The two games will arrive in a single package dubbed the Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack. Along with the base adventures, Striker Pack includes all of the DLC that was released for both Azure Striker Gunvolt and its sequel following their launch, which encompasses new stages, bosses, and modes.
Additionally, Inti Creates has touched up the games' presentation to take advantage of Switch's hardware. Both titles now run at 60 FPS (as opposed to 30 on 3DS) and feature higher resolution visuals, redone menus, and a number of enhancements such as HD Rumble and Switch Pro Controller support.
Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack will be available at retail and in the Switch Eshop for $40. Already in the console's digital store is Mighty Gunvolt Burst, an offshoot of the Gunvolt series that features retro-styled visuals and a Burst combo system triggered by shooting close range enemies. Mighty Gunvolt Burst costs $10 and is also available in the 3DS Eshop.
September's almost here, which means that it's just about time to get a look at the next iPhone. According to a new report, the reveal event for the iPhone 8 (or whatever Apple will call it) will be held on September 12.
As for what we can expect from the next iPhone lineup, some of the features are already all but confirmed. According to code found in the development kit for Apple's HomePod speaker, the iPhone 8 will feature face-scanning technology and won't have a home button.
Other features, though, are all based on rumor. Some of the more well-substantiated reports assert that Apple will announce three iPhones: two that are similar in size and spec to this year's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and a third that's larger, has an OLED screen, and is bezel-less. It's likely that it will have a limited supply and will run you over $1,000. You can read all of the rumors about the iPhone 8 over at GameSpot sister site CNET.
This next lineup of iPhones--alongside the release of iOS 11--could be particularly good for gamers, as well. Earlier this year, Apple announced several gaming-related projects, such as ARKit for augmented-reality games on iOS, as well as support for Unity, Unreal Engine, and VR headsets on MacOS. Although most of these announcements have been focused on Apple's desktops, it's not inconceivable that we see greater attention paid to mobile gaming at the iPhone reveal event.
We'll report on whatever Apple reveals this September, so keep an eye on GameSpot in the coming weeks.
Super Troopers 2 is now officially less than a year away. The release date has been confirmed with the debut of the upcoming comedy's first teaser trailer, which you can watch above.
The red-band trailer re-introduces the returning characters and shows a scene in the locker room that I won't spoil. We also see a sequence where the character played by Jim Gaffigan in the first movie returns to reference the well-known "meow" bit.
There's very little in the trailer itself to set up the film's story, but the accompanying description reiterates what we first heard about the plot years ago. "When the United States and Canada get into a dispute about the location of the actual border, the Super Troopers--Mac, Thorny, Foster, Rabbit and Farva--are called in to set up a new Highway Patrol station in the contested area," it explains. "Our heroes quickly revert to their own brand of unconventional police work."
Super Troopers 2 recently wrapped up production and is scheduled for release on April 20, 2018. The movie was successfully crowdfunded through Indiegogo, where it raised over $4.6 million. It was written by the five members of Broken Lizard--Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanke--who also star in the movie, with Chandrasekhar directing. Other members of the cast include Brian Cox, Linda Carter, Rob Lowe, and Fred Savage.
Those still in the market for a PlayStation VR headset now have some cheaper options if they don't already own all of the required hardware. Alongside the introduction of a new bundle in the US and Canada, the existing premium bundle is seeing a $50 price cut.
For $400 (or $500 in Canada), the newest bundle comes with both the PSVR headset itself and the PlayStation camera. In addition to the headset and a PS4, the camera is the other piece of hardware necessary for the PSVR experience--but until now, it was not included with the cheapest PSVR option. This new bundle takes the place of the existing $400 standalone PSVR headset package; as Sony notes, this effectively means you now get the camera for free. This is not ideal for those who already own the camera and were hoping the headset would become cheaper, but it's a good deal for everyone else.
Sony will also continue to offer the PlayStation VR Worlds bundle, which includes a headset, camera, two PlayStation Move controllers (which are generally optional but can enhance the experience in many games), and a copy of mini-game compilation PlayStation VR Worlds. This will now be available for $450 in the US and $580 in Canada.
According to a PlayStation Blog post, these two bundles will "start arriving" in retailers on September 1; that phrasing suggests there could be a small delay in seeing it actually pop up in stores. Sony also notes that the hard-to-find Farpoint bundle, which includes a copy of the first-person VR shooter and its excellent PSVR Aim controller, are now back in stock.
October will mark the one-year anniversary of PlayStation VR's release. Sony hasn't shared firm sales figures for the device, although this is the first time it's enacted anything resembling a price cut for it. For more, check out GameSpot's PlayStation VR review.
Game of Thrones may have just wrapped up its seventh season, but HBO is hoping to continue capitalizing on fans' interest in the series for a bit longer. A new behind-the-scenes series called The Game Revealed has been announced, and the first episode is out now for free.
Game of Thrones Season 7 spoilers follow below.
Episode 1 clocks in at about 14 minutes long and features interviews with cast members and the production crew. It includes never-before-seen footage from the show and touches on a number of major moments from this season, such as the season-opening scene where Arya kills the hall full of Freys. The video explains the process for creating the shot in which Arya pulls off her Walder Frey mask. What's even cooler is to see how Cersei's giant map of Westeros was created.
This first episode is premiering for free on YouTube and Facebook; you can watch the YouTube version above. Future episodes will only be for HBO subscribers and will premiere through HBO Go, HBO Now, and HBO On Demand. There are a total of seven episodes planned for this season, with a new one coming each Monday.
PC players have to wait until October to get their hands on the full release of Destiny 2, but thankfully the game's PC beta test starts today for some. If you've pre-ordered the game, you can try it out in the beta now.
Bungie has already said, however, that some players are running into errors while trying to access the game. The studio is actively working on resolving those issues.
It's available for download through the Battle.net app, although you'll first have to redeem your pre-order code on Bungie's website. If you don't have a code, the beta goes live for everyone tomorrow, August 29.
Content-wise, Destiny 2's PC beta is very similar to the console beta that took place back in July. Players can try out the first story mission, the Inverted Spire Strike mission, and the Countdown and Control competitive multiplayer modes. The only difference is that PC players will get to try out a new multiplayer map.
It's understandable if you've never heard of Rune, the action-adventure game from developer Human Head. The title came out way back in 2000, and since then, Human Head has become much more well-known as the developer of the original Prey and the ill-fated Prey 2. Today, Human Head announced that its next project is a follow-up to Rune, called Rune: Ragnarok.
Rune: Ragnarok is an open-world sandbox RPG, according to the announcement trailer's description. Nothing else is known about its gameplay right now, but the trailer hints at the game's context and tone.
"From birth, the children of the North hear tales of the end of the world," the video's narrator states. "A battle so great the gods fall and the Nine Worlds are consumed by frost and fire. But these tales are false. The gods did not perish. For seven years our worlds have been devoured by death and destruction. Now, mankind must rise and do what the gods could not. Ragnarok must end."
Human Head hasn't announced a release date or even platforms for the game yet. However, the studio's website currently states that it works on titles for PC, consoles, VR, and mobile devices, so there's a possibility that Rune: Ragnarok could support VR headsets.
If you're interested in learning more about the original Rune, you can read GameSpot's review here. Critic Erik Wolpaw said at the time that it's a "beautiful-looking experience" but ultimately limited by a simplistic combat system.
Aside from Super Mario Odyssey, the biggest game in store for Switch this holiday season--both figuratively and literally--is Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Nintendo showcased nearly an hour of new footage of the sprawling RPG this past weekend at Gamescom, giving fans their first look at a breathtaking new area and providing them with a more detailed overview of the game's battle system.
As in the first Xenoblade, the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is spread across the backs of colossal beings known as Titans, which roam about an endless sea of clouds. While most of the game's locales are set on the surface of these Titans, the new area we got to see during Nintendo's Gamescom stream, Uraya, is located inside one of the giants. The area resembles a vast, faintly lit cave dotted with autumnal trees and flowing rivers, which give it an ethereal glow unlike any of the other areas Nintendo has shown off thus far. You can watch the entire gameplay demonstration below.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2's battle system is similar to that of the series' previous titles, though it has been notably streamlined in certain areas. This time around, rather than having to cycle through your entire palette to select an Art, each one has been assigned to the buttons on the right Joy-Con. The buttons on the left controller, meanwhile, allow you to swap between Blades--the physical manifestations of the weapons you use in battle. Each Blade has a different elemental type, and the Arts you are able to use change depending upon which of your Blades is currently active.
NBA 2K18 is getting a couple of huge names as commentators. 2K Sports revealed today that former NBA stars Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett will provide commentary in the game.
It also released a new video that gives one of the best looks yet at NBA 2K18's new and improved gameplay. You can also listen to some of the discussions and analysis that Bryant and Garnett will provide when they're commentating on a game.
According to the developer, the two are just "Guest Commentators," indicating that there'll be a different crew in the booth more frequently. 2K explained that Bryant and Garnett will appear "on a rotating basis," although it's unclear if they'll commentate random games or games that fit a certain criteria. Rotating commentary teams were introduced last year to the 2K series.
NBA 2K18 launches on September 19 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. It'll star Kyrie Irving on the cover, although he'll be in his old Cleveland Cavaliers uniform on the standard version. Later on, 2K will release a version of the game with Irving wearing his new Boston Celtics uniform, assuming his trade to the Celtics goes through.
Game of Thrones' abbreviated seventh season has come to a close, and the indeterminately long wait for the eighth and final season now begins. One of the few things of which we can be sure is that a specific character won't be showing their face next season following a major death scene in Episode 7, "The Dragon and the Wolf." Showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss have now spoken out on the scene and shared some thoughts on how and why it happened.
Game of Thrones Season 7 spoilers follow.
As a show famous for its many shocking death scenes, Season 7 was shocking for its distinct lack of deaths. Even characters who were seemingly doomed, like Tormund in Episode 6, made it out alive. But Episode 7 featured a twist that marked the end for Lord Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, one of the show's most fascinating characters. He's also one who enjoyed a surprisingly long run, appearing in more episodes than all but a handful of characters (and employing more than a few accents along the way).
In an interview with EW, Benioff described his elimination as "one of the harder death calls we had to make," despite having relatively little screen time overall. "The fact that Littlefinger looms so large when people talk about the show, and when we think about the show, it's really a credit to Aidan [Gillen]. Every scene he's in manages to make you think about Littlefinger. And when he's at the center of a scene--like his final scene in the finale--he's completely mesmerizing."
Benioff also noted that he and Weiss had been fans of Gillen's from his role on The Wire. They also attribute much of the success of Littlefinger as a character to his performance. "He's just one of those guys you know is going to give you something good," Benioff said. "And with Aidan you don't know what he's going to give you. He's able to change things in ways that are strange and beguiling, yet to the betterment of the character and the show. Littlefinger is a much different character than we initially imagined, and the bulk of the credit for that goes to Aidan."
Weiss added, "I would echo that there's such a beautiful strangeness to his performance and it's almost all coming from what he brings to the character. He almost turns Littlefinger into a mystical embodiment of will-to-power and thriving on chaos. There's something impenetrable to everything he does."
After a somewhat confounding sixth episode (as well as the season overall), Episode 7 made up for the show's faults. A number of things have been set up for Season 8, including a future without Littlefinger. As Benioff told EW, "We loved having Littlefinger along for the ride, but he f***ed with the wrong girls."
As the next film from the esteemed and inimitable Pixar, Coco has all the makings of something huge. But as a film about Mexican culture, it also represents a potential minefield when it comes to the ways it represents people's very real cultural heritage and personal identities. Pixar has experience with films about other cultures, from Brave's portrayal of medieval Scotland to Ratatouille's setting in France. But centered as it is on a non-white and non-English speaking culture, Coco presented an even greater challenge. Luckily, the filmmakers were keen to do it right, as GameSpot learned on a recent press trip to Pixar's Emeryville, Calif. headquarters.
Set in a small town in Mexico, Coco follows a young boy named Miguel who longs to be a famous musician like his idol, the celebrated Ernesto De La Cruz. The movie takes place during Mexico's famous Dia de los Muertos--the Day of the Dead--celebration, the one day a year when passed family members are invited back to the land of the living. The movie's focus rests entirely on family, but there's the conflict, too: Miguel's family hates music and musicians. He practices on an acoustic guitar while cloistered in a hidden attic where nobody but his street dog amigo, Dante, can find him.
It's natural to feel wary when a gigantic company--even one with as phenomenal a reputation as Pixar--appears to seek to capitalize on another culture. The filmmakers confessed that they worked hard to navigate potential pitfalls.
"The moment [Pixar Chief Creative Office John Lasseter] said 'Yes, this is the idea I want you to pursue,' I went oh my gosh, what did I just get myself into? Because I knew that I had to get it right," said Coco Director Lee Unkrich, whose previous directing credits include Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and Toy Story 2 and 3. "The last thing I wanted to do was make a film that felt like it was made by an outsider. I'm not Latino and I will never be Latino. I just can't change that. But I comforted myself in knowing that there have been a lot of great films made over time by filmmakers that were not of the cultures they were making films about."
He was first inspired to make a film centered on Dia de los Muertos by the Mexico pavilion in Disney's multi-cultural Epcot park in Florida. "I had always been drawn to Dia de los Muertos, the idea of the celebration, the folk art, the iconography of it," he told members of the press.
Plus, Pixar films are enormously successful in Mexico--prior to The Avengers, Toy Story 3 was the biggest movie ever in the country, Unkrich said. "That started the first little seed of me thinking, wow, I've never seen anything quite like that in animation, or live action," he said. "There hadn't been a film about Dia de los Muertos."
Once Lasseter approved it, they began an exhaustive years-long research process that would take them all over Mexico. "I started learning more about the celebration, and the beauty of it really opened up to me," Unkrich said. "It blossomed, and went beyond just an appreciation for the artwork to a much deeper understanding of what the celebration was really all about, and this whole notion of this family reunion that spans the divide between the living and the dead. And I just started to see a lot of potential for a story."
L to R: Adrian Molina, Producer Darla K. Anderson, and Lee Unkrich
Unkrich isn't directing Coco alone. "When I heard that Coco got greenlit I was like 'put me on that movie. It sounds wonderful. It sounds beautiful,'" said Adrian Molina, the film's writer and co-director. Molina is of Mexican-American heritage, and he said he felt a huge responsibility to get this right.
"So much of the film is about family and your connection to family, and in my experience, in my upbringing, it's true of my Mexican-American community that that is very important," he said. "I think there's something really beautiful and necessary about being able to see yourself up on-screen, see yourself as the hero. And for a Mexican-American or a Mexican family to be able to go together and have that experience, I think that would be a unique thing that they could share in watching this film."
Coco sees Miguel travel from his hometown all the way to the Land of the Dead in pursuit of his dream. But despite its fantastical elements, everything is grounded in Miguel's desire not just to become a musician, but to be accepted by his family no matter what. He can't just run away with his guitar--that's what his great-great-grandfather did, and it caused his family seemingly irreparable harm. He has to prove himself to them, helping his family to see the joy of music as he does.
"We made some big changes in the story based on the input that we got from the advisers."
Miguel's unwavering dedication to his family is one of the aspects of Mexican culture that's central to Coco. That same accuracy and authenticity could be seen in every facet of the movie shown to press, from the movie's opening scenes to Miguel's foray into the Land of the Dead. Everything from the all-important music to the background art in every shot was painstakingly crafted by dedicated teams intent on creating a Mexican town that looks and sounds authentic. That attention to detail is a Pixar trademark, but in the case of Coco it can also be attributed to the cultural consultants with which the filmmakers worked at every step, beginning even earlier in the process than on most Pixar films.
"We did something that we've never done on any other film: We actually brought the core team of our cultural consultants, the three of them, we started inviting them to every one of our [internal] screenings," Unkrich said. "Normally at Pixar we play our cards really close, and it's not until very late in production that we start to do public preview screenings. But in this case we started showing the film not just to them, but we had a series of screenings where we brought in cultural advisers from Los Angeles and different places around the country, some pretty important figures in the Latino community, and let them into the tent, as it were, to see what we were up to."
"Some of them were very wary about what we were doing and not sure about what our intentions were and how seriously we were taking it, but I think we put them at ease pretty quickly--but also made them feel comfortable giving us sometimes big notes," he continued. "We made some big changes in the story based on the input that we got from the advisers."
For example, in earlier versions of Coco Miguel's Abuelita--his grandmother--carried a wooden spoon tucked in her apron strings, like a six-shooter, to whack people who made her angry. "It was one of our advisers who said, 'No no no no, it has to be her chancla,'" Unkrich said. "She's got to pull off her slipper and beat them with it." The film turned out better for it--Miguel's family are shoemakers, after all, and Abuelita's new weapon felt all at once truer to the character, more authentic, and funnier. Unkrich said that's just one of many examples where their work with cultural experts made the movie better.
It also doesn't hurt that every member of Coco's voice cast--with the sole exception of John Ratzenberger, who traditionally has had at least one line in every Pixar movie to date--is Latino. From Gael Garcia Bernal, who plays the wily skeleton Hector, to newcomer Anthony Gonzalez, who voices Miguel, each actor brought his or her own perspective and experience to the movie, according to the filmmakers.
"I have a little bit of Spanish as a second language, but my primary language is English, and so I'll write a line that expresses what we need to express, but then we also want to use our actors as a resource and say 'If you can say this line in a way that feels more natural to you and more natural to this character, by all means go for it,'" Molina said. "And Gael really went for it. He started keying onto things like, 'I want to call [Miguel] 'chamaco,' because that feels like an old-timey kind of way that this guy might relate to this kid.' And we're like, 'OK, do it. Go for it.'"
"If we have any missteps, it's not for lack of trying really hard."
Years of research and work on the part of countless individuals both inside and out of Pixar have gone into making Coco not just a great Pixar film--but a culturally respectful one, too. Ultimately, the filmmakers appreciate this responsibility, and they emphasized that they believe they've done their best.
"I took the responsibility very seriously, and I have for many, many years," Unkrich said. "It's been great having Adrian at my side, and all of the cultural consultants that we've gathered, and the many Latino members of our crew that have been a part of this for a long time. I hope we got it right. If we have any missteps, it's not for lack of trying really hard."
Based on what we've seen of Coco so far, it's a safe bet to say that their efforts paid off. Pixar's Coco hits theaters Nov. 22.
By Anonymous on Aug 28, 2017 09:26 pm It's the final episode of season 7, so join Lucy, Dave, and Tamoor as they discuss Cleganebowl, how weird it is that they're rooting for incest, and Tyrion's meddling.
By Anonymous on Aug 28, 2017 08:30 pm Joey dons the gloves and unboxes the mysteries within the Total War: Warhammer II Serpent God Collector's Edition.
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Winter is coming...by accident.
The Destiny 2 PC Beta is upon us and we get our first taste of Destiny 2 on PC.
It's the final episode of season 7, so join Lucy, Dave, and Tamoor as they discuss Cleganebowl, how weird it is that they're rooting for incest, and Tyrion's meddling.
Joey dons the gloves and unboxes the mysteries within the Total War: Warhammer II Serpent God Collector's Edition.
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