Titanfall 2's latest free DLC pack launches today, and it comes with a couple of new maps, a new execution, and the addition of a third weapon slot. This pack comes alongside an update to the game which tweaks and fixes certain parts of the game.
The most significant addition is the War Games map, which is a remaster of two different maps from the original Titanfall. According to a post on Respawn's website, War Games features "the civilian shops, city streets, and tall buildings for window-to-window fighting from the Battle of Angel City," but it also contains "the large, open tank garage facilities for hand-to-hand Pilot combat from the Battle of Airbase Sierra." War Games has a VR simulation aesthetic much different than the original maps. You can see it in action in the video below, and be sure to watch our livestream of the DLC here.
The pack also comes with a new map for the Live Fire mode, which pits pilots against pilots without Titans. The map is called Traffic, and it is set in "a weathered test site where pilot positioning is pitted against mobility across two busy thoroughfares," the post states.
In addition to the two maps, the DLC adds a shadow-boxing Pilot execution, Titan Brawl as a permanent game mode, and a third weapon slot. Previously, Pilots only had access to a primary weapon and either a sidearm or an anti-Titan weapon. Now, they can carry a primary, a secondary, and an anti-Titan weapon.
The new patch contains several quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes, such as a decrease to Amped Weapon damage and a change that makes the dropship leave as soon as everyone is on board. You can see the full list of patch notes at the bottom of this article.
Free-for-all with a twist. Collect 3 batteries to call in a Titan. Battery locations are placed around the map. Pilots drop batteries on death.
Titan Brawl now added as permanent mode in mixtape matchmaking.
Titan Damage in now tracked in the scoreboard.
More Private Match Settings
Round / Score Limit
[Round] Time Limit
Pilot Boosts [On, Off]
Pilot Boost / Titan Meter Multiplier [25% to 500%]
Pilot Boost / Titan Meter Overdrive [On, Off, Only]
Pilot Health [25% to 500%]
Respawn Delay [0 to 40] seconds
Titan Core Meter Multiplier [25% to 500%]
Game Improvements
Evac ship will now leave immediately once all living players are onboard.
Additional performance optimizations on Xbox One.
Added an easter egg to Glitch.
Game Mode Adjustments
CTF HUD
Replaced flag icons with stacked score bars.
A permanent flag icon is now displays the status of each flag [Home, <player name> / You have the Flag, SECURE / RETURN].
Flag status no longer displays after the winner is determined.
Display team Titan status.
Running over Stalkers with your Titan will now cause damage.
Miscellaneous Bug Fixes
Fixed exploit on Exoplanet where players could get under the map.
Fixed bug where stealing a battery from a rodeo would not give player any Titan meter.
Fixed issue in CTF where the flag would appear to be unreturnable.
Fixed issue with Legion shield not appearing sometimes.
Fixed a couple spots on Eden where Pilots were able to hide inside geometry.
Fixed issue with Tone where reload would happen during her execution.
Fixed issue where Ronin Prime execution played wrong audio.
Addressed issue where Pilots couldn't enter evac while in phase state when using Phase Shift. The trigger to enter the evac will now be activated when the player exits phase state.
Monarch no longer gets two Electric Smokes when using her Upgrade Core.
Boost Balance
Reduced damage of Amped Weapons and put on 30 second timer
As previously detailed, the other major components of update 2.6.0 include Challenge Rifts (weekly static dungeons that have you playing as a set character), new zones (The Moors and The Temple of the Firstborn, both found in Act 2 in Adventure mode), and new Realms of Fate bounties (which are located at new waypoints on the map).
Now that the update is available, Blizzard has released the full patch notes. Aside from the new content mentioned above, the bulk of these deal with item changes and adjustments to Set bonuses. There are also some quality-of-life changes, including a very welcome one for Greater Rifts. When you die when playing on your own, you can now resurrect immediately and the remaining time on the death timer will simply be removed from the amount you have left, and cooldowns will adjust accordingly. In other words, this spares you from having to sit there, doing nothing, without actually impacting the way a death affects a run.
Players looking to play as the Necromancer can pick up the Rise of the Necromancer pack for $15. Console players who don't yet own the game can pick up Diablo III: Eternal Collection, which bundles the pack with the existing Ultimate Evil Edition. This carries a price tag of $60 but will be available for a limited time for $40.
Activision kicked off the Call of Duty Days of Summer event starting today. Coming to Infinite Warfare, Modern Warfare Remastered, and Black Ops 3, the event is beach- and summer-themed, adds a whole bunch of items, a couple of maps, and a game mode, and is completely free. It runs for the next five weeks, ending on August 1.
Activision announced the Days of Summer event on its blog, detailing that there are a number of content drops coming to the three most recent Call of Duty games. Highlighting the event are two DLC maps that you can play for free. The first is a redesigned Bog map for Modern Warfare Remastered. Called Beach Bog, it now looks like a cool, sunny beach spot rather than a nighttime battleground. This event also comes with four new weapon camos that you can unlock on Beach Bog, although you'll have to complete their related challenges by August 1 to get them.
Infinite Warfare players, meanwhile, can try out the Turista map from the Continuum Map Pack for free. It's only available until the Days of Summer event ends on August 1, however.
Beach Bog
The other big addition is the return of the Prop Hunt game mode to Modern Warfare Remastered. In this mode, some players can turn into inanimate objects on a map; their goal is to hide and avoid being spotted by other players who are trying to kill them. This new Prop Hunt adds a bunch of beach-themed props like sand castles and beach balls.
Black Ops 3 players have a chance to unlock a special Pack-A-Punch camo, and they can also play the maps from the Awakening Map Pack for free. These Black Ops 3 perks go live on July 11 and end on August 1.
There's a lot more coming in the Days of Summer event, and you can learn more about it in the video above or over at Activision's blog post.
Ubisoft today made a surprise announcement of a new Assassin's Creed game for mobile. Called Assassin's Creed Rebellion, the official description and a brief glimpse of gameplay suggest this is essentially the franchise's take on Fallout Shelter.
Rebellion is a free-to-play strategy RPG coming to iOS and Android phones and tablets. It tasks players with building an assassin brotherhood and managing a fortress in Spain during the Inquisition. Your headquarters is built room by room and can be used to train characters and craft equipment. As you progress, more room types and items will become available, and characters--who take the form of assassins from the series and new ones created for Rebellion--will be able to take part in various missions.
These missions come in multiple forms, including those that are meant to gather resources that allow you to upgrade characters, while others reward you with crafting materials. Characters have different skills that Ubisoft says will work better for some types of missions than others.
The teaser trailer above focuses on highlighting the game's art style, which is quite a bit different from that of other games in the series. Toward the end, you can briefly see some gameplay; the HQ itself certainly looks a lot like the shelters found in Fallout Shelter. That comes as little surprise, as the game is being developed by Behaviour Interactive, which co-developed that game with Bethesda.
An exact release date for Rebellion was not revealed; Ubisoft said only that it's coming "soon" worldwide. You'll want to be running at least iOS 8 or Android 4.1 on the device you're planning to play on. We don't yet know if Ubisoft has any plans to eventually bring the game to PC or consoles as Bethesda did with Fallout Shelter.
Planet Coaster's third expansion is out now, free of charge, and it adds new coasters, attractions, and ways to customize your park. The Summer Update's biggest addition will let you create "the ultimate sky-high summer spectacle" by adding fireworks displays to the game, and you can get a look in the trailer above.
The update boasts "the most detailed fireworks simulation ever created for a video game" and will let you create displays for the Fourth of July, New Year, and Bonfire Night, which can be triggered with other park events and even timed to custom music. You can also download custom fireworks displays from other players through the Planet Coaster community.
The Summer Update also introduces new Video and Image Scenery, which allows you to add your own images and video onto customizable wall panels and screens. And there are others ways to change up your park with a new Flatride Sequencer and Painted Wooden Coasters.
Of course, the update comes with the addition of new flatrides, coasters, scenarios, custom biomes and, right in time for the Fourth of July, a Stars and Stripes scenery pack. Creator Frontier Developments is also promising game fixes and quality-of-life improvements, and you can get a look at all of the changes in the patch notes.
Sumo Digital has announced it is discounting its unique puzzle-platformer Snake Pass on the Nintendo Switch eShop, making it the first game to go on sale on the service since the console launched back in March. From today until July 4, Switch owners can download the title for $12, 40% off the game's normal price or $20.
The Switch sale is only one part of what Sumo has dubbed a "summer of sales" for the game; in addition to that, Snake Pass is on sale for PC as part of Steam's Summer Sale. Steam users can download the title for $10 until July 5. PC players will have a another chance to download the game for $10 as part of a Humble Store sale, which runs from July 5 - 19. Snake Pass will also go on sale on other platforms later this summer.
The sale announcement coincides with the release of a new trailer, which gives fans a quick glimpse at the first DLC in store for Snake Pass. Toward the end of the video below, you can see Noodle the snake climbing up a bamboo shoot to reach a brand-new item, a strawberry.
Snake Pass is a retro-inspired platformer that's quite unlike other platformers. While the game features expansive levels filled with collectibles, it's also devoid of jumping; rather, players navigate stages by slithering along the ground like a snake and coiling around poles to reach higher areas. It also features a soundtrack by David Wise, the legendary composer of Donkey Kong Country.
Snake Pass is available for Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Its first DLC is scheduled to launch sometime this July. Despite some moments of frustration, we enjoyed the game; in our review, we called Snake Pass "a quirky puzzler that innovates while simultaneously evoking memories of your favourite platformers" and awarded it 7/10.
The slow period for new additions to the Xbox One's backwards compatibility library that began in May has extended throughout most of June. But that changes today, with Microsoft announcing that five more Xbox 360 games are now playable on Xbox One.
The biggest name of the bunch is Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the third and arguably best game in the series. It joins five other Assassin's Creed titles that were already available on the backwards compatibility list.
The Xbox One's backwards compatibility feature, introduced in November 2015, lets you play Xbox 360 games on the new console. But what games are available? We've now rounded them all up--and we'll continue to update this post as new games are made available.
It's been four years since the release of the last game in the Splinter Cell series with no solid indications of what's next. E3 2017 came and went without any Splinter Cell-related announcements, but amidst all the noise, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot did provide some hope for fans.
First, during an AMA on Reddit, Guillemot responded to a question about Splinter Cell by saying, "Splinter Cell is a brand we talk about a lot. It's also personally one of my favorite series. We don't have anything specific to share at the moment but teams are working on different things, so stay tuned for more."
Subsequently, he was asked about those remarks in an interview with the Ubisoft blog. "We are receiving lots of sketches and proposals around the brand, and we're going to pick one up," he said. "I think you will be able to see something, but you will have to wait for that."
With just a few days to go until the end of June, Microsoft has announced the lineup of free games Xbox Live Gold members will be able to play on Xbox One and Xbox 360 in July 2017.
On Xbox One, players can look forward to trying out Ubisoft's quirky platformer Grow Up as well as the party game Runbow, in which obstacles appear and disappear depending on the color of the background. Xbox 360 owners get Kane & Lynch 2 and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean; both of these will also be available for free on Xbox One through backwards compatibility.
The month kicks off with Grow Up and Kane & Lynch 2, while Runbow and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean will join later, on July 16. Check out the full schedule below.
And remember that Xbox Live Gold members have just a few more days to pick up some of June 2017's free Games With Gold titles before they return to their normal prices.
Death Note is the upcoming live-action movie adaptation of the classic manga series that is set to premiere on Netflix in August. A first trailer was released in March, and now a new character poster has been tweeted by director Adam Wingard. It shows the demonic Ryuk and takes its inspiration from the film's comic book origins. Check it out below:
Death Note tells the story of a high school student named Light, who comes into possession of a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone whose name he writes into it. Light sets out to rid the world of evil but finds himself relentlessly pursued by a legendary police detective.
It stars Nat Wolff, best known for the hit teen drama The Fault in our Stars, plus Keith Stanfield, Paul Nakauchi, and Shea Whigham. Willem Dafoe will perform the voice of Ryuk. The film hits Netflix on August 25, 2017.
In an interview last year, Wingard assured fans that Death Note would be every bit as graphic as the horror movies he has directed, such as You're Next and The Guest. "We can do whatever we want," he told Collider. "It's an anime film. So, technically, it's a cartoon that you're bringing to life. It was important that you have those adult themes. So, it's got nudity, it's got swearing, it's got a ton of violence."
Death Note ran for 108 issues between 2003 and 2006. These were subsequently collected into 12 graphic novels, which to date have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. There have also been three live-action Japanese films, an anime series, and a number of video games for the Nintendo DS, published by Konami.
The first major update for Playtonic Games' retro platformer Yooka-Laylee is now live for PC. Along with assorted bug fixes, the update address many commonly criticized aspects of the game, including its camera.
With this update, Playtonic has added a new, optional camera mode that gives players complete control over its positioning. We thought the original camera system was "uncooperative" and was one aspect of the game we took issue with in our review, so this new option comes as a welcome addition.
Along with the new camera system, the update also gives players the ability to skip cutscenes, adds new music to the pause menu, introduces an option for shorter "gibberish" voice effects, and allows players to read through dialogue more quickly. You can find the full patch notes on Playtonic's website, but other notable changes from the update include:
Pagies have added signposts to Hivory Towers to help guide players to new worlds
Improved speed when scrolling through Totals Menu
New moves section added to pause menu, with image guide
Restart option added in the pause menu during arcade games and Kartos challenges
Minecart control and hitbox improvements, plus new visual effects
Improved flying controls
The PC update coincides with Steam's Summer Sale, during which Steam users can download Yooka-Laylee for $30. The sale runs from now until July 5 and features plenty of other great deals to be had.
Yooka-Laylee is also available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Playtonic Games says it is working to bring the update to these versions "in the coming weeks." The game is also still slated to arrive for Nintendo Switch and will include all of the tweaks and improvements from the update on day one.
The relationship between Spider-Man and Iron Man--aka Peter Parker and Tony Stark--is a big part of the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming. But it seems that the pair actually met in an earlier Marvel movie--namely, 2010's Iron Man 2.
The scene is question occurs during the ill-fated Stark Expo, where a host of robotic Hammer Drones go on the rampage. A young boy wearing an Iron Man mask bravely confronts one of the Drones, and it has been a fan theory for some time that the boy is actually a young Peter Parker. Watch it below:
Homecoming star Tom Holland has now confirmed that this is, indeed, Peter. Holland was asked about the scene by the Huffington Post and referred to a conversation between him and Marvel boss Kevin Feige on the same subject.
"I can confirm that is Peter Parker," he said. "I can confirm that as of today. I literally had a conversation with Kevin Feige only 20 minutes ago. Maybe I've just done a big, old spoiler, but it's out there now. It's cool. I like the idea that Peter Parker has been in the universe since the beginning."
In terms of story, this makes sense--the boy would be the around the correct age for Peter at the time, and the Expo takes place in Queens, New York, where he grew up. Of course, whether this was the plan back in 2010 is another matter entirely, especially as this was several years before the deal between Marvel and Sony--who own the movie rights to Spider-Man--had been agreed.
Spider-Man: Homecoming hits theaters on July 7. We'll find out then if there's any reference to this scene in the movie. In the meantime, check out the latest trailer here.
In related news, Feige this week confirmed that the Homecoming sequel will kick off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "So much happens in [the third and fourth Avengers movies], as you can imagine, and so much is affected by it, that we felt what better person to hold your hand and lead you into the next incarnation of the MCU, in a grounded, realistic manner, than Peter Parker?" he said. "So, coming out two months after Untitled Avengers, [that's what] much of what the next Spider-Man film will be about."
While French media conglomerate Vivendi has yet to initiate a hostile takeover of video game publisher Ubisoft, the threat of such a move continues to loom. That potential has seemingly resulted in a preemptive move on the part of the Guillemot family, of which Ubisoft CEO and co-founder Yves Guillemot is a part.
The Guillemots have increased their stake and now collectively own 13.6% of Ubisoft's shares and control 20.02% of its voting rights, according to a filing by France's AMF (via Reuters). However, it will reportedly not seek any additional seats on the board of directors. Five of the 10 directors are members of the Guillemot family, including Yves, the board's chairman. Last year, Ubisoft expanded its board with two new independent directors, bringing independent representation to the 50% mark. This is the point Ubisoft hoped to achieve as a means for helping to stave off Vivendi.
The progression of Ubisoft logos over the years, leading to 2017's new one
Vivendi has steadily increased its control of shares in Ubisoft since 2015; its ownership is now up to 27% of its shares (and 24.5% of voting rights). At 30 percent, French law would mandate that it pursue a controlling stake in the company.
Amidst all of this, Ubisoft has continued to focus on live-service games, VR, and support for Nintendo's Switch (most notably with the upcoming Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle). The company's stock price reached an all-time high on Monday, though it has since fallen slightly.
Update: Those in the UK may have missed at least their first chance to pre-order from certain retailers, but Nintendo's online store has the SNES Classic available as of this writing.
Original Story: Nintendo announced the SNES Classic today. A miniature version of the classic Nintendo console, the $80 system that comes with 21 games and two controllers launches in the US in September. Given that last year's NES Classic sold out basically instantly everywhere it was sold, fans might be wondering how they can secure the SNES Classic right away.
US retailers are not yet widely accepting pre-orders, but in Australia, you can secure a pre-order right now through JB Hi Fi and EB Games. The console sells for $120 in Australia and it looks a little different than the North American edition.
In the US, Amazon has a page up for the SNES Classic, as does Best Buy, but you cannot actually pre-order the system there as of yet. We will update this post as more retailers open pre-orders for the SNES Classic. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
As with the NES Classic Edition, the SNES Classic features HDMI output and resembles the look of the system it's based on but in a smaller form factor. But unlike that system, it comes with two controllers in the box.
On the subject of supply, while Nintendo isn't sharing specific numbers, it did say it will deliver "significantly more" units than it did with the NES Classic Edition. That said, it only plans to ship the system between September and the end of 2017.
A new teaser for Inhumans has arrived. The full trailer for the upcoming Marvel series will be released on Thursday, but ahead of that we have this short promo, featuring the first footage from the show. Check it out below:
The show is being overseen by Scott Buck, the showrunner for Netflix'sIron Fist. Hell on Wheels star Anson Mount stars as hypersonic-voiced Black Bolt, with Iwan Rheon as Maximus, Serinda Swan as Medusa, Eme Ikwuakor as Gorgon, Isabelle Cornish as Crystal, and Ken Leung as Karnak.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Buck spoke about the fact that, unlike many superhero teams, the Inhumans are a family. "Basically we're telling a story about a family at a very critical juncture in their lives," he said. "When we meet up with them, we're going to find that pretty much everything they've ever known is at risk.
"It's big. I'm used to writing--and what I'm best at--slightly smaller character dramas. This is a show that I have to stretch myself and think a little bit bigger at times, so that's been the biggest challenge for me."
The Inhumans were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in a 1965 issue of Fantastic Four. Their first self-titled comic line ran from 1975 to 1977, and they have subsequently appeared in a variety of limited and ongoing series over the past four decades.
DC's superhero universe kicked off in 2014 with Man of Steel, but despite that film's success, there has been no sign of a second standalone Superman movie. However, it has now been reported that the studio could be looking at making a big screen adaptation of the Red Son graphic novel.
Superman: Red Son was a 2003 limited-run comic book that told an alternate story in which Superman was raised in the Soviet Union rather than the US. The news of a potential movie comes via a Twitter exchange between Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and Red Son creator Mark Millar.
This was news to a suprised Vogt-Roberts, who then gave further details about the vision he had for the movie. "When I was pitching Red Son I wasn't even convinced you needed [Ben] Affleck and [Henry] Cavill. Public understanding of the medium has evolved," he said. "I think we can sustain a 'main shared universe' AND offshoots with alternate takes on characters and different actors existing simultaneously."
Miller has subsequently spoken to Den of Geek on the subject. He explained that the studio was using Red Son as one of several potential storylines to attract quality filmmakers to the DC universe, and weren't specifically focused on that one title.
"Is this something they're genuinely planning? I have no idea," he said. "I've got pals at Warner Bros. but never discussed it with them. I think they're just going through their back catalogue of big books and hoping to lure in good directors as opposed to any particular interest in developing Red Son."
After Man of Steel's huge success, the plan was to follow it up with a direct sequel. However, DC's desire to accelerate its cinematic universe led to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice instead, which introduced both Batman and Wonder Woman. Cavill will reprise his role as Superman in Justice League, which arrives in November.
Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 developer CI Games has admitted it made mistakes during the open-world title's development, saying it "spent too much effort trying to catch up with other AAA titles."
"We've learned a lot as a team over the course of development for Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, much of which I believe has shaped the talented individuals within CI Games and the entire studio for the better," Tyminski said. "When we began development of SGW3, we decided on such a relatively large scale of the game with its open world that now we realize it was just too ambitious versus what we could have been able to deliver in any reasonable amount of time."
The learning experience has already impacted the direction of the studio's next game, says Tyminski, with the nascent project ditching Ghost Warrior 3's open-world design: "All of that was a huge lesson for us and we're now moving forward without any tag attached to our next project. We're planning to make a great tactical shooter where we can focus on exciting gameplay, some key mechanics, and missions that have depth without all of the trappings of a large open-world setting. We want to make this game even more tactical than SGW3, and I believe the last three years have created a wonderful foundation that we can build upon for our next game."
CI Games says it will continue to support Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 with updates "through 2017."
In our Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 review, critic Richard Wakeling said the title "feels like a B-tier, budget-priced game," and he awarded it a 5/10.
"Even the predictable, profanity-laden story is reminiscent of the type of gritty B-movies Steven Seagal is known for," he wrote. "There's certainly merit to its accomplished sniping mechanics, especially when missions hone in on the planning and precise execution that makes playing as a sharpshooter so thrilling. Yet it falters whenever it veers away from its strengths, and the plethora of nagging glitches and technical problems are a persistent nuisance that make Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 difficult to recommend."
The 1990 monster movie Tremors starring Kevin Bacon is coming back as a TV show of sorts, it seems. Deadline reports that TV network Syfy has ordered a pilot for a reboot, with Bacon set to appear again as his character, Valentine "Val" McKee, who is now older and struggles with alcohol and more.
Here's how Deadline sums up the story for the reboot: "The killer Graboid worms that nearly destroyed Perfection, NV, 25 years ago are back, and the town's only hope for survival is Valentine McKee (Bacon), who beat them once. But to do it again he'll have to overcome age, alcohol, and a delusional hero complex."
The new Tremors is written by Andrew Miller (The Secret Circle, Nothing).
"This is the only character I've played that I've ever thought about revisiting," Bacon told Deadline. "I just got to thinking, 'Where would this guy end up after 25 years?'. Andrew Miller has a fantastic take on it, and we hope to create a show that will be fun and scary for fans of the movie and folks that have yet to discover it. Let's kick some Graboid ass!"
Tremors only made $16.6 million in the US, but it became a cult hit. There were multiple straight-to-DVD sequels, and a TV show, Tremors: The Series, ran for one season on in 2003 on Syfy, which at the time was known as Sci-Fi.
Bear in mind that Syfy has only ordered a pilot for a new Tremors show, so there is no guarantee the show will actually ever come to fruition. Are you hoping the show gets made? Let us know in the comments below!
It's a new week, which means Microsoft has rolled out a fresh set of Xbox One and Xbox 360 deals on Xbox Live under the Deals With Gold banner.
As outlined on Major Nelson's blog, this week's lineup of deals is not all that extensive, though there are some solid offers to be had. On Xbox One, a lot of add-ons for Dead or Alive 5 Last Round are on sale, including the character Phase 4, who is completely free for the week.
BioWare's new IP, Anthem, is in the "science-fantasy" genre like Star Wars instead of the science fiction genre like Mass Effect. This is according to BioWare GM Aaryn Flynn, who spoke to CBC about what genre the game falls into and how it compares to the studio's past work.
"It's in a genre we call science fantasy," he said (via NeoGAF). "Very much like Star Wars, very much like the Marvel Universe where you see a lot of amazing things happening but we don't worry too much about why they are happening or how they're happening; the science of it.
"Mass Effect is a more a real hardcore science-fiction IP [but Anthem] is much more about just having fun in a game world that lush and exotic and really sucks you in."
Anthem was announced at E3 2017. Developed by BioWare Edmonton, the studio behind Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Anthem is an action game set in a "vast open world." The game pits players in the role of a Freelancer tasked with exploring unknown planets and protecting humanity. You'll be able to outfit your Freelancer with customisable exo-suits called Javelins, which can be equipped with a range of new gear you either craft or acquire.
The game is being "built around a live service" and features a heavy emphasis on cooperative play. EA has confirmed that up to four players can team up to complete missions together. You can listen to the full CBC interview to learn more about BioWare's thoughts on the project.
Anthem is scheduled to launch in Fall 2018 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. You can see all of GameSpot's previous coverage including videos and written content here.
One of the biggest announcements Microsoft made at E3 2017 was backwards compatibility support for original Xbox games on Xbox One. The console already plays Xbox 360 games through backwards compatibility, and the library of supported titles is pretty massive, recently having surpassed 385 games. But will the lineup of OG Xbox games be as big? It's "too early to say," according to Microsoft's Dave McCarthy, but it sounds like it will not be.
Speaking to GameSpot, McCarthy said Microsoft only talked about Crimson Skies and Fuzion Frenzy at E3, but there are more games up and running.
"We have multiple games up and running--we just decided to tease the first one[s]," McCarthy explained. "There will be a library of games available, for sure."
This follows what Xbox boss Phil Spencer said earlier this month. He outright confirmed that the lineup of OG Xbox games played on Xbox One through backwards compatibility will not be as extensive as the library of Xbox 360 games that work on the newer console.
In our interview with McCarthy, he said Spencer played a huge role in convincing the engineering team to add backwards compatibility support for Xbox 360 games on Xbox One. The team wasn't sure it was possible at the start, apparently, but Spencer kept pressing the matter and the engineering team found a way. It's the same engineering team doing the work for OG Xbox backwards compatibility.
"Phil is really good for this, in terms of audacious challenges we give the team," McCarthy said. "It fit nicely into our compatibility story--games will play great across all our lineup. They'll play best on Xbox One X. It kind of fit the whole vibe that we were trying to get in terms of choice for our customers. It is going to be a big program for us."
The OG Xbox backwards compatibility program for Xbox One launches later this year. What titles would you like to see added the library? Let us know in the comments below!
The full patch notes are coming tomorrow, but for now, the developer outlined in a blog post what changes are coming to the loot system. Described as the "first real pass" at tweaking the loot balance, this is expected to be just the first of many throughout the game's Early Access period, so bear in mind that things will likely change further still in the future.
As for the changes, the developer explained that a bug is affecting the game that makes "some items" spawn more or less frequently than they should. "Not all items had issues, but we decided it was necessary to adjust some of the items that were spawned too much or too little for their tiers," the studio said.
The statement goes on: "Even though it's not bug-related, we also hope to improve the item looting experience for items that we've received a lot of user feedback on. Such improvements and adjustments will be made on a regular basis based on various data analysis and feedback."
The update will add new weapons, including the Groza and the P18C 9mm pistol, while VSS will no longer show up in care packages but will only be available as spawns on the map. A full rundown of the notes for the first stab at loot balance changes follows below:
Care Package
New weapon, the Groza, was added. This weapon may only be acquired in Care Packages.
VSS will no longer be found in Care Packages. It will remain to be spawned in the map.
At a low probability, you will be able to acquire AR Silencers and SR Silencers in Care Packages.
At a low probability, you will be able to acquire 4x Scopes in Care Packages.
World Spawn
New weapon, a 9mm pistol with full auto mode, the P18C, was added.
Spawn rate of SCAR-L was decreased to better fit the weapon's tier.
Spawn rate of UMP was slightly decreased.
Spawn rate of UZI was slightly increased.
Level 1 Helmet was being spawned at a much higher rate than the Level 1 Vest, and the spawn rate was adjusted so that both items will be spawned at a similar rate.
Following the announcement of the SNES Classic today, Nintendo has now confirmed that the Japanese variant, Super Famicom, is getting a mini version as well. The Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Famicom will launch in Japan on October 5, priced at 7,980 yen (about $71) before tax.
The system features the colored face buttons of its predecessor. Here's what it looks like (click through the images in the gallery to see them all):
Based on the system originally released in 1990, the Mini comes with two Super Famicom controllers and 21 games, including the previously unreleased Star Fox 2. The list of included titles is not quite the same as in North America and Europe, as the Japanese version includes games like Panel de Pon and Super Soccer, but not EarthBound. Here is a rundown of all the included games:
An AC adapter for the Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Famicom will also arrive on October 5, priced at 1,000 yen before tax. The adapter for the Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer system can also be used for the Super Famicom. The European version of the SNES Classic also doesn't include an AC adapter, but you do get one in North America.
When it was announced that Ben Affleck would no longer direct the new Batman film, The Batman, one rumour that floated around was that Affleck would not appear in it, either. Now, new director Matt Reeves has confirmed that, for now at least, Affleck is still the star.
"Yeah, right now that's exactly what's going on--for sure," he said in an interview reported on by Batman-News (via IGN) about Affleck playing the title role in the much-anticipated film.
Affleck in Batman v Superman
Affleck first played Batman in 2016's Batman v Superman. He'll play the character again in this year's Justice League. A release date for The Batman has not been announced.
Also in the interview, Reeves made it clear that The Batman is not coming out anytime soon. Reeves only recently wrapped War for the Planet of the Apes, and he said The Batman is "only now beginning" production.
It's a big week for Microsoft's Xbox One and PC fighting game Killer Instinct, as the next character, Eagle, and big patch, 3.8, are arriving on June 27.
Starting off, Eagle and the 3.8 update are scheduled to launch around 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, though the developer cautions in a blog post that things could change as it relates to timing. If a change is made to the timing, the developer will alert fans on social channels.
As for pricing, Eagle will cost $5. This includes his retro-themed costume, but not the Premium accessories; these can be purchased using the in-game currency, KI Gold.
The other big piece of Killer Instinct news today is that people who own the game's Definitive Edition will get Kilgore, Shin Hisako, and Eagle for free...when the game's Steam edition comes out. "We wanted to make sure the offering we had on Windows 10 & Xbox matched the offer we were releasing on Steam," Microsoft said. "To do that, we naturally have to include the 3 characters currently missing from the DE bundle. That work was to be done when the Steam version launched, but a miss in verbiage on-stage led us to our current predicament."
Importantly, when the 3.8 update launches tomorrow, everyone will see Eagle as available to buy for $5. If you own the Definitive Edition, you should wait until it shows as "free," unless you want to give the developer more of your money.
Additionally, people who bought the Killer Instinct Season 3 Ultra Edition will get Eagle for free (but not Shin Hisako or Kilgore), though it might not happen tomorrow. As with what was mentioned above, you will be charged if you buy Eagle, though if you wait long enough, he should show up as a free download eventually. To help alleviate the issues, Eagle will be the free rotating character for the week.
The next Avengers movie, Infinity War, is filming now ahead of its release in 2018. Now, some images from the set of the superhero film have emerged, showing castmembers including Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange) preparing for scenes in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
Mark Ruffallo (Hulk) and Benedict Wong (Wong) can also be seen in the images. You can see all of the shots here in this Variety image gallery.
ye is directed by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo. It opens in 2018, and also stars Tom Holland (Spider-Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), and many others.
In other news, Marvel boss Kevin Feige recently told Joblo (via Polygon) that some major MCU characters will end their Avengers movie runs with Infinity War. He didn't name any names, though it is suggested that Iron Man and Captain America might be finished after Infinity War.
A new trailer for the Jackie Chan movie The Foreigner has arrived. If you ever doubted that veteran actor Chan was no longer a badass, this video will remind you that, of course, he still is.
Based on the novel "The Chinaman," The Foreigner follows a London businessman Quan (Chan) who is seeking revenge after his daughter is killed in an act of terrorism. Starring alongside Chan is James Bond star Pierce Brosnan, who plays a British government agent who may or may not know the identity of the bombers and their motivations. If the new trailer is anything to go on, The Foreigner looks like an action-packed, explosive film with some nice set-pieces.
If the trailer is giving you 007 vibes, there's a good reason for that, as The Foreigner was directed by GoldenEye and Casino Royale director Martin Campbell.
Nintendo confirmed rumours today and officially announced the SNES Classic. The mini version of the famous classic console, the $80 SNES Classic launches this September, bundled with 21 games (including a previously unreleased one) and two controllers. The NES Classic last year was a big hit, so the SNES Classic is no surprise. Now, analysts have weighed in on how the plug-and-play console could help Nintendo's fortunes, while one believes an N64 Classic could be next.
SuperData Research CEO Joost Van Dreunen said the announcement today of the SNES Classic is "another high note" for Nintendo, following all the news at E3.
"Nintendo has been on an upswing and quickly rebuilding its credibility among investors," he explained in a statement. "After stealing the show at E3 with the release slate for the Switch, the news of the SNES Classic is another high note. I doubt that neither the $80 price point or the exact composition of the games will provide further motivation or deterrence for consumers in the slightest: enthusiasm around Nintendo and its brand is back on the up-and-up, and we expect to see long lines when the new device drops."
The NES Classic was tremendously successful but it faced supply shortages, frustrating fans in the process. For the SNES Classic, Nintendo has already said it will produce "significantly" more units, though shipments will end in 2017.
Patrick Joynt, the vice president of global consulting firm Magid, said in a statement that Nintendo will be able to sell as many SNES Classic units as it can get on store shelves. He added that he believes Nintendo will replenish NES and SNES Classic units before moving on to an N64 Classic console later on. That would be exciting, indeed.
As with the NES Classic Edition, the SNES Classic features HDMI output and resembles the look of the system it's based on but in a smaller form factor. But unlike that system, it comes with two controllers in the box. It launches on September 29, priced at $80.
Citing anonymous sources from the set, The Hollywood Reporter's feature begins by say tensions had reached a "boiling point" by mid-June. This was reportedly when Lord and Miller didn't start shooting a Millennium Falcon scene until 1 PM, and they used just three camera setups instead of the 12 to 15 that Lucasfilm exec Kathleen Kennedy wanted. The directors were reportedly moving slow on the project and the relatively low number of camera setups meant that Lucasfilm would not have as much to work with in the editing bay.
The report goes on to say that Kennedy and writer Lawrence Kasdan reviewed the movie's "dailies" remotely and they were both unhappy with how things were progressing. Not only did the directors clash with Lucasfilm, but they also didn't have the best relationship with each other, apparently.
"There were 'deep fundamental philosophical differences' in filmmaking styles, this person says, and the directors felt they were being given 'zero creative freedom.' They also felt they were being asked to operate under 'extreme scheduling constraints' and 'were never given enough days for each scene from the very beginning,'" the report said.
Lord and Miller are accomplished, successful directors, responsible for The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, among others. But the report goes on to claim they were in over their heads with a movie on the scale of a Star Wars.
"Some insiders say that while the talent of Lord and Miller is undeniable, nothing in their background prepared them for a movie of this size and scope," THR reported. "These sources say they relied too heavily on the improvisational style that served them so well in live-action comedy and animation but does not work on a set with hundreds of crewmembers waiting for direction."
The full report is stacked with loads more interesting insight and details. Read it here.
The next Star Wars movie is this December's Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The untitled Han Solo film, which stars Alden Ehrenreich in the lead role, comes out in 2018.
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