Today, May 4, is of course Star Wars Day. In honor of this most momentous occasion, many retailers have discounted a bunch of Star Wars games, and below we've got the highlights.
There are deals on Steam, PSN, Xbox Live, and GOG listed, and we'll update this post if we see any other big deals pop up as the day progresses.
Note that the prices listed below are not necessarily the cheapest price available for each game. You'll also see a lot of overlap in some sales (particularly those on Steam and GOG), so you may have your choice of platform for any given deal.
Xbox Live
All prices are for Xbox One unless otherwise stated.
Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition -- $20 / £15 / AU $25
Star Wars Battlefront Season Pass -- $20 / £24 / AU $40
Lego Star Wars: Force Awakens Deluxe -- $24 / £30 / AU $52
Lego Star Wars: Force Awakens Season Pass -- $7 / £5.59 / AU $10.47
An updated version of the alpha test for Hello Neighbor, an unusual new stealth/horror game from TinyBuild, is now available.
As TinyBuild puts it, Hello Neighbor is a "game about sneaking into your neighbor's house to figure out what horrible secrets he's hiding in the basement." It's a single-player experience where you'll repeatedly try to break in, with the game adjusting to your tendencies from attempt to attempt. Examples of this include installing cameras near the front door if that's your path of your choice, or placing a trap in front of a window you've used before.
This update "sheds light on how the final game will be structured" and introduces "lots" of new content. Those who have purchased $30 Early Alpha Access (which gets you each alpha and the full game, once it's released) should receive an update to Alpha 4 through Steam today.
Alternatively, you can still try out an earlier version by registering for free on the Hello Neighbor website. Just bear in mind, with this being an alpha, TinyBuild advises players that they're likely to encounter glitches and crashes.
A release date for Hello Neighbor has not yet been locked in, but it's due out sometime this summer. You can check out new trailers for it above and below.
Phantom Dust fans have a lot to look forward to in an upcoming remaster of the game for Xbox One and PC: it supports widescreen and higher resolutions, and it makes some key changes to the way the single-player story progresses, Polygon reports.
"The biggest thing is moving [Phantom Dust] to 16:9 and moving to [higher resolutions]. So what that basically means is that if you're playing on Xbox One, you're running at 1080p so the game is going to render at 1080p; if you're on a PC and you're playing at 4K resolution, the game will render its assets at 4K," Adam Isgreen, creative director for Microsoft Studios, told Polygon. You can get a first look at the remastered version of the game by watching Polygon's video below.
There's still no official release date for Phantom Dust, but Microsoft has previously said the game would come out in 2017.
Isgreen said there have been some substantial challenges in bringing the game back to life, since there was no final source code when Microsoft recovered the game's archives from Japan.
"So everything that we've been able to do in this version of Phantom Dust has been through reverse-engineering the binaries, and actually hacking and cracking the code back open again," he told Polygon.
Microsoft has made a few changes to the way Phantom Dust's single-player story works, in the hopes of getting players into the deck-building action sooner than in the original.
"If you fail three times on any mission while you're playing the campaign, you can skip it...You still get your rewards, and we're OK with that. There are some achievements that are tied to not skipping and doing challenging things, so if people just want to experience the wonderful story of Phantom Dust, that's definitely one way they can do it," said Isgreen.
"So if people want to grind and they want to play exactly like they did when the original game came out, that is all in place. Everything about how the game works and functions is there. We really wanted to allow people to jump into multiplayer and play immediately," he added.
Our Phantom Dust review scored the original version 8.5/10. Reviewer Erik Wolpaw called it "a cross between the deck-building and card-collecting elements of Magic: The Gathering and the controls, speed, and environmental tactics of a shooter." His major complaint was that the single-player campaign took too long to get going, a problem the team behind the remaster is promising to solve.
The image shows Anson Mount as Black Bolt and Serinda Swan as his wife Medusa, with Eme Ikwuakor (Gorgon), Ken Leung (Karnak), Isabelle Cornish (Crystal), and Iwan Rheon (Maximus).
The show is being overseen by Scott Buck, who also was showrunner on the recent Marvel Netflix show Iron Fist. Buck spoke to EW about the decision to shoot the first episodes with IMAX cameras. "The first two episodes feel like a movie," he said. "[Using IMAX] gave us a lot more freedom and encouraged us to think bigger than we would if it was just a normal network show."
The Inhumans is one of several new Marvel shows in the works, alongside Runaways and Cloak & Dagger, which are both currently in production. A New Warriors TV show was also recently announced.
The grim visual novel/adventure game Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma looks to be coming to the PlayStation 4. The news was leaked by an early product listing on Amazon (via Wario64). According to the listing, the title launches on August 18 and has been remastered with improved HD visuals and options for both English and Japanese voice acting. You can watch a trailer for the original release below:
This isn't the first time this week Amazon has outed an unannounced title; the retailer inadvertently leaked the existence of Darksiders III before it was officially revealed by publisher THQ Nordic.
Zero Time Dilemma is the third installment in the Zero Escape series, set between the events of the 999 and its follow-up Virtue's Last Reward (both of which were also later ported to PS4 and other platforms). Like its predecessors, the game features multiple characters whose stories intertwine and unfold in a nonlinear fashion. Zero Time Dilemma was generally well-received by critics when it was released last June; while our review found some of its point-and-click mechanics dated and frustrating, we praised the game for its complex and engaging narrative structure.
Hi-Rez Studios has announced the details of the latest patch for Smite, and while it doesn't add a new character or mode, it does offer something that's arguably better: a Bob Ross skin.
Yes, the famed artist--best known for his TV show, The Joy of Painting--will soon be commemorated in Smite as a skin of Sylvanus. It still places Sylvanus on the shoulder of his tree companion, but it gives him the look of Bob Ross, complete with an easel. His basic attack takes the form of paint that he throws, and one of his abilities sees him plant an adorable tree with a smile. You can see the skin in action around the 46-minute mark of the patch preview on Twitch.
There's actually an entire Bob Ross bundle on the way to Smite, thanks to a partnership with his estate. This gets you not just the skin, but a jump stamp (what you see on the ground when you jump), loading frame, and loading screen. It's priced at 700 Gems or $10 through the Twitch Commerce and launches on May 9 on PC/Mac and May 16 on PS4 and Xbox One.
Elsewhere in patch 4.8, Erlang Shen gets the Queen's Guard skin, while Sol, Thoth, Kuzenbo, and Thanatos all get new looks as well. You can see those in the gallery below.
Among the balance changes, the price of Hastened Fatalis has been increased, though it also gains a small amount of bonus attack speed. Chronos sees a nice buff, with Stop Time's damage being boosted and the cooldown on his Ultimate, Rewind, being reduced. Jing Wei has been buffed as well: Agility's cooldown is now lower, and the ability provides physical power and movement speed bonuses for a short time after its use.
Perhaps more meaningful than any character- or item-specific changes are those intended to counteract snowballing. Hi-Rez is adjusting both the amount of experienced needed to level up early in matches and how easy the Gold Fury is to kill. The purpose of these adjustments is to address concerns over how it feels like the early portion of a match plays too large of a role in determining its outcome. These changes won't be made in the full 4.8 release; they'll be tested on the PTS alongside 4.8, and they may then be included with the official 4.9 launch.
For full details on all of the balance changes in 4.8, check out the full patch notes.
In terms of the show's tone, Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike, confirmed that it will much scarier than Season 1. "I think this season will be a lot [darker]. A lot more horror oriented," he said. "I think people are going to like it more than the first season."
Wolfhard comments are similar to those made last year by creators Matt and Ross Duffer, who stated that it would be "darker and weirder" than the first season.
Elsewhere in the interview, Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, explained that Season 2 would put extra focus on the supporting cast. "The great thing about this season is you get to see insights into each character on their own," he said. "You're going to see a lot more into the lives of how the characters are coping with what's been going on. They're all very emotionally scarred. They feel alone because their best friend is back and he's not acting like their best friend anymore. He's changed."
Last month, David Harbour, who plays cop Jim Hopper, revealed that he had seen the finished first episode of the new season. "I've seen Episode 1 and have seen a lot of the shooting at the monitor and I can honestly say that I am so excited for you all to see this season," he said. "It's so fun and dark and complex. The characters all get to deepen and develop and we get to take on even greater demons (inner and outer). The story moves so fast in the middle and the tension is so high."
A first teaser was screened during the Super Bowl in January--check it out here. Stranger Things Season 2 hits Netflix in October.
This year marks the first time that E3 will be open to the public, but that's not the only big change coming to the conference. Journalist and Video Game Awards host Geoff Keighley on Medium announced E3 Coliseum, a two-day series of panels and talks from video game companies.
Taking place on June 13 and June 14 at the Novo at LA Live, E3 Coliseum will feature panels hosted by publishers, developers, and "special guests from the broader entertainment world."
"The E3 Coliseum will only make E3 more exciting to fans," Keighley explains, "as it create an opportunity to see the world's top game creators and special guests live on stage."
Although the full speaker list has yet to be announced, Keighley confirmed that Activision, Bethesda, Gearbox, Ubisoft, Warner Bros., Square Enix, Sony, and Microsoft will all host panels. This is the first time that E3 will have live panels held during the conference.
Keighley also hinted that there will be "other surprises" in addition to the panels and talks.
If you cannot attend E3 in person, you can still watch at home. E3 Coliseum will be streamed live worldwide.
Thumper originally launched last year, and it received positive buzz for its aggressive soundtrack and trippy visuals. Now we know when the rhythm-violence game is coming to the Nintendo Switch eShop.
On the game's Twitter page, developer Drool announced that you'll be able to get your hands on the Switch version of the game on May 18. The post also asks, "Ready for Rumble Violence?" This is in reference to the game's support for the Switch's HD Rumble feature.
On the Switch, the game will run at 1080p and 60 frames per second while the console is docked, and at 720p 60 FPS while in handheld mode. It will cost $20 upon release in the United States, £16 in the U.K., and $30 in Australia.
The developer also mentioned on Twitter that the game will come to Xbox One, although no release date has been specified.
In the game, you take control of a scarab traveling at high speeds along a track, and you have to hit buttons and turn at the correct moments in rhythm. It originally launched for PC and PS4, and it's playable in PS VR, Oculus Rift, or HTC Vive.
You can check out our 9/10 review of the game here. Critic Peter Brown writes, "It sounds odd to claim that a lack of consistently original music wouldn't be a major problem for a rhythm game, but music isn't the point. Thumper thrives due to the way it marries speed, simple controls, and mesmerizing atmosphere."
Blade Runner 2049 is the much-anticipated sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner. The movie arrives in October, and two new posters have been revealed. They feature stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford--check them out below:
Blade Runner 2049 also stars Ana de Armas, Jared Leto, and Robin Wright. It's directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival). Ford will reprise his role as Dekkard from Ridley Scott's original movie, and in March it was revealed that Edward James Olmos will also return as enigmatic cop Gaff.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Villeneuve spoke about the challenges of making a sequel to such an iconic film. "It's the first time that I had to take the universe of someone else and to make it my own," he said. "It's very challenging, the biggest artistic challenge I've had in my life probably. I hesitated a lot before doing it, but when I said yes I committed at one hundred percent .
"It's very difficult to talk about it because I'm in the process of doing it, so it's a bit like asking a hockey player to describe how he will score as he's going through the other players. It's a massive challenge."
A new trailer has been released for Rogue Trooper Redux, the upcoming remastered version of 2006 third-person shooter Rogue Trooper.
The video (above) is unfortunately not one that focuses exclusively on showcasing Redux, instead introducing the character of Rogue--from the comic series 2000 AD--to those who are unfamiliar. It does, however, end with a glimpse at his in-game appearance, affording us our best look yet at Redux's visuals.
2000 AD's Michael Molcher describes Rogue as "remade from the ground up with current-gen-quality materials and higher resolution geometry." The character also has a different look than in the original game that takes him back to the classic style of the comics.
Rebellion, the developer of the original Rogue Trooper, has partnered with UK studio TickTock Games for Redux. It's the first time a non-Rebellion team has worked on a 2000 AD game.
As previously announced, Rogue Trooper Redux is headed to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch. A specific release date has not yet been announced, but it's said to be coming "soon."
The game is an arcade style 2-on-2 experience and, as such, is being compared to NBA Jam, and with good reason, as there are numerous other similarities between them.
Like NBA Jam, Playgrounds features stylised characters and over-the-top dunks. It will be playable in single-player or multiplayer (locally and online), and a variety of wacky alternative game modes.
As indicated by its title, the game is officially licensed by the NBA and, as a result, features basketball icons past and present. You can the full roster of players that will be available at launch here. Saber has indicated more players will be added post-release.
Just recently, more PS4 gameplay from Cortex Strikes Back was shown off, featuring the subterranean level, Sewer or Later. Here, the remaster's superior character models and water effects were highlighted, albeit without a direct comparison.
Vicarious Visions used the original games' level geometry, but the gameplay is rebuilt from scratch. Some new features for the updated versions include a unified checkpoint and save system (including manual and auto-saving), as well as a unified menu system. There will also be time trials available for each game.
A Reddit user who found a CD containing the source code to 1998's StarCraft has returned it to Blizzard--and the developer paid him back nicely.
As Kotaku reports, Reddt user Khemist49 found the gold master disc labeled StarCraft Gold Master Source Code in a "box of Blizzard" stuff that he bought on the auction site eBay.
He told his story to people on Reddit, and some asked him to upload the files online for everyone. Overall, he said the decision about what to do was making him "crazy."
"The CD is driving me crazy and I apologize if I came off the wrong way," he said. "People are either bashing me for owning it (I dunno why, not like I stole it) offering me money for it, calling me a douchebag for not releasing it, or threatening to tell blizzard I have it."
After coming across this account, Blizzard's legal team apparently reached out to ask that the disc be returned, as it was filled with "intellectual property and trade secrets." After seeking his own legal counsel, Khemist49 elected to send the disc to Blizzard.
In return, Blizzard gave him a free copy of Overwatch, $250 in Blizzard store credit, and an all-expenses paid trip to BlizzCon, as well as a night out for drinks, among other things.
Blizzard confirmed this story to Kotaku, saying it "wanted to show an appropriate level of appreciation to the player for doing the right thing, not just from Blizzard, but on behalf of the large and active community of players who still enjoy StarCraft today."
You can get the full story and all the quotes here at Kotaku.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is proving popular worldwide. The game launched last week to record-breaking numbers in the US, and now it's topping the charts in Australia and New Zealand as well.
IGEA has released the physical sales charts for the week ended April 30, showing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on top for both regions on the all-platforms charts.
Another high-profile new release last week was Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3. It finished at No. 2 in Australia and No. 5 in New Zealand.
You can see the full charts for Australia and New Zealand for the week ended April 30 below. Note that these charts only measure physical game sales.
AUSTRALIA
Top-Selling Games For All Platforms:
Mario Kart 8
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Grand Theft Auto V
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III
Little Nightmares
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Outlast Trinity
Top-Selling PS4 Games:
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Outlast Trinity
Little Nightmares
Grand Theft Auto V
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Rainbow Six Siege
Lego Worlds
Dishonored 2
Top-Selling Xbox One Games:
Sniper: Ghost Warrior III
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Grand Theft Auto V
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Forza Horizon 3
Rainbow Six Siege
Little Nightmares
Lego Worlds
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Mass Effect: Andromeda
Top-Selling Wii U Games:
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival
Star Fox Zero
Minecraft
Lego Dimensions
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Just Dance 2017
Super Smash Bros.
Super Mario 3D World
Nintendo Land
Top-Selling PS Vita Games:
Borderlands 2
Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders From Planet Space
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
World of Final Fantasy
Grand Kingdom
Invizimals: The Alliance
Superbeat: Xonic
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization
Tearaway
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
Top-Selling 3DS Games:
Pokemon Sun
Pokemon Moon
Monster Hunter: Generations
Mario Kart 7
Super Mario Maker
Super Smash Bros.
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire
Pokemon Omega Ruby
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Yoshi's New Island
Top-Selling Nintendo Switch Games:
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
1-2-Switch
Lego City Undercover
Just Dance 2017
Super Bomberman R
Skylanders Imaginators
Top-Selling PC Games:
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III
Sniper: Ghost Warrior III
The Sims 4
Overwatch
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Grand Theft Auto V
Fallout 4
The Sims 4: City Living
Doom
Dishonored 2
New Zealand
Top-Selling Games For All Platforms
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3
Far Cry Primal
Watch Dogs 2
Battlefield 1
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Grand Theft Auto V
Top-Selling PS4 Games:
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3
Watch Dogs 2
Far Cry Primal
Battlefield 1
NBA 2K17
Ratchet & Clank
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Top-Selling Xbox One Games:
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Forza Horizon 3
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Far Cry Primal
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3
Grand Theft Auto V
The Division
Watch Dogs 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Minecraft
Top-Selling Wii U Games:
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Yoshi's Wooly World
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Minecraft
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Bayonetta 2
Lego City Undercover
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014
A movie based on Gears of War has been in the works in some capacity for a very long time. It's now moving forward-- again--as producer Universal Pictures has found a screenwriter for the project.
Shane Salerno, whose credits include Armageddon and Shaft, will write the script for the film, according to Variety. Salerno is also on the writing team for James Cameron's four Avatar sequels.
At the October event, Gears of War boss Rod Fergusson said the goal for the film is not necessarily to copy over the story from a Gears game. Instead, Fergusson said they want to make the best Gears movie possible rather than one which is the most faithful to the games.
As of yet, there is no word on who will direct the untitled Gears of War movie or when it will premiere. Universal Pictures is a juggernaut in the film industry, responsible for franchises like Jurassic World, The Fast and the Furious, Minions, and others.
As for the Gears of War game series, Gears of War 4 was recently updated with new maps and more. You can see a full rundown of everything it comes with here on the Xbox Wire.
Activision has released a video for Call of Duty: WWII that sees the game's developers talking about their "vision" for the World War II shooter and more.
This video, which you can watch in the embed above, was originally shown during the Call of Duty: WWII livestream event in April. But now you can watch it on its own.
Michael Condrey, who is among the leadership team at developer Sledgehammer Games, describes Call of Duty: WWII as a game that tells the "epic, gritty, visceral story of the world's great conflict."
The video also shows off some of the research that went into the game's development. Activision brought on Martin Morgan, a World War II historian and author, to help ensure the game is historically accurate.
Also in the video, Sledgehammer art director Joe Salud spoke about what the developer is hoping to achieve with the way the game looks. It aims to be "emotionally dark [and] visually beautiful."
"More than just being cool and pretty, it's about trying to get people to have a deeper emotional reaction to the game," he said.
Activision still has not made any official announcements, but the evidence for a new Zombies-focused Call of Duty game continues to mount. The latest piece of information comes from Reddit user LackingAGoodName who discovered what appears to be the game's official description, apparently hidden in the files for Black Ops III's Message of the Day.
The description in the files matches up with what we've heard before, that Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies Chronicles will come with eight Zombies maps from past games, remastered for Black Ops III. The maps reportedly stem from Call of Duty: World at War, Black Ops, and Black Ops II.
Here's more from the description, as relayed by the Reddit user:
3 maps from Call of Duty: World at War: Nacht der Untoten, Verruckt and Shi No Numa
4 maps from Call of Duty: Black Ops: Kino Der Toten, Ascension, Shangri-la and Moon
1 map from Call of Duty: Black Ops II: Origins
Takeo and Richtofen Calling Cards
Dempsey and Nikolai Calling Cards
Zombies Heroes Animated Calling Cards
Limited Edition Camouflage Tin Can
Zombies Chronicles has not been announced, so all of this is unconfirmed now. We don't know when the game--if it's real--would launch, or what it might cost. Listings have suggested it is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
The latest update for Blizzard's popular shooter Overwatch has begun its rollout, and the patch notes are in. As posted on the Overwatch site, this new update is out now on PC for the Public Test Realm.
"Many" of the changes listed below will come to PS4 and Xbox One through a future patch, Blizzard said. The PTR is only available on PC.
The patch notes cover general changes such as the ability to disable secondary fire and secondary weapons altogether in custom games. Additionally, players can now turn off one of Symmetra's ultimates, with the other remaining available.
There are also a number of changes for characters, including Genji and Hanzo, who have their wall-climbing ability's attack cooldown removed. This lets you immediately attack an enemy after climbing a wall. Blizzard said this should "make wall-climbing feel better."
The characters Orisa, Reaper, Reinhardt, and Soldier 76 also receive changes with this new update. Notably, the damage from Orisa's Fusion Driver has been reduced by 15 percent, while the cooldown for her protective barrier falls from 12 seconds to 8 seconds.
Today's Overwatch PTR update also includes bug fixes, including one that made Tracer "move oddly" at the start of the tutorial. Additionally, this update fixes a bug that allowed Sombra to move outside of the playspace in the map Watchpoint: Gibraltar.
You can see the full patch notes below, featuring developer insight on the Hero changes.
Players can now disable secondary fire and secondary weapons in Custom Games
You can now disable one Symmetra ultimate while leaving the other active
HERO UPDATES
Genji
Removed the attack cooldown from Genji's wall climbing ability, allowing him to engage with enemies immediately after completing a climb
Developer Comments: This is a quality of life change to make wall climbing feel better.
Hanzo
Removed the attack cooldown from Hanzo's wall climbing ability, allowing him to engage with enemies immediately after completing a climb
Storm Bow
Increased charge speed by 10%
Charged arrows now maintain their charge after climbing a wall, provided the button is continuously held
Developer Comments: Decreasing Hanzo's draw time gives him more overall DPS, while also letting him fully charge an arrow and more quickly return to full movement speed when needed. And, like the change to Genji's wall climbing, this is a quality of life change that will make climbing feel better.
Orisa
Fusion Driver
Damage reduced by 15%
Protective Barrier
Cooldown reduced from 12 seconds to 8 seconds
Developer Comments: To help Orisa maintain the front line for her team, we're reducing the cooldown of her Protective Barrier. This change also helps her reposition the barrier more easily when needed. To compensate for this new defensive strength, we're reducing her Fusion Driver's damage, as it felt too high.
Reaper
Wraith Form
Ammo is now entirely refilled when Wraith Form is used
Developer Comments: Wraith Form is typically used as an escape ability after firing. This change gives Reaper a fighting chance if an enemy chases him down as he uses it.
Reinhardt
Earthshatter
Effective height has been lowered from 3 meters to 2 meters
The height threshold of objects that Earthshatter can "climb" has been lowered from 3 meters to 2 meters, making Earthshatter less likely to climb tall objects as it "crawls" along the ground.
Developer Comments: Earthshatter tended to climb unexpectedly high, frequently hitting targets that were significantly above the ground. These changes help the ability stay more grounded.
Soldier: 76
Heavy Pulse Rifle
Bullet damage decreased from 20 to 19
Developer Comments: Soldier:76 is in a much better place lately, but his damage output was making him a must pick, compared to similar roles.
BUG FIXES
General
Fixed an issue that prevented voice lines from being heard during the Play of the Game
Fixed an issue causing shields to display the wrong team color during the Play of the Game
Added new Kill Feed icons for environmental kills and a number of abilities
Arcade
Fixed a bug causing the introduction before 1v1 Mystery Duels to be interrupted
A.I.
Fixed a bug that allowed bots to become stuck around the well on Ilios
Heroes
Fixed a bug that caused Lucio's healing and speed song auras to be inaccurately projected
Fixed a bug that prevented Orisa's Fortify from blocking the alternate fire from Lucio's Sonic Amplifier
Fixed a bug that prevented Orisa's Protective Barrier from deploying in certain situations
Fixed an issue that affected some graphics cards, causing an inaccurate ammo count to be displayed with Pharah's Mechaqueen and Raptorion skins equipped
Fixed a bug that could prevent two charging Reinhardts from being able to kill each other
Fixed a bug that prevented Winston's Primal Rage ultimate from restoring his health when hit by Ana's Biotic Grenade
Maps
Fixed a bug that caused Tracer to move oddly when she first appeared in the tutorial
Fixed an issue causing asymmetry between pillars on the Ruins capture point on Ilios
Fixed a bug that allowed Sombra to reach unintended locations on Watchpoint: Gibraltar
The developers of the indie game Prey for the Gods have announced that they have changed the name of their game due to trademark opposition with the rights-owners for the Prey series, ZeniMax.
In a blog post, developer No Matter Studios (a team of three people) said that it has changed the title of the Kickstarter-funded game to "Praey for the Gods" because it did not want to pursue a legal battle with a huge company like ZeniMax/Bethesda, though it did consider the option "for quite a while." However, it did not feel right to spend crowdsourced funds on something other than development or rewards."
"Something like a trademark opposition can be long and depending on how far someone wants to fight it can be very expensive," the studio explained. "We didn't want to spend our precious Kickstarter funds, nor did we want to have to ask for additional funds to fight this in court. Using backer money towards something that doesn't go towards the development or backer rewards felt horrible to us. Even if we did win we'd have to spend a solid chunk of our funds and in our opinion it wasn't worth it."
The new name is actually one that NoMatter considered prior to releasing the game's first trailer, the studio acknowledged. The team applied for trademarks for both Præy for the Gods and Prey for the Gods.
"Unfortunately, Zenimax chose to oppose our mark, as they felt both were too similar to their mark Prey. While we disagree with their opposition we were able to come to an agreement."
"It was something that kept me up many nights, and no doubt shifted our focus from our game frequently," the statement continues. "Worrying about the outcome if we went to trial, if we'd lose our fans or walk away from the mark and still potentially get sued for millions on trademark infringement. This is really something no starting company should have to deal with let alone a tiny team of three. So the fact that we came out the other end intact still developing the game was a win. One that will no doubt shape our company moving forward."
For its part, Bethesda marketing boss Pete Hines said on Twitter that his company took action so it could maintain control of the Prey trademark, which it owns.
"We really didn't have much of a choice," he said. "If we don't oppose the mark, we risk losing our Prey trademark. We don't really have a choice."
This is not the first time ZeniMax has contested a trademark related to one of its games. In 2011, ZeniMax contested that Minecraft developer Mojang was infringing on a trademark of the Elder Scrolls series with its new game at the time, Scrolls. The case was settled months later, with Scrolls allowed to keep that name, but with its trademark surrended to Bethesda.
Naughty Dog's ongoing support for Uncharted 4's multiplayer mode continues this week with a new mode, additional items, and more.
Returning to Uncharted 4 on May 5 is the Classic Mode, which will be available in the game's beta test playlist (via DualShockers). It's a "back-to-basics" gametype, featuring no Mysticals, radar, downed state, or sidekicks. Naughty Dog has tested the mode before, back in November 2016, and the studio continues to ask players to try it and send in their feedback. For this latest test, instant respawns are enabled, while Hero weapons are restricted. Additionally, boosters for marking are turned off, while deployable gear are gone, except for grenades.
To mark the mode's return, and to celebrate Cinco De Mayo (May 5), Naughty Dog is offering a 50 percent bonus on Relics for all challenges. Plus, you can get the Mexico Cap just for logging in and playing multiplayer or Survival from May 5 through May 8. As you can see in the image above, the hat has the Mexican flag on it.
E3 will be here before you know it. The annual summer event runs June 13-15 in Los Angeles, but things get started a few days earlier with press conferences from some of the biggest publishers in gaming. To help you keep track of everything, we're rounding up the times and dates for all the big press briefings and other notable events during the week of E3.
Right now, Microsoft, Sony, Bethesda, and EA have announced plans for E3 2017. If history is any indication, Ubisoft's briefing will take place the afternoon of June 12.
Recently, Arkane Studios released a short, free demo for Prey ahead of its May 5 launch date. However, the demo is only available on PS4 and Xbox One, motivating some players to question why there isn't one for PC.
The reason? "It's just a resource assignment thing," Arkane president Ralph Colantonio said in an interview with AusGamers. "We couldn't do a demo on both the console and on the PC, we had to choose.
In addition, he explained that the developer chose to focus on consoles because players on PC can play the game for up to two hours after launch and get a refund for it, due to Steam's refund program. "Besides, PC has Steam," he stated. "Steam players can just return the game [prior to playing] 2 hours so it's like a demo already."
Colantonio spoke with GameSpot this week and emphasized that Arkane does not view the PC version of the game as just a port of the console releases. Rather, the developer is treating Prey as a PC game first.
"We're pretty confident," Colantonio said. "First of all, it's not like we first do the game on console and then in the end we suddenly port the game to PC. It starts on PC. That's how game development works."
Prey launches this Friday, May 5 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. You can currently download the opening-hour demo for Xbox here and for PS4 here. You can check out the game's launch trailer at the top of this article, and keep an eye on GameSpot for more about Prey in the coming days.
At least two retailers in the US are now offering what amounts to a $60 discount for anyone looking to pick up a PlayStation VR headset for PS4.
Both Amazon and GameStop (online only) are throwing in the PS4 camera--which is required to use PSVR--for free right now with the purchase of a $400 PSVR headset (via Wario64). The camera costs $60 on its own or can be had as part of the $500 bundles that also include two PlayStation Move controllers (used in some games) and a game.
Images not to scale. This isn't the world's largest camera.
Whether in a bundle or not, you'll also need a PS4 to use PSVR, so the price of entry is still high. But this new promotion brings down the bare minimum cost for jumping into Sony's VR experience.
It's unclear if this is an official Sony promotion, nor do we know how long the offer will be available for. We've reached out to Sony for more information and will report back with anything we learn.
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