical features PC fans care about: unlocked framerate, unlocked HD resolutions, and "extensive" graphics options. A Digital Deluxe Edition comes with a soundtrack sample containing five songs, as well as avatars, a digital art book, and desktop wallpapers.
If you already own Bayonetta on Steam or buy it before May 25, you'll save 25 percent on the preorder price of Vanquish. Everyone who preorders Vanquish before May 25 is automatically upgraded to the Digital Deluxe Edition.
Vanquish's release follows Sega bringing Bayonetta to PC in April. In a statement, executive John Clark said there was a "positive response" to its launch and teased more PC releases may be coming in the future.
"There's more to come from Sega in this space, so stay tuned for further announcements," he said.
Vanquish was directed by Shinji Mikami, who is renowned for his work on the Devil May Cry and Resident Evil series. The title was released to universal acclaim for PS3 and Xbox 360 back in 2010; we awarded it a 9/10 and called it "one of the most gleeful and memorable experiences" of that year.
Update: Microsoft has confirmed that you can begin claiming your custom Xbox One controller designs on the Xbox Design Lab website now. The microsite to claim your designs ends on May 23. The campaign to earn rewards for your custom controllers kicks off on May 25.
Original story: Microsoft has announced another incentive to customize your own Xbox One controllers using the company's Xbox Design Lab program: you can earn some money for your designs.
The company is kicking off an initiative that rewards fans who create popular controller designs. Users can earn digital currency for Xbox Live based on the sales of their custom controllers and may even see their designs appear in Xbox marketing campaigns. Only the first person to claim ownership of a particular design is eligible to earn rewards for it.
Laurence Thomson, chief creative officer at Xbox ad agency McCan London, said of the campaign: "When you design a controller on the platform, beyond owning it, the unique design actually becomes yours, yours to name and yours to promote--for the first time you can earn from it, we'll even give you all the marketing tools so you can push it yourself."
First unveiled at E3 2016, Xbox Design Lab allows players to customize their very own Xbox One controllers with an array of color and design options--over 8 million possible combinations according to Microsoft. The service is currently only available in the US and Canada; Microsoft had previously said it would launch Xbox Design Lab in other regions later this year, though the company has since said it won't be bringing the program to other markets "at this time." Microsoft hasn't specified just when the Xbox Design Lab campaign begins; we'll update this story once it provides more details.
Sony's upcoming Wipeout remaster collection will come with an extra dash of nostalgia, at least if you buy it at certain places in the UK.
Rather than the usual look of a PS4 game box, Wipeout Omega Collection features an alternate box art design. It's intended to resemble a game for the original PlayStation, complete with its logo and the old black bar along the left side. You can check it out below.
This is seemingly only available at select retailers in the UK, including ShopTo. There's not yet any word regarding availability elsewhere in the world. Some UK retailers, such as ShopTo and Game, are also offering a steelbook case for the game. You can see that in the gallery above.
Wipeout's origins date back to the PlayStation; the first game was released in 1995.
Omega Collection packages together everything from more recent entries in the series: Wipeout HD, Fury, and 2048. It features all of the tracks and ships from those games with enhanced visuals, running at 1080p on PS4 or a dynamic 4K resolution on PS4 Pro. HDR support has been implemented, and both the PS4 and PS4 Pro versions are "targeting" 60 FPS. It arrives on June 6 in the US and June 7 in Europe.
American owners will be able to buy a standalone dock for the Nintendo Switch on May 19, but up until now Nintendo hasn't said when it'll be made available overseas. Today, however, the company announced that this summer the dock will be available for purchase in the United Kingdom.
On Twitter, Nintendo UK revealed that a pack containing a dock, an AC adapter, and an HDMI cable will arrive in UK stores on June 23. It's unclear right now what its price will be, because Nintendo does not set the prices of its products in Europe, so we'll have to wait for retailers to stock it to learn how much it'll cost. For comparison, it costs $90 in the United States.
A standalone Switch dock is particularly useful for people who commute with their Switch and wish to dock it at their workplace. It's also handy for those who want to use it on multiple TVs in their home but don't want to unplug any wires.
Speaking to IGN, Scott confirmed that the Covenant follow-up was well underway. "We're writing [a sequel] now, as we speak," he said. "I'll be filming that within 14 months."
"They wanted to do Alien: Awakening [with] Neill Blomkamp", he said. "I said fine. I was going to be the producer. If I could have, I would have. Except I do question--why have both [movies] out there? It seems like shooting your big toe off--it doesn't make sense.
"But [Fox] didn't go forward with it, so I just kind of kept out of it. I mean, I'd literally ignited this thing to bring it off the ground again, because it was lying there dormant on a shelf. I had this thing to bring it back up--but here we are."
Alien: Covenant hits theaters on May 19 in the US and May 12 in the UK. You can read GameSpot's review here--reviewer Eddie Makuch said it is "a fun movie that has a number of standout scenes. It is a notable improvement over Prometheus, but it runs the risk of feeling too familiar and formulaic overall."
Developer Sloclap has revealed the release date for its gorgeous-looking fighting game Absolver; the 3D brawler will launch for PlayStation 4 and PC on August 29.
The title allows players to choose one of multiple combat styles to develop their own moveset, with a breadth of customisation options available within each. To explain all this, Sloclap has released a new trailer, which you can watch above.
"The way we thought about building the world and level design--[the Souls games are] supreme lessons in level design," the company told us at E3 last year. "And [Absolver has] that combat where you get into your timing, and every hit matters and you shouldn't just be doing things [chaotically]."
The upcoming Netflix show The Defenders will unite all four of the streaming service's Marvel heroes. A quartet of motion posters featuring Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist have been released—check them out below:
The Defenders stars Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), and Finn Jones (Iron Fist). They will be joined by a variety of characters from the individual Netflix shows, including Daredevil's Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Jessica Jones's Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss), and Luke Cage's Misty Knight, played by Simone Missick.
Sigourney Weaver plays the shows main villain Alexandra, while Elodie Young returns as Daredevil's nemesis Elektra. The first season hits Netflix on August 18.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cox spoke about what unites these four very different heroes. "They want to genuinely make a difference and help people out," he said. "I'm not convinced that Jessica Jones feels quite as earnestly about that, but in some ways paradoxically, these great powers are also our great shame.
"These characters are living with a shame and a loneliness and have felt kind of ostracized. I think they felt like freaks and have been misunderstood. And as sad as that sounds, there's also something quite beautiful about that. There's something quite human about that."
In terms of other Marvel Netflix shows, The Punisher is also expected later this year. Beyond that, a third season of Daredevil and second for both Jessica Jonesand Luke Cage are also in the works.
Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday (don't forget to call your mom!), and in the spirit of the week, Harmonix is releasing new Rock Band 4 DLC tracks that are in some ways to connected to mothers.
The two new DLC tracks this week are "Kids" by MGMT and "Mother Mother" by Tracy Bonham. The MGMT tracks starts off with a reference to mothers, with the lyrics "You were a child / Crawling on your knees toward him / Making momma so proud / But your voice is too loud."
"Mother Mother" is even more closely connected to moms. The first verse starts with "Mother mother how's the family? / I'm just calling to say hello / How's the weather? How's my father?"
You can listen to the songs through the Spotify embed below and see a preview of their gameplay in the video above. The two songs will be available to buy on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for $2 each this Thursday, May 11.
Funcom's The Secret World is returning in its new form very soon. The publisher announced this week that the game will relaunch on June 26 through Steam as Secret World Legends.
As announced earlier this year, it's a free-to-play game that Funcom describes as a "reboot" of the 2012 MMO The Secret World. The new version of the game is labeled a "shared-world action RPG."
More than just a name change, Funcom says it will feature "a redesigned combat system to make action feel more natural, more intuitive systems to interact with, enhanced visuals, and an improved flow of the quests, as well as the structure of the early game for new players."
In Secret World Legends, players fight against supernatural enemies in a story where "ancient myths and legends cross over into modern day." Players have weapons and superhuman abilities at their disposal. You can read more about the game on its Steam page and through its official site.
Are you going to check out Secret World Legends when it launches for free on Steam? Let us know in the comments below!
The Deadly Premonition board game didn't need very long to become a success. The project surpassed its $50,000 target on Kickstarter in just a day.
As of this writing, the Deadly Premonition board game has brought in $65,000 from more than 1,000 backers. The campaign ends on June 9, so funding is only going to climb higher. As shown on the Kickstarter page, there are a number of stretch goals.
For passing $55,000, two new bonus action cards were added, while the $60,000 stretch goal added two more. Passing $65,000 means the game will now include one new weather condition. You can see a full rundown of all the stretch goals on Kickstarter.
Pledges of $30 or more included the game itself and a Steam key for Deadly Premonition's Director's Cut. Alternatively, pledges of just $3 include a free copy of the Director's Cut on Steam.
The 2-4 player Deadly Premonition board game is inspired the video game and starts with players being dealt an "alignment" card that designates them as a Killer or Agent. Players must then either prove their innocence or incriminate the suspects. You can see a full rundown of the setup here.
The board game is being handled by Deadly Premonition's publisher, Rising Star Games, and is due out later this year. It's being made with the support of creator Hidetaka Suehiro, who is perhaps better known as Swery. However, Swery has spoken up to say that he is not very much involved with the board game.
Thirty-eight years after Alien came out in 1979, Ridley Scott is back with the latest chapter in the sci-fi series, Alien: Covenant. A sequel to the Alien prequel Prometheus, Covenant comes to theaters in Australia on May 11, with a release in the US following on May 18.
Ahead of release, reviews have come online. To help you get an idea for if the movie is worth your time and money, we've collected excerpts from reviews published across the internet.
For more on the critical reaction to Covenant, head to GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Film:Alien: Covenant
Release Date: May 11 (Australia), May 19 (US)
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, Billy Crudup, Carmen Ejogo, Benjamin Rigby, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollet, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, and Benjamin Rigby.
Directed By: Ridley Scott
Rating: R
Runtime: 122 minutes
GameSpot:
"Covenant is a fun movie that has a number of standout scenes, including one of the biggest, most over-the-top (and somewhat silly) set pieces in the franchise's history. It is a notable improvement over Prometheus, but it runs the risk of feeling too familiar and formulaic overall." -- Eddie Makuch [Full review]
The Hollywood Reporter
"Stylistically, the film is a thing of cool beauty, with superb effects and a lovely score. Creatively, it's a major reset on a level with the series' best." -- Todd McCarthy [Full review]
Entertainment Weekly
"One leg up that Covenant has is Scott's refusal to entirely jettison the biblical weirdness of Prometheus. There's still plenty of vague discussion about creation, but the movie is essentially a compromise between the prior film's fans and haters. Some of us [clears throat] will miss those big swings, but regardless of where you landed with Prometheus, there's bound to be something to delight you in Covenant because, Scott--thankfully--still makes 'em like he used to." -- Kevin Sullivan [Full review]
Empire
"An upgrade from Prometheus, Alien: Covenant amps up the thrills but doesn't deliver a memorable crew member or the full-on onslaught of the series at its height." -- Ian Freer [Full review]
"Ridley Scott's official return to the Alien franchise is essentially a Prometheus sequel with Aliens in it." -- Peter Debruge [Full review]
The Verge
"The problem is that the Alien franchise started in an age where sequels could be complete films unto themselves--in fact, James Cameron's Aliens is considered by many to be one of the best sequels ever made. That is simply not the same kind of cinematic landscape we find ourselves in today, so perhaps something like Alien: Covenant is the best we can hope for. That said, I'd like to think that Scott has one more truly great Alien movie left in him somewhere. Maybe we'll get it next time." -- Bryan Bishop [Full review]
New York Daily News
"Further proving his mastery of creating tension and thrills, Scott has effectively created a satisfying hybrid of Alien, Prometheus and even James Cameron's Aliens. Those looking for one of the better movies in the Alien franchise should appreciate what the latest movie brings to the mix. But it's not for the squeamish or faint of heart." -- Edward Douglas [Full review]
After the mixed reaction to 2012's Prometheus, Ridley Scott is back in the Alien universe with the latest in the long-running sci-fi series, Alien: Covenant. Thirty-eight years after the original, Scott shows with Covenant--the first main entry in the franchise with 'Alien' in the title for two decades--that he's still finding new ways to turn the stomachs of the audience, awe them with beautiful visuals, and intrigue them with unexpected story twists. Despite all of that, it feels like Covenant retreads familiar ground and doesn't come close to being as frightening or exciting the best Alien films: Alien and Aliens.
Covenant picks up 10 years after the events of Prometheus. The crew of the massive interplanetary ship Covenant are on a seven-year journey to what they hope is a new planet to colonize with the 2,000 frozen passengers they are ferrying. However, a disastrous solar flare awakens the crew early, damaging the vessel in the process. Amid the repair effort, they receive a puzzling transmission stemming from a habitable planet that is only a two-week journey away. The choice then becomes to either stick to the plan and re-enter hypersleep to reach the faraway planet (which was vetted thoroughly) or seek out the signal and land on the closer yet unfamiliar moon. Very much against the wishes and advice of Katherine Waterston's character, Daniels, they pursue the signal to find its source. This brings them to a mysterious planet full of terrors they couldn't have imagined.
The film begins strongly with a gorgeous, introspective scene in a big white room involving the mega-rich scientist Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) meeting with Michael Fassbender's android character. Continuing on from the existential ideas put forth in Prometheus, they discuss the origins of life and creation, with Weyland emphatically laying out his ambition to basically discover the meaning of life. Covenant overflows with exposition and early on in the film, Daniels remarks: "There is so much here that I don't understand." I nodded along from my seat as she said this. Covenant does provide answers--satisfying ones--to the questions put forth in the meandering story of Prometheus, including what happened to Noomi Rapace's character, Elizabeth Shawn, and Fassbender's David. It also talks about the origins of the Xenomorphs and dramatically teases out the shocking horror of what might come in the future. All up, the story is compelling and thought-provoking, if a bit heavy-handed at times.
Covenant's tone and style bounce around a lot--but not in a way that makes the complete package feel scattered or disjointed. The first and third acts are basically all suspense and action, featuring gunfights and big set pieces, disturbing deaths and gory moments. The second act, meanwhile, feels quieter and more reflective, planting the seeds of some of the biggest questions that will hopefully be addressed in the sequels Scott is planning.
As for the cast, Michael Fassbender's compelling performance makes him the standout. He plays two robots: David and Walter. They are identical in appearance but have different ambitions and objectives when things go awry. Fassbender's energy and versatility drive the weight and intensity behind his robot characters. Despite their identical appearance, he always makes them feel unique. Danny McBride plays the cowboy hat-wearing, John Denver-loving pilot Tennessee, who doesn't get the most screentime, but absolutely makes a mark with his wit and passion. Daniels is also a standout character, with Waterston playing the broken-but-determined, loyal crewmate in a strong and engaging performance. Billy Crudup is adept in his role as the hesitant but driven-by-duty captain Oram, a man of faith. But the script doesn't do much to explain why his religion matters, leaving a character who feels forgettable and empty. It feels like a missed opportunity considering the grander themes of life and creation that permeate the entire film.
The classic and frightening Xenomorph, which was shown in some of Covenant's teasers, is not seen in the early stages of the movie. Instead, more screentime is devoted to a menacing-looking white variant that moves fast and bites hard with its ferocious fangs. In one particularly unsettling scene, a few of these beasts dash and scurry through a wheat field, jumping and diving at the would-be colonists in the dark of night. The clicking sound they produce makes them all the more horrifying.
The trend of aliens being grotesquely spawned from human bodies continues in Covenant. How this works has been well established, but this time, Scott finds even more orifices to spring slimy, screaming alien creatures forth from their human host. Then there are the face-huggers that terrorize their host in a different brutal way. There are literal back-breaking scenes, convulsing bodies, and blood splatter everywhere when the creature finally breaks through. Scott truly gives the viewer new ways to experience trauma. The death scenes are brutal and unique, but scarcely scary and never surprising when they're about to happen--almost every death scene is telegraphed. A couple, naked in the shower together on a remote section of the spaceship? You can see it coming.
The death scenes can feel unaffecting, and they aren't helped much in their significance by the fact that much of the crew are married. It's an unexpected element, and Scott attempts to use it to make each death all the more painful to witness. However, the impact isn't always there. Holding things back is the script in general, as we don't learn enough about what the crew members are leaving behind or much of anything that would help the audience try to understand their relationships on a deeper level.
Covenant is a fun movie that has a number of standout scenes, including one of the biggest, most over-the-top (and somewhat silly) set pieces in the franchise's history. It is a notable improvement over Prometheus, but it runs the risk of feeling too familiar and formulaic overall.
The Good
The Bad
Fassbender's performance is memorable
Not all that scary
The trademark Alien gore is here in spades
Feels familiar and formulaic
Thought-provoking for its commentary on life and creation
Incredible production values with stunning visuals
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, Billy Crudup, Carmen Ejogo, Benjamin Rigby, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollet, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, and Benjamin Rigby.
Last year, Blizzard announced plans to improve Overwatch's Highlights feature by allowing players to save and export them. This feature has still not been delivered, but Blizzard now assures that it has not been forgotten. Writing in the game's forums, director Jeff Kaplan said the save/export feature for Highlights is the current focus one of the smaller development "strike teams" on the wider Overwatch team.
"The team is working extremely hard on this and has been for months. Expect more details early this summer," Kaplan said.
Currently, Overwatch archives five Highlights per session, but these are erased when you exit the game. Players of course have found other ways to capture, record, and export their Overwatch gameplay, but having the ability to do this from inside the game should be a nice feature.
We'll report back with more details on Overwatch's save/export feature for highlights as they're announced.
Kaplan addressed other topics in the Overwatch forums. Here's a rundown of some of the things he said:
They are considering a Gun Game-type mode [source]
Sombra's sitting emote is coming in the next major content update [source]
Competitive Season 4 will come to a close at the end of May, with Season 5 kicking off at the start of June [source]
Blizzard is considering changes to the kill feed [source]
The latest Overwatch PTR patch is still being tested, and Kaplan said the team looking to change Orisa's damage. Overall, however, the update is looking "mostly OK with things minus a few bugs." [source]
With Injustice 2's release coming up very soon, NetherRealm today released a new trailer titled "Everything You Need To Know," and it lives up to the name, covering all of the game's main points.
It starts off by discussing the story, which follows the clash between Batman and Superman after the Injustice League falls apart. The story takes players across the DC universe, the video says, with players able to make decisions that have "Earth-shattering consequences."
Injustice 2's Gear system also gets some screentime in the video, explaining and showing off how you can customize your character and their abilities to your liking. Additionally, the video touches on Injustice 2's Guilds system and the Injustice 2 mobile game.
Injustice 2 launches for PS4 and Xbox One on May 16. For more on the game, check out all of GameSpot's previous written and video content here.
To promote the launch of the '90s-style PC/PS4 shooter Strafe today, publisher Devolver Digital released a wonderful trailer for Strafe: The Official Movie based on the game (but not really).
The trailer is a treat, full of silly and over-the-top moments that aim to emphasize how the game is the "fastest, bloodiest, deadliest, most adjective-abusing, action-packed first-person shooter of 1996."
Following a delay from March, Strafe is out now on PC and PS4 for $20. The game was made by independent studio Pixel Titans and published by Devolver Digital, which is also behind Hotline Miami and Broforce.
"As unforgiving, repetitive, and frustrating as it can be, the urge to jump back into the game and take out that frustration on hordes of enemies to the tune of the most-proper soundtrack with a toy box of guns is hard to resist," reviewer Michael Higham said. "Strafe wears its influences on its sleeve but stands on its own as a fun, intense, and fast-paced shooter with distinguishable charm."
Fox has released the first teaser for The Gifted, an X-Men TV show that is billed as an "action-adventure family drama." The show follows a regular family that discovers their children have mutant powers.
"Forced to go on the run from a hostile government, the family joins up with an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive," reads a line from the show's description.
The show was written by Burn Notice's Matt Nix and directed by X-Men series director and producer Bryan Singer. Its stars include Stephen Moyer (True Blood) and Amy Acker (Person of Interest).
A full-length trailer for The Gifted will arrive on Monday, May 15, while the show itself will premiere on Fox this Fall.
According to Variety, The Gifted's pilot was one of the "hottest" for this broadcast season, and was seen as a "shoo-in for a series order."
Are you planning to watch The Gifted? Let us know in the comments below!
The cool-looking Hot Wheels expansion for Microsoft's racing game Forza Horizon 3 is out now on Xbox One and PC. As announced previously, the add-on brings ten Hot Wheels cars to the game, including the 2012 Rip Rod and 2011 Bone Shaker, and new courses to drive on with corkscrews and loops on the trademark orange tracks.
This is Horizon 3's second major expansion, following Blizzard Mountain. The open-world racing game has also received a number of additional vehicles through DLC.
The Hot Wheels expansion is included with Forza Horizon 3's $35 Expansion Pass (which also comes with Blizzard Mountain) or it can be purchased on its own for $20.
Arriving alongside the Hot Wheels expansion today is a big new update for the PC version of Forza Horizon 3. It adds support for even more racing wheels (see the full list here) and also makes changes to the game's architecture such that the game sees a "significant CPU performance gain" on high or ultra setts for PCs that meet at least the recommended spec.
Additionally, the "thread model" has been updated to "make better use of all available cores." There is also a new option in the graphics tab to toggle this off; you can find the option in the Video Settings menu under a new tab for "Threaded Optimization."
Even more graphics options come to Forza Horizon 3 on PC with today's new update, aiming to help improve frame rate for people playing on lower-spec rigs. These options include:
Dynamic Geometry Quality now has a Very Low option
World Car Level of Detail now has a Very Low option
What's more, every Forza Horizon 3 graphics option has had its description tweaked to explain how the individual setts impact CPU and GPU performance, as well as available VRAM. Finally, the game's minimum spec has been lowered to the following:
During an earnings call that followed Electronic Arts' financial report today, CEO Andrew Wilson addressed the delay of BioWare's new IP and spoke about the mixed reaction to Mass Effect: Andromeda. Starting with Andromeda, Wilson said he would have liked review scores to have been higher, though he is proud of the game BioWare made and how was the game some players were looking for.
"Mass Effect [Andromeda] is an interesting title; it was in development for a really long time and represented a lot of the great things that BioWare is known for: story, size, depth, breadth, imagination," Wilson said. "And while overall the aggregate review scores were lower than we would have liked, we did have over 100 reviewers score the game at 80 or higher. So it represents a fanbase that's very passionate, that's looking for very particular things, and many players found exactly what they're looking for, and some players did not."
Andromeda does the things that make Mass Effect games great, Wilson said, listing off elements like "wonderful, beautiful, deep, rich worlds; amazing combat; and engaging, fast-paced multiplayer."
Wilson also pointed out that BioWare continues to support Andromeda's multiplayer "regularly" with new content. Overall, Wilson said EA is is "very happy" with "how BioWare is treating Mass Effect."
In the long run, EA still has "strong" expectations for the brand going forward and the franchise overall, Wilson said. No games in the series beyond Andromeda have been announced, though a movie is in the works.
As for BioWare's new IP, EA today announced that it's been delayed, now scheduled to come out between April 2018 and March 2019. Speaking about the delay, Wilson stressed that it didn't have anything to do with the situation surrounding Andromeda. Instead, Wilson said it wanted to give BioWare more time to make the best game possible.
"The choice to move the new IP and what happened with Mass Effect [Andromeda]are completely unrelated," he said. "The reality is, we have a creative process--as a company, creativity and pioneering is really important for us. Innovation in games is important more now than ever, and as a leader in the industry, we see it as our responsibility to innovate.
"As part of our creative process--and I get to be involved in that creative process--we recognized that there was so much more opportunity in a connective, networked, social world to do some things in the new BioWare game that had never been done before, and [that] we don't think anyone is going to do anytime soon. But by virtue of our network, our cross-platform presence, and our scale, we think we can do that. And we chose to give the team some more time to deliver against that innovation because we believe players are looking for the kinds of things that we plan to put into that game."
While we don't know much about the new IP right now, Wilson teased that BioWare might make announcements about it "in the months to come." This could be a reference to E3, which is held in June, or Gamescom, which takes place in August. Or EA might choose to make announcements outside of these venues. Whatever the case, we'll report back with more information as it's announced.
Earlier this year, Wilson said about BioWare's new IP: "This game has the potential to fundamentally disrupt the way people think about an action title, bringing friends together to play in an exhilarating new way. We're very excited about the future of this new franchise and its ability to attract a large, global audience."
For more on EA's earnings call today, check out the stories below.
Update: During EA's post-earnings conference call, CEO Andrew Wilson announced a delay for BioWare's new IP and also outlined some of what to look for through fiscal year 19 (April 2018 - March 2019) and further into the future.
"Through FY19 and beyond, our portfolio will continue to grow," Wilson said. "There will be more new experiences for our Battlefield fans, our Star Wars action-adventure IP from Visceral will make its debut, and farther out, we'll have a new Star Wars title from our partners at Respawn. We continue to invest deeply in new IP, including the new game from BioWare and another project from our Motive studio."
It's unclear at this point if the reference to Battlefield experiences indicates new games or merely continued support for Battlefield 1. There's no word on what Motive's game will be, though Portal and Left 4 Dead designer Kim Swift recently joined the studio.
Additionally, EA shared that the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront 2 features three times as much content as its predecessor did at launch. Wilson reiterated that EA took feedback to the previous game seriously, hence the addition of more content and a single-player campaign (being built by Motive). CFO Blake Jorgensen also noted that EA hopes to ship more copies than the 14 million that the first Battlefront did in its debut year. EA believes the game will appeal to Battlefield fans in addition to Battlefront and general Star Wars fans.
The original story follows.
Electronic Arts today released its earnings report for the quarter that ended on March 31, which also marked the close of its financial year.
According to the company, it was the No. 1 publisher on PS4 and Xbox One in the West from April 2016 through March 2017. It also boasted that Battlefield 1 saw 19 million players between its launch in October and the end of March. This is "a 50% increase over Battlefield 4 in the comparable period."
Other highlights included FIFA 17 seeing more than 21 million players, though keep in mind this and the Battlefield 1 figure aren't indicative of actual sales numbers. FIFA Ultimate Team players were up 13% year-over-year, while The Sims 4 saw an increase in monthly active users of 33%. Amazingly, EA says the average time spent playing Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes in Q4 was a whopping 162 minutes per day, which is a new record for the game.
There was no talk of Mass Effect: Andromeda's sales performance, which didn't release until the tail end of the quarter and financial year.
Following an industry-wide trend, digital sales were on the rise. Net revenue from packaged goods were down for the third consecutive year, while digital was up once again. Digital net sales reached $3.034 billion for the full year, which equates to 61% of total net sales. That's an increase of 20% over the prior year. Digital net sales increased most dramatically in terms of full game downloads (up 43% year-over-year) and live services, which comprise DLC, subscriptions, and other categories (up 31%).
EA will host a conference call with investors and analysts later this afternoon to discuss these results. We'll report back with anything interesting it has to share.
BioWare is best known as the developer behind the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series, and it released Mass Effect: Andromeda earlier this year. Alongside these established franchises, however, BioWare is also working on a new IP, but today publisher EA announced that you'll have to wait a little longer to get your hands on it.
In an earnings call, the publisher revealed that the new game is now expected to launch sometime during the fiscal year '19--between April 2018 and March 2019. On the call, CEO Andrew Wilson explained that the delay is due to BioWare adding more to its "social design."
"We are very pleased with the progress of our new action IP from BioWare," he said. "The design is stunning, gameplay mechanics are excellent, and the action will be exhilarating. The game is built around a live service, and to upgrade our process, we've decided to add more to the disruptive new social design for our players. To accommodate that, we are moving our launch date for this project into fiscal year '19."
"We want to further develop the live service component," CFO Blake Jorgensen added.
Not much is known about the project at this time, but back in January, BioWare general manager Aaryn Flynn gave a short update on the company's design philosophy. "Our ambition is simple," he said. "Draw upon 20-plus years of development knowledge and lessons to create something fun and new for you to enjoy with your friends. There's nothing quite as exciting as building a new IP from scratch, and it will be even more thrilling for us to share more with you in the future."
We'll update this story with any new information we receive about the game from the earnings call, and keep an eye on GameSpot in coming months for more news out of BioWare and EA.
With Nvidia's custom Tegra X1 graphics processor inside the Nintendo Switch, it was clear that Nvidia was going to make a substantial amount of money once the console started flying off shelves. Now, it's proving to be the case.
As reported by Yahoo, RBC Capital Markets analyst Mitch Steves says Nvidia is projected to add between $300 to $400 million in revenue for fiscal year 2018, which began on January 30. This would translate to a 3-4% growth in annual revenue for Nvidia. Of course, that figure is contingent upon the number of consoles Nintendo manufactures. In a 12-month period (starting last month), Nintendo aims to increase production from eight million to 16 million units.
Nvidia's Tegra X1 system-on-chip (SOC).
The original Tegra X1 chip was used in the Nvidia Shield systems, which was modified specifically for the Nintendo Switch. The last time Nvidia hardware was in a console was with the PlayStation 3; all eighth generation consoles (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U) opted for AMD graphics processors.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Goldblum discussed his character, who he played in 1993's Jurassic Park and its sequel, 1997's The Lost World. "I'll try to contribute something to the plate of dino-entertainment," he said. "I like my character. I think my character is a saucy, sassy man of some integrity and deep thinking. And of course, that whole world continues to be popular, slam-bang, top entertainment."
Goldblum went on to hint at the themes that director J.A. Bayona would be exploring in the movie: "Even though some might say it's popcorn-y entertainment--top-notch, of course--in our conversation, [Bayona] was very focused on the serious issues of greed, the marvels of science and reason, and the very fascinating point at which our species finds itself.
"I'm very interested in that myself, so I'm looking forward to this. I've got a few things to do. I'm nothing if not conscientious, so I'm enjoying working on it every day."
Jurassic World 2 again stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, with other new cast members including James Cromwell and Toby Jones, among others.
Jurassic World was a massive hit, bringing in $1.67 billion worldwide to become one of the highest-grossing movies in history. The sequel arrives in June 2018.
The arcade-style game, released today, has been compared to NBA Jam thanks to its stylized characters and over-the-top gameplay.
It has several different game modes, including two-player offline co-op, two-player online competitive, four-player offline team matches, and solo matches. The Nintendo Switch version of the game doesn't have online functionality at this time, but developer Saber Interactive says online play will be made available in a free game update expected in a few days.
NBA Playgrounds sports all 30 NBA teams, and can tap into a roster of current and retired NBA players like including Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, and Magic Johnson. You can level up your players over time and use power-ups, collectible cards, special techniques, and take advantage of a lottery pick system that rewards great play.
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