Prey's 1.04 update was released earlier this week and added PS4 Pro support to the game (among other improvements). Unfortunately, Digital Foundry has found that the patch comes with some downsides as well.
While the recent update does indeed make some visual improvements to the title when played on a PS4 Pro, it also introduces some new problems, specifically in terms of frame-pacing. Digital Foundry called the game a "stuttering mess in motion" thanks to the update, with torn frames now appearing along the top of the image in every scene. On a more positive note, the patch did fix the game's input latency, but as a result of the new stuttering issue, the title "no longer feels smooth to play" in Digital Foundry's estimation.
These problems seem to be specific to the PS4 version of the game; Digital Foundry says the Xbox One version "is as smooth and responsive on the Microsoft platform as it was at launch." You can watch Digital Foundry dissect the 1.04 patch in an in-depth video below.
Despite releasing just last month, Prey has already dropped to $40. The game is available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC and has earned generally positive reviews from critics; we awarded the title 6/10 in our review and said its gameplay "falters out of the gate, eventually maturing into something worthwhile."
Ghibli fans, you might want to start saving for a trip to Japan. Studio Ghibli, the creators behind the iconic anime films Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke, has announced it's partnering with the local government to build a theme park in Aichi Prefecture, near Nagoya.
The theme park will focus specifically on My Neighbor Totoro, which was written and directed by Ghibli's famous co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. It will be built in Expo Park (the site of Expo 2005, about two hours from Kyoto), which houses a monument to the 1988 anime right now. Visitors can already stop by a replica of main characters Satsuki and Mei's house.
A replica of Satsuki and Mei's house from the film My Neighbor Totoro
At an official announcement, Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki said the park would not have rides, but rather would be an attraction "set in the world of Totoro," reports BBC News.
There's no word if other iconic Studio Ghibli films or characters will be featured as well.
Ghibli Park is planned to open in the early 2020s, according to The Japan Times. If you'd like to get your real world fix of Totoro before then, Studio Ghibli also runs a museum in Mitaka, west Tokyo, which features interactive exhibits, replicas of the films' creations, and a rotating screening of Ghibli-animated shorts.
Meanwhile, Hayao Miyazaki is working on a new feature film. Last year, he came out of retirement and announced he was working on a full-length adaptation of his CG short Boro the Caterpillar, due out sometime later this year.
Lately, Ubisoft has been talking a lot about the upcoming overhaul to Rainbow Six Siege, dubbed Operation Health. Today, it detailed one of the big changes coming in the update: an improvement to player hitboxes.
A hitbox is the area on a character model that is vulnerable to being hit by bullets. Anything inside a hitbox, if hit by a bullet, will take away health from the player. For the update, the developer has revamped hitboxes to avoid problems that arise with player accessories.
In a blog post, Ubisoft explained that it has run into issues when dealing with customizable Operator appearance. This is a result of several design concepts that the studio adhered to from the beginning of Siege's development. "Chief among those game design concepts was 'everything should react,' Ubisoft explained. "To provide clarity in the feedback that you receive as a player, it was decided that the entirety of an Operator's character model would be included in the hitbox."
This has caused trouble, specifically with special accessories like Blitz's earmuffs or Frost's collar, which expanded the characters' hitboxes to be larger and differently shaped than others. As a result, Ubisoft decided to remove accessories from hitboxes. Ubisoft stated, "Consistency is essential for Siege to be considered competition-compatible, and so we have decided to take some time in Operation Health to focus on bringing hitboxes into complete alignment under a new game design concept: only human body parts count."
You can see a visual representation of the change below.
Although the accessories are no longer part of the hitbox, this change makes up only one part of a two-step process. Ubisoft also plans to add visual and audio cues to the parts of a character model not included in the hitboxes. For example, a bullet would spark off a headset, but it would not cause damage to the character.
It's still unclear when Operation Health will go live with Title Update 2.2.1 on PC on June 6, and on PS4 and Xbox One sometime in the next few weeks. In the meantime, you can read more about what Ubisoft's planning to do with the update here.
Square Enix has launched the official Japanese website for Tokyo RPG Factory's newly announced title, Lost Sphear, revealing some more details on the upcoming classic-style RPG (via Gematsu).
Like the studio's debut effort, I Am Setsuna, Lost Sphear is a melancholy adventure inspired by classic 16-bit RPGs like Chrono Trigger. This time, the game is set in a world created by memories. When memories fade, so too does a part of the world, leaving a white mist in its wake. Kanata, the game's protagonist, experienced this phenomenon firsthand when his mother mysteriously vanished. When his home village is in danger of becoming lost as well, the young boy sets out to on a journey to awaken the lost memories and restore the world.
Kanata is joined on his quest by his childhood friends Lumina and Locke. Lumina is a young woman who specializes in melee combat, while Locke enters battles armed with a crossbow. The trio team up with a enigmatic ally named Van, who uses magic to control mysterious weapons he created called "Bits." You can see artwork for each of the characters, as well as some new screenshots taken from the game's Japanese website, above.
Lost Sphear employs an "enhanced" version of the active-time battle system from I Am Setsuna. According to Square Enix's blog, the enhanced battle system allows for a "much greater sense of freedom" as players can maneuver their characters around during battle. Many of the spells and abilities at your disposal have an area of effect, so you'll have to consider how you position your party around the battlefield during combat.
Lost Sphear is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC in "early 2018." The game is releasing digitally for all platforms, though Square Enix is offering a limited quantity of physical copies for the Switch and PS4 versions through its online store.
Wipeout: Omega Collection, a pack of remastered versions of Wipeout HD, Fury, and 2048, launches next week, and to mark the occasion, Sony has just released some previously unseen pieces of concept art for the games.
In a PlayStation Blog post, the company published 25 examples of early Wipeout concept art. In addition to being beautiful-looking, the art also reveals a bit of development history for the series. For example, one piece shows a group of cars with cartoonishly large wheels. Apparently, the developer envisioned this as a potential alternate mode for the racing game, but it never came to be.
Referencing the piece above, one artist said, "Fun fact: Wipeout 2048, for a short while, was going to have a zombie mode. It was a half-joke, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the endless 'zombie' modes in other games. We didn't get time to perfect it though so we removed it. The shot was a mixture of renders and FX slammed together in Photoshop, with most of the street lights taken out to have lower key lighting so it's even moodier than usual."
You can check out all of the art in the gallery at the bottom of the article, although I recommend reading through the artists' captions over in the blog post. There's a lot of cool Wipeout development lore there. More concept art is also included in a digital art book launching alongside the game. The art book is available as a Europe-only preorder bonus; there's no word on if American players will be able to get it separately.
Omega Collection launches on June 6 in the US and June 7 in Europe for PS4, and it includes the tracks and ships from HD, Fury, and 2048. It also features enhanced visuals, running at 1080P on PS4 or a dynamic 4K resolution on PS4 Pro. It supports HDR, and both the PS4 and PS4 Pro versions are "targeting" 60 FPS. Recently, Sony also announced cool PlayStation 1-style alternate box art for the game, although it's only available in the UK.
The free demo allows Switch owners around the world to square off in online matches of the motion-controlled brawler ahead of its launch. However, like the Global Testfire event held back in March for Splatoon 2, the demo is only available to play during specific blocks of time.
The Global Testpunch first ran last weekend, and returns this weekend from June 2-4. Switch owners can download the demo from the Nintendo eShop now, but it can only be accessed during the following one-hour sessions:
Arms launches on June 16. Those who decide to download the game from the eShop won't have to worry about using up too much of their console's space; the game only takes up 2.2 GB. Nintendo has also said it will continue supporting Arms with free updates, such as additional characters, stages, and weapons, in the months following its release.
It's been a long time since it was originally announced back in 2014, but Tekken 7 is finally out today.
You can now grab the fighting game on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It'll cost you $60 for the standard edition, $85 for the digital deluxe edition, and $150 for the Collector's Edition. The Collector's edition is only available on consoles.
According to Tekken franchise director Katsushiro Harada, "It has been a long journey, but reaching today's launch of Tekken 7 has been well worth the Tekken team's diligent efforts. We've put our blood, sweat, and souls into bringing Tekken 7 to home consoles in the hope that new players and long-time fans will enjoy our work."
The game has been available in arcades since 2016, but it's received a number of updates and upgrades for its home release. These changes include new customization options, stages, and characters; highlighting these is the addition of Street Fighter's Akuma to the roster, who plays an important role in Tekken 7's story. However, the boxing kangaroo Roger is not in this installment.
You can check out our review roundup for the game here. As GameSpot critic Peter Brown wrote in his review-in-progress, "Thanks in part to Tekken 7's penchant for quirky distractions, there's more to do in the game than simply training to be the best. The story mode is the most obvious stop, and it contains both a grand tale surrounding the series' embattled Mishima family as well as a few dozen quick looks at the game's secondary characters. All told, these will keep you entertained for a handful of hours with unexpected bouts of comedy and melodrama."
Since its launch in March, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds has been a dominant force on Steam, where it's routinely one of the platform's three most-played games. Although it's a distant third behind goliaths like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, it far outpaces the number of players seen by Steam's other top games, such as Team Fortress 2, Ark: Survival Evolved, and Grand Theft Auto V. It's only two months old, but with upwards of 2.8 million copies sold according to Steam Spy, it's looking increasingly likely that it's more than a mere flash in the pan.
On a day like today, it's comfortably ahead in player count (a peak of over 170k) compared with H1Z1: King of the Kill (115k), a game that Battlegrounds strongly resembles. Both feature the Battle Royale-style game mode that was created by Brendan Greene--the titular Playerunknown. But taking on that game--or his earlier Battle Royale mods for the Arma series--was never Greene's goal.
"I didn't intend to build a game to directly compete with either title," he tells GameSpot, referring to H1Z1 and his Arma mod. "I wanted to create a game that fell somewhere in the space between them. Our game has what I think are the best elements of both, while remaining true to my original vision for a Battle Royale type game."
H1Z1, which licensed the Battle Royale concept from Greene, made a major change last year when it split into two games, H1Z1: Just Survive and H1Z1: King of the Kill. Greene believes this was a "good move," as it allowed developer DayBreak Games to "focus on each game." But his desire to move on to his own project stemmed from a desire to fulfill his vision. "I decided to move onto making my own game as the version of Battle Royale implemented in H1Z1 was not what I wanted from a standalone game," he says.
Brendan Greene, aka Playerunknown
On the surface, Battlegrounds appears intimidating--competitive elements aside, a quick glimpse at someone managing their weapons or inventory doesn't suggest it will be an easy experience to jump into. But Greene says a "core tenant" of developer Bluehole is the oft-heard "easy to learn, but hard to master" mentality. "While we do have a somewhat complex loot, weapon and attachment system," he says, "the game itself is at its core a simple idea: land, loot, survive."
One hurdle new players face when joining the game is the level of abuse they encounter from other players. Before the start of a multiplayer match, players are corralled together in a waiting room of sorts known as the spawn island. This, in particular, can become a particularly toxic location, which has led some to disable communications altogether. Greene says that Bluehole does have some plans to address this, but they won't extend to the entire game.
"On the spawn island, we will be adding a new spawn room that is completely quiet so when players load into the game, they will not be subject to the current barrage of noise," he explains. "As for what people do outside this room, I leave that up to them."
In an age where seemingly every game has a progression system, Battlegrounds is somewhat unusual in that it does not. Greene believes the key to keeping players hooked lies in the wide variety of ways that any given match can play out.
"With the Battle Royale game mode, every game a player experiences is somewhat different, from what weapons and attachments they find to the endgame location," he says. "Along with this, we have different parts of the game that a player must learn to master: boost and health systems, tactical movement, and movement planning. All this combined with the inherent tension felt in a Battle Royale game allows players to keep coming back and having new and better experiences every time they play the game."
Battlegrounds remains in Early Access on Steam, with no specific date set for a full release. Part of the process involves refining the game--whether by fixing nagging issues with aiming or introducing a motorcycle--but there are also extensive plans for adding new content.
"We have a plan to add a new weapon with each monthly update during Early Access," Greene explains. "We are also working on two new maps for the game and have new game modes planned. Our Custom Game feature has proven to be very successful, and we will be including some of the more popular modes created by our partners as default Custom Game modes in the future."
Beyond PC, Bluehole intends to eventually bring Battlegrounds to consoles as well. However, at least publicly, Greene says there's no date yet for how soon we may see those.
Another item on Bluehole's to-do list are cosmetics and a loot box system. Charging money for something like that when other areas of the game are still in need of attention could turn players off; as a result, it's not something planned for the immediate future.
"We will only fully monetize the loot box system when the game leaves early access," he says. "We may, however, need to add the system to the game shortly before this happens in order to test it. For us, performance and optimization of the game is our top priority during early access, and while we have players asking us daily when we will add new skins to the game, right now we want to make sure the game is stable and performs well for everyone before we move onto cosmetics."
We also couldn't resist asking Greene about that black trenchcoat--if you've played, you know the one--the origins of which apparently date back to the game's early days. "This was part of our first character model, and has remained in the game since!" Green says.
Battlegrounds, which has received consistent updates since its launch earlier this year, is available on Steam now for $30 in Early Access.
Dead Rising 4's next DLC is pretty wild: It's called Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf, and as the title suggests, it takes players to the putting green. Recently, Capcom announced that you can get your hands on the DLC starting June 20.
Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf is essentially mini golf filtered through the absurdities of the Dead Rising series. It features oversized golf balls, customizable clubs, and power-ups that help you kill zombies while trying to sink the ball in the hole. The DLC features four-player online and local co-op, as well.
This is the second Super Ultra Dead Rising DLC pack that Capcom has made for the Dead Rising series. Back in 2014, Capcom released the outrageously named Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX Plus Alpha, an over-the-top arcade-y take on Dead Rising 3. You can read more about it here.
Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf will be available on Xbox One and PC for $10/£8 by itself. It's also included in the game's season pass, which costs $20/£16.24 and comes with the Stocking Stuffer Holiday Pack and the Frank Rising DLC, as well.
While Overwatch has been getting a lot of love in Heroes of the Storm lately, the game's next playable character hails from Diablo. Malthael, the bad guy from Diablo III's Reaper of Souls expansion, is officially on the way to HotS.
Blizzard revealed the news on Twitter, sharing a link to his profile on the HotS website. This offers a rundown on all of his abilities, and he sounds like an incredibly powerful Assassin, particularly for dealing with high-health enemies. His trait causes any non-structure target hit by his basic attack to receive the Reaper's Mark debuff for four seconds. Anyone with the Mark on them is revealed and loses 2.5% of their maximum health every second for the duration. In other words, a single basic attack will deal damage equivalent to 10% of an enemy's max health.
All of his basic abilities also involve Reaper's Mark. Death Shroud creates a wave that inflicts the Mark on everyone it hits. Soul Rip causes nearby enemies who are marked to take immediate damage, with Malthael also healing himself based on the number of targets hit. And Wraith Strike causes Malthael to teleport through a marked enemy, dealing damage and refreshing the Mark's duration.
In terms of Heroics, one choice is Tormented Souls. This grants Malthael armor and causes him to shoot out souls around him, repeatedly inflicting Reaper's Mark to anyone hit. The other choice is Last Rites, which sounds particularly interesting. This can be used on an enemy and, after two seconds, causes them to suffer damage equal to 50% of the health they're missing. It also comes with its own repeatable quest, which reduces the ability's cooldown by five seconds anytime someone dies while under Last Rites' effect. The cooldown can be lowered to as little as 15 seconds.
A release date hasn't been announced, but characters typically aren't revealed too far in advance of their debut. Likewise, we haven't yet gotten any videos of Malthael in action, but you can likely expect to see those soon.
According to EA, it will have "intense heist missions, high stakes car battles, epic cop pursuits, and jaw dropping set pieces." The game is set in the fictional world of Fortune Valley, and you will drive as three different characters: Tyler, Mac, and Jess. In what EA and developer Ghost Games are calling a "gripping story of betrayal and revenge," players will try to take down an evil cartel that controls the city's underworld known as The House. Check out the trailer above.
"Players will take on the roles of three distinct playable characters reunited by a quest for vengeance against The House, a nefarious cartel that rules the city's casinos, criminals and cops," it explained in a press release. "Each driver must take on races, missions and challenges to earn the respect of the Valley's underground and enter the ultimate race to take down The House."
Car customisation is a big part of Payback, as EA claims the game has the "deepest" customisation ever in the series. Additionally, the press release mentions a betting system where players can wager funds on their performance and receive a nice payday--or lose it all.
People who pre-order Payback will get the Platinum Car Pack and access to five cars at launch, each of which is outfitted with "Platinum Blue Tire" smoke. The five cars are:
Nissan 350Z 2008
Chevrolet Camaro SS 1967
Dodge Charger R/T 1969
Ford F-150 Raptor 2016
Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 2016
A Deluxe Edition, meanwhile, includes the Platinum Car Pack and other bonuses such as more customisation items (including a license plate and NOS colour), as well as in-game discounts and XP bonuses. Additionally, this version of the game unlocks three days early, starting on November 7.
Click image to view in full screen gallery
If you're an EA/Origin Access subscriber, you can play Payback for 10 hours starting on November 2. Members save 10 percent on the game, bringing the price down to $54.
Nintendo has announced you'll be able to fight with a new character in this weekend's round of Arms' Global Testpunch. She's called Twintelle, and she fights using her hair, which is pretty awesome. Take a look at her moves in the trailer below.
This weekend's Testpunch periods will be the last chance you'll get to play Arms before it's released on June 16. Take a look at the session times below.
The Japanese publisher has also said it will continue supporting Arms after release with free updates, including additional characters, stages, and weapons. Amazingly, the base game only takes up 2.2 GB if you download it.
Sony has announced a new promotion on 12-month PlayStation Plus subscriptions in Europe. Those who aren't currently subscribed can grab a free copy of Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition on PS4 when signing up for a year's worth of the premium service via the PlayStation Store.
PS Plus costs £40 / €50 for a 12 month subscription, while Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition currently sells for £30 / €40. Once you've purchased the subscription, you'll receive a download code for the game around "5-10 days after purchase," according to Sony.
This promotion is valid "for a limited time," and it's unclear if it applies throughout the rest of the world--GameSpot has contacted Sony to clarify if US and Australian customers can take advantage of the offer. You won't be able to get the free game if you're already a member of PS Plus.
Battlefront's Ultimate Edition includes the base game, four expansion packs, 11 added weapons, and 24 upgraded Star Cards. Those four expansions are Outer Rim, Bespin, Death Star, and Rogue One: Scarif, and together they include new maps, game modes, and heroes.
Xbox One's latest system update is available to download now for Insider members, and there's some cool new features included.
According to Dualshockers, the patch adds the ability to invite friends to join in and broadcast alongside you in Microsoft's rebranded livestreaming app, Mixer. Microsoft does note, however, that until the feature is rolled out more widely, it's currently only available to Alpha Insiders, and not Beta members. You'll also need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to invite a friend to broadcast with you in your Party.
In addition, the new update lets you link a specific Microsoft account to a particular controller, meaning that next time you turn on your Xbox One, your favourite pad will sign you in immediately. This could be useful if, for example, you share your Xbox One with someone else and you each have a preferred controller.
Lastly, the latest Preview update fixes a bunch of minor bugs. Check out the full patch notes at the bottom of this article, via Dualshockers.
Just last week, Microsoft launched its new Netflix-style Game Pass service. Game Pass is a subscription-based service that allows users to play games from a library of select titles as much as they want. It's a separate service from Xbox Live Gold and costs $10/£8 per month, with no long-term subscription option available. Check out our list of all the Xbox Game Pass titles here.
Xbox One Preview Alpha Build 1706.170526-2218 Patch Notes
New Features
Welcome to 1706 on Xbox One! This month we're rolling out more fan-requested improvements, new features for Mixer, and much more!
Note: Not all planned features for the 1706 update are available at this time.
Profile
When a signed out user is selected in the Guide, the e-mail address associated with their account will now display under their profile. When the user is signed in, their account will also display under their profile on Home. This feature is enabled by default for adult accounts, and disabled for child accounts. Adult accounts can disable this feature by navigating to Settings > Account > Sign-in, security & passkey.
Co-streaming
You can now invite a friend to combine their game broadcast with yours! Sign in with an account that has an Xbox Live Gold subscription and invite a friend to your party. Once you've begun broadcasting your game from the Guide, you'll be able to select "Invite party to co-stream" from the Party tab. Co-streaming is currently available only to Alpha Insiders, so we'd suggest using the Insider forums to sync up with other Alpha Insiders to test out this feature.
Learn more about co-streaming and other features new to Mixer here, and be sure to complete the "Invite to Co-Stream" Quest and Survey in the Xbox Insiders Hub to provide your feedback!
Controller Linking
Signing into your Xbox account can now be done with a click of the Xbox button thanks to the new controller linking feature! You can now link an account to a specific controller by opening the Guide, navigating to Settings > Account > Sign-in, security & passkey and selecting the "This controller signs in…" option followed by "Link controller." From there, test the feature out for yourself by signing out of your account and then turning your controller off and then back on.
Find more detailed steps and provide your thoughts on this feature by accepting the Link Your Controller Quest in the Xbox Insider Hub!
Fixes
Windows Sonic
Fixed an issue which could cause distorted sounds and audio glitches when Windows Sonic is enabled.
Skype UWP
Fixed issues which could sometimes cause the Skype UWP to crash during use.
Mixer
Fixed an issue which sometimes caused the virtual keyboard to lose focus (preventing text from being entered).
Known Issues
Party Chat
When initiating a party chat session, the "Connecting" icon may never disappear and the party will fail to connect.
Workaround: Create a new party and invite party members.
Audio
When using Windows Sonic or Dolby Atmos for headphones, you may hear static in the audio. This issue is being investigated by the development team.
Games & Apps
Game and app tiles may sometimes not be visible in Games & Apps.
Mixer
After dismissing the virtual keyboard, attempting to relaunch the virtual keyboard may fail.
When switching games while broadcasting with Mixer, the stream freezes and doesn't allow the user to close or restart the broadcast.
Netflix's original show Sense8 is no more. The network announced today that it has canceled the series after two seasons.
"After 23 episodes, 16 cities and 13 countries, the story of the Sense8 cluster is coming to an end," Netflix VP of original content Cindy Holland said, as reported by Variety."It is everything we and the fans dreamed it would be: bold, emotional, stunning, kick ass, and outright unforgettable. Never has there been a more truly global show with an equally diverse and international cast and crew, which is only mirrored by the connected community of deeply passionate fans all around the world. We thank Lana, Lilly, Joe and Grant for their vision, and the entire cast and crew for their craftsmanship and commitment."
Sense8 was created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, who directed The Matrix, alongside Michael Straczynski (Changeling, Thor). The show focused on eight characters from around the globe who see a "violent vision" and are connected by it.
It's the second show that Netflix has canceled in as many months, following the cancellation of The Get Down in April. Netflix has also canceled Marco Polo and Bloodline.
The Sense8 Twitter account acknowledged the cancellation news in a tweet today, thanking fans for their support. "Sensates forever," the tweet says.
Speaking this week, Netflix founder Reed Hastings said he wants his team to cancel more shows because that demonstrates the company is trying risky projects.
As part of its Nintendo Switch online service announcements today, Nintendo revealed a change to the free game program it announced in January.
At the time, Nintendo said subscribers would get a free NES or SNES game each month, only playable for that month. But this has now changed in a notable way.
"Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will have ongoing access to a library of classic games with added online play," A Nintendo spokesperson told GameSpot. "Users can play as many of the games as they want, as often as they like, as long as they have an active subscription."
The first titles announced for the "Classic Game Selection" (name not necessarily final) are Super Mario Bros. 3, Balloon Fight, and Dr. Mario. Super NES games are under consideration, a Nintendo spokesperson told IGN.
The Nintendo Switch online membership program launches in 2018, though a date has not been announced. Whatever the case, it's later than expected, as Nintendo initially said the online membership program would open this year.
Subscriptions will be available at the following options:
Nintendo made some big announcements about the Nintendo Switch's online features and functionality today, including the price of the online membership.
By comparison, Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus cost $60/year.
Nintendo also shared a slide that shows the breakdown between paid and free memberships as it relates to features and content. You'll need a membership for online gameplay and online lobby and voice chat (through a smartphone app), while you also have to pay to get some eShop deals. Non-subscribers can still access the eShop, of course, and register/manage friends, share screenshots on social media, and access the Switch parent controls app.
Additionally, Nintendo confirmed that subscribers will be able to download classic games at no extra cost, including Super Mario Bros. 3, Balloon Fight, and Dr. Mario. Right now, Nintendo is calling this "Classic Game Selection," though this may not be the final name.
When it announced the online membership program in January, Nintendo said subscribers would get a free NES or SNES game each month. In a statement to GameSpot, Nintendo said the monthly limit has been lifted.
"Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will have ongoing access to a library of classic games with added online play," the spokesperson said. "Users can play as many of the games as they want, as often as they like, as long as they have an active subscription."
You can read more about how the free game program works here.
As for voice chat, this will happen through a "dedicated smart device app" that connects to the Switch. It not only lets you chat with friends online (in supported game), but also invite friends to play and set "play appointments." A "limited" version of the app will be available this summer.
What do you make of Switch's online membership program? Let us know in the comments below!
League of Legends is one of the biggest games for pro play in the world, and some major changes for the North American League Championship Series were announced today.
In essence, the LCS is changing its structure to become something that will more closely resemble the massive traditional sports leagues like the NBA or NFL. Under the new LCS structure, there will be 10 teams that are always in the mix, instead of squads that rotate.
An outline of the new structure is available on the Riot Games website, but one detail not on that page is the buy-in price for teams. Riot told Yahoo Esports (via Kotaku) that the figure is $10 million. Additionally, players on the 10 selected teams get a guaranteed salary of at least $75,000.
The LCS started in 2013, and these changes will go into effect for the next competitive season, starting in 2018.
Riot said its end goal is to "create a strong and stable system that's profitable for pro players and provides entertainment for fans in the long term." There are three major pillars of the changes, including revenue-sharing, protecting and supporting pro players (with a players' association and more), and changes to the structure to encourage long-term investments.
Revenue-sharing could be huge for the selected teams, as Riot signed a $50 million deal with Major League Baseball last year. Under the new structure, pro teams can receive a 32.5 percent share of league revenues, divided between the teams. Half of the funds will go directly to the teams, while the other half will be divided based on how the teams finish and what they are able to achieve in terms of viewership and fan engagement.
Once the 10 teams are determined (after paying the fee and getting approved), they are in the league for good. So with no risk of getting removed from the league, will that lead to a drop-off in competitive play? Hopefully not, Riot says, explaining that it will offer incentives to teams that play well and penalise the squads that purposefully stay at the bottom of the ladder.
Applications for the new LCS opened today, with applications closing on July 14. Riot will provide an update on the specifics of the players' association in August, and the final roster of teams will be announced in November.
In May, a report claimed that the new Overwatch pro gaming league was struggling to get started in part because of a $20 million buy-in fee. Blizzard responded by saying people should be wary of those who "deliberately spread misinformation as bargaining tactics or for other competitive reasons."
Earlier this week, publisher Grey Box announced that it would drop Denuvo DRM from its recently launched adventure game Rime when the game got cracked. Now, that has happened, it seems--and faster than the studio expected.
In an open letter posted on Steam, producer Cody Bradley said the team acknowledges that this is a "very sensitive topic for gamers." The studio used Denuvo because it looked at the piracy rate of games similar to Rime "and it scared us."
"At the end of the day, our obligation as a publisher is to protect our development team's intellectual property to the best of our ability. Right now, Denuvo is our only effective option," Bradley said.
All that Denuvo is doing currently is checking to ensure that Steam or Origin's own DRM is working, according to Bradley. The game suffers a "small performance hit" when this check happens, but it is not leading to other issues with the game. Or it might be.
"We might be wrong," Bradley said. "We're monitoring the situation."
He went on to say that Grey Box anticipated Denuvo getting cracked within two weeks of launch, "maybe three at most." But it's now been cracked, according to Polygon, in just five days. That reportedly ties a record with Resident Evil 7 for the fastest Denuvo crack.
Now that Rime is cracked, fans will look to the developer to follow through on its promise and drop Denuvo. For his part, Bradley said, "We have no intentions of patching a new version of Denuvo in [when the game gets cracked]."
Also in the blog post, Bradley responded to some of the issues players are reporting, including performance problems. He mentioned that in the course of development, the studio did "several cycles" of compatibility testing on different hardware to see how the game holds up.
"While we try to be as thorough as possible, it's incredibly difficult for us to cover every permutation of motherboard, graphics card, RAM, processor, and hard drive out there," he said.
If you are encountering issues with Rime, you can visit this site--http://support.greybox.com--to speak with the game's support team. This team will then pore over the reports and seek out patterns that might exist so the developer can then patch the game as needed.
Some problems have already been diagnosed. In particular, AMD RX 580 cards are running into trouble in general, while Nvidia 1080s are encountering issues with SSAA anti-aliasing. As a temporary workaround, Bradley said people can try switching to a different option or switching the Vsync setting to double buffering (this is particularly helpful on 900-series Nvidia cards).
"We know this can be frustrating (we share in that frustration), but we're confident that with your assistance we can resolve these issues in the next few weeks," Bradley said.
"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."
Electronic Arts has revealed some of its plans for Star Wars: Battlefront II's E3 showing next month. In a blog post, the developer said it will show off The Assault On Theed, which will feature 20 v 20 battles set in the world of the prequel trilogy.
"Clone Troopers will mount a desperate defense against the invading forces of the Separatist Battle Droids," reads a line from the description. "Can the Republic forces stop the relentless crawl of the massive Multi-Troop Transport as it lumbers toward the palace doors?"
The official description goes on to mention some of the other elements of the battle, which takes place in the capital city of Naboo and will feature Darth Maul and Rey.
"Sleek N-1 Starfighters and Vulture Droids scream overhead spewing light and fire. Nimble AT-RT Walkers race around corners, pursued by roaring AATs. Agile Clone Jet Troopers hop from rooftop to rooftop, while rampaging B2 Super Battle Droids level everything in their path. Armies of Clones and Droids sprint across cover, their blazing weapons shattering the tranquility of the once-peaceful capital of Naboo. And at the center of the swirling melee the lightsabers and Darth Maul and Rey cut swaths through the ranks of the battling troopers.
The event will be broadcast on Saturday, June 10, starting at 12:30 PM PT.
Unlike the 2015 original, which shipped 14 million copies, the sequel will have a single-player campaign--John Boyega should be happy. The campaign is being made by Motive Studios, while DICE is again handling the multiplayer.
Fallout 3's Game of the Year Edition is down to $9.19, New Vegas' Game of the Year Edition is $11.50, and Oblivion's Ultimate Edition can be had for only $9.19.
Additionally, Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind GOTY, An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire, and The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard are 75 percent off until June 6.
Looking for something new to play this weekend on Xbox One?
Microsoft has announced that everyone with an Xbox Live Gold membership can play FIFA 17 at no cost as part of the Free Play Days program. This starts June 1 at 12:01 AM PT and ends on June 5 at 11:59 PM PT, after which the game will return to its normal price.
Additionally, all progress and achievements from the Free Play Days version will carry forward should you decide to pick up the game. Additionally, FIFA 17's standard and deluxe editions are half off right now, while the super deluxe version is marked down 30 percent.
If you're an EA Access member, you can already play FIFA 17 for free with your membership.
Square Enix recently declared its intention to sell off Hitman developer IO Interactive, an announcement that was followed by news of layoffs at the studio. However, this hasn't stopped IO from continuing to work on new content for Hitman. Today, it released its June plan for content additions to the game.
As with past months, the update includes a number of contracts and an Elusive Target. Two Escalation contracts and 10 featured contracts make up the bulk of the update. The first Escalation, called The Spaggiari Subversion, takes place on the Landslide mission and has five stages. You'll have to take out three different targets with weapon and disguise restrictions.
The second Escalation is titled The Asya Attunement and is set on the Bangkok map. Its five stages include "complications involving shotguns, laser tripwires, exterminators, enforcers, and kill streaks," according to a blog post on IO's website.
The Elusive Target will come to the Hokkaido mission in the second half of June. The studio hasn't shared any details about it yet, but it promised more information later on.
Finally, toward the end of the month, Hitman will get a mandatory game update. Although its specifics are still a mystery, IO said, "We're very excited to talk about what it includes. Full release notes and exact timings for this update will also be shared as we get closer to its release date."
The future of the Hitman franchise and its developer is still very uncertain, but there's still a chance that we see another installment in the series. Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda recently said, "Because [IO] is engaged in the development of Hitman and other renowned titles, we are negotiating with prospective external investors capable of ensuring that these titles carry on."
There's no word yet on who might be interested in purchasing IO Interactive from Square.
There aren't that many old-school arcades around anymore; it's more likely that you'll see an ultra-modern "barcade" than a real arcade in most cities. But Chinatown Fair in New York City has outlasted the fall of arcade culture and has continued to survive to this day. The Lost Arcade documentary aims to tell the story of Chinatown Fair and its community, and it releases today.
Written by Irene Chin and directed by Kurt Vincent, The Lost Arcade is composed of many different oral histories from the fans who frequented it since it became a video arcade in the 1970s. This film is also a story about the variety of cultures and communities that intersected at Chinatown Fair. The film's trailer is below.
From the '70s onward, Chinatown Fair largely catered to the fighting game community, focusing on competitive fighting games like Street Fighter II and SoulCaliber. It was also iconic for having chickens that, at different times during its history, either danced or played tic-tac-toe.
When describing the documentary, Vincent said in a statement that it was attempting to answer the questions, "How does this place even exist? How did this arcade manage to break down all social barriers that usually prevent seemingly disparate people from connecting with one another?"
"It was and still is such a diverse community of friends and hope that this film is a celebration of what made that possible," he continued.
You can pick up The Lost Arcade for $10 on iTunes, Amazon, and other digital storefronts, or rent it for $3 on Amazon.
Wonder Woman is one of the oldest continuing comic book characters in history. Since her debut in All-Star Comics #8--in 1941--she's appeared in over a thousand comics as well as in television series, and now, her very own solo films. But who is she and what role does she play in the DC Universe? Here is a quick 101 on Wonder Woman.
Diana Prince--also known as Wonder Woman--made her debut in the early '40s, during the golden age of comics. Originally, a pilot named Steve Trevor crashed his plane onto Paradise Island (later retitled Themyscira), which was the home of Prince and the Amazons. Men had not been on the island since the days of Ancient Greece.
Prince wanted to take Trevor back to America, but the queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta, had to consult the gods before she made a decision. It was later decided that only the strongest warrior could bring Trevor back to the United States, so a tournament was held to determine who it should be. Prince went undercover--to prove she was a worthy of the task without her mother knowing--and ended up winning the tournament. For her victory, Hippolyta gave Prince the Wonder Woman costume we all know today.
In the early days, Wonder Woman didn't have the same power set she has now. She was tremendously strong, being able to swing a full-grown man above her head at ease. She was also able to run up to speeds of 80 MPH. Finally, she had bracelets that could deflect bullets. The only other familiar element would be Wonder Woman's invisible jet. In addition, she wasn't birthed. She was created out of clay, and Greek gods gave her life, making her the only person on Paradise Island not originally conceived by a man. Later on, Wonder Woman was given her lasso of truth, her sword, and her shield, all of which she still uses today.
Since the golden age of comics, Wonder Woman has gone through many changes. During the The New 52--a reboot of the DC Universe--her origin was retconned a tad. Now, she was the child of Hippolyta and Zeus, making her a demigod.
Currently, Wonder Woman is written by Greg Rucka and features the art of Liam Sharp and Nicola Scott. The bimonthly series rotates between two stories which revolve around Wonder Woman's connection to her past life in Themyscira and the gods that guide her. It's been a series that has fleshed out the character for a new generation of readers.
Wonder Woman is part of the Trinity at DC comics, which are the three most popular characters at the company: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. She has been a member of many iconic groups: Justice Society, Justice League, and the All-Star Squadron. Over the years, she's been involved in some amazing storylines, so if you'd like to read more, check these books out:
Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals - A reimagining of the character's origin by iconic creator George Perez.
Wonder Woman: Eyes of the Gorgon - Wonder Woman takes on Medusa and makes the ultimate sacrifice. Writer Greg Rucka teams with artist Drew Johnson for this story.
Wonder Woman: Land of the Dead - After the events of Eyes of the Gorgon, Wonder Woman has to take on Cheetah and Reverse-Flash.
Justice League: Darkseid War - The Justice League takes on Darkseid and someone else with a connection to Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang - Issues #0-35 of the New 52 run of Wonder Woman redefine the character and her roots to the gods. It is undoubtedly one of the best modern DC comic runs.
Wonder Woman: Year One - Greg Rucka returns to tell the story of the first year of Diana as the Earth's protector, with Nicola Scott on art.
Ahead of the release of Diablo III's Rise of the Necromancer pack, Blizzard has unveiled the opening campaign cinematic for the Necromancer class.
The cinematic is available with both male and female narration and, in typical Blizzard fashion, sets the stage for the Necromancer's quest with highly stylized animation. You can watch both versions of the cinematic below.
The Necromancer class itself has a "huge variety of skills," according to Blizzard. Among other supernatural abilities, the class has a skill called Army of the Dead that summons a skeletal army to join you in battle and deals 3000% weapon damage. We have a more thorough rundown of the Necromancer's skills here.
Blizzard hasn't revealed when it'll be releasing Patch 2.6.0, though the developer promises that more news "is on the horizon."
We put up a lot of content on GameSpot every day, but you're a busy person. Maybe you just want to know what's important right now. If you always dreamed of getting a curated list of the ten biggest stories from the site delivered to your phone, then we have the app for you: GameSpot Now, available for Android and iOS.
Stay up-to-date and impress strangers with your uncanny knowledge of gaming's current events. Check out how it looks in the images below.
There's not much actually shown in the video, and that's by design--two Ubisoft employees joke with CEO Yves Guillemot that they had to redact a lot of footage because so much of Ubisoft's lineup hasn't been announced yet. However, it's still possible to glean some information from the teaser. Check it out at the top of this article.
In addition, the teaser video reveals that Ubisoft is planning on showing "Easter eggs deemed a PR risk," something that "Yves [will] announce during conference." It also promised "a new feature," but that's left incredibly vague.
No comments:
Post a Comment