Story and characters were not the strongest aspect of the original Destiny, although the Taken King expansion did take some notable steps forward in those areas. Part of that improvement stemmed from focusing on Cayde-6, the sassy Exo Hunter voiced by Nathan Fillion. Where other characters lacked personality, he was bursting at the seams with it, and Destiny 2 looks to be again placing a focus on him.
Activision and Bungie today released the first in what may be a series of trailers focusing on a specific character. With the companies looking to attract new players with Destiny 2--particularly on PC, which never got the original Destiny--this video gives players a brief impression (or reminder) of who this character is. This one featuring Cayde shows off some Hunter abilities and provides a sense of the sarcastic character that he is. Cayde also featured prominently in the first Destiny 2 teaser trailer earlier this year.
Following a console beta earlier this summer, Destiny 2's release is just around the corner. It launches on September 6 for PS4 and Xbox One, while PC players will have to wait until October 24. A PC beta is set to begin on August 28 for those who pre-order the game, while everyone will gain access a day later.
In a couple of weeks, Destiny 2 will officially launch--but today, it seems that gameplay has leaked early. Footage from Destiny 2's European Dead Zone area has leaked on YouTube, and it reveals a lot about how the game's new missions will work. These videos show off previously unrevealed parts of the game, so avoid watching if you don't want to be spoiled.
User Flexible YT posted the video on their channel, and it shows over 13 minutes of gameplay from various missions in the game. These include basic public events, patrol missions such as high-value targets, and longer questlines.
The video also shows a sequence where the players explore ruins and come across an NPC. It doesn't appear to be Destiny 2's social space, The Farm; this indicates that the game will have NPCs in the world that you can talk to and gain reputation with.
The videos will almost certainly be removed by Activision very soon, but for the moment they are still live. Flexible YT stated that the videos are not theirs; according to Eurogamer, PPE Polska was the original source of the leak.
Update: Ubisoft has confirmed to GameSpot that the season pass will cost $20 and will be available on launch day.
Original Story: Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle's launch is almost upon us, and today Nintendo and Ubisoft revealed what players will get if they purchase the game's season pass--and, from the few details we got, it seems like a pretty substantial amount of content.
The first piece of DLC will be available at launch and is exclusive to pass owners. You'll get eight steampunk-style weapons, although Ubisoft hasn't shown them off just yet. Further, this fall, pass owners will receive new solo and cooperative maps to play through.
The most significant DLC, however, will arrive at some point in 2018. Ubisoft plans on adding a story expansion to the game. Neither Nintendo or Ubisoft has said more than this, but a new story is definitely intriguing. The company has not announced a price for the season pass yet.
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle comes out on August 29 for Nintendo Switch. From our early looks at the game, Kingdom Battle is shaping up to be a pleasant surprise. It plays like a full, fleshed-out turn-based strategy game heavily inspired by XCOM.
Call of Duty: WWII's beta is now available for pre-load on PS4, so you won't have to wait around for the game to download when the beta goes live later this week.
The beta test begins on Friday, August 25 and runs through Monday, August 28, but for this first weekend, it's only available on PS4. You can get access to the test by pre-ordering the game; once you have a code, you can redeem it on the PlayStation Store and start downloading now. The beta unlocks at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST on August 25.
There'll be an additional beta test held next weekend, from September 1-4. This one will be open to players who pre-order on either PS4 or Xbox One.
During the beta, you'll be able to try out several standard multiplayer maps in addition to one scenario for War Mode, Call of Duty: WWII's new, asymmetrical, stage-based multiplayer mode. The beta won't include the game's Headquarters social space, which was just recently detailed.
Rocket League will feature some exclusive, Nintendo-themed content on Switch. Alongside the items we've already seen, developer Psyonix today revealed two cars you'll only find in the Switch version--and one, in particular, looks especially fantastic. You can check them out in the trailer above.
First up are the most obvious inclusions: the Mario NSR and Luigi NSR. These are technically one car, and the version you'll drive is dependent on what team you're on--Mario on Orange and Luigi on Blue. This might prove to be slightly confusing, as each car is primarily red or green, with blue highlights that are meant to look like their suspenders. Regardless of the color, the car features the Super Star boost that leaves behind a trail of stars.
More impressive is the other vehicle, which is based on Metroid. Samus' Gunship resembles the eponymous character; the version we see here sports an orange design and green windows modeled after Samus' visor. Like the Mario car, Samus' Gunship features a special boost (Wave Beam) and will have two different variations to match the team you're playing on. Psyonix says each one is "styled after different Varia Suits." Assuming the version we see here is for the Orange team, the Zero Suit seems like a natural choice for the Blue team version.
The next batch of three DLC characters for Injustice 2 has been announced. As part of Gamescom, WB and NetherRealm Studios released a trailer showcasing the main additions in Fighter Pack 2. Like Fighter Pack 1, this new DLC consists of three new characters.
One of these is a carryover from NetherRealm's other fighting game series, Mortal Kombat. Raiden is joined by DC bad guy Black Manta and the biggest surprise of the bunch--Hellboy. The trailer (watch it below) doesn't show off any gameplay, instead showing poor Sub-Zero being launched into a wall by Raiden. From there, the three new characters have a showdown, with Hellboy snatching one of Black Manta's missiles out of the air and using it to light a cigar.
Fighter Pack 2 goes on sale on September 12, with its first character also being available that day. The press release doesn't specify who that will be, but the trailer suggests Black Manta will be the first of the three characters to debut. It states a worldwide gameplay reveal for him is coming on Sunday, May 27, which appears to be a typo--it looks as if that will be happening this Sunday, August 27. You can probably safely set your schedule for 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET / 12 AM BST for a stream on NetherRealm's Twitch channel.
Fighter Pack 2 is included with Injustice 2's Ultimate Edition or can be purchased separately. Fighter Pack 1 was priced at $20, with its individual characters--Sub-Zero, Red Hood, and Starfire--costing $6 each. There's no word yet on what other content will be included with Fighter Pack 2; its predecessor included a shader pack and a Premiere skin.
Remember that weird, Bethesda-published first-person shooter, Brink? It's now free to download on Steam. In addition, although it still doesn't have a tonof players, it has enough to exceed two other, more recent FPSes.
Yes, it's 2017 and for some reason we're talking about Brink. The game originally launched way back in 2011, and it's pretty clear now that it was ahead of its time. Brink attempted to be both a class-based and high-mobility shooter, well before Overwatch and Titanfall kickstarted the recent renaissance in those genres. Brink was met with lukewarm response from critics, with GameSpot giving it a 6/10.
Now the game is completely free, and it seems that this transition has resurrected some player interest. According to Steamcharts, Brink has surged from a paltry 5-10 people playing per day to well over 2500 players as of today. At the time of this writing, Brink has five times as many players as LawBreakers and Battleborn combined. Although neither of those two games are free-to-play, they are much more recent; LawBreakers launched on August 8 and even garnered a positive critical response. However, LawBreakers sits at around 430 players, while Battleborn has fewer than 100.
If you're interested in trying out Brink, you can download it for free here. There are a few DLC packs that you can pick up for pretty cheap, ranging from $1 to $1.79.
Nintendo has released a new trailer for Fire Emblem Warriors, the upcoming Dynasty Warriors-style spinoff for Switch and New 3DS. This video showcases heroes from last year's 3DS game, Fire Emblem Fates, and introduces four new characters who'll be playable in the hack-and-slash title.
Just as in Fates, Corrin finds herself torn between the royal families of Nohr and Hoshido in Fire Emblem Warriors. However, when the two sides mysteriously appear in an unfamiliar kingdom, they broker a temporary truce in order to stop the Chaos Dragon threatening the world. Nintendo had already confirmed that the heads of each family, Xander and Ryoma, would appear in Warriors. Now, the new trailer reveals that they'll be joined by Leo and Camilla, Corrin's adoptive siblings from Nohr, and Hinoka and Takumi, her blood relatives from Hoshido.
Nintendo still hasn't announced a concrete US release date for Fire Emblem Warriors, but the game launches for Switch and New 3DS in Europe on October 20. Fans in the region will be able to pick up a limited-edition version that includes character cards and a three-disc soundtrack.
The Anno city-builder series has gone to many different eras--both past and future--and today, Ubisoft announced that it's coming to another one. Anno 1800 was revealed today as the next entry in the series, and it'll let players build civilizations set in the nineteenth century. And, as with every Anno game in the series, the digits in the title add up to nine.
This is quite the leap backward in history from the most recent Anno game; Anno 2205 gave players a lot of hyperfuturistic tech and structures to build with. From the short announcement trailer, it looks like Anno 1800 will feature mostly early-industrial technology, such as rudimentary steamships. In addition, as you might expect, it has a Victorian aesthetic. Check out the trailer below.
According to a press release, the game will have a full single-player story mode, a sandbox mode, and multiplayer. "Players will have the chance to prove their skills as a ruler, as they create huge metropolises, plan efficient logistic networks, explore and settle new lands and dominate their opponents by diplomacy, trade or warfare," Ubisoft stated.
Ubisoft and developer Blue Byte also announced that Anno 1800 will have something resembling an Early Access period. The service is called Anno Union, and it's meant to let players give feedback during the game's development. Registered Anno Union members will have opportunities to try out the game early. You can register here. Ubisoft and Blue Byte currently plan to launch Anno 1800 by the end of 2018 for PC.
There's more bad news for fans of the Bad Boys movie series. Earlier this month, it was reported that Sony has removed the third movie in the action franchise from its schedule--and now star Martin Lawrence says he doesn't think it will happen at all.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Martin explained that co-star Will Smith's busy schedule meant the movie, currently titled Bad Boys For Life, is unlikely to be made. "I don't think we're going to get one," he said. "Not the way everything's turning out. Will is off doing another movie, and I don't think it's going to happen."
Bad Boys For Life was originally set for a November 2018 release. Although it no longer appears on the studio's schedule, this month Deadline reported that the movie has not been cancelled and that "the script is still being worked on." In addition, it stated that star Will Smith was still "interested" in the project.
The A-Team director Joe Carnahan was originally hired to direct, but he withdrew in March, citing "scheduling issues." At the time it was reported that Sony was actively looking for a new director, with three names under consideration.
It was Smith himself who first revealed that a third movie was in the works. Last year he spoke about meeting co-star Martin Lawrence for the first time in several years. "We just looked at each other," he said. "We hugged. In that moment, we knew we were making another Bad Boys. We're definitely doing another one."
The first Bad Boys was released in 1995, with the sequel following in 2003. Both movies were directed by Transformers' Michael Bay.
With the launch of the Atlas Rises update a week and a half ago, No Man's Sky is a dramatically different game than it was at release. But with such a huge overhaul comes an assortment of bugs and issues that need to be fixed. Today, developer Hello Games released a patch on PS4 and PC that serves to address some of those problems.
The update includes a number of quality-of-life improvements, including better binocular scanning, tweaked audio cues, and fixes for grave and landing icons. It also features some small changes to the game's procedural generation algorithms, such as preventing trees from spawning so that they clip through buildings.
This is the third patch since Atlas Rises was released; Hello Games appears to be fixing the game at a much faster cadence now. You can see the full patch notes at the bottom of this article.
Atlas Rises dramatically changed the structure, appearance, and content of No Man's Sky. Among many other things, it added a new story, portals, better visuals, and a basic form of multiplayer. You can read about everything that Atlas Rises includes here.
Patch 1.33 Notes:
Fixed issue where player bases were given the name "Unknown Base" rather than a generated name
Fixed S-class ships having incorrect pricing and numbers of slots
Added rockets to starting ship in creative default save game
Added new icon for solo difficulty AI ships
Fixed Albumen Pearl plants using the wrong name on their interaction labels
Fixed the landing marker being visible in some fighter cockpits
Fixed texturing issue seen with some combinations of AMD GPU and drivers
Added and improved audio at the ending of the Atlas path
Added and improved audio for terrain editing
Improved audio for missions
Improvement to vehicle boost timings
Made marker for rare graves stay up for the same time as other object markers
Prevented trees in frozen biomes spawning close to or intersecting buildings
Fixed issue where travelling through the centre of the galaxy could sometimes take you back to the same galaxy
Fixed issue where mission waypoints on the galactic map would not be for your current mission
Improved UI error messages relating to missions on the galactic map
Improved ship speed output on ship HUD
Increased guidance for finding Convergence Cubes as part of the scientist mission
Prevented some tutorials (for example for life support) from being shown in your log
Prevented Artemis being visible in the holohub after they should have left
Protected against some cases where missions can send you to depot which has already been destroyed
Improved binocular scanning for background objects
Prevented binocular scanning flicking between multiple objects
Added ability to scan all building types and fixed their displayed names
Added ability to scan ships
Fixed text truncation on binocular HUD
Added the option to display temperatures in Celcius, Fahrenheit or Kelvin regardless of locale
Fixed display of longer planet names on the discovery page UI
Added ability to cancel in progress missions
Added faction icons on the galactic map
Improved ship handling when booster upgrades are installed
Fixed mission notifications showing an incorrect icon for Electron Vapour
Fixed an issue where portals you've returned through could not be updated to a different address
Improved visuals around icons for different inventories
Added joypad and keyboard controls for switching between inventories
Fixed galactic map showing joypad prompts for changing filters when playing on mouse and keyboard
Fixed issue where players could lose the teleport destination they needed to complete the Mind Arc mission
Fixed players getting stuck in an interaction with the armourer if they hadn't yet built a terminal
Fix for visual artifacts from transparent objects showing through the warp effect
Reduced cases where terrain editing changes are lost when reloading a save
Reduced difficulty of the final armourer mission
Improved low flight mode handling
Fixed crash in string translation when loading certain saves
Added missing scan event icon to the Antimatter tutorial
Fixed terrain editor being built with full charge
Fixed occasional hang in displaying some multi-byte characters
Improved saving and loading of terrain edits
Fixed issue where upgrading from a previous save would cause player bases to be floating or underground
Fixed very occasional crash in rendering
Fixed occasional crash relating to destructible objects
Prevented the interaction camera occasionally triggering at inappropriate times
Fixed the Farmer displaying the wrong text for their final mission
Prevented pinned missions occasionally being deselected on warp
Fixed issue where players could become stuck in the final atlas station
Improved automatically selecting missions from NPCs in your base when they begin
Improved pricing of base building parts in normal mode
One of the more intriguing features coming to Call of Duty: WWII is Headquarters, the game's weird new social space. Today, Activision gave us a first glimpse at what we can expect when the game launches.
Headquarters functions somewhat similarly to Destiny's Tower; you and a handful of other players will be running and jumping around a space designed for interaction, not for combat. For example, you'll be able to Prestige in front of everyone in the social space. You get up on a cliff overlooking the whole area and celebrate your new Prestige level with a whole lot of fanfare.
Although it's a social space, Headquarters will still be competitive. It'll have a firing range where you can test out weapons and compete against other players for high scores, and it'll also have a scorestreak range where you can try out all the streaks. Finally, it'll have a one-vs.-one arena where players can challenge each other to duels. From the trailer, it actually appears that other players will be able to spectate while these fights unfold. You can watch the video in the embed above.
Headquarters won't be available in Call of Duty: WWII's upcoming beta, but it will launch with the full game. Call of Duty will be released on November 3 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC; the beta test goes live for those who've preordered the game on PS4 from August 25-28, and on PS4 and Xbox One from September 1-4.
We've already seen quite a bit of Assassin's Creed: Origins' new and improved gameplay, and today Ubisoft gave us a better idea of what we can expect from the game's story. A new cinematic trailer sets the stage, revealing that the game will take place in a country on the brink of catastrophic war.
The video portrays a deeply divided Egypt, with several different forces all laying claim to the region. Ptolemy, Cleopatra, and Julius Caesar are vying for power and revenge, and they amass armies to fight each other. Check it out in the embed above.
Intrigue and political maneuvering are familiar ground in the Assassin's Creed series; Assassin's Creed III, for example, tasked you with completing your own, personal quests while also navigating through the guerrilla war between American colonists and the British Army. It'll be interesting to see how Origins deals with these themes as they appeared in the Ptolemy era.
At E3 2017, Bethesda showed off the VR versions of three of its biggest games. Fallout 4, Skyrim, and Doom will all be playable in virtual reality, and today Bethesda announced when players will be able to try them out.
Skyrim VR comes first, launching on November 17 for PSVR; an HTC Vive version is coming next year. Doom VR, meanwhile, will be available on both Vive and PSVR on December 1. Finally, Fallout 4 VR will only be playable on Vive.
The three games are almost identical in VR to their original releases, although they'll feature tweaked movement to better work with motion controls. This includes different movement options, such as teleportation instead of walking.
The release dates were announced ahead of Bethesda's annual QuakeCon conference, where it usually shares a few big announcements. This year's convention takes places from August 24-27. Keep an eye on GameSpot for all the news from QuakeCon 2017.
As promised, Blizzard today debuted Overwatch's newest animated short at Gamescom. It's once again an impressive showcase for the company and might leave you wanting an actual Overwatch series or movie. You can watch it above.
Called Rise and Shine, it focuses on Mei, who wakes up at Ecopoint Antarctica and goes about her usual routine (with the help of her adorable companion, Snowball). She soon discovers the day is anything but normal, and that nine years have passed--during which time Overwatch was disbanded and her companions died in their cryo tubes. Snowball proves to be cute throughout, though the video gets sad at times in a Disney/Pixar kind of way.
Separate from the reveals of this animated short and Junkertown at Gamescom, Blizzard also announced its plans to overhaul D.Va. While the proposed changes could still be tweaked, the idea is to nerf her Defense Matrix ability without nerfing D.Va herself. That will be done by providing her with a new ability and expanding when she can use certain abilities and attacks.
Sony and Polyphony Digital have just announced a new, special edition PlayStation 4 console to celebrate the release of Gran Turismo Sport in October. The 1 TB system sports a silver faceplate with the Gran Turismo Sport logo. It also comes with a silver DualShock wireless controller with the same logo on the touchpad.
The system has been announced for the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand only, and may be the "something new" Sony teased yesterday on its European PlayStation account. You can check out the new trailer below.
The system comes with the Day One edition of Gran Turismo Sport, which gives you access to $250,000 worth of in-game credits, livery sticker packs, a chrome racing helmet, and 60 PS4 avatars. Polyphony is also releasing a standalone, limited-edition version of the bundle's controller. Additionally, the controller will be sold in a bundle with a standard copy of the game.
If you don't like the look of the silver PS4, there are even more bundles that include the standard game and a Jet Black version of the console. Here are the options.
Jet Black PS4 1 TB edition
Jet Black PS4 500GB edition
Jet Black PS4 1TB, plus extra Jet Black DualShock 4 edition
Jet Black PS4 Pro edition
The special edition console and other versions will launch on October 18, the same day Gran Turismo Sport comes out in the UK, Europe, and Australasia (it launches in North America the day before). For the latest news on Gran Turismo Sport, check out our full coverage here.
Earlier this week, Nintendo announced a free demo for the upcoming Pokemon fighting game, Pokken Tournament DX, which the company said would be available to download from the Switch Eshop "soon." It appears Nintendo wasn't exaggerating, as the company has confirmed the demo will go live in the US tonight, August 23.
US Switch owners can download the free trial beginning at 9 PM PT/12 AM ET; it's scheduled to go live in the European Eshop on August 24. Those who can't wait that long and happen to have a Japanese Nintendo account can already download it from the Japanese Eshop.
Pokken Tournament DX is an expanded version of Wii U's Pokken Tournament, which itself was a home console port of the Japanese arcade game. The title is developed by Bandai Namco. In addition to all 16 monsters from the Wii U game, DX features Pokemon that were previously only available in the arcade version, such as Darkrai, as well as one exclusive fighter, Decidueye.
Pokken Tournament DX releases for Switch on September 22. That same day, 3DS Pokemon fans will be able to revisit the Johto region, as Pokemon Gold and Silver arrive in the handheld's Eshop. Nintendo is releasing releasing boxed versions of the two classic titles in Europe and Japan, though there's currently no word if they'll also be available in the US.
Just as some US pre-orders sold out overnight, Nintendo released a new retro-inspired trailer for the SNES Classic--and if you're a Super Nintendo fan it's probably going to make you want one. The trailer, which is reminiscent of 1990s Super Nintendo commercials, shows off the system's size, controllers, and many of the 21 classic games that come with it. Check out the trailer above.
You can also see some of the SNES Classic's new features further on in the trailer: the Rewind feature allows you to replay a part of your game, and Suspend Points let you take a break without closing the game, saving at any time.
US pre-orders for the SNES Classic went live on Amazon and Best Buy overnight, but sold out quickly. GameStop, Walmart, Target, and Toys R Us are all slated to offer pre-orders for the system, but haven't starting offering them yet (they are supposed to start this month). Nintendo has promised it will offer far more units than it did last year, when it launched the tough-to-get NES Classic.
The SNES Classic will cost $80, and you can get the latest need-to-know details in our constantly updated guide on how and where to pre-order the SNES Classic. The system officially launches on September 29.
There are no fewer than three X-Men movies currently in production--Deadpool 2, New Mutants, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix--while the TV show The Giftedis about to hit screens. However, one X-Men spinoff that hasn't had as much luck is Gambit. The much-delayed movie is set to star Channing Tatum and has been delayed multiple times over the past few years. Tatum has now spoken about the project and some of the problems with getting it made.
In an interview with HeyUGuys, Tatum explained that while the unusual nature of the project meant that it has met various obstacles, the success of R-rated X-Men movies Deadpool and Logan has ultimately helped its progress.
"I think we got lucky," he said. "We got hit with some setbacks, and it was all for a good reason. We were trying to do something completely different. We were trying to do something that this genre of movie hasn't seen before. We kept running into the same problems, and then Deadpool and Logan came through and kicked the doors down. Now we're really getting to do some of the things we've always wanted to do with the script--we've just sort of started over."
Gambit was originally scheduled for release in October 2016, with Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Rupert Wyatt as director. He left the film in September 2015, citing citing scheduling conflicts. However, a story in Deadline at the time suggested that there had been ongoing disagreements over both the script and budget.
The card-throwing Gambit first appeared in a 1990 issue of The Uncanny X-Men. He appeared briefly in 2009's critically panned X-Men Origins: Wolverine, portrayed by Taylor Kitsch.
Microsoft has announced the next set of regular weekly Xbox Live deals, which are available now for Xbox One and Xbox 360. These were posted on Major Nelson's blog. We've selected a few notable deals, but you can see them all here on his blog.
As for Xbox 360 deals, some of the discounted titles this week include BioShock Infinite ($12/£8/$32 AU), Fallout 3 ($3.74, £3, $5 AU), Far Cry 4 ($15/£7.50/$15 AU), and Rage ($3.74/£3/$5 AU).
These deals, some of which require an Xbox Live Gold membership, are good through August 28. Again, this is just a small sample of what's on sale this week; go to Major Nelson's blog to see a roundup of all of them.
In a recent Facebook Q&A, Gunn revealed that he is considering including the Marvel comic character Nova in the next film. Nova is the super-powered alter ego of Richard Rider and a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Nova Corps.
"Nova comes up occasionally as someone we might use," Gunn said. "One of the things I'm doing with creating Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3--that will take place after the next two Avengers movies--and it will help to set up the next 10-20 years of Marvel movies.
"It's going to really expand the cosmic universe. We're going to be setting up new characters. It will be the last movie of this version of Guardians of the Galaxy."
This isn't the first time that Gunn has suggested that the series could continue past Vol. 3, but with a new team. Earlier this year, he said: "I think that there could be a Guardians Vol. 4, but it would not be the same. It would not be the same group. Basically, the story of this group ends with Vol. 3."
The lineup of Guardians that feature in the movies have only existed in Marvel comic books since 2008. Prior to that, the team was entirely different. They first appeared in 1969 and included such characters as Major Vance Astro, Martinex T'Naga, and Captain Charlie-27.
Gunn also explained that he wanted to ensure that Vol. 3 ended the trilogy properly. "There is a history in Hollywood of haphazard endings to trilogies, and I didn't want to become a part of that dishonorable tradition of pretending the third one doesn't exist," he said. "My love for [the characters] goes deeper than you guys can possibly imagine. I feel they have more adventures to go on and things to learn about themselves and the wonderful and sometimes terrifying universe we all inhabit.
"And like in both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, we will work on creating the story that goes beyond what you expect."
There is currently no confirmed release date for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Update: It should go without saying, but failing to secure a SNES Classic Edition pre-order doesn't mean you won't ever get one. GameStop has reassured fans that, although it's sold out for now, it will have more units available for walk-ins at its stores on launch day. That will presumably be the case at other retailers as well, which is all the more reason to not pay up on sites like Ebay. We'll continue monitoring pre-order availability and report back as more retailers share their plans for launch.
Original Story: It was perhaps to be expected, despite Nintendo's claims that it would deliver far more SNES Classic Edition systems than it did NES Classics. While that might prove to be true in the long-term, pre-orders have gone extremely quickly, resulting in some outrageous prices on the resale market.
Numerous SNES Classic listings have emerged on Ebay from those who have successfully secured pre-orders. Although that's to be expected, a look at listings that have actually sold show how much people are willing to pay: dozens have sold for upwards of $200, with many going for nearly $300. This, keep in mind, is for a system that regularly retails for $80.
Several opportunities to pre-order a SNES Classic have been available in the US today. However, the first batch (from Amazon and Best Buy) went live overnight and were gone by the time many people woke up. Others, including those from Walmart at Target, disappeared even more quickly. GameStop's website has been down for a good portion of the day, but it did take pre-orders in stores--although, at least in some cases, it only offered bundles. ThinkGeek had the system available, but only in pricey bundles that have sold out.
We'll continue to update our SNES Classic Edition pre-order guide with the latest details on where you can pre-purchase the system. But with the way things are going, you may have to wait until launch to have a real shot at getting one.
August 23: GameStop is officially sold out of SNES Classic Editions online, and it appears to be gone at most (if not all) of its physical stores, too. The retailer has said it will have more SNES Classics available for walk-ins at its stores on launch day, although it's unclear how easy it will be to get one. Meanwhile, SNES Classic prices have skyrocketed on Ebay. Some people had success ordering systems from Target after it looked as if they were all gone, so it's not inconceivable that routinely checking out the retailer links below will be fruitful. We'll continue to update this story as more pre-order opportunities become available, but there's no guarantee that there will be many more chances to buy one in advance of launch--at least at retail price.
August 22 update 6: Toys R Us has announced on Twitter that it will not offer pre-orders. Instead, it will be available in stores beginning on launch day, September 29. This comes as a surprise, as Toys R Us was among the retailers that Nintendo listed on its official website as offering pre-orders.
August 22 update 5: Amazingly, the expensive bundles at ThinkGeek have sold out. GameStop's website returned online this afternoon with the SNES Classic and bundles available, but heavy traffic brought it offline. As was the case earlier, it's again redirecting visitors to ThinkGeek.
August 22 update 4: Just as GameStop is offering some pricey bundles in stores, its subsidiary, ThinkGeek, is now selling the system online. Its website offers seven different bundles, ranging from $140 to a whopping $330.
August 22 update 3: Walmart and Target pre-orders are indeed gone, at least for now. GameStop's website has been taken offline, but it's taking pre-orders in its physical stores. There's still no word on Toys R Us pre-orders.
August 22 update 2: Walmart pre-orders have gone live and seemingly sold out almost right away. Target pre-orders are live but the site seems to be having trouble, and it may also be gone. Likewise, GameStop's website is slow to load, but you might be able to get an order in. Separately, GameStop announced on Twitter that it's offering in-store pre-orders right now.
August 22 update: Amazon and Best Buy both briefly offered SNES Classic units in the very early US morning hours today. It came in and out of stock at Best Buy for a period of time, but for now, it appears both retailers are sold out. That said, it looks as if more stores will soon launch SNES Classic pre-orders.
Those in Canada will soon be able to pre-order a SNES Classic from Best Buy. The store has announced that pre-orders go live at approximately 10 AM PT today, so you'll want to start mashing F5 on its website around then. It will not be available in Quebec.
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.
Update 2: GameStop has sold out of SNES Classics online, and while it may be worth checking with your local store, they're likely all out, too. The retailer has offered some reassurance people who didn't get one--and there appear to be many who were unsuccessful. It said on Twitter, "We'll have more available on launch day, in store, for walk-ins." That's good news in light of what's happening on the secondhand market.
Update: GameStop briefly brought pre-orders for the system and various bundles online through its website. However, heavy traffic has seemingly taken it back down. It's again now redirecting visitors to ThinkGeek, which has amazingly sold out of all seven of its high-priced bundles.
Original Story: Numerous retailers in the United States have brought their SNES Classic Edition pre-orders online today, only for them to sell out right away. GameStop is among those offering pre-orders right now, but you may have to head into a store to secure one.
As of this writing, GameStop's website is completely offline, no doubt as it's hammered by people refreshing in the hopes of pre-ordering a system. (It's now redirecting visitors to the website of ThinkGeek, which GameStop owns, and not offering any easy way to refresh GameStop's homepage.) But it's also announced on Twitter that it will be taking orders in its physical stores. Given the limited quantities that are sure to be available, however, you still may not have any luck that way. Several stores we checked with were unsure of how many units they would receive and, as a result, said they were not yet taking pre-orders.
We managed to get to a GameStop store in LA that had them in stock, only to find out that it was only offering bundles. One bundle costs $120 and comes with the Playing With Super Power paperback book and an extra, third-party controller. The controller, in particular, is a curious inclusion given that the SNES Classic already comes with two controllers. Other options ranged in price up to $190 for a bundle with a hardcover book, wireless third-party controller, and other unrelated physical items (like a puzzle). Similar bundles are also now being sold online on ThinkGeek's website.
Both Best Buy and Amazon brought SNES Classic pre-orders online overnight--and despite the hour, they sold out quickly. Walmart and Target followed during the day today, and those have also disappeared. Toys R Us is also expected to offer pre-orders at some point, possibly in the near future.
We'll continue to update out SNES Classic pre-order guide with the latest details on availability. It's unclear if additional pre-orders will be offered from these retailers before launch on September 29. Nintendo has said it will only offer the system during 2017, but it claims it will offer far more units than it did of the hard-to-find NES Classic Edition.
We continue to learn more about the upcoming Operation Blood Orchid update for Rainbow Six Siege, but it turns out that it won't be available to everyone as soon as expected. The previously announced August 29 release date has now been revealed as the start date for its launch on PC's Technical Test Server.
The news was shared in a press release today announcing a free weekend event that's coming up (more details on that below). PC players will be able to check out the new Blood Orchid content on the TTS starting on August 29. Ubisoft says it's "targeting" September 5 as a full release for all platforms, suggesting that date is not yet set in stone.
Although it's become tremendously popular, Rainbow Six Siege has dealt with some significant technical issues in the past. That prompted the cancellation of an expansion in favor of Operation Health, which saw Ubisoft focus on addressing various issues. With that deemed a success, Ubisoft likely doesn't want the first post-Health expansion to suffer from problems at launch, though it is still disappointing to learn that we'll have to wait longer than we thought.
Blood Orchid includes a new map for all players called Theme Park. It also introduces three new Operators, all of which have now been detailed. Ubisoft plans to fully reveal Blood Orchid during a livestream at the Rainbow Six Pro League Finals. The stream is scheduled for August 26 at 9:15 AM PT / 12:15 PM ET / 5:15 PM BST on Twitch. The Finals themselves will be broadcast over that weekend, August 25-26, as part of Gamescom.
Coinciding with the Finals, PS4, Xbox One, and PC owners will be able to play Siege in its entirety for free. A free weekend event will take place from August 24-27, and from August 24-September 4, you'll be able to purchase Siege for 50% off. Any progress made in the free weekend will carry over if you decide to buy Siege.
While we've already seen teases for the two Hong Kong characters, the third Operator has remained a mystery. A post on Ubisoft's blog today provides us with the first official details on the character, who is named Ela. She's a member of Poland's counter-terrorism unit, GROM, and serves as a Defender. She has Grzmot mines that can stick to any surface and detonate when they detect nearby movement. They don't deal damage, but they do disorient and stun enemies. (When she's downed, she can detonate one on her, too.) She's also equipped with a new pistol as a secondary weapon to go along with shotgun and SMG options as primary options. The specific models were not shared.
As for the other two new Operators, the blog post confirms the previously leaked details on their gadgets. Ying is an Attacker who carries a Candela, which are spheres that launch blinding flash charges into the air when deployed; Ying is immune to the effect thanks to special glasses she wears. Candelas can be tossed or rolled like a grenade--you can even cook them, though doing so causes them to take longer before actually detonating. Alternatively, they can be attached to a breachable surface so that they go through and detonate on the other side.
Lesion is a Defender who uses Gu mines, which are cloaked and thus invisible to anyone but Lesion (and IQ's gadget). When stepped on, they inject poison into an enemy that distorts their version and deals damage. Affected enemies can follow an on-screen indicator to pull the needle out and end the effects sooner, but doing so leaves them vulnerable to attack. Lesion can have as many as seven mines deployed at a time, though these are acquired over time; he doesn't start out a match with a full helping. He can also see indicators for all of the traps from anywhere on the map, letting him know when one is triggered.
Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan has issued an apology to the entire country of Australia over perceived "cultural insensitivity" regarding the new Junkertown map. The map is set in Australia, and it has a sign that uses the American term "take-out" instead of the Australian version "take-away."
Kaplan responded on Reddit, saying he is sorry about this mistake, and pledging that a future patch will fix it. "I'd like to offer a direct apology to the entire country of Australia. Please forgive our cultural insensitivity. We will fix this in an upcoming patch (the sign travesty will most likely go live for some period before being fixed)," he said. I've also been told by Muselk that our coffees are too large as well. We're learning... trying, over here..."
As Kotaku points out, this isn't the only element of the new Junkertown map that is gathering some amount of controversy. The map's announcement trailer (above) has voiceover that says, "They thought they could take our land and give it to the machines."
Blizzard caught some heat on social media over the "they thought they could take our land..." line in light of Australia's controversial history regarding indigenous groups.
A still from the new Overwatch Junkertown trailer that shows "Take-out"
The Junkertown map is playable at Gamescom this week, so that could mean a public release is not far off. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more. A new Overwatch animated short is also on the way, to be revealed at Gamescom on August 23.
id Software's new shooter Quake Champions is out now on Steam Early access and via the Bethesda.net launcher, and its release for PC is right on schedule. You can play the game right now by purchasing the $30 Champions Pack, which includes all characters available now and in the future. When Quake Champions leaves Early Access, the price of the pack will go up to $40. Another thing to know is that Quake Champions will be free-to-play later in the future, so buying the Champions Pack is a way to start sooner and get extras, but not the only way to play.
As with other Early Access games, you should be aware that Quake Champions is unfinished. As such, you might encounter bugs or other technical issues.
Quake Champions' current character roster includes: Ranger, Visor, Scalebearer, Nyx, Anarki, Clutch, Sorlag, Galena, Slash, BJ Blazkowicz, and Doom Slayer. As for future characters, there are at least six more coming before the end of 2018, and more could come after that. Additionally, everyone who buys the Champions Pack gets the skin "diehard Ranger," which is only available while the game is in Early Access.
Finally, the Champions Pack includes three loot chests, which are called Reliquaries in Quake Champions. They can include things like skins, shaders, and weapon personalisation items.
As for the content in the Quake Champions Early Access version, there are eight maps, the 11 aforementioned champions, four modes, character and weapon customisation options, custom game support, and more. Go to the game's Steam page to learn more.
Blizzard has posted the newest in-depth Overwatch "Developer Update" video in which game director Jeff Kaplan outlined some major changes coming to the game. This newest video pertains specifically to Competitive Season 6--and a lot is changing.
Starting off, seasons will be run for two months instead of three months. Blizzard tested one-month seasons, and that was too short, and so it came to be that seasons would be three months long. Blizzard found that people tried harder and had more fun in the first month of the current three-month format, so the decision was ultimately made to drop it down to two months. As always, Blizzard says it will listen to feedback and the new, two-month format could be tweaks again if need be.
Also new for Season 6 will be adjustments to Competitive Point values, while the changes to Skill Rating decay are on the way "and will be less punitive." Another big change is that Control maps are going to be best-of-three instead of best-of-five.
Additionally, placement matches in Season 6 have been adjusted so that they deliver more accurate skill ratings, while higher-level matches are going to be better balanced; the tradeoff here is that matchmaking times could be longer.
These are just a few of the points that Kaplan covered in his talk. Be sure to watch the full video embedded above to learn more. Overwatch Season 5 ends on August 28, with Season 6 kicking off after that.
Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios and Expansive Worlds today announced that their hunting game, The Hunter: Call of the Wild, is coming to consoles. It'll be out for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on October 2, priced at $40 in US currency.
It contains the base game and the Tents & Ground Blinds and ATV expansions.
The Hunter is an open-world hunting game that lets you seek out game in maps set in Germany and the Pacific Northwest. The game runs on Avalanceh's Apex engine.
The animals have specific behaviour, while The Hunter also has dynamic weather events and a day/night cycle. It's a sophisticate hunting game, so you have to factor in things like the wind director to ensure that animals don't catch on to your scene.
In addition to single-player, The Hunter lets you join with up to eight people to take part in cooperative and competitive modes.
The Hunter has been available on PC for more than seven years now, picking up almost 7 million registered users over that time.
Recent Articles:
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website.
No comments:
Post a Comment