Mario Kart Wii has been harboring a deep secret for the last nine years--an unused mission mode hidden within the game's code. Eagle-eyed YouTuber MrBean35000vr uncovered the mode.
MrBean35000vr, a Mario Kart 8 hacker and streamer, claims that within the 2008 title, the main menu actually has five options in its code rather than the four we've come to know. In his video, he shows this to be true, pulling up sub-menus that lack any text but do work as options for some sort of Mission Mode similar to the one seen in Mario Kart DS.
"The menus for Mission Mode have no available text, but the game is trying to load them; they've simply been erased," he says. "Similarly, a massive file that would've contained mission parameters is not present, and without it, the mode can't start – UNLESS you simulate its existence, which is what I did. It attempts to load files out of the /Race/MissionRun folder on the disc, but that folder is empty, but that affects nothing since that folder would only have contained extra data (like where to place goombas or similar). As such, I was actually able to play a few games with the game in Misson state, and show off some of the game modes."
Mission Mode, as it was in Mario Kart DS, was a mode that presented players with a number of challenges to take on. It was a sort of mish-mash of races, mini-games, and the like. MrBean35000vr says this iteration sports 12 or 13 different missions, with one most likely deleted as it doesn't do anything. The missions include wheelies, defeating enemies, drifting, collecting item boxes and more. To see the mission mode in action, check out the video above.
Dragon Quest Builders, surprise spin-off of the beloved JRPG series Dragon Quest, is getting a sequel. Aptly named Dragon Quest Builders 2, this iteration will forego the Vita and find its home on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
The title was revealed during the Dragon Quest Summer Festival 2017. You can catch the game's full reveal starting at the 41 minute mark to the hour and 13 minute mark.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 seems to make improvements to the former title's gameplay limitations. Blocks can be built three times higher and lower, the player will be able to swim and collect resources underwater, and getting down from high places is as easy as gliding down from them. Gamestalk reports that this version of the game will also support multiplayer for up to four players.
Story details and launch dates for Japan and internationally have not yet been released. But, we are excited for the return of this adorable version of Alefgard--and those dopey slimes, of course. For more on the original title, make sure to check out our review. Stay tuned for everything Dragon Quest Builders 2.
[Update] The results for Splatoon 2's first Splatfest event are now in, and Team Mayo has been declared the winner. Despite players overwhelmingly siding with ketchup (73% to 27%), Team Mayo slightly edged them out in solo and team victories to take home the contest.
Players will automatically be rewarded with a number of Super Sea Snails depending on their Splatfest rank the next time they start the game. All Splatfest t-shirts will automatically be returned as well.
The original story follows.
The first proper Splatfest in Nintendo's colorful Switch shooter, Splatoon 2, is set to begin soon. The event kicks off in the US tonight, August 4, at 9 PM PT/12 AM ET and in the UK on August 5 at 3 PM BST.
This Splatfest runs for a full 24 hours and, like the World Premiere Demo that took place before the game released, revolves around food. This time, players are asked to choose which condiment they prefer: mayo or ketchup?
To take part in the Splatfest, simply pledge your fealty to your condiment of choice at the voting booth in Inkopolis Square, and the wins you amass in Turf War will go toward your team's overall score. Depending on your rank by the end of the event, participants will be rewarded with a number of Super Sea Snails, rare items that can be used to add additional slots to your gear.
We already got a glimpse at one of the maps that will be featured during the event: Shifty Station, an entirely new stage that will make its debut tonight. Unlike the other maps in the game, however, Shifty Station will only be available in the stage rotation during Splatfests. Nintendo says its layout changes from event to event, so players will be battling on a different version of the map the next time it appears during a Splatfest.
Nintendo is also releasing another free DLC weapon to coincide with the Splatfest. This time, players will be able to purchase the Sploosh-O-Matic, a returning weapon from the first Splatoon. This particular shooter has a short range but compensates with its high attack power. Its sub-weapon in Splatoon 2 is the Curling Bomb and its special attack is Splashdown.
GameSpot recently visited Ubisoft's studios in Singapore and Shanghai, while we also toured ChinaJoy and brought you pictures from the massive Chinese gaming show. As part of our trip, we had the opportunity to speak with Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot for a conversation about Ubisoft's efforts in Southeast Asia and other industry topics.
We'll have a bigger feature coming up that covers what we learned on the trip, but for now, you can check out our wide-ranging talk with Guillemot below. In addition to specifics about Ubisoft's steps in Singapore and Shanghai, we asked Guillemot about the latest on the Vivendi takeover situation and also quizzed him on the Xbox One X.
You can see our interview below, edited and condensed for clarity. We'll also have an interview feature coming up with Justin Farren, the creative director of Ubisoft Singapore's new pirate naval warfare game, Skull & Bones. Disclosure: Ubisoft paid for GameSpot's travel and accomodation in in Singapore and Shanghai.
GameSpot: I saw you walking around the booth yesterday at China Joy, and we were talking about how this is maybe not something every executive might do. Why it is important for you to get out there on the floor and speak directly to your fans?
Yves Guillemot: I think it's major because it's the best way to get feedback on what you do. They never hesitate to actually say what they think, so it's a clear conversation with them that gives me the reality of where we are.
GameSpot: Is there any specific piece of feedback you might have heard yesterday that you're taking to heart?
Guillemot: Yes. One feedback was, "Why don't you translate the older games from Ubisoft?" This one, it was not at all the intention of the company, and then what we will do now is check if there are many people that want that, and if it's the case we are going to actually translate. I already asked how difficult it is to translate and why not do something easy to do. What is interesting in the questions also is you realize that sometimes they think exactly the same than as other fans in another country, but sometimes they are looking at your brands differently. And when your staff is telling you the same thing, you say, "OK, I understand."
GameSpot: I guess there are 500 million gamers here in China, which is not a small number. I guess beyond the base of potential players, why does Ubisoft want to be in this part of the world?
"You can't ignore 500 million players" -- Yves Guillemot on why Ubisoft wants to be in China
Guillemot: First, you can't ignore 500 million players, and second what I like very much in China is that because it is a new business all the partners we meet with are young. They want to do new things. They want to try to work with your IPs but also with new types of experiences and gameplay and so on. It's the beginning of the industry. When we say it's old, it's 10 years old maximum. In the last five years it has been booming. Tencent was not doing mobile games four years ago. You realize that now they are bigger than all of us in the West, but it started only four years ago. This energy you see here is very attractive.
GameSpot: As you had alluded to, the industry is very young here, and I imagine Ubisoft being one of the first Western publishers to come in here and set up a big business, can you talk about what some of the growing pains have been and how you've been able to work your way through those?
Guillemot: First at the beginning of the company when we created worldwide studios, we said we have to be in Asia and in North America, so we went in Montreal for North America, and we came in Shanghai here because I came on a trip in '86 or something, and I realized that I didn't know ... You arrive, and you discover that it's a completely different huge world that is going to grow, so we said, "We have to be there." Then when you recruit lots of talent in the country, you get to be more Chinese as a company. That's what makes us consider that we can maybe understand enough so that we can invest more.
GameSpot: And maybe you can't get into specifics too much, but is there anything you can say in regards to how much Southeast Asia including Singapore and Shanghai, and Chengdu, how much they contribute to Ubisoft's bottom line overall?
Guillemot: Yeah, it's 12%, 12% to 13%, between 12% and 15%, so it's still very small. That's why we are putting more emphasis on that part of the world because it can really help the company to grow.
GameSpot: You probably haven't given guidance on how much you expect to grow, but it would suffice to say you're definitely expecting to grow.
Guillemot: That growth is coming also with the types of products. Here they consume more RPG games and team versus team and so on, so as it is changing in the Western world, service games and RPG and multiplayer will help us also to grow in this territory, and Asian territory.
A scene from Ubisoft's ChinaJoy booth
GameSpot: Clearly there is a huge amount of economic growth opportunities here. What are some of the things maybe in this part of the world that give you pause or keep you up at night? You're working with partners instead of doing it 100% yourselves, so there's probably some margin that could be better. I just wondered if you could talk about some of those challenges?
Guillemot: In business you always, and like in creation, you want to have constraints because when you work under those constraints you can actually create better. What we see is in having to deal with publishers locally, we are also better learning what the market is but with our brands, so our brands become more local. The PC and console market is close to being the same here than in the West, but the mobile market is more specific. When we have to go with those Chinese publishers, first as I said they are young. They want to create something different, and it's obliging us to listen and work with people that will help us to create our brands to fit the demand here. There are difficulties, but there are also lots of opportunities linked to the fact that we can't do whatever we want.
GameSpot: Okay. And I guess beyond whatever sales data metrics that you're getting from this part of the world, what are the ways that you measure success? I know you had just briefly talked about being more culturally tapped into the region?
Guillemot: It's to have more and more players because we know that at the end of the day that's what will make a different that our brands are played by more players in China and in Asia. It's very important that there are enough players that have a chance to play with our games.
GameSpot: One of the other interesting elements that have been taking away from the presentations this week was Ubisoft's effort to have more service games, service-based games and definitely true here in China as well. I was wondering if you could just talk about why you think service-based games are kind of the way forward for the industry?
Guillemot: What I compare service based games with movies and TV series. I see it as the same difference. What we have with service games is that you can improve the game for three, five, 10 years. So you can give an experience that is improved with time. When you launch a game, and you have to come with another game two years later and so on you give an experience that is a different experience but that is probably not, in terms of game plan and multiplayer and so on as adapted to each person. Those games that are really polished with time are taking more players. That's why we are doing more of those games because people want to have experiences that are smooth, that they can learn, that they can play with their friends.
GameSpot: So that's something we can expect, probably from your brands going forward that they're gonna lean more on that bent that you're taking?
Guillemot: This is why we are including RPG elements Assassin's and so on because if it helps you to play longer with the game and to appreciate it. As people play longer you have more people coming because the more people play the more new people come. That's what makes those games last longer.
GameSpot: One of your biggest brands is Assassin's Creed. In one of the presentations this week we heard that there was a figure that, Black Flag, I believe, it was said was pirated five million times here in China. I'm just wondering if you could talk about the role piracy plays and what steps you might be either taking to combat it or is it just part of the cost of doing business?
Guillemot: It's like Windows with Microsoft. Windows when you are a student you can get it for free, so you get used to it. When you're going in a company you want Windows because that's what you know how to deal with. It's a little bit the same for us. Having access to those brands in the last 10 to 15 years allowed those brands to be known, and today when we come via Steam on the market, we have lots of people that are interested to buy the actual brands from the actual iteration but also buy four, five, 10 dollars all the games that have been doing in the past because they played them 10 years ago, 15 years ago, and they want to have the last version. There's pluses and minuses in everything. What is important is when somebody can pay that person will consider it worth putting the money than trying to go and deal with the problems you have when you download copies.
"There's no reason why we can't also adapt Assassin's Creed for [China].
GameSpot: Obviously with the censorship rules in the country, Assassin's Creed is a game that's not been officially released here. There was some talk in the discussions about how the game could be modified to have it pass the ratings board, but wouldn't be able to ship at the same time. Is this something that you're thinking about changing in the future or would you not want to modify the game such that it might potentially compromise the developer's vision for it?
Guillemot: Because it's blood. It's sometimes a few things that are almost too difficult to change. We are adapting those games in Germany with green blood. In many countries, in all the minor countries we also adapt. So there's no reason why we can't also adapt Assassin's Creed for [China]. It's just we need to be able to start that work early enough so that they can be ready for the launch.
GameSpot: And consoles; consoles came out in 2014, so they're still relatively new. They're new and then in relation to mobile devices and PC obviously they have a much, much smaller install base. I'm just wondering what are your thoughts on consoles in China? How much room do you think they have to grow? Can they get as big as the West?
Guillemot: If the government let's them grow, they have a huge potential. Just because playing on a console is easier than playing on a PC. Having said that, the PC is improving, but the console in your room with a good screen and so on is actually more comfortable. So that can grow. I don't know if it can be as big as in other countries in the West because people have been used to playing with PC, and if you remember Germany took a long time to go from PC to console. But the potential is just amazing, what we need is the Chinese manufacturers that could come with a console for China...
GameSpot: One of the other things that kind of leads into or that makes me think about is Nintendo has a lot of very family friendly brands that might not need to be adjusted too much or at all to be released here, so you're probably hoping that Nintendo brings the Switch here.
Guillemot: We do.
GameSpot: China and Southeast Asia, Singapore, everywhere, is a massive region as we talked about. Are there others in the world that you are looking at as saying, "Hey, maybe we want to be the first here." I know you've announced a theme park in Malaysia, and that's obviously very close to Singapore. Are you constantly just strategically looking around the world for new places to grow and expand?
Guillemot: Yeah. The next destination will be Korea where we have to ... There's a huge potential in eSports, and the players in Korea are very dedicated players. We know it has a huge influence on your communities. That's really where we want to put also more emphasis.
GameSpot: I've learned a lot on this trip myself, and I'm wondering every time you travel somewhere do you learn something new too, and if so what did you take away from this trip?
Guillemot: I do. I'm always amazed when I come in China, for example, because things are changing so rapidly that you're part of that evolution. What you learn is that, first, they go faster here than we do in the other countries because the growth of the market is huge. Also because it's full of new opportunities. Each time I come here I see some different approaches that we could have, and we try to quickly adapt the company and where we deliver our products.
GameSpot: One of the elements that could impact Ubisoft's efforts globally is the elephant in the room, the impending Vivendi situation. I'm wonder if there is ... I know you've said already a number of things about it, but I'm wondering if you could update us on the latest in that situation and why you think a takeover would be very problematic?
"We like very much what they are doing because instead of having a Kinect or something this time the industry went after more power for the machine" -- Yves Guillemot on the Xbox One X
Guillemot: What we see is that if we perform well it would be more difficult for an outside company to come and take control because our shareholders are working with us with what we do. There's no reason for them to let somebody come and pick up the management of the company. I think that that depends on their appetite. They can always put a bid on the company at a very high level. It's just it's becoming more expensive, and it could have a negative effect on our capacity to create and being agile and take risk. That's why we fight against ... We aren't fighting against Vivendi. We are fighting against corporations that have many fields they invest in, and will not understand that our industry of video games is changing all the time, and if you just manage this business like you manage older businesses you're not going to make it grow and take the opportunities that come regularly.
GameSpot: One of the hottest topics has been the new Xbox One X console coming out in November. It is a very powerful console, and Ubisoft makes really big, rich games that would theoretically take advantage of that in a big way. I'm just wondering if you could talk about your company's plans for that console? Do you plan to release updates for new games or just what's your general take on it?
Guillemot: We did a deal with Microsoft on Assassin's Creed: Origins, which is taking really good advantage of the power of the machine. We like very much what they are doing because instead of having a Kinect or something this time the industry went after more power for the machine, so more immersion, better AI, and overall better games. We like that because it means the industry will grow because the better the experiences, the more people want to have it. We think it has a good potential. If Microsoft is really behind it, it can do well.
A new Pokemon will debut in the series' next 3DS installments, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Today, the Pokemon Company revealed that players will be able to acquire a new form of the wolf Pokemon, Lycanroc, in the upcoming games.
Dusk Form Lycanroc, as this new form is dubbed, will only be obtainable in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. It's the third possible variation of the wolf Pokemon. Previously, the form you could obtain depended upon which version of the game you were playing. In Pokemon Sun, Rockruff would evolve into Midday Form Lycanroc; in Pokemon Moon, the puppy Pokemon would change into Lycanroc's Midnight Form (the latter of which was distributed at GameStop stores earlier this year).
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are scheduled to release on November 17. Like Sun and Moon, the pair are set in the tropical Alola region but tell an "alternate story" and feature some Pokemon that didn't appear in the previous titles. Later this month, Pokemon Sun and Moon players will be able to receive a free Salazzle from select GameStop stores in the US.
Licht is perhaps best known for the music he composed for Showtime's Dexter. The music he composed for that show used nontraditional instruments such as knives and human bones to fit the theme of the show, along with a chamber orchestra.
"I am so saddened to learn of Dan's passing," Dexter star Michael C. Hall said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "His music quite literally set the tone for Dexter. I'm fortunate to have known Dan, as his talent was matched by his kindness."
Licht did the music for horror movies such as Hellraiser: Bloodline, the Stephen King movie Thinner, and some of the Amityville films.
Licht is survived by his wife Hilary and son Kian, along with his mother Eve, brothers Alan and Ed, sister Deborah, and nine nieces and nephews.
Like previous Call of Duty games before it, this year's Call of Duty: WWII will have a premium version that comes with extra content. The Valor Collection Pro, as it's called, comes with the game's Pro Edition (which includes a Steelbook case and the season pass), as well as a pin and patches. It also includes a cool-looking Zombies poster.
The centerpiece of the Valor Collection Pro is the bronze statue that appears to be inspired by a D-Day scene. You can see everything in the bundle in the image below from EB Games Australia, which is now taking pre-orders for it. There is also a less expensive Valor Collection that comes with everything except the season pass.
Just announced: The Call of Duty WWII Valor Collection!
The Valor Collection doesn't appear to be available to pre-order at other retailers, at least not yet. EB Games Australia opened pre-orders after Sledgehammer Games founder Michael Condrey showed it off on Twitter (via CharlieIntel).
Call of Duty: WWII launches on November 3 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A multiplayer beta starts August 25 on PS4 for people who pre-order the military shooter and runs until August 28. The beta will be available on other platforms later.
Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Siege is one of the best shooters in recent years, and it's enjoying success. The publisher has announced that the team-based shooter recently passed 20 million registers players. In a blog post, Ubisoft added that 2.3 million log in every day.
"Our community is growing and so is our ambition to make Siege a shooter that is here to stay," product director Nicolas Lefebvre said in a statement. "The next few weeks are very exciting as it marks the culmination of Operation Health and the release of our next season set in Hong Kong."
You can read more about the Operation Health initiative here. In short, it was an attempt by Ubisoft to fix and improve the game. It was apparently successful.
As for the new operators, two are coming from Hong Kong's Special Duties Unit, while there will be a Polish operator from Poland's Grupa Reagowania Operacyjno-Manewrowego. A new map and more weapons are also coming.
Rainbow Six Siege is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. For more, you can read GameSpot's review here.
We teamed up with Hi-Rez Studios to give away 15,000 codes for the Chinese Starter Pack in their newest game in open beta, Hand of the Gods: SMITE Tactics on PC. Each code will unlock 3 cards that will help you build an awesome Chinese deck. Here's what you get:
Transfusion x1
Ne Zha x1
Projection x1
You can download the game for free here and enter to get your code below:
Hand of the Gods: SMITE Tactics is a turn-based, one-vs-one strategy game set in the same mythological universe as the hit MOBA, SMITE. Players build decks of cards that spawn units onto a fully rendered battlefield using Unreal Engine 4. Each pantheon has its own unique leader ability and pantheon specific cards that can be combined with neutral cards to support a variety of playstyles. Hand of the Gods is currently in open beta on PC. Download and play for free at www.handofthegods.com
This is an instant win and you will receive an email with the code within 24 hours.
Enter below:
Gigantic is a free-to-play strategic hero shooter developed by Motiga. Gorgeously rendered, light-hearted and charming, Gigantic is for all types of gamers, pitting teams of five heroes and their massive Guardians against each other in epic battles across a variety of maps. The game combines explosive combat with fast-paced teamwork, strategy and skill, as players must work together and fight relentlessly to defeat the opposing Guardian with spells, guns and swords.
For more information about Gigantic and to download the game for free, please visit the official website: www.GoGigantic.com.
In a new developer diary video, the team behind Hunt: Showdown throws down the story of how the game came to be since its 2014 debut. From Austin to Frankfurt, Crytek's forthcoming competitive horror shooter wasn't always what it is today.
In the beginning, Hunt: Showdown had an entirely different name, team, and premise. It started out under Crytek USA, in Austin, as Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age, a team shooter that played very similarly to Valve's Left 4 Dead. Hordes of zombies and supernatural beings came in waves, and you and your pals would take them down one by bloody one. This debuted at E3 2014 as a single level.
But, later that year, Crytek's US studio was shut down. It quite literally went from the floors at E3 in June, to moving all the way across the sea to Crytek's Frankfurt location in August. Of course, this meant Hunt could no longer be the same.
"That was a hard decision to make, and not one we did very lightly. You have to match the project with the team," lead developer Dennis Schwarz says. "And if the team bring a certain skill set, but a project requires a different skill set, you either have to adapt to that ... or you change the project. We opted for changing the project."
Today, Hunt: Showdown still maintains the grotesque, late 1800s horror vibe down in the bayous of Louisiana, but the motivation of the game and the way it plays are completely different. Now, it's about going after a target and instead of doing so with just your allies, you, and the few allies you have, are competing to get the kill, get the reward, and get out safely against another team. It's not just about taking down the baddies and flexing those gamer muscles; it's about stealth, thinking on your toes, and using the environment to your advantage.
For more on Hunt: Showdown and its origin, make sure to watch the developer diary above, or check out all of our previous coverage on the game while it was still Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age. Hunt: Showdown is expected on PC and does not yet have an official release date.
In an interview with Titanfall boss Vince Zampella, head of Titanfall developer Respawn, earlier this week, we learned that Titanfall's RTS spin-off is coming much sooner than we thought. After a soft-launch in May, mobile title Titanfall: Assault will fully launch Thursday, August 10.
Instead of Titanfall's iconic fast-paced first player and mech suit combat, Titanfall: Assault is taking a much different route. Players will take on the role of a commander leading their crews to capture enemy territories. By collecting burn cards and upgrading resources, players will travel across known Titanfall locations and might bump into some familiar faces along the way too.
Titanfall: Assault comes after the cancellation of other Titanfall mobile spin-off Titanfall: Frontline. That title was a real-time strategy card game and one of several of Respawn's upcoming mobile titles with Nexon, but the game was cancelled well before it even came out of beta.
Thankfully, Assault is meant for this world. Even though it sports more chibi-esque versions of the pilots and titans, you'll still be able to hop on in your favorite one from both Titanfall 1 and 2 and get on down to the mech-kicking action.
And, for you Android users out there, you can snag an exclusive Android titan by pre-registering on Google Play now. Titanfall: Assault will also launch on iOS.
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