The new protagonist is named Ba Yek, according to the t-shirt pictured below. The photo was first published by the Le Verità dell'Animus Facebook fan page and then shared on Reddit.
Image credit: Le Verità dell'Animus on Facebook
Alongside the name, we also get our best-yet look at the character, who was partially obscured in the leaked screenshot. We mostly see his back, but Ba Yek can be seen holding both a shield and a bow.
Ubisoft's Ashraf Ismail, who was a director on Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, appeared to remark on the leak today, writing on Twitter, "Nice t-shirt." Ismail lists himself as game director on an "unannounced project," which could be in reference to the new Assassin's Creed. The members of its development team have not yet been announced.
Futurlab, the developer of Velocity 2X, announced today that it's working on a new game for the PlayStation VR.
Titled Tiny Trax, it's described by the studio as a "slot-car racing game." Players take control of small toy cars and race them around Wipeout-like tracks that have twists and loops. In the game's announcement trailer, Futurlab showed off a few of the tracks that will be featured. You can check out the video below.
From this early glimpse of the game, the environments look pretty beautiful--I'm a big fan of the cartoony, vivid colors and the background details.
Tiny Trax supports PS VR, and players will look at the tracks from a top-down perspective. There will be 12 tracks "constructed around you in 'slap-me-in-the-face this is great' VR," according to Futurlab's PlayStation Blog post. "Tiny Trax brings the action to you with tiny cars skidding past your nose, jumping overhead and drifting around your feet."
Tiny Trax also has online multiplayer for up to four people, or you can race against three other AI-controlled vehicles. It'll have six cars to choose from.
Futurlab hasn't announced a release date yet, and it's unclear if Tiny Trax will be playable without PS VR.
A new trailer for Agents of Mayhem, the open-world action game from Saints Row developer Volition, has been released. This video focuses on one of the vehicles that players will be able to take for a spin around Seoul, and no doubt crash into things with.
The cars that the Agents of Mayhem speed around in are created by Quartermile, who is an "automotive genius." His vehicles are all "combat ready" and equipped with "an AI for Agents to chat with as they drive." It comes as no surprise, then, that the trailer leans heavily into the Knight Rider aesthetic, using the theme tune and talking AI voice liberally. See it in action in the video above.
The last Agents of Mayhem trailer showed off three of the game's characters: Hollywood, Fortune, and Hardtack. Hollywood is a full-of-himself, former reality TV and adult film star. Fortune is a pistol-wielding fighter with an attitude, and Hardtack is a big bulky bruiser. Check them all out here.
The next global event in Pokemon Sun and Moon kicks off today and revolves around fishing.
This particular Global Mission tasks players with fishing 500,000 Pokemon or items from bubbling fishing spots around the Alola region. Players will have until June 12 to reach the goal. The award for successfully completing the mission this time is 2,000 Festival Coins, though even if players fail to meet the deadline, everyone who participates will receive at least 200 Festival Coins. Players who have synced their games to the Pokemon Global Link website will earn double the amount of Festival Coins.
Since Sun and Moon's release last November, there have been seven Global Missions. The first two events, which tasked players with catching 100 million Pokemon and finding 1 million monsters using the games' Island Scan feature, both ended in failure, but subsequent events have had much more success; the goal of the most recent Global Mission was to harvest 3 million Poke Beans, a total that players exceeded by more than 70 million. The Festival Coins you earn for participating in Global Missions increase the rank of your Festival Plaza and can be used to purchase special items from the Plaza's facilities.
Despite launching six months ago, Nintendo continues to announce new Pokemon and events for Sun and Moon. Last month, the company unveiled a new Mythical Pokemon called Marshadow, though it hasn't said when or how players will be able to acquire the monster. In the meantime, GameStop is offering a special Lycanroc until June 5. Players can also snag four free Mega Stones for Pidgeot, Heracross, Steelix, and Houndoom through Sun and Moon's Mystery Gift feature.
Square Enix has unveiled a new, retro-inspired RPG from I Am Setsuna developer Tokyo RPG Factory.
Titled Lost Sphear, the game bears many similarities to the studio's previous effort. Like I Am Setsuna, it is heavily influenced by classical 16-bit RPGs like Chrono Trigger, featuring an isometric viewpoint, a "revamped" active-time battle system, as well as a melancholy story. This time, rather than saving the world from the grips of an everlasting winter, players will guide a young boy named Kanata as he sets out to prevent the world from disappearing.
Lost Sphear is releasing digitally for PS4, Switch, and PC. Square Enix hasn't announced a release date for the title, but the publisher says it will arrive in "early 2018." Square Enix is also offering a limited quantity of physical copies for the PS4 and Switch versions through its online store. The physical copy retails for $50 and includes two additional music tracks.
I Am Setsuna is available for PS4, Switch, and PC. We awarded the game 7/10 in our review, calling it "an unapologetic homage to beloved Japanese RPGs that plays well but takes few risks."
The Advance Wars series has been dormant for nearly a decade, with no sign of a revival happening anytime soon. Some developers who previously worked on the games were recently asked about the franchise, and while their answers may have been somewhat encouraging, it doesn't sound as if a new game announcement is imminent.
Speaking with Eurogamer, Nintendo's Hitoshi Yamagami, who was a producer on past Advance Wars titles, said, "Personally, I'd love to do Advance Wars, but since it's harder to create relationships between its characters compared to Fire Emblem, I don't have a clear idea of what kind of setting it could have."
Fire Emblem is another series handled by Advance Wars developer Intelligent Systems. Whereas Fire Emblem's characters are the units you use in battle, Advance Wars' characters only served as leaders for the respective armies; on-field units are all generic.
Masahiro Higuchi, who worked on the original Advance Wars, told Eurogamer, "The Advance Wars series is one that I personally have a lot of interest in. I hear some of the staff here saying that they want to make one too, so if we have a chance it's something I'd like to do!"
The most recent game in the Wars series was 2008's Days of Ruin for DS. The franchise dates back to the NES, although it gained prominence with the 2001 GBA game Advance Wars, which was the first to be released outside of Japan.
Intelligent Systems is at work on at least one new Fire Emblem game, which is coming to Switch, and Nintendo has not signaled any intention to revive Advance Wars. Luckily, Starbound developer Chucklefish has a new game on the way called Wargroove that strongly resembles the series. Among other platforms, it's headed to Switch later this year.
The record-breaking launch of the Switch reportedly led Nintendo to increase production of the console back in March. A new report suggests this may be happening once again.
According to the Financial Times, sources close to Nintendo have said a production increase has been ordered to help meet demand going into the holiday season. Nintendo itself has yet to confirm such a move, but it will reportedly produce 18 million units for the year that runs through March 31, 2018. That's a substantial increase over the 10 million that Nintendo has officially said to expect.
Analysts told the FT that Nintendo may be speaking in an "intentionally conservative" way, with Morgan Stanley's Hirotoshi Murakami suggesting the year's final tally could be 20 million units. However, Nintendo does face production hurdles; while it may not run on cutting-edge hardware, there are supply constraints on components like its LCD screen.
The report also casually notes that Super Mario Odyssey is expected to launch in November. Officially, it's only been announced for release before the end of the year; it's not expected to launch until the fourth quarter, so a November release sounds plausible.
PlayStation 4's latest system update is available to download now, but don't expect it to do too much. According to Push Square, Firmware Update 4.70 improves the quality of the system performance, and it reportedly introduces new icons for many of Sony's own apps such as the PlayStation Store.
The patch weighs in at around 340 MB, and it's mandatory to install--just turn your PS4 on and the update should begin downloading automatically.
The Boost Mode feature aims to improve the quality and performance of games that have not been patched to support PS4 Pro. "This can provide a noticeable frame rate boost to some games with variable frame rates, and can provide frame rate stability for games that are programmed to run at 30 Hz or 60 Hz," Sony explained at the time.
Injustice 2 has maintained its position atop the UK physical sales chart for the week ending May 27, as Nintendo Switch's new fighting game Ultra Street Fighter II debuts at No.10.
Other than Ultra Street Fighter II, the week's only new releases were Rime, which finished at No.27, and Switch's Disgaea 5: Complete at No.36.
Injustice 2's success follows a positive critical reception; our critic, Peter Brown, called it "a fighting game that can be enjoyed by new players and pros alike." Read more in our full Injustice 2 review or check out these 9 Easter eggs and references you might've missed.
You can read the full top 10 sales chart below, courtesy of sales monitor Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
On June 1 Wonder Woman finally comes to the big screen. To celebrate the movie's release we've teamed up with Warner Bros. Pictures to offer you the chance to win tickets to the special screening. It will be taking place in London's glitzy Leicester Square on May 31.
Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, and Robin Wright. It promises to be an action-packed epic featuring the world's greatest amazonian warrior. Check out the movie synopsis and trailer below.
"Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny."
Wonder Woman will be in cinemas on Thursday, June 1.
To be in with a chance to win just answer the simple question below. Please use the form to enter the competition, as answers written in the comments section are invalid.
This competition is open to UK residents only. The prize is two tickets to attend the special screening in London on Wednesday May 31, 2017. Entrants must be free to attend from 6 PM on the day and travel and accommodation is not included. Full terms and conditions can be read below. Competition will close on May 30 at 6 PM BST
Terms & Conditions
Competition will close on May 30 at 6 PM BST
Open to UK residents only
Prize for 1 (one) winner will be 2 (two) tickets to attend the special screening of Wonder Woman taking place in London on Wednesday May 31, 2017. Exact location to be confirmed by Warner Bros. UK nearer the time of the event Entrants must be free to attend from 6pm on the day of the event
Travel and accommodation is not included
Events may occur that make the awarding of the Prize impractical or inappropriate due to unforeseen circumstances or reasons beyond the control of the Promoter or Warner Bros. In this situation, the Warner Bros. may vary or amend the Prize to provide a reasonable alternative as a result of which the Promoter or parties connected to the Promoter shall not be held liable
If the winner fails to respond within 24 hours of notification, they will be deemed void and an alternative winner will be contacted
No cash or credit alternative is available and the Prize is not transferable. Eligibility for the Prize may be subject to signing Warner Bros. Prize Acceptance Form (available on request)
The Competition Winner and guests will not be admitted to the special screening without a ticket or after the screening begins
Competition Winner's guest may not be selected through any competition, promotion or event Warner Bros. reserves the right to refuse entry or eject the
Competition Winner and/or their guest can be removed from the special screening if either engages in unacceptable behaviour (as determined by Warner Bros. in its sole discretion)
The screening may be rescheduled and/or cancelled for unforeseen circumstances, or for reasons beyond the control of Warner Bros. without any liability to Warner Bros.
Nier: Automata, the new Square Enix RPG developed by Bayonetta studio PlatinumGames, has passed a new sales milestone. It was announced this week that the PlayStation 4 and PC game has hit 1.5 million combined units shipped and digital copies sold.
This is up from 1 million combined physical units shipped and digital copies sold in April.
No information was provided about how the game's sales break down by platform. But whatever the case, 1.5 million units is a big number, and it's notable that the figure rose by 500,000 units in the space of a month and a few weeks.
Nintendo has filed a new trademark application for something called Super Nintendo World, and from what it sounds like, it could be the name of the Nintendo/Universal theme park.
On May 24, Nintendo filed a trademark application with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) for "Super Nintendo World." The application covers a number of Goods & Services, many of which pertain to "amusement park and amusement park events."
Among other things, the application covers "amusement park shows and special events at an amusement park," as well as the "organisation, management, or arrangement of kart racing," which could be a reference to Nintendo's plans for a real-life Mario Kart experience.
The trademark application for Super Nintendo World also covers "video game apparatus" such as machines, as well as parts and accessories for them. Also of note is that "amusement machines and apparatus for use in amusement parks other than arcade video game machines" is also singled out in the application.
What's more, hotel accomodation services, restaurant services, event venue rental, and other items that sound like they could pertain to a theme park are listed.
You can read the full trademark application here on the USPTO's website.
The Nintendo theme park at Universal will be at the park's Orlando, Hollywood, and Osaka. Nintendo has yet to announce specific rides or attractions, but you watch the video above to get a high-level idea for what Nintendo and Universal are planning.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was the No. 1 movie at the US box office for the Memorial Day-four day weekend, a time when overall domestic box office receipts were the lowest since 1999. According to Variety, the total US box office haul for all movies in the Friday-Monday long holiday weekend came out to $172.3 million, the lowest in 18 years, dating back to Memorial Day weekend 1999, when the haul was $142.5 million. Notably, that weekend was helped by the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the first entry in the prequel series.
Some other notable takeaways from this Memorial Day weekend included Dead Men Tell No Tales pushing the entire Pirates franchise past $4 billion. Its US opening ($77 million) was the second-worst in franchise history, only behind the first film ($46.5 million).
The new Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson film Baywatch had a "so-so" opening, bringing in $23 million to finish third, behind Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ($25.1 million).
Another notable film was Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant, which made $13.2 million over the long weekend in the US, dropping substantially from its opening-weekend take of $36.2 million. The movie has now made an estimated $161 million worldwide, so it's looking good that the movie, reportedly made on a production budget of $97 million, will be in the black.
You can see a full breakdown of the Memorial Day weekend here at EW.
E3 2017 is right around the corner. Now, Sony has announced another way that fans can watch the company's briefing on Monday, June 12: from a movie theatre.
On that evening, more than 85 movie theatres across the United States, Canada, and Latin America will broadcast the show, marking the third year that Sony has done this.
Everyone who attends gets an "exclusive poster" and the #76 card from the PlayStation Collectable Card series. Sony says the poster and card won't be offered anywhere else. Additionally, all attendees get a "digital gift basket chock-full of goodies from PlayStation Store." You can see images of the poster and the card in the gallery above.
In the United States and Canada, tickets are free and can be claimed at this website playstation.com/E3experience beginning on May 30 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Tickets do not guarantee entry to the show, as seats are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sony's E3 2017 briefing takes place on Monday, June 12, starting at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest on E3 in the days ahead.
Blizzard is teasing something new for Overwatch, it seems. The developer today posted the image below on social media with the caption, "[BREAKING UPDATE] For the first time in years, new details emerge about possible fate of Horizon Lunar Colony."
A post on the Overwatch website mentions the Horizon Lunar Colony. The fictional company Lucheng Interstellar said in a fake press conference that they discovered the colony's databases and monitoring systems are still operational, potentially referencing a new map.
"While no direct communication has been established with the facility, the company has successfully retrieved interpersonnel logs sent days and moments before the base lost contact with earth," reads a line from the post.
A number of transmissions have also been shared, which may contain more clues. Based on the transmissions, it looks like this teaser could be for a new gorilla hero after Winston, possibly named Hammond.
You can click through the images in the gallery below to see all of the messages and decide for yourself what they might mean.
The PC version of the recently released indie adventure game Rime uses Denuvo DRM for its anti-tampering mechanism, as a number of other games do.
Its use of Denuvo has not been without controversy, and now the game's developer has responded. In a post on Steam (via Kotaku), Tequila Works said it had "discussions" internally about using Denuvo at all, and ultimately chose to to "ensure the best gaming experience."
"Rime is a very personal experience told through both sight and sound," the developer said.
"When a game is cracked, it runs the risk of creating issues with both of those items, and we want to do everything we can to preserve this quality in Rime."
Tequila Works said it remains committed to this stance, but at the same time, the developer acknowledged that "nothing is infallible." As a result, if Rime does get cracked, the studio will release a Denuvo-free version of the game "and update existing platforms."
GameSpot will report back with more details on Rime's status as it relates to DRM in the days and weeks ahead. The console versions of Rime will always have some form of DRM.
DRM, which stands for digital rights management, is a controversial and debated topic in gaming. Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft has admitted that DRM cannot stop piracy, while The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red doesn't put any DRM on its PC games because it thinks DRM is the "worst thing in the gaming industry."
"Each world is enchanting in its own way, from the naturalistic peace of the first to the abstract doom of the last," reviewer Oscar Dayus said. "Its soundtrack is similarly beautiful, capable of evoking wonder, tension, and fear in equal measure. But when compared to its influences like Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and Journey, it doesn't hold up too well. Consistent navigation problems, some frustrating puzzles, fiddly platforming, and severe frame rate dips make Rime feel like a well-dressed tribute act."
The first teaser trailer for District 9 and Elysium director Neill Blomkamp's first "experimental short film" has arrived. There is a lot going on in this trailer "Volume 1," as the action bounces around between a number of different scenes containing aliens, shootouts in the jungle, and what looks like the Eiffel Tower after nature has reclaimed it.
"The new world altered everyone," a voice says. "Adapt or die; it was as simple as that." Sigourney Weaver is in the movie, alongside Dakota Fanning. Here's the teaser:
Movies are nothing new for Steam, as the platform offers a catalog of at least 300 films right now. A release date for Blomkamp's new short film has not been announced.
Blomkamp and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson were attached to the Halo movie, but it famously fell apart, with the pair going on to make the Oscar-nominated District 9. For his part, Blomkamp has said he is open to trying again to make a Halo movie, but only if he had creative control.
What do you make of the new Volume 1 trailer? Let us know in the comments below!
With Overwatch's fourth competitive season now wrapped up, attention is turning to the fifth, and thankfully for fans, they don't have to wait long at all to get started.
Season 5 starts on May 31 at 8 PM ET, Game Informer reports. Those who finished their Season 4 placement matches get a special spray and player icon. If you finished in the top 500 for your region, you'll get another spray and icon.
And based on how you finished with your Skill Rating and Competitive Points, you'll have the opportunity to pick up more gold skins. Here is a breakdown of the tiers:
SR 1-1499 (Bronze): 100 CP
SR 1500-1999 (Silver): 200 CP
SR 2000-2499 (Gold): 400 CP
SR 2500-2999 (Platinum): 800 CP
SR 3000-3499 (Diamond): 1200 CP
SR 3500-3999 (Master): 2000 CP
SR 4000-5000 (Grandmaster): 3000 CP
For more on Overwatch, check out GameSpot's breakdown video above that covers the shooter's first year. The game's Anniversary event is going on now, featuring three new Arena maps and new skins, among other things, while a Game of the Year edition is available now.
In other news, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan has acknowledged feedback around the game's microtransactions, telling fans, "We are listening."
This was announced in a notice posted on the Japanese PlayStation website, translated by Gematsu. It pertains to the 500 GB PS3 model, which was the only remaining system in the country. The page mentions that shipments for the console have "ended."
The PS3 launched in Japan (and the US and other markets) in November 2006. It remains to be seen when PS3 shipments will end in the US or other major gaming markets. We will report back with more details as they become available.
In 2014, PlayStation software product development head for America, Scott Rohde, said people were still buying PS3s, even after the launch of the PlayStation 4. He stressed that Sony would support the PS3 "as long as there is a good business there for us."
He noted that the PS2 had a very long sales tail, with supporting continuing for the console even as the PS3 gained traction. The PS3 is now negatively affecting Sony's bottom line, so it is no big surprise that shipments are ending in Japan; and the same could happen in other regions.
The next major gaming news event is E3 2017, which takes place early next month in Los Angeles. GameSpot will be on the ground at the show to bring you all the news as it's announced.
Perception, the first-person horror game from a team of former BioShock developers at Deep End Games, is not coming out on time for consoles.
The studio announced this week (via DualShockers) that the game's Xbox One and PlayStation 4 editions are not coming out on May 30, but will instead be released a week later. The PC edition is still on track for its scheduled release on May 30 on Steam and GOG.
Due to an unexpected administrative snafu re: ratings/territories, consoles delayed a week. Steam/GOG tomorrow! https://t.co/dgSC4GDoJM
— Perception/DeepEnd (@TheDeepEndGames) May 29, 2017
Writing on Twitter, Deep End Games said it experienced an "unexpected administrative snafu" related to ratings and territories, so it had to delay the console edition by a week. Another tweet mentions that it was an "administrative error" that caused the delay. If the delay is exactly one week, it should now launch on June 6.
In Perception, you play as a blind woman, Cassie Thornton, who must make her way through a mansion in Massachusetts. The home is occupied by a supernatural force known as "the presence." Your only physical tools are a walking stick and a smartphone, and also, importantly, your ability to hear. Every tap of the walking stick or sound creates a visualization that illuminates the world around you.
Perception was funded on Kickstarter and is published by Krakow, Poland-based publisher Feardemic. For lots more, you can check out all of GameSpot's previous written content and videos right here.
Injustice 2's console and mobile versions are getting special in-game events where players can unlock content based on the upcoming film Wonder Woman.
Now through June 5, those playing the console version of Injustice 2 can get the gear Wonder Woman wears in the film by participating in the multiverse event "To End All Wars."
For the mobile version of the game, players can get Wonder Woman cards based on the movie and the character's "full gear set" starting on May 30.
For more on the promotion, check out the gameplay video above.
Injustice 2 is available on PS4 and Xbox One, while the mobile edition is free (with microtransactions) on iOS and Android devices.
In other Injustice 2 news, NetherRealm recently released a trailer for the fighting game's DLC character, Red Hood--you can watch it here.
Injustice 2 launched earlier this month on PS4 and Xbox One. GameSpot's review scored the game a 9/10.
"NetherRealm has delivered a fighting game that can be enjoyed by new players and pros alike in ways that go beyond pure competition," review Peter Brown said. "It's a bar that every fighting game should meet, but one that has up until now seemed out of reach."
As for the Wonder Woman film, it stars Gal Gadot, and opens on June 2.
A "massive" new update for Ark: Survival Evolved is out now, and it adds more creatures, a new vehicle, another weapon, and an "interactive toilet," among other things.
With the new update, Ark now has 100 creatures--and this doesn't count bosses or variants of existing ones. As with the others, the new creatures can be tamed and trained so you can ride them. Or you can kill them, if that's what you want to do.
This newest Ark update, v258, adds a new toilet system that lets you do what comes naturally. When you defecate, you'll earn a "refreshing" buff that gives you an experience boost. As for the new weapon, players can now craft a harpoon gun for underwater attacks and zip across the water in a metal motorboat.
Below is a full rundown of what's in Ark's newest update, with patch notes written by developer Studio Wildcard. You can see some of the content in action in the video above, with the pooping part coming right at the end.
The patch is out now on PC and will presumably come to Xbox One and PS4 later.
Ark and the Scorched Earth expansion are on sale right now for 68 percent off, with the deal ending on June 5.
There are few games as quirky as Dreamcast's 2000 release Seaman. Now it seems Seaman could be getting a new sequel, according to a pair of tweets from the game's creator.
Seemingly, a new project is being started. Guess what from the web-address on their back. pic.twitter.com/h9eiUjGosL
As you see above, Yoot Saito tweeted a photo of his team wearing t-shirts with the Seaman tagline "DON'T PANIC" written on them. The t-shirts point to a website, seaman.ai, which includes a basic image of Seaman's iconic frog-man character and the words "under construction."
A few days prior, Saito also tweeted this, showing the audio CD recording of Seaman's voiceovers (provided by Leonard Nimoy, of course). Voiceovers and voice commands were very important in Seaman, which used Dreamcast's microphone to allow you to converse with your gill-men characters.
When Seaman was released in 2000, GameSpot reviewer Frank Provo said it elicited "the gamut of controversy, praise, and contempt" while combining "the rigors of pet care with the novelty of voice recognition." The game's unusual visual style and quirky gameplay earned it a cult following. You guide your virtual companions' evolution from eggs, to swimming tadpole-men, to frog-men, all while conversing with them via the microphone.
A sequel to the game came out in 2007, but was never released outside of Japan. We're following the story, and will report back on the latest news of a potential Seaman sequel.
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