Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom's latest trailer, debuting just before Gamescom, focuses on one of the game's supporting characters rather than our blonde-haired protagonist--Roland, the stoic president of a country in Ichi No Kuni.
Though the trailer doesn't reveal much about Roland's character, we do already know he's not as he appears to be. Roland is a 48-year-old president renowned for his leadership and loved by his people. After some magical happenings and he is transported to Ni No Kuni, he runs beside Evan and his friends as a 20-year-old man with nothing but justice on his mind.
The trailer also reveals two new characters: Nerea, the queen of Thalassea, and her advisor Leander. Details on these two characters and their roles have not yet been released, but more may be revealed at Gamescom.
We're giving away Sonic Mania: Collector's Edition on PS4 (open to United Kingdom residents only)! One (1) winner will be chosen after the giveaway closes on Sunday, August 20th at 12:00 PM Pacific.
Scroll down below to enter.
The Sonic Mania: Collector's Edition includes:
Deluxe "SEGA Genesis" style Collector's Box
12" Classic Sonic Statue featuring SEGA Genesis Base
Flip the power switch to trigger the "SEEGAA" startup audio!
Metallic Collector's Card with Sonic Mania Download Code (digital game code)
We're giving away Sonic Mania: Collector's Edition on Xbox One (open to United States residents only)! One (1) winner will be chosen after the giveaway closes on Sunday, August 20th at 12:00 PM Pacific.
Scroll down below to enter.
The Sonic Mania: Collector's Edition includes:
Deluxe "SEGA Genesis" style Collector's Box
12" Classic Sonic Statue featuring SEGA Genesis Base
Flip the power switch to trigger the "SEEGAA" startup audio!
Metallic Collector's Card with Sonic Mania Download Code (digital game code)
By Anonymous on Aug 19, 2017 09:30 pm Is this year's Madden Football game one to skip over or is it an absolute touchdown of a game? Find out in our GameSpot review!
By Anonymous on Aug 19, 2017 09:30 pm Watch the first quarter of a game where the Patriots go head to head against the Falcons in a friendly football game for your entertainment.
By Anonymous on Aug 19, 2017 09:30 pm Madden NFL 18 features a very robust single player story mode, here are the first 12 minutes fro your viewing pleasure.
By Anonymous on Aug 19, 2017 09:30 pm Ser Bronn of the Blackwater has a zinger for every occasion. Here's a collection of his best moments. Beware of spoilers! Enter our giveaway to be in with a chance of winning a Tyrion Lannister Funko Pop! (US-only) https://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-of-thrones-season-7-funko-pop-giveaway/1100-6452407/
In honor of Game Of Thrones Season 7 Episode 6 "Beyond the Wall", we're giving away a Tyrion Lannister Funko Pop! One (1) winner will be chosen after the giveaway closes on Friday, August 25th at 12:00PM PT.
Open to US residents only, void where prohibited. If you do not win this time, you'll be automatically entered in the next giveaway.
After almost 30 years, the Madden NFL series is rarely surprising. Fans think they know what to expect each year: a handful of small but meaningful mechanical tweaks, roster updates, and slight graphical bumps. Madden NFL 18, however, is highlighted by one of the most significant additions in series history--a full story mode--and a new, much more graphically capable engine. And due in large part to the Longshot story, it is a marked improvement over the last several entries in the series.
Madden has rarely tackled the personal side of football, choosing instead to present it as a chess-like competition: you are the coach and master, the players are your instruments to score. Of course, that's not how football is treated in the real world, so to see that change in Madden is intriguing in theory, and gratifying in practice. For the first time in Madden, Longshot actually references how much so many people invest in the sport, and how high the stakes are for them. For instance, main character Devin Wade, the star football player from his small Texas town, quit his college team after a family tragedy. You navigate through Wade's attempt to return to football, traveling to the NFL Combine in order to impress scouts.
Longshot is unexpectedly deep--it's a fully fledged, Telltale-style adventure game with multiple endings, broken up by short moments of playing football. It presents you with decisions that affect both the people around you and the scouts' perception of you. As with Telltale games, there's an illusion of greater choice that isn't necessarily there, but Longshot succeeds because it makes minor choices feel important. Do you reach for celebrity at the expense of Wade's best friend, Colt Cruise? Or do you carry him along at the risk of running afoul of your coach and scouts who think Wade depends on him too much?
For every moment that conveys Wade's commitment, his inner demons, and his friendship with Cruise, there are corresponding moments of absurd spectacle. Wade's journey from obscurity to superstardom unfortunately doesn't take place entirely in intimate, personal story beats a la Friday Night Lights, but rather in the spotlights of a ridiculously excessive reality show. During these sequences and the challenges it presents him with, Wade evokes annoyance, confusion, and anger at the gaminess of the reality show. The executive producer hits every trope of an over-the-top, ratings-obsessed showrunner, and Wade grows disillusioned with the entire process. He was thrust into an absurd situation that was built to manufacture drama, so it makes sense that he would be upset.
These story sequences and their associated mini-games and challenges don't fit well with the core narrative of two small-town football players trying to break into the NFL. Wade and Cruise don't need extra drama to make them care about the sport, so why does the story give us a reality show, as if to suggest that the stakes aren't high enough already?
Longshot is saved, however, by the quiet moments of introspection and camaraderie. It soars when its characters speak honestly about their love of the sport, and it nails the sense that football offers something bigger--a connection to a community, and a way to achieve greatness. Longshot's numerous flashbacks to Wade's time in high school and college show a relatable and deeply troubled character; the commentators for Wade's high school games banter about the players that they, of course, know personally; and Wade, Cruise, and the whole state championship-winning team are treated as heroes in their town for years afterwards.
In spite of its issues, this first attempt at a story mode creates an excellent foundation for future iterations. Further, when you've finished Longshot, you can dive into Madden Ultimate Team to play through some of Devin Wade's most memorable football scenarios.
Madden Ultimate Team is undoubtedly Madden's deepest mode, which has received a suite of updates to make it even more appealing to players. MUT tasks you with building a fantasy team from player cards (and yes, you can still buy packs of more powerful cards for real money). In Madden 18, you'll get player cards representing Devin Wade, Colt Cruise, and other characters from Longshot, and forming a Longshot-focused MUT team will let you participate in around 30 challenges. Although these challenges are generally not much more than normal Madden scenarios with Longshot player models, they're still entertaining enough to be worth playing.
But the main draw of MUT is multiplayer--and this year, you can team up with friends to take on others. Since Madden 25 launched in 2013, the series has conspicuously lacked any online cooperative team play. Madden 18's MUT Squads finally reintroduces it. In the mode, one person plays as the offensive captain, one plays as the defensive captain, and one plays as the coach. It's a welcome addition that gives players more options if they're not interested in the solo competitive MUT modes.
On the field, Madden 18 looks beautiful. The game is the first in the series to use EA's Frostbite engine, and as a result certain moments look nearly photorealistic. Stadiums feature minute details, while player models show everything from arm tattoos to jersey wrinkles. Stadium lighting is a particular high point; for example, afternoon sunlight--partly blocked by the stadium edges--filters down onto parts of the field and realistically illuminates players as they run into the light. The developer also comes closer than ever to finally eliminating the trademark dead eyes of Madden players. Eyes still look inhumanly glossy, but at least they move and are more detailed, and faces are more expressive.
The transition to Frostbite isn't perfect, though. Outside of stadiums, environments generally look bland and featureless, especially during certain segments of Longshot. Additionally, with more human-like player movement comes some bizarre graphical bugs, such as a player's leg clipping through his tackler's chest, or two players getting hung up on each other as they try to stand up.
As with past Maddens, EA is trying to make sure that the game reflects real NFL events as much as possible, which means weekly roster and player stat updates. If a player is traded in real life, you can expect that to be represented in the game quickly. This year, EA has also added the "Play Now Live" mode, which has quickly become my favorite new feature in the game. This allows you to jump quickly into any of the week's matchups, and both teams will reflect the actual lineups set to play. As a result, I was able to select last week's preseason game between the Jaguars and Patriots, and it had already been set up with the correct time of day, stadium, and rosters. EA Tiburon has also introduced the ability to turn any Play Now Live game into a franchise, letting you jump into a full season immediately after completing a game. I was able to build upon my performance in that Jaguars-Patriots game without having to set it up in the Franchise mode menus. Even though Franchise Mode hasn't received many updates from last year's version, these starting points make it a whole lot easier and more enticing to play through an entire season.
As I progressed through my season with the Patriots, accruing both successes and failures, I noticed that the commentators started referring to events that had happened in past games--more so than in previous installments in the series. Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis debuted as Madden commentators last year, and their rapport was already great then. They have returned in Madden 18 with even more back-and-forth dialogue, covering an impressive range of situations. Most notably, though, their commentary is full of context for both the game and the season. So, when my Patriots met the Dolphins in the Wildcard round of the playoffs, both teams with a 9-7 record, Davis and Gaudin discussed how the AFC East was a particularly weak division. They referenced the other teams in the playoffs and how they got there, and they called out events from earlier in the game. Further, EA promises it will continually update the Play Now Live commentary so that Gaudin and Davis refer to what is happening in the NFL.
Overall, Madden 18 marks an unusually large shakeup in a series that, due to its annualized releases, rarely features much more than small, iterative changes. The Frostbite engine allows the game to reach new levels of realism in its visuals, and EA has put a lot of effort into constantly evolving the game to keep it in line with real-world events. But it is the Longshot story mode that defines Madden 18. Some of Longshot is unnecessary spectacle, but its lasting value comes from the humanity that it brings to the game. The moments of vulnerability and sincerity between Devin Wade and Colt Cruise during the story are worthy of celebration and give the overall game a weight that Madden hasn't had before. And if that's not enough to entice you, it's also simply a terrific football game.
By Anonymous on Aug 19, 2017 08:30 pm PlayStation 4 owners have had no problems finding great games for the console, but here are six titles that might've flown under the radar for many people.
Set almost immediately after Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, the next adventure for the undead ranger Talion and his wraith sidekick Celebrimbor sees them expanding their arsenal of skills while forging a new ring of power in order to dismantle the Dark Lord Sauron's influence over the lands of Middle-earth. In Middle-earth: Shadow Of War, the scope is much larger than before, and in order to survive, Talion and Celebrimbor will have to form their own army of orcs, trolls, and dragons--forcing Talion to fight fire with fire to quell the evils of Mordor and beyond.
For anyone who hasn't had the chance to dive into Shadow of Mordor, here's a quick breakdown of all the key events in the first game, how they lead up to the next adventure, and where Talion and Celebrimbor's story fits into the broader history of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Of course, there are spoilers abound, so be wary of the road that lays ahead.
In The Beginning
Set within the sixty-year gap between The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings saga, Shadow of Mordor begins during a relatively calm period of Middle-earth, which is largely uncharted territory in Tolkien-lore. The kingdom of Gondor keeps watch of the mostly arid and craggy lands of Mordor due to constant activity from orcs, and the persistent rumors of Sauron's gradual return to power. Gondorian ranger Talion and his family are stationed at one of the garrisons a part of the Black Gate of Mordor, intended to shield the dangers of Mordor from the rest of the land.
Death And Rebirth
After a day of training and resting with his family, the garrison is suddenly attacked by orcs and Uruks--a, who serve the Dark Lord Sauron. Led by three Black Captains--The Hammer Of Sauron, The Tower Of Sauron, and The Black Hand of Sauron--the overrun the garrison and take control of the Black Gate. Though he's able to fight off several foes, Talion and his family are held captive and used as sacrifices to summon the wraith of long dead Elvish smith master Celebrimbor to fuse with their Dark Lord. Instead, Celebrimbor merges with Talion's soul, saving him from oblivion.
Into Mordor
Bonded together by the Black Hand's spell, Celebrimbor--who has apparently lost much of his memories--forms a plan with Talion to exact revenge against Sauron's army, and retake Mordor. Now living as a hybrid of man and wraith, Talion is imbued with radical new abilities that grant him supernatural speed and power, while also allowing him to defy death itself--reviving upon defeat at the many forge towers from Celebrimbor's past. From there, the pair set off to dismantle the Orc hierarchy in Mordor, either through force or sabotage from within.
New Allies, New Foes
During their travels, Celebrimbor remembers more of his past life as a smith master--memories forging powerful weapons and equipment for armies and Lords. Eventually, Talion and his wraith companion come into contact with the obsessive Gollum, who is forever searching for his "Precious"--the One Ring which was taken by Bilbo Baggins during the events of The Hobbit. Due to his profound and everlasting connection to the Ring of Power, Gollum is able to communicate with Celebrimbor, helping him find artifacts from his past; helping jog his memory of his connections to Sauron.
The Orc Traitor
Teaming with Gondor deserter Hirgon, they work together with other outcasts to dismantle several Orc armies. Eventually Talion meets Ratbag the Coward--who as his name suggests is not well liked among Sauron's army--and they come to an agreement to work together. This pact marks the beginning of the Ranger's foray into the orc and uruk power hierarchy, allowing him to dismantle and sabotage Sauron's army from within. After Talion takes out several captains and warchiefs--eventually gaining the ability to mark and dominate specific soilders--Ratbag ascends to a position of power and makes contact with The Hammer of Sauron, one of the three Black Captains. Seeing through the ruse, The Hammer kills Ratbag and confronts Talion--a battle that ultimately goes to the hero ranger.
The Truth Revealed
Moving on to land of Núrn--the southern and oddly fertile areas of Mordor--Talion meets with Lithariel, a wandering female warrior who serves Queen Marwen of Núrn, and Torvin, a Dwarf who explores the wilds. Working with Talion, they teach the ranger to ride and control the local beasts of Mordor, and also help find more relics from Celebrimbor's past. The undead ranger even finds time to assist Queen Marwen, making even more headway into Mordor's dangerous areas. After dismantling more of the orc armies, the ranger leads a charge of mind-controlled warriors into one of the Dark Lord's strongholds, where the second Black Captain--The Tower of Sauron--awaits. During their battle, The Tower reveals that Celebrimbor deceived Talion, feigning amnesia and purposely binding him as a host to exact revenge against Sauron. They do battle, and using his stealth abilities, Talion defeats The Tower of Sauron.
The Death Of The Black Hand
With only one Black Captain left, Talion and Celebrimbor maintain their alliance and make haste to the Black Gate, where The Black Hand and his minions await their arrival. Using their abilities, Talion and Celembrimbor best The Black Hand of Sauron's army and confront him at the top of the Black Gate. Before they can engage in battle, The Black Hand casts a spell on Celebrimbor, revealing the time shortly before his death and forcibly releasing him from Talion. With this new ritual, The final Black Captain sacrifices himself to merge Celebrimbor with his dying body, giving a new vessel for Sauron--leaving Talion more vulnerable than ever.
The Dark Lord, Sauron
In his past life, Celebrimbor was deceived by The Dark Lord into forging a Ring of Power. Realizing his mistake, he staged a coup against Sauron and tried using the ring against him. But Sauron had the upper hand and captured the Smith Master, slaughtered his family and took the ring for himself. Using his forge hammer, Sauron killed Celebrimbor, but in doing so, allowed the smith master to live again as a wraith. Within Sauron's body, Celebrimbor is able to immobilize Sauron, affording Talion an opportunity to strike. The ranger fells the Dark Lord, forcing him back, into the deeper recesses of Middle-earth.
A New Ring Of Power
With the threat to the land seemingly vanquished, Celebrimbor wished to depart for the Undying Lands--the homeland for spirits leaving the mortal world. However, Talion successfully campaigns for their bond to continue, sensing that Sauron will soon return more powerful than ever. His wish is granted, the pair set out to forge a new ring--one powerful enough to defeat the Dark Lord for good.
Update: We've now tested the PlayStation 4 version of Undertale, and have updated the score to reflect the new port.
Undertale's opening cinematic hints at a cliche RPG where you awake in a mysterious world and embark on a journey in hopes of returning to your normal life. Despite the familiar premise, you quickly discover that looks can be deceiving. While many games can take a heavy-handed approach to teaching you the basics, Undertale does so in a way that not only introduces you to the tone of the game, but teaches you not to accept anything at face value. The first character you meet compels you to play nice, but as the cheerful music turns to sinister laughter and your new "friend" declares you an idiot, you get it: expect the unexpected. Undertale makes a name for itself with unusual storytelling techniques and combat mechanics, setting itself apart from the games it seems to imitate. It's also cleverly written and constantly subverts your expectations. There are so many wonderful experiences in store that are tempting to spoil, but to go into too much detail would ruin the element of surprise: one of Undertale's best assets.
While it seems to be a game that's designed for RPG fans first and foremost, a lot of Undertale's jokes have universal appeal. A pair of comically incompetent skeletons regularly spout puns and jokes while attempting--and failing--to halt your progress, and the social ineptitude exhibited by one character when they try to express their feelings for another is a regular source of laughter. With clever characterization and unexpected responses to actions we've been conditioned to view as predictable, Undertale elicits laughter and delight with ease.
"Take the ferry for 3 gold."
You're encouraged to stop and engage with NPCs rather than charge through the story, and you should, because the varied and entertaining cast of monsters reveal valuable information about the wider world. This quality isn't unique, but here, it leads to unusual exchanges that are filled with great quips, simultaneously poking fun at games and human nature alike. The script tip-toes into parody, but an air of earnest thought lifts it above mere mockery. Silly as it can be, Undertale delivers poignant observations that challenge the status-quo.
It's also the sort of experience that encourages you to come back for a second or third round. This is especially true because, over the course of roughly five hours, you make a lot of decisions that impact the world around you. The importance of choice is often felt during combat, which lets you pick between fighting or talking your way out of conflict.
Sometimes the secret to winning is a little bit of love.
Trying to pacify opponents is a far more rewarding experience than simply fighting, and its a process that's unique to each type of enemy. To earn their favor, you have to analyse an enemy's behavior and figure out the right course of action. In one scenario, you can attempt to befriend a violent dog, in another, you might want to cheer up a ghost with low self-esteem; your success will depend on your ability to empathize and react. Navigating social puzzles is a refreshing change of pace for what seems like traditional combat, and the variety of distinct, entertaining enemies you engage with helps stave off a problem that's all-too-common in other RPGs: repetitive random encounters.
Because not all enemies are easily wooed, you eventually need to defend yourself regardless if you intend to fight or not. Undertale handles this with a quirky mechanic that feels out of place at first, but it eventually grows on you because it makes combat engaging and unpredictable in a good way. Enemy attacks appear as waves of projectiles that fly within a square pen, and as they fly by, you have to steer a small heart icon out of their flightpath to avoid taking damage. It's an unusual mechanic, but it's simple to understand and rewarding in the sense that it lets your reflexes-rather than statistics or dice rolls--dictate the outcome of a fight.
The variety of distinct, entertaining enemies you engage with helps stave off a problem that's all-too-common in other RPGs: repetitive random encounters.
Even within combat, Undertale layers on the humor. Sometimes you're dodging bullets, but you also need to watch out for frogs, arms with flexing biceps, and even the tears of a depressed opponent. Linking the shape, size, and behavior of projectiles with enemies' personalities keeps things challenging, and opens the door for even more laughs as you fend off absurd attacks.
Hey, what are friends for?
It would be a crime not to mention Undertale's soundtrack, which is loaded with beautiful bit-based melodies that blend perfectly with the action on-screen. Each boss gets its own theme song, which do a great job of enhancing their particular personality. These tracks in particular bring energy and vigor, putting you on the edge of your seat as you try to fight or befriend your opponent. Outside of battle, tracks set the appropriate mood, too, from the quirky jingle in Temmie Village, to somber melodies that build tension near the end of the game. Regardless of its retro style, Undertale's soundtrack has timeless appeal and is great at evoking emotions.
Without spoiling the many ways it will screw with your expectations, it isn't possible to truly capture how wonderful Undertale is. You wouldn't know it with a passing glance, but it's one of the most progressive and innovative RPGs to come in a long time, breaking down tradition for the sake of invention, with great success.
It sure looks like the rumoured ReCore: Definitive Edition is indeed real. Following multiple leaks, the Microsoft Store posted a product page for the unannounced game, according to Gematsu.
According to the site, the product page--which no longer appears to be functional--said that the game would be available for Xbox One and PC on August 29, priced at $30.
The Definitive Edition will reportedly include a new "Eye of Obsidian" mission and T8-NK Corebot frame. The listing also reportedly said the game will have enhancements for Xbox One X, along with HDR support.
Earlier this week, ReCore's official Twitter account said some kind of ReCore announcement is coming on August 20. This is the same day as Microsoft's Gamescom briefing, so it could be that an announcement is made there.
The Xbox Gamescom briefing is also expected to bring news about Xbox One X pre-order information. The briefing begins at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET / 8 PM BST / 9 PM CEST. That comes out to 5 AM AEST on August 21 for people in Australia.
Ahead of an expected official reveal at Gamescom 2017 next week, a trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront II has leaked. It shows off the game's space battles, one of the most anticipated elements of the sequel. What you're seeing is not gameplay but was captured in-engine, so keep that in mind when looking at the impressive-looking footage.
Also, Yoda as a fighter pilot? This looks great.
You can find the video on the internet (via Eurogamer), and when the official version is released next week, we'll post it on GameSpot.
Battlefront II's space battles are being made by Burnout developer Criterion. Other EA-owned studios DICE and Motive are also working on the game. Unlike the 2015 original, Battlefront II has a campaign, which Motive is developing.
Battlefront II is scheduled to launch in November for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, with an open beta coming in October. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more.
By Anonymous on Aug 19, 2017 07:30 am Marvel's The Defenders Season 1 is out on Netflix now! Before you binge watch it, here's a guide on what you need to know about the show.
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Is this year's Madden Football game one to skip over or is it an absolute touchdown of a game? Find out in our GameSpot review!
Watch the first quarter of a game where the Patriots go head to head against the Falcons in a friendly football game for your entertainment.
Madden NFL 18 features a very robust single player story mode, here are the first 12 minutes fro your viewing pleasure.
Ser Bronn of the Blackwater has a zinger for every occasion. Here's a collection of his best moments. Beware of spoilers! Enter our giveaway to be in with a chance of winning a Tyrion Lannister Funko Pop! (US-only) https://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-of-thrones-season-7-funko-pop-giveaway/1100-6452407/
PlayStation 4 owners have had no problems finding great games for the console, but here are six titles that might've flown under the radar for many people.
Marvel's The Defenders Season 1 is out on Netflix now! Before you binge watch it, here's a guide on what you need to know about the show.
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