Version 385.41 of Nvidia's GeForce Game-Ready driver is now available, and it provides support for several popular games. Most notably, it optimizes the upcoming Destiny 2 PC beta--which begins August 29--for Nvidia graphics card users. The beta also gets an SLI profile for multi-GPU users and WhisperMode support for laptop gamers. Nvidia also reiterates the minimum system requirements and recommended specifications for Bungie's upcoming shooter:
Minimum:
CPU: Intel i3-3250, AMD FX-4350, or equivalent
GPU: GeForce GTX 660 / GeForce GTX 1050
RAM: 6GB
Recommended:
CPU: Intel i5-2400, AMD Ryzen R5 1600X, or equivalent
Driver updates typically contain a number of fixes to existing issues from previous versions, but only one fix comes in the latest iteration:
Quantum Break with a GTX 970: Drop in frame rate occurs when playing the game.
As with every driver update, a list of known issues is laid out. The following is the list of existing problems in version 385.41:
GTX 780 Ti in SLI: There is no display output when connecting the DisplayPort and two DVI monitors.
Battlefield 1 with SLI GTX 1080 using HDR and DirectX 12: Corruption occurs in the game.
Battlefield 1 with GeForce 1080 using HDR: There is heavy color saturation when the display is set to non-native resolutions and refresh rates.
GTX 1070 in Surround: The [Ctrl+Alt+S] keyboard shortcut does not enable or disable Surround.
GTX 1080 in notebooks: With G-Sync enabled, stuttering occurs when playing games on the external display.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth with GTX 1050 Ti: Low framerate and lagging occurs when playing the game in full-screen mode.
Minecraft with notebooks: Low frame rates when playing the game in full-screen mode on Optimus notebooks.
For a limited time, Nvidia is offering Destiny 2 for PC to those who purchase a GTX 1080 or GTX 1080 Ti graphics card, or laptop or pre-built system containing either card. The full game is set to release on October 24. For the full report on driver version 385.41 from Nvidia, you can download the release notes here.
Destiny was criticized because few non-player characters had important roles in gameplay, but Bungie is intent on fixing that in Destiny 2. Today, the studio released a new video introducing one of the NPCs who will appear in Destiny 2's story.
Hawthorne is a fighter who you'll encounter alongside more familiar characters. She wields a sniper rifle and seems to be a Hunter-type character, although Hunter leader Cayde-6 remarks that she's not a part of his group. She also has a really cool-looking hawk named Louis. Check out the video:
It's encouraging to see Bungie focused so much on improving the game's characters; even in the opening Homecoming mission that was playable during Destiny 2's beta, there were a lot more NPCs actually fighting and interacting.
Bungie released another video this week that re-introduces Cayde-6. The wise-cracking Hunter, voiced by Nathan Fillion, will be very important in the game's story.
Destiny 2 launches on September 6 for PS4 and Xbox One, and on October 24 for PC. The PC beta will go live on August 28 for those who pre-order the game, and it'll open to the public on August 29.
Final Fantasy XV is coming to PC next year, and, as with any PC game, players will want to mod it. Of course, not all mods are rated PG--there'll almost inevitably be mods that, say, remove the clothes of the characters. However, Square Enix has stated that it won't limit or censor nude mods, opting instead to give players as much freedom as possible.
In the view of director Hajime Tabata, these mods aren't ideal nor desired, but it's worse to restrict the mod scene. As a result, he and Square Enix will leave mods up to the discretion of players. "What's stronger in my mind is the fact that I don't want to limit people too much," Tabata told PCGamesN. "This is part of the culture of gaming these days. These people--it's a thing they've bought, it's their game now."
"I don't think it's a good thing, but we're going to leave it to the moral sense of all the players out there," he continued. "I basically want, as a principle, to give as much freedom and as little limitations on it as possible."
The PC version of FFXV doesn't have a specific release date yet; Square has only stated that it'll launch sometime in early 2018. It'll support a bunch of enhanced graphics features, such as native 4K resolution and Nvidia Hairworks (so that the characters' hair looks better).
The QuakeCon Sale isn't the only promotion going on right now in the PlayStation Store. This weekend, Sony is also holding a flash sale on a number of games for PS4, PS3, Vita, and even PSP.
Beginning today, players can find steep discounts across all Sony platforms. On PS4, the popular multiplayer cooking game Overcooked: Gourmet Edition is available for $8. Players can also pick up the stylish Jotun: Valhalla Edition for $6. Meanwhile, the survival horror classic Resident Evil 4 is available for $10, and the remastered Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition costs $6. Other notable PS4 games on sale right now include:
The PSN flash sale runs until Monday, August 28, at 8 AM PT/11 AM ET. You can find the full list of discounted titles on the PlayStation Store website. The QuakeCon sale ends the following day on, August 29. Players have until then to snag discounts on some acclaimed Bethesda games like Prey, Fallout 4, and more.
If you feel like prying open your Nintendo Switch to trick it out, a merchant called Myriann on the online retailer AliExpress (via GoNintendo) is offering replacement shells for the system and Joy-Cons. These include a clear case reminiscent of those for the Game Boy Color.
Myriann says the cases will fit the system and Joy-Cons perfectly, but in order to "complete access to all control buttons" you will have to open the case. The total cost for the clear Switch shell and the two Joy-Cons is US $40, but you can buy the cases for the Joy-Cons and the shell individually at a lower price.
Myriann also sells Switch and Joy-Con covers in a variety of other colors, including blue, red, green, white, and gold. As you can imagine, given the name "Super Switch" on the back of the cases, they are not licensed by Nintendo.
A heads up, Nintendo voids its 12-month warranty on the Switch if you modify or tamper with the device. Earlier this year, accessory maker dbrand canceled its orders for skins after the company realized the skins were damaging the system. If you want a different (Nintendo-sanctioned) look, check out this Splatoon 2Switch bundle that includes colorful Joy-Cons.
We teamed up with Activision to give away 44xDestiny 2 Early Access Beta Codes to redeem on PC. To enter for a chance to win, scroll down below.
This is not an instant win. Competition ends Sunday, August 27 at 12:00 PM Pacific. Forty-four (44) winners will be contacted via email with their early-access code. Entry is open worldwide. Codes are for the Early Access Open Beta only and do not give access to the full game when it launches officially.
Destiny 2's early-access to the PC Open Beta begins on Monday, August 28th at 10:00 AM Pacific.
When Microsoft first unveiled Xbox One's $150 Elite controller, many questioned what kind of market there was for high-end, customizable gamepads. That controller has proven to be quite popular, with a number of other companies, including Razer, offering up their own equivalents. Razer is now back once again with a new Xbox One and PC controller that costs even more: $160/€180.
The Razer Wolverine Ultimate, as it's called, offers up what are now considered standard features for these controllers: three interchangeable analog stick styles; two swappable d-pads; trigger stops (letting you reduce the amount you need to pull the triggers for them to register as fully depressed); and extra, remappable buttons on the back. The buttons can be set up using either Razer's Synapse for Xbox app or with on-the-fly controls on the controller itself.
Beyond all of that, it features Razer's Chroma lighting system. Owners can customize it to display 16.8 million different colors and with various optional effects. It also supports the Chroma SDK, which Razer says "allow[s] developers to integrate advanced lighting capabilities for Xbox One games." Specific game support has not yet been announced.
A carrying case is included with the Wolverine Ultimate, as is a 10-foot braided micro-USB cable. It also features a 3.5mm audio jack for a headset and integrated, quick-access controls including mute and volume.
The Wolverine Ultimate launches first on Razer's website in September, with a global release following later this year. You can see a full list of specs and features here.
While it may not technically be a brand-new system, there is a demand for the upcoming Xbox One X. According to Microsoft, it's been pre-ordered more quickly than any other console in Xbox history.
As expected, pre-orders for the Xbox One X were announced and went live this past Sunday as part of Gamescom, quickly selling out. "Within just a few days, we saw record-setting sell-out times and are currently sold out in many countries around the world," Microsoft marketing VP Mike Nichols wrote on the Xbox Wire. "You, our biggest fans, have pre-ordered more Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition consoles in the first five days than any Xbox ever."
Those on the fence about pre-ordering an Xbox One X may have been encouraged to do so by the announcement of the Scorpio Edition. This version of the console features an altered design and includes a vertical stand; more significantly, it will only be available by pre-order.
Microsoft doesn't plan to offer more Scorpio Edition consoles as a result of the demand, but pre-orders for the standard edition of the console (which carries the same $500/£449/AU $649 price) are coming. The company will share more details about that wave of pre-orders at some point in September. You can follow the latest in our Xbox One X pre-order guide; we've seen Scorpio Editions pop up in stores briefly this week after selling out, so you haven't necessarily missed your last chance to get one at retail price.
Xbox One X launches on November 7. It features a substantial increase in power and is capable of running 4K games, though you don't necessarily need a 4K display to take advantage. Not every game will leverage the additional power, but the list of Xbox One X enhanced games continues to grow and is now over 110 titles.
For years, Call of Duty matches have been capped off with a killcam that shows a replay of the final kill. However incredible or boring it might have been, it was always that last moment being highlighted. That apparently is not the case in Call of Duty: WWII, if the beta--which launched early--is any indication.
If you watched our recent livestream (check it out above), you may have noticed that matches outside of War mode are capped off with something new. Instead of the final kill, it shows a replay of what the game seems to be interpreting as a key or otherwise impressive moment, much like what Overwatch does with its Play of the Game replay.
Around the 45:38 mark, for instance, you can see how a pair of kills pulled off by our own Rob Handlery warranted such a replay. It also demonstrates that the game's judgment on which moments to feature might need a bit of improvement.
With this new system, we'll hopefully see fewer unexciting or unimportant kills being highlighted. Aside from having the potential to showcase more exciting clips, this new system may discourage players from attempting trickshots or following the final kill with, shall I say, lude gestures.
Although Overwatch wasn't the first game to have a Play of the Game-style sequence, it has helped to popularize the feature. But at least as of yet, its post-game awards screen--where players vote for the performance of a player from the match--hasn't made its way into Call of Duty.
This final killcam change is far from the only one in the game. Among other things, there's the new War mode, the Divisions system (replacing the Pick 10 create-a-class setup), and the Headquarters social space (which we won't get to try until the full game launches). The ongoing beta runs on PS4 until August 28 and will be followed by a beta on PS4 and Xbox One from September 1-4. Access to both betas requires a code, which you can get by pre-ordering or having Comcast Xfinity internet service.
The next free DLC weapon for Splatoon 2 is coming soon. This week, players can clean up on the battlefield with the Sloshing Machine, another returning weapon from the first Splatoon.
The Sloshing Machine will be available in the game's weapon shop, Ammo Knights, tonight at 7 PM PT/10 PM ET. This washing machine-shaped weapon has a slower attack rate than other Sloshers but compensates with its power.
The Sloshing Machine is complemented with the Autobomb sub-weapon, which seeks out and explodes around nearby opponents. Its special in Splatoon 2 is the Sting Ray, a powerful laser-like attack that can pass through walls.
In addition to the Sloshing Machine, Nintendo is releasing Splatoon 2's first free DLC map tonight. At 7 PM PT/10 PM ET, Manta Maria will be added to the game's stage rotation. This map is a large sailboat moored at a harbor. The focal point of the stage is its three masts and their surrounding netting.
Nintendo released another free piece of downloadable content for the game earlier this week. On Tuesday, a new stage called Lost Outpost was added to Salmon Run mode. This map was once a coastal settlement but has been abandoned due to rising sea levels. It features many walls that players can use to hide from enemy Salmonids, though the walls can also obstruct your line of sight.
Splatoon 2's next Splatfest event takes place next weekend, from September 1-2. This time, players are asked to choose which superpower they would rather have: flight or invisibility. Debuting alongside the Splatfest is a brand-new special attack, the Bubble Blower. It allows players to create up to three large bubbles that will explode when shot with your team's ink. It will be coupled with next week's free DLC weapon, the Forge Splattershot Pro.
August 25 update: If you've had trouble pre-ordering an Xbox One X, this might be why: Microsoft has announced it is the fastest pre-ordered Xbox console ever. The Scorpio Edition appears to be mostly sold out--although, again, you might have luck by continuing to check in at retailers that are currently out of stock. Microsoft says details on pre-orders of the standard edition will be shared at some point in September. We'll report back as we receive more information.
August 23 update: Retailers have sporadically been bringing pre-orders back online over the last day. As of this writing, Target has them back in stock again, although they may not last long. As with the SNES Classics, which have reappeared briefly, it may be worth periodically checking the retailer listings linked below to see if you can get lucky. Keep in mind, the Scorpio Edition will be available by pre-order only, though the system is functionally identical to the standard Xbox One X model.
Original Story: Microsoft's Gamescom livestream today brought with it the expected news: Xbox One X pre-orders are now live. Below, you'll find the basic details on how and where to pre-order the system. We'll continue to update this as more retailers bring their pre-orders online. The Xbox One X launches worldwide on November 7 for $500 / £449 / AU $649. Pre-orders are already available through a number of retailers, which you can visit through the links below.
There are at least two bundles available--GameStop is packaging the Elite controller with the Xbox One X for $600 in the US, a $50 discount over buying them separately. It also has another bundle with a second controller and more for $583.
Microsoft has also announced a Project Scorpio Edition of Xbox One X for the same price as the standard edition. This is available by pre-order only and features a unique design and an exclusive vertical stand. According to a tweet from Microsoft's Albert Penello, any Xbox One X pre-order listing you see is for the Scorpio Edition, whether or not the listing reflects that. There's no word yet on when or if you'll be able to pre-order the non-Scorpio Edition.
Switch owners who have yet to pick up Nintendo's unusual fighting game, Arms, now have another chance to try it out for free. The Arms Global Testpunch demo has returned for another weekend.
Unlike the previous Testpunch event, which was only available during specific blocks of time, this weekend's demo runs continuously until Sunday afternoon. The Testpunch begins at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET / 4 PM BST today, August 25, and ends at 1 PM PT / 4 PM PT / 9 PM BST on August 27. Players can try out select Arms characters, including Spring Man, Ribbon Girl, and Twintelle, and face off against others online in regular, Hoops, and Skillshot matches.
In related news, Nintendo recently unveiled Arms' second free DLC character, the street-performing clown, Lola Pop. Lola's hair and arms resemble candy, and she can inflate her body to increase her defense. She also comes with three brand new sets of Arms; one is a shield that is able to reflect opponents' attacks back at them, while another fires a trio of stamps that obstruct your opponent's vision.
Nintendo hasn't announced when Lola will be available, but she'll be rolling out to all Arms players in a "future update." In addition to her, the update will add another free stage to the game, which is likewise candy-themed. You can see screenshots of the colorful fighter above.
The latest batch of deals is now live on the PlayStation Store. This week, PS4 and PS3 players can find lots of discounts on Bethesda games as part of the QuakeCon Sale.
As usual, PS4 owners have the bigger selection of deals to choose from. Nearly all of the publisher's titles for the platform are on sale this week. The open-world RPG Fallout 4 is available for $20.09, while its season pass retails for $30. Also on sale is Prey; players can purchase the acclaimed shooter for $30. Those looking forward to Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and The Evil Within 2 can pick up their predecessors at a discount; Wolfenstein: The New Order is available for $15, while The Evil Within can be downloaded for $5. Other notable sales include Dishonored 2 ($30), Doom ($20.09), and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition ($30).
PS3 owners have slimmer pickings this week. As on PS4, Wolfenstein: The New Order and The Evil Within are both on sale for $15 and $5, respectively. The first Dishonored is also discounted this week for a mere $2.49. Beyond those deals, PS3 players can purchase various DLC packs for Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. You can find the full list of games on sale this week on the PlayStation Store website.
Outside of the QuakeCon Sale, Sony is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the PlayStation Blog with discounts on select downloadable titles. Players can save 33% off Journey, Flower, Axiom Verge, Firewatch, Ratchet & Clank, The Last of Us Remastered, and other titles. In order to get the discount, players will have to enter the following code at checkout: ELR6CKF4P9. This promotion runs until September 5. You can find the full list of eligible titles here.
The QuakeCon Sale ends on August 29 at 8AM PT/11 AM ET. QuakeCon itself kicks off this Thursday, August 24, and runs until August 27.
Amazon has announced all of the movies and TV shows coming for Prime subscribers in September, and there are quite a few notable additions. That includes the comedy Wedding Crashers arriving on September 1, while Season 2 of Amazon's original series One Mississippi premieres on September 8.
The Amazon original movie The Lost City of Z, starring Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Robert Pattinson (Twilight), and Tom Holland ( debuts on Amazon a week later, on September 15. Additionally, Season 4 of Amazon's drama Transparent starring Jeffrey Tambor arrives on September 22.
Outside of the movies and TV shows, Amazon will air the first Thursday Night Football game on September 28, which is a matchup between the Packers and the Bears.
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.
There's just over a week left in August, which means it's nearly time for a new slate of content to arrive on Netflix. The streaming service has announced all of the new titles coming to the service, as well as everything that's on its way out.
Most notable for video game fans is Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light. The original series was announced earlier this year (when it carried the much funnier subtitle Daddy of Light) and is set both inside and outside of the MMO. It tells the story of a father and son who play the game together without the father knowing who his in-game companion is. Season 1 debuts on September 1.
That same day, you'll be able to watch Gangs of New York and all four Jaws films, as well as Pulp Fiction. Other notable additions throughout the month include Season 4 of BoJack Horseman and Season 7 of The Walking Dead (September 8); Season 7 of Portlandia (September 9); Beauty and the Beast (September 19); and Season 3 of Gotham (September 21).
On the departures side, the first two seasons of Wilfred, The Batman Seasons 1-5, and A Nightmare on Elm Street disappear on September 1. CSI: Miami and all 10 seasons of its incredible one-liners go away on September.
The full lists follow at the bottom of the post, and you can hit the links below to see the other video streaming services' September updates announced so far.
Nintendo Switch remains sold out virtually everywhere, and no one has sold more than GameStop. The retailer today reported its earnings for the quarter that ended on July 29, 2017, and it was a period that saw the company receive a notable boost from sales of Nintendo's latest console.
GameStop had "leaking market share" for Nintendo Switch during the period, beating out competitors like Amazon and Walmart. As a result, new hardware sales were up 14.8% year-over-year, which is notable given declining prices of the PS4 and Xbox One. It also stands out when compared with the performance of software: new sales were down 3.4% and pre-owned were down 7.5%, with "lagging Xbox One sales" called out specifically as the reason.
In addition to Switch, collectibles also helped to drive the company's results for the quarter. Collectible sales increased 36.1% to $122.5 million thanks to Pokemon and Marvel merchandise. Digital sales were up 28.1% to $46.5 million, while total global sales for the company overall were $1.69 billion, an increase of 3.4%.
Looking ahead, GameStop expects to see growth during the second half of its fiscal year thanks to Switch, Xbox One X, and a "solid slate of AAA titles." It also expects to benefit from the launch of new mobile phones, including the upcoming iPhone.
Alongside news of Grand Theft Auto V's next big expansion, Rockstar has also previewed some of the other new content on the way to GTA Online over the remainder of the year. Among those additions is a new type of race that includes the defining feature of Ubisoft's upcoming game The Crew 2.
Having already gone silly with over-the-top Stunt Racing events, Transform Races will be the next mode to defy the game's reality. When passing through "strategically placed" checkpoints along a given race's course, your vehicle's class will change depending on what the next area consists of. That doesn't just mean improving the performance of your vehicle or swapping one car out for another--you'll move between radically different modes of transportation. As the image below teases, one such transition moves you from a jet ski to a car.
If that concept sounds familiar, it might be because The Crew 2 offers something quite similar. The upcoming open-world racing game also allows you to seamlessly move between vehicle types--from boats to cars to aircraft--at the press of a button. That game will likely end up embracing the feature more than this single GTA V mode--and will allow you to do so whenever you wish, not just at pre-designated checkpoints. Still, it is striking to see a free update like this so closely resemble a marquee feature of an upcoming game.
Transform Races are just one of numerous features coming to GTA Online at some point in the fall. New customizable aircraft, four-wheeled vehicles, and Adversary modes are promised, along with holiday events for Halloween and various holidays in December. That all follows next week's big Smuggler's Run update.
As part of its outline for what's coming, Rockstar called for GTA V players to continue providing their thoughts through the official website regarding what they want to see. "The direct feedback we get from the GTA Online community is what helps us tweak, enhance, and improve the huge range of under-the-hood alterations we make with each and every title update," the studio said.
Just when you thought you couldn't get enough remakes, Square Enix is coming back with one more. Secret of Mana, one of the most beloved SNES RPGs, is being remade from the ground up for PS4, PS Vita, and Steam. It's set for release on February 15, 2018.
Shedding its 16-bit looks for high-definition 3D, this iteration of Secret of Mana intends to keep everything you love about the 1993 title but improve it for the modern day. The remake will also include unspecified gameplay updates and an entirely new musical score.
If you just can't wait to get your hands on Randi, Primm, and Popoi's adventure again, or for the first time, pre-orders are open on the PlayStation Store. Pre-orders will include two different outfits for each character--moogle and tiger. Though pre-orders are not currently live on Steam, those who pre-order or purchase the Day One Edition on the platform during launch week will also receive this bonus.
Ahead of its release next month, Nintendo has shared a new trailer for Metroid: Samus Returns, the first new Metroid game in seven years. Despite being a remake of the series' lone Game Boy installment, Metroid II, Samus Returns introduces a number of new elements to the adventure, many of which were showcased in today's trailer.
In addition to the game's new melee counter, the biggest additions to Samus Returns are the Aeion abilities, four unique powers fueled by a special energy bar. One of the first Aeion abilities we got to see was the Scan Pulse. This power lets players scan their surroundings, revealing destructible blocks and hidden paths.
The remaining three Aeion abilities were shown off in today's trailer. The Beam Burst ability greatly enhances the power and firing rate of Samus's arm cannon. Lightning Armor is more defensive, making Samus temporarily invulnerable to attacks and allowing her to pass through hazards. The final ability, Phase Drift, allows Samus to slow down time around her.
The trailer also gives fans a look at some of the power-ups Samus will acquire during the course of the game. Along with the Morph Ball, players will obtain the usual array of staple Metroid weapons, including the Ice Beam, Space Jump, Spider Ball, and Grapple Beam. The latter appears to have a new function this time around; in addition to allowing Samus to swing across chasms, the bounty hunter can be seen using it to pull and destroy a block at one point in the trailer.
GTA Online's next update is called Smuggler's Run--a reference to the great open-world driving games Rockstar developed long ago--and it deals with, well, smuggling. You'll work with Nervous Ron and a new mechanic named Charlie as you take advantage of "new business opportunities" for delivering illegal merchandise around Los Santos and Blaine County.
In addition to new missions, there will be a variety of new planes, helicopter, and ultralights (which look downright silly in the world of GTA). Without going into specifics, Rockstar teases all of this will provide "some creative new methods of dispatching any rival gangs." If the trailer is any indication, Smuggler's Run promises to have some of the most intense aerial action the game has seen to date.
Alongside the other new vehicles, Rockstar is introducing a "massive range of new, customizable aircraft." These can be stored in new aircraft hangars where the aforementioned Charlie will look after your collection. Hangars also serve as the headquarters for smuggling operations.
Bandai Namco has announced a release date for Tekken 7's first major piece of downloadable content. The fittingly titled DLC 1 pack launches next week, on August 31.
The biggest feature of the upcoming DLC pack is Ultimate Tekken Bowl, the bowling mini-game that debuted in Tekken Tag Tournament for PlayStation 2. As you can probably gather from its name, Ultimate Tekken Bowl allows players to hit the lanes with their favorite characters for a 10-pin game of bowling. You can watch new footage of the mode in the trailer above.
In addition to Ultimate Tekken Bowl, the DLC pack also includes an assortment of new character costumes. Players will get the following outfits as part of DLC 1:
Blood Vengeance school uniforms (Xiaoyu and Alisa)
Swimsuits (all female fighters)
Vintage 1920s bathing suits
Idol Master-themed costumes (all female fighters)
Traditional Japanese Fundoshi (all male fighters)
Tekken 7's DLC 1 pack is included in the game's $25 season pass. Players in the Americas also have the option to purchase it separately; we've reached out to Bandai Namco for pricing details. Tekken 7's most recent slew of DLC released last month and introduced one new paid fighter, Eliza, and an assortment of free items based on the Taiko Drum Master series.
Final Fantasy XV may not be getting a sequel, but Square Enix continues to support it through a combination of DLC and free updates. The latest example of the latter arrives in just a week's time in the form of an unexpected crossover event with Assassin's Creed.
With the release of an update next week, Lestallum will be home to the limited-time Assassin's Festival event. This will bring mini-games and exclusive items, as well as "gameplay elements from the Assassin's Creed game series," which appear to include the ability to perform a Leap of Faith right in the middle of the city.
The items include Medjay's Assassin's Robes that all four main characters can wear to resemble Assassins. Noctis can also get Master Assassin's Robes through the Dream Egg, which comes from the Moogle Chocobo Carnival that returned recently and runs through the end of September. As the trailer above shows, it's all a bit dissonant--there's something strange about seeing Noctis and company dressed like Assassins in Eos while Cindy sits around in her usual outfit.
The Assassin's Festival begins on August 31 and will run until January 31, 2018. A free update will arrive at the end of the month for both PS4 and Xbox One players. At this point, we don't know if there are plans to have it return again in the future, or if PC players will ever get to see it once Final Fantasy XV arrives on computers next year. There's also no word on if we might see this year's Assassin's Creed game, Origins, include some Final Fantasy-themed content.
Sega's embracing of the the Yakuza series continues. With a remake of the first game just days away, a PSN listing has revealed that Yakuza 2 will apparently be getting the same treatment.
As posted on NeoGAF, Yakuza Kiwami 2 briefly appeared on Taiwan's PlayStation Store. The listing has since been removed, but a translation states that it will run on the engine powering Yakuza 6--the most recent original entry in the series. While the listing was likely not meant to go up, it does seem to be legitimate, given it was accompanied by a logo.
Image credit: Wario64 on Twitter
While it was live, the page listed a release date of December 7, 2017. It's entirely possible that was only a placeholder or simply incorrect. That said, although Yakuza Kiwami (a remake of the original Yakuza) is only just releasing this coming Tuesday, August 29, it's been available in Japan since early 2016.
Tuesday's launch of Yakuza Kiwami is the second Yakuza release of the year in the West, following Yakuza 0 in January. Yakuza 6, released in Japan last year, is due out in the West on March 20, 2018. As noted in your Yakuza Kiwami review, the upcoming game proved to be a great remake, although it did lead some real flaws intact.
If you were worried that Mercy had been nerfed with today's Overwatch PTR update, fear not. While she might not be able to resurrect her entire team in one go anymore, she can do something better: Wreck the entire enemy team.
Yes, Mercy, who was a relatively harmless Support previously, can now do some serious damage. Today's patch replaced her Ultimate with Valkyrie, a new ability that buffs all of her other abilities for 20 seconds. It also provides her weapon with unlimited ammo and increases both its damage and fire for the duration. Combined with her ability to fly freely, she can be a real monster, particularly when she's under the effects of Ana's Nano Boost Ultimate. Sights like the one below (via Reddit user Blue-Cloud) are now possible.
This is not a one-off, either; you can see this Twitch clip (with some NSFW language) from Gale_Adelade that shows a similar scene. After being Nano Boosted, the super-mobile Mercy can take to the air and rip through an enemy team.
As always when major changes are made, time is needed to adjust and develop new strategies. Other times, things are simply taken too far--and Blizzard has already admitted as much.
"Her gun while using Valkyrie is a bit too strong at the moment," principal designer Geoff Goodman wrote on Blizzard's forums. "The idea is for it to have some extra juice to be able to use it in more niche situations. Right now, it is strong enough that it is feeling like the primary way to use the Ultimate, which isn't intended. There is likely to be a good amount of tuning happening throughout this PTR cycle to iron this kind of stuff out."
In other words, enjoy this while you can, Mercy mains. It isn't likely to last for long.
The vehicles of the Star Wars universe are as iconic as the aliens and planets, and fans have come to expect cool new ships in every movie. Thankfully, it looks like the upcoming The Last Jedi will be no different. The official Star Wars Show has revealed two new vehicles--an updated version of the classic AT-AT walker, called an AT-M6, and a huge new Star Destroyer, known as the First Order Dreadnaught. Check the images out below:
The AT-M6 comes equipped with a massive cannon on his back--called Megacaliber Six, it provides the new walker with half of its name. It also has redesigned legs, which allow it to carry the heavier weight. As for the Dreadnought, it is described as "7,700 meters long and [sporting] two orbital auto cannons and a ton of anti-aircraft cannons on its surface."
The Last Jedi arrives in theaters on December 15. Actor John Boyega, who plays Finn, recently revealed some new plot details and explained that Finn would continue to be a reluctant hero. "He just wants to get away and not be involved," he said. "His intention in the first place was to go to the Outer Rim. He was brought back [in The Force Awakens], but this is his chance to get away and perhaps find Rey and go off together. He's trying to do that at first."
In other Halo news, Microsoft today confirmed that Halo 5 will offer double XP this weekend in the following playlists: Extermination, Warzone, and Snipers. Hooray.
Famous filmmaker James Cameron has shared his thoughts on the critically praised action movie Wonder Woman, which stars Gal Gadot in the title role. Speaking to The Guardian, Cameron said the movie feels like "a step backwards" in some regards.
Some of Cameron's biggest movies have featured women in leading roles, including Kate Winslet as Rose in Titanic, Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in Aliens and Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in Terminator. For Wonder Woman, Cameron said the movie is "just male Hollywood doing the same old thing!" Here is Cameron's full quote (via Entertainment Weekly):
"All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood's been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. She's an objectified icon, and it's just male Hollywood doing the same old thing!
"I'm not saying I didn't like the movie but, to me, it's a step backwards. Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female!"
Wonder Woman opened in June and has made more than $800 million at the global box office, according to Box Office Mojo. The movie will be released onto digital stores on August 29, with a DVD and Blu-ray release to follow in September. The home video version contains a number of extras, including an epilogue.
Here's something interesting and unexpected. Half-Life writer Marc Laidlaw, who no longer works at Valve, today posted what he called "Epistle 3" on his blog, and, with key names replaced, it looks like it's an outline for what the story for Episode 3 could have been.
Laidlaw was the sole writer for both Half-Life 1 and 2, and had crafted each game's wider narrative. Later, he was assigned as lead writer on Half-Life 2 Episode 1 and 2. Presumably, he wrote some kind of draft for Episode 3 before leaving, and now we have what looks like an outline of what he was thinking about. You can see the full text below.
Laidlaw's website is understandably getting hammered right now, so we've posted the full text via NeoGAF below. Again, some of the names have been changed, but you can probably put the pieces together and figure out what means what.
On May 24, 2006, Valve confirmed that the third Half-Life 2 episode update was in development. At the time, it only said that it would be the last "in a trilogy...that will conclude by Christmas of 2007." Obviously, that never happened.
Half-Life 2: Episode Two was released in 2007. Fans have been awaiting news of a sequel for years, but with Valve's propensity for taking its time--not to mention the lack of any official indication that a new Half-Life is in development--it's unclear what the franchise's status is.
Epistle 3
08-25-2017 2:05 AM
Dearest Playa,
I hope this letter finds you well. I can hear your complaint already, "Gertie Fremont, we have not heard from you in ages!" Well, if you care to hear excuses, I have plenty, the greatest of them being I've been in other dimensions and whatnot, unable to reach you by the usual means. This was the case until eighteen months ago, when I experienced a critical change in my circumstances, and was redeposited on these shores. In the time since, I have been able to think occasionally about how best to describe the intervening years, my years of silence. I do first apologize for the wait, and that done, hasten to finally explain (albeit briefly, quickly, and in very little detail) events following those described in my previous letter (referred to herewith as Epistle 2).
To begin with, as you may recall from the closing paragraphs of my previous missive, the death of Elly Vaunt shook us all. The Research & Rebellion team was traumatized, unable to be sure how much of our plan might be compromised, and whether it made any sense to go on at all as we had intended. And yet, once Elly had been buried, we found the strength and courage to regroup. It was the strong belief of her brave son, the feisty Alex Vaunt, that we should continue on as his mother had wished. We had the Antarctic coordinates, transmitted by Elly's long-time assistant, Dr. Jerry Maas, which we believed to mark the location of the lost luxury liner Hyperborea. Elly had felt strongly that the Hyperborea should be destroyed rather than allow it to fall into the hands of the Disparate. Others on our team disagreed, believing that the Hyperborea might hold the secret to the revolution's success. Either way, the arguments were moot until we found the vessel. Therefore, immediately after the service for Dr. Vaunt, Alex and I boarded a seaplane and set off for the Antarctic; a much larger support team, mainly militia, was to follow by separate transport.
It is still unclear to me exactly what brought down our little aircraft. The following hours spent traversing the frigid waste in a blizzard are also a jumbled blur, ill-remembered and poorly defined. The next thing I clearly recall is our final approach to the coordinates Dr. Maas has provided, and where we expected to find the Hyperborea. What we found instead was a complex fortified installation, showing all the hallmarks of sinister Disparate technology. It surrounded a large open field of ice. Of the Hypnos itself there was no sign…or not at first. But as we stealthily infiltrated the Disparate installation, we noticed a recurent, strangely coherent auroral effect–as of a vast hologram fading in and out of view. This bizarre phenomenon initially seemed an effect caused by an immense Disparate lensing system, Alex and I soon realized that what we were actually seeing was the luxury liner Hyperborea itself, phasing in and out of existence at the focus of the Disparate devices. The aliens had erected their compound to study and seize the ship whenever it materialized. What Dr. Maas had provided were not coordinates for where the sub was located, but instead for where it was predicted to arrive. The liner was oscillating in and out of our reality, its pulses were gradually steadying, but there was no guarantee it would settle into place for long–or at all. We determined that we must put ourselves into position to board it at the instant it became completely physical.
At this point we were briefly detained–not captured by the Disparate, as we feared at first, but by minions of our former nemesis, the conniving and duplicitous Wanda Bree. Dr. Bree was not as we had last seen her–which is to say, she was not dead. At some point, the Disparate had saved out an earlier version of her consciousness, and upon her physical demise, they had imprinted the back-up personality into a biological blank resembling an enormous slug. The Bree-Slug, despite occupying a position of relative power in the Disparate hierarchy, seemed nervous and frightened of me in particular. Wanda did not know how her previous incarnation, the original Dr. Bree, had died. She knew only that I was responsible. Therefore the slug treated us with great caution. Still, she soon confessed (never able to keep quiet for long) that she was herself a prisoner of the Disparate. She took no pleasure from her current grotesque existence, and pleaded with us to end her life. Alex believed that a quick death was more than Wanda Bree deserved, but for my part, I felt a modicum of pity and compassion. Out of Alex's sight, I might have done something to hasten the slug's demise before we proceeded.
Not far from where we had been detained by Dr. Bree, we found Jerry Maas being held in a Disparate interrogation cell. Things were tense between Jerry and Alex, as might be imagined. Alex blamed Jerry for his mother's death…news of which, Jerry was devastated to hear for the first time. Jerry tried to convince Alex that he had been a double agent serving the resistance all along, doing only what Elly had asked of him, even though he knew it meant he risked being seen by his peers–by all of us–as a traitor. I was convinced; Alex less so. But from a pragmatic point of view, we depended on Dr. Maas; for along with the Hyperborea coordinates, he possessed resonance keys which would be necessary to bring the liner fully into our plane of existence.
We skirmished with Disparate soldiers protecting a Dispar research post, then Dr. Maas attuned the Hyperborea to precisely the frequencies needed to bring it into (brief) coherence. In the short time available to us, we scrambled aboard the ship, with an unknown number of Disparate agents close behind. The ship cohered for only a short time, and then its oscillations resume. It was too late for our own military support, which arrived and joined the Disparate forces in battle just as we rebounded between universes, once again unmoored.
What happened next is even harder to explain. Alex Vaunt, Dr. Maas and myself sought control of the ship–its power source, its control room, its navigation center. The liner's history proved nonlinear. Years before, during the Disparate invasion, various members of an earlier science team, working in the hull of a dry-docked liner situated at the Tocsin Island Research Base in Lake Huron, had assembled what they called the Bootstrap Device. If it worked as intended, it would emit a field large enough to surround the ship. This field would then itself travel instantaneously to any chosen destination without having to cover the intervening space. There was no need for entry or exit portals, or any other devices; it was entirely self-contained. Unfortunately, the device had never been tested. As the Disparate pushed Earth into the Nine Hour Armageddon, the aliens seized control of our most important research facilities. The staff of the Hyperborea, with no other wish than to keep the ship out of Disparate hands, acted in desperation. The switched on the field and flung the Hyperborea toward the most distant destination they could target: Antarctica. What they did not realize was that the Bootstrap Device travelled in time as well as space. Nor was it limited to one time or one location. The Hyperborea, and the moment of its activation, were stretched across space and time, between the nearly forgotten Lake Huron of the Nine Hour Armageddon and the present day Antarctic; it was pulled taut as an elastic band, vibrating, except where at certain points along its length one could find still points, like the harmonic spots along a vibrating guitar string. One of these harmonics was where we boarded, but the string ran forward and back, in both time and space, and we were soon pulled in every direction ourselves.
Time grew confused. Looking from the bridge, we could see the drydocks of Tocsin Island at the moment of teleportation, just as the Disparate forces closed in from land, sea and air. At the same time, we could see the Antarctic wastelands, where our friends were fighting to make their way to the protean Hyperborea; and in addition, glimpses of other worlds, somewhere in the future perhaps, or even in the past. Alex grew convinced we were seeing one of the Disparate's central staging areas for invading other worlds–such as our own. We meanwhile fought a running battle throughout the ship, pursued by Disparate forces. We struggled to understand our stiuation, and to agree on our course of action. Could we alter the course of the Hyperborea? Should we run it aground in the Antarctic, giving our peers the chance to study it? Should we destroy it with all hands aboard, our own included? It was impossible to hold a coherent thought, given the baffling and paradoxical timeloops, which passed through the ship like bubbles. I felt I was going mad, that we all were, confronting myriad versions of ourselves, in that ship that was half ghost-ship, half nightmare funhouse.
What it came down to, at last, was a choice. Jerry Maas argued, reasonably, that we should save the Hyperborea and deliver it to the resistance, that our intelligent peers might study and harness its power. But Alex reminded me had sworn he would honor his mother's demand that we destroy the ship. He hatched a plan to set the Hyperborea to self-destruct, while riding it into the heart of the Disparate's invasion nexus. Jerry and Alex argued. Jerry overpowered Alex and brought the Hyperborea area, preparing to shut off the Bootstrap Device and settle the ship on the ice. Then I heard a shot, and Jerry fell. Alex had decided for all of us, or his weapon had. With Dr. Maas dead, we were committed to the suicide plunge. Grimly, Alex and I armed the Hyperborea, creating a time-travelling missile, and steered it for the heart of the Disparate's command center.
At this point, as you will no doubt be unsurprised to hear, a Certain Sinister Figure appeared, in the form of that sneering trickster, Mrs. X. For once she appeared not to me, but to Alex Vaunt. Alex had not seen the cryptical schoolmarm since childhood, but he recognized her instantly. "Come along with me now, we've places to do and things to be," said Mrs. X, and Alex acquiesced. He followed the strange grey lady out of the Hyperborea, out of our reality. For me, there was no convenient door held open; only a snicker and a sideways glance. I was left alone, riding the weaponized luxury liner into the heart of a Disparate world. An immense light blazed. I caught a cosmic view of a brilliantly glittering Dyson sphere. The vastness of the Disparate's power, the futility of our struggle, blossomed briefly in my awareness. I saw everything. Mainly I saw how the Hyperborea, our most powerful weapon, would register as less than a fizzling matchhead as it blew itself apart. And what remained of me would be even less than that.
Just then, as you have surely already foreseen, the Ghastlyhaunts parted their own checkered curtains of reality, reached in as they have on prior occasions, plucked me out, and set me aside. I barely got to see the fireworks begin.
And here we are. I spoke of my return to this shore. It has been a circuitous path to lands I once knew, and surprising to see how much the terrain has changed. Enough time has passed that few remember me, or what I was saying when last I spoke, or what precisely we hoped to accomplish. At this point, the resistance will have failed or succeeded, no thanks to me. Old friends have been silenced, or fallen by the wayside. I no longer know or recognize most members of the research team, though I believe the spirit of rebellion still persists. I expect you know better than I the appropriate course of action, and I leave you to it. Except no further correspondence from me regarding these matters; this is my final epistle.
One of the new features in the recent Madden games is a Player Trait for "Clutch," which is basically a rating for how likely the player is to come through when it matters.
SportingNews did the heavy lifting and found that there are 62 players in Madden NFL 18 that are designated as being "Clutch," down from 70 last year. The names are the ones you'd expect, including standout QBs like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, along with running backs like Le'Veon Bell and Marshawn Lynch. At tight end, Rob Gronkowski and Jason Witten of course made the cut, while Adam Vinatieri, one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history, is also on the list for Madden NFL 18.
Players who fell out of the "Clutch" designation this year included people like legendary Cowboys QB Tony Romo, who retired, and New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, among others.
Also of note that that tight end O.J. Howard of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the ranks as a "Clutch" player. It's a seemingly strange choice, as Howard has no regular season NFL experience as of yet, though he played in big games in college.
GameSpot's Madden NFL 18 review scored the game a 9/10. The game officially launches on August 25, following the release of the EA Access and G.O.A.T. Editions earlier in the week.
Madden NFL 18 Clutch Players
*denotes a first-time "Clutch" designation
Quarterbacks
Tom Brady, Patriots
Aaron Rodgers, Packers
Matt Ryan, Falcons*
Drew Brees, Saints
Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
Russell Wilson, Seahawks
Andrew Luck, Colts
Derek Carr, Raiders*
Cam Newton, Panthers
Matt Stafford, Lions*
Jameis Winston, Buccaneers
Running Backs
Le'Veon Bell, Steelers
Marshawn Lynch, Raiders
C.J. Anderson, Broncos
Tight Ends
Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
Delanie Walker, Titans
Greg Olsen, Panthers
Jordan Reed, Redskins
Tyler Eifert, Bengals
Jason Witten, Cowboys
Antonio Gates, Chargers
O.J. Howard, Buccaneers*
Wide Receivers
Julio Jones, Falcons
Antonio Brown, Steelers
A.J. Green, Bengals
Odell Beckham Jr., Giants
Jordy Nelson, Packers
Dez Bryant, Cowboys
DeAndre Hopkins, Texans
Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
Julian Edelman, Patriots
Doug Baldwin, Seahawks
Emmanuel Sanders, Broncos
Jermaine Kearse, Seahawks*
Linebackers
Von Miller, Broncos
Luke Kuechly, Panthers
Khalil Mack, Raiders
Bobby Wagner, Seahawks
Justin Houston, Chiefs
Sean Lee, Cowboys
NaVorro Bowman, 49ers
Thomas Davis, Panthers
Terrell Suggs, Ravens
Brandon Marshall, Broncos
Lavonte David, Buccaneers
Derrick Johnson, Chiefs
Cornerbacks
Aqib Talib, Broncos*
Chris Harris Jr., Broncos
Malcolm Butler, Patriots
Patrick Peterson, Cardinals
Josh Norman, Redskins
Richard Sherman, Seahawks
Safeties
Earl Thomas, Seahawks
Eric Berry, Chiefs
Eric Weddle, Ravens
Harrison Smith, Vikings
Devin McCourty, Patriots
Reshad Jones, Dolphins
Tyrann Mathieu, Cardinals
Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles
T.J. Ward, Broncos
Kurt Coleman, Panthers
Kickers
Justin Tucker, Ravens
Matt Bryant, Falcons*
Dan Bailey, Cowboys
Adam Vinatieri, Colts
Steven Hauschka, Bills
Punters
Bryan Anger, Buccaneers*
Sam Koch, Ravens
Chris Jones, Cowboys
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