The new Xbox One Fall dashboard update has been available, in some form at least, for the past few months. Now, Microsoft has concluded the pre-release testing phase and is ready to roll it out worldwide, beginning today.
The focus of the Fall update is personalization. One of the biggest new things you will notice is that the Home screen is changed significantly with the introduction of content "blocks." Anyone who has used the Xbox One dashboard knows well that it can be difficult at times to find what you're looking for. With the blocks, you can select what content--games or apps--show up where you want them to.
Additionally, things like friend activities, leaderboards, Looking For Group messages, and more now show up at the top of the revamped Home screen. Another new feature in this update is the option to choose between dark, light, and high-contrast themes for your dashboard from the Settings tab.
There are quite a few other notable new additions and changes with the Xbox One Fall update. We've listed off a few of these below, but be sure to go to the Xbox Wire to see a full rundown of what's changing, with commentary from Xbox engineering lead Mike Ybarra.
It should now be "faster and easier" to move left and right through the horizontal tabs by flicking the left thumb stick or bumpers.
A new "Friends in games" notification shows you if a friend is playing the same game
Invites now appear in the multiplayer tab of the Guide.
The Game Hub for a particular title now shows more information.
The Community feed screen now offers a full-screen option to help display more content such as screenshots and gameplay clips.
Right-to-left languages such as Arabic and Hebrew are now available.
A new Microsoft Store logo will replace the old one.
The Mixer tab now has previews so you can see more before joining.
Broadcasts at 1080p will now happen automatically if your network can support it.
On Xbox One X, Mixer can capture gameplay and screenshots in 4K/HDR.
Additionally, this Xbox One Fall update lays the groundwork for the launch of the Xbox One X in November. It adds a page that lets you know how to do things like transfer your games to an external hard drive or copy them over your home network to Xbox One X. You can also start to download 4K content for existing games so you'll hit the ground running if you buy an Xbox One X right at launch. What's more, the store adds a tab that lets you sort by Xbox One X-enhanced games.
This new update is expected to be the Xbox One's last big one of the year. Microsoft doesn't historically release major UI updates in those months because so many new players are coming online and significant changes could lead to confusion.
With Super Mario Odyssey's release coming up later this month, the Nintendo Switch's library of games is set to grow with another notable title. But there's already no shortage of great games to play, particularly on the Eshop. Switch ships with only 32 GB of storage, and just 25.9 GB of that is actually usable. Whether you've already run out of space or are worried about doing so in the future, now is as good of a time as any to add some additional storage.
Among Amazon's daily deals is one featuring SanDisk memory that includes both flash drives and microSD cards, which Nintendo supports. We recommended some of these memory cards for Switch back when the system first launched, and today's deal provides up to 25% off what was already a cheaply priced set of cards. At the low end, you can get an extra 32 GB for only $11, while 64 GB is just $18. Those seeking even larger options can pick up a 128 GB card for $37, 200 GB for $63, or 256 GB for $100.
These prices are available for today only; they expire at 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET on October 17 and do not require an Amazon Prime membership. Take note these are UHS-I cards, which are not the fastest ones available, but we found the difference between these and UHS-3 cards to be negligible.
The DC Super Hero blockbuster Wonder Woman is out now on 4K UHD, Blu-ray™ 3D, Blu-ray™ and DVD. To celebrate, we've teamed up with Warner Bros. to offer you the chance to win one of three bundles, including a copy of the movie on Blu-ray™, a poster, key chain, and mug.
Wonder Woman saw huge success when it hit cinemas this summer, smashing the box office records. Director Patty Jenkins brought the classic DC hero to screens with Gal Gadot in the lead role, and Chris Pine supporting as Steve Trevor. If you've not seen the film, you're missing out. Here's the synopsis:
Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.
To be in with a chance to win just answer the simple question below. Please use the form to enter the competition, as answers written in the comments section are invalid.
This competition is open to UK residents only. The prize is one bundle including a copy of Wonder Woman on blu ray, a wall poster, a key chain and a morphing mug. There are three prize bundles available.
Terms & Conditions
Competition will close on October 25th at 4pm BST.
Open to UK residents only.
Prize for 3 (three) winners will be 1 (one) prize bundle.
Events may occur that make the awarding of the Prize impractical or inappropriate due to unforeseen circumstances or reasons beyond the control of the Promoter or Warner Bros. In this situation, Warner Bros. may vary or amend the Prize to provide a reasonable alternative as a result of which the Promoter or parties connected to the Promoter shall not be held liable.
If the winner fails to respond within 24 hours of notification, they will be deemed void and an alternative winner will be contacted.
No cash or credit alternative is available and the Prize is not transferable.
The next weekly reset for Destiny 2 is approaching. While it marks the end of the current Nightfall, Flashpoint, and so on, it will also wrap up the game's first-ever Iron Banner event.
Ahead of the reset at 2 AM PT / 5 AM ET / 10 AM BST / 8 PM AEDT on Tuesday, October 17, you still have a chance to take part in Iron Banner matches. The limited-time Crucible mode is 4v4 like all other PvP activities in Destiny 2 and features Quickplay modes and matchmaking. If you don't already have access, you can check out our guide on how to get into Iron Banner. Things play out differently than in the first Destiny.
Completing Iron Banner matches--win or lose--nets you event-specific Tokens, which can be turned in with Lord Saladin at the Tower. That allows you to get your hands on a variety of new item rewards. You can see all of the Iron Banner weapons, gear, and armor in our gallery, but don't expect to collect it all. While that is possible, rewards are random, meaning you can open dozens of rewards packages without necessarily getting what you want.
The Charizard distribution for Pokemon Sun and Moon may have just ended, but players will have a chance to get another rare Pokemon very soon. Starting October 23, Sun and Moon players have a chance to add a rare shiny version of Silvally to their teams.
Like most other Pokemon distributions, the shiny Silvally will be available via a free download code. Those in the US and Canada can pick one up from GameStop and EB Games stores, respectively, until November 13; Pokemon fan site Serebii reports that players in the UK will be able to pick up their own download code at GAME stores from November 3-16.
To add shiny Silvally to your team, select Mystery Gift from Sun and Moon's main menu and choose the option to receive your gift via code/password. When prompted, enter the code you received and you'll be able to pick the Pokemon up from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center.
Two new DLC packs--one free and one premium--are on the way to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard in December with optional VR support. Capcom today revealed new details about both Not a Hero and End of Zoe expansions and shared a new trailer to tease what awaits.
As detailed previously, the free Not a Hero DLC brings series regular Chris Redfield into the mix. It's set after the base game's campaign and sees Redfield looking for Lucas Baker; in the process, he happens upon BSAA agents sent after Baker who ended up as prisoners. Not a Hero launches for free to all players on December 12.
Also coming on that day is End of Zoe, which Capcom says features a "mysterious outdoorsman named Joe who lives along the bank of the marshes and has a chance encounter with Zoe that sets both their fates in motion." This will be sold on its own for $15/£12 and is included with the game's season pass.
Like its predecessor, The Stick of Truth, Fractured but Whole puts players in the role of the New Kid, who moves into South Park and joins a superhero team with Cartman and other South Park mainstays. In GameSpot's South Park: The Fractured but Whole review, critic Miguel Concepcion called the game "a delightfully fart-tinged journey that delivers satisfying gameplay and surprising absurdity in equal measure."
Other outlets have likewise begun posting their reviews, and most seem to agree that South Park: The Fractured but Whole is another enjoyable adventure, especially for fans of the series. We've collected a sample of the game's reviews below; for a broader look at what critics think of the latest South Park RPG, be sure to visit GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Game: South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Developer: Ubisoft San Francisco
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: October 17, 2017
Price: US $60 / £55 / AU $100
GameSpot -- 8/10
"Fractured But Whole succeeds as an interactive South Park mini-series, while effectively emulating the show's current style of adult-targeted entertainment and satirization of political correctness. In other words, it's consistently amusing and provocative without the edginess the series used to be known for. Both the game's combat and explorative strengths effectively bridge the many comical plot developments, which range from mildly amusing to downright hilarious. It's an accomplishment that this game will wholly entertain devoted fans while delivering a heap of jokes that won't fly over the heads of casual viewers." -- Miguel Concepcion [Full review]
IGN -- 8.5/10
"South Park: The Fractured But Whole is another epic-length episode of the humor that's kept fans of the show laughing for 20 years. The Marvel vs DC parody delivers regular laugh-out-loud moments with only a few faltering gags, and the combat soon evolves into something much more complex and interesting than The Stick of Truth's simple system. Navigation and repetition of some of its simple puzzle mechanics drag a little, but it's otherwise an excellent South Park game that's also a strong RPG." -- Dan Stapleton [Full review]
Polygon -- 7/10
"The Fractured But Whole's breezy combat and puzzles provided a few days of entertainment, and the best moments of the game had me either laughing or, against all expectations, emotionally touched. I don't particularly regret my time with the game, but it mostly made me think about how much better the creators of both South Park and The Fractured But Whole could do if they were given the opportunity and space to grow up a little." -- Philip Kollar [Full review]
US Gamer -- 4/5
"Like Stick of Truth before it, South Park: The Fractured but Whole plays like an episode of the show. One of the good episodes, mind you, that's more about the kids interacting with each other than politics. Though it drags at times, The Fractured but Whole carries a sweet, twisted charm that makes it hard to resist if you're similarly twisted. It's still not recommended for anyone who never found the show funny to begin with, though." -- Nadia Oxford [Full review]
Eurogamer
"South Park: The Fractured But Whole is an RPG with tangible qualities and enjoyable passages, but without the bite or imagination you'd expect of the name. For anyone who grew up with the TV show, there's still some thrill to be had in simply walking around that familiar town, rubbing shoulders with its famous denizens and savouring the feeling of having an episode play out around you. But these were qualities of the last game too, and they have that bit less impact the second time around. Ubisoft San Francisco's rebuilt combat system goes some way to push back the sense of deja vu, but it entirely can't shake off the suspicion that this is a sequel which exists because its predecessor was so popular, not because its creators were brimming with more ideas." -- Phil Iwaniuk [Full review]
GamesRadar+ -- 4.5/5
"South Park balances ample fan service with gameplay that stands on its own merits and an engaging story. It won't make you a fan if you weren't one already, but it's hard to imagine a better-realized adaptation." -- Sam Prell [Full review]
By Anonymous on Oct 16, 2017 10:00 pm Join Erick and Rob as they try to become the greatest super hero to join the ranks of Coon and Friends in South Park: The Fractured But Whole.
It would have been all too easy to completely and totally screw up a Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel, delivering something so terrible that it actually made the good films in the series worse by association. That's not what Leatherface is. Instead, it's simply a competent movie with no clear identity or goals, that seems to exist mainly to deliver one over-enthusiastically telegraphed twist.
Being an origin story for one of the most iconic horror movie antagonists in cinematic history placed Leatherface in a precarious position from the get-go. We've seen enough of these to know they rarely add much to the mythos, and they often detract from it by carving away bloody chunks of the mystery. Leatherface is a murderous hillbilly with a chainsaw who wears people's faces. What more really needed to be said about this guy?
In the new Texas Chainsaw continuity into which this movie fits, Leatherface was a relatively innocent kid who's taken from his abusive family--including his savagely bloodthirsty mother Verna Sawyer, played with gumption by Lili Taylor--at a young age and placed in an institution. As a teenager, he escapes with a handful of other inmates and a hostage nurse, and most of Leatherface concerns his time spent on the lam. Stephen Dorff plays a crooked Texas Ranger with good reasons for hating the Sawyer clan, and Finn Jones--far less annoying here than in Iron Fist--is his naive deputy.
If you're not paying attention, you might not realize it, but Leatherface wants you to wonder which of the escapees is actually the titular villain. Early scenes put an emphasis on the fact that the institution changes the children's names when they're committed, and the movie doesn't actually confirm who the future Leatherface is until relatively late in its runtime. But the cast is insular enough that it's easy to spot the twist coming long before it happens.
Besides building toward that limp reveal, Leatherface doesn't really know what to do with itself. It's not as gory as it might have been, though a couple of scenes, especially one that flirts with necrophilia, exist only for their shock value and add nothing else to the movie. There are a few gruesome deaths, but nothing uniquely grisly enough to remember once the credits start rolling. It's shot conventionally, and the score, like the rest of the movie, is unremarkable.
The best thing there is to say about Leatherface is that it makes an effort to get you to care about certain characters who might not have been so sympathetic. It definitely stumbles into that unfortunate horror movie pitfall of, essentially, demonizing mental illness, but it tries to show multiple sides of various characters, and it's generally well-cast and effectively acted. Vanessa Grasse as the captive nurse, Lizzy, is an easy protagonist to root for, although you'll also want to scream at her to make better decisions--a slasher genre staple, to be fair.
Overall, Leatherface never really revs up and gets going as anything more than a schlocky, competent callback to better films. Then again, it could have been much worse. Either way, we'll always have the original.
Ahead of its imminent release on the Community Test Environment, DICE has provided a look at some new Battlefield 1 content. This comes from the game's next expansion, Turning Tides, and you can check it out in the video above.
One of the major components of what we got to see are two new maps: Cape Helles and Achi Baba. However, these maps are still in development; DICE has taken the unusual path of showing off white-box versions that don't yet have their final textures in place. That means you're seeing these maps in an early, unfinished state; you can expect the final releases in December to look nicer. Turning Tides will also include two other maps, Heligoland Bight and Zeebrugge, that will release in January.
Camp Helles
In the video, you'll see some standard Conquest action as well as a new mode that returns from earlier in the series. In Conquest Assault, one team starts the round holding every point on the map; the enemy team attempts to make its way through to the last point before exhausting its supply of 250 tickets. Because the defending team doesn't have a headquarters, players on that side are only able to respawn on their teammates if they lose all of their capture points. If all members of the team die, the attacking team wins.
Turning Tides also of course includes new weapons--six guns and three melee weapons--a selection of which you can see in the video. The Assault kit gets the C96 Trench and M12P16, Medic gets the Farquhar-Hill (with range and stability variants), Support gets the Brownin GM1917 (also with a telescopic variant), and Recon gets the Arisaka and Carcano. There's also the new Breech gun Flak option for Assault players that is ideal for taking down airplanes, though it works just fine on enemy infantry, too.
Turning Tides is slated for release sometime this December and also includes two new vehicles, a new Operation, and an Elite class (the Infiltrator). Prior to that, those willing to wade into the CTE can check out a select portion of its content beginning on Tuesday, October 17. Turning Tides is the third major DLC pack for Battlefield 1 to date, with the Apocalypse DLC still to come in "early" 2018. In the meantime, you can put the latest Battlefield 1 update through its paces, which was released last week, and the Turning Tides concept art below.
Bungie will again conduct server maintenance for Destiny 2--and Destiny 1--today. Luckily, this won't result in any direct impact on players, at least according to Bungie's current plan.
"Backend maintenance" on both games is scheduled to begin at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST today, October 16 (3 AM AEDT on October 17). A duration for this was not shared, but Bungie said on Twitter, "There is currently no expected user impact during this maintenance."
With Star Wars Battlefront II launching next month, Sony has announced several new PS4 models themed around the game for North America and Europe. Each region gets multiple new new options, although for North Americans, only one of them actually sports a unique design.
As seen in the trailer and images below, the simply titled Star Wars Battlefront II PS4 Pro bundle features a black 1 TB system with Star Wars written on the front in white and some emblems on the top. These include the signature icons for the Galactic Empire and the Resistance in either corner in off-white, but featured in red in the middle is that of the Inferno Squad. This is the group you play as a member of in Battlefront II's single-player campaign.
This bundle comes with a matching black controller that again features the Empire and Resistance emblems on either side, as well as repeated versions of the Star Wars logo on the touchpad. Also included is a physical copy of Battlefront II's Deluxe Edition; this provides three days of early access and some in-game upgrade packs. It launches on November 14 in North America and Europe, three days before the game itself. European pricing was not shared, but in North America, it runs for $450 USD / $550 CAD.
Star Wars fans seeking a standard PS4 also have a new option. In Europe, this takes the form of a gray system that otherwise features the same design as the Pro unit. Despite the difference in base color, it comes with the same black controller as the Pro bundle and a Deluxe Edition of the game. Additionally, standard black versions of the PS4 Pro and PS4 will be bundled with the base edition of the game.
In North America, Sony will sell a standard black PS4 bundle with a standard edition copy of the game. This launches for $300 USD / $380 CAD on November 17, the same day as Battlefront II.
The NES Classic and SNES Classic are two great products that make it easy to revisit some of the best games from Nintendo's past, but when you consider the hundreds of other games that didn't make the cut, the selection begins to look a little slim. If you want to take the plunge and invest in vintage cartridges instead, you have two hardware options to consider: wrestle with old Nintendo consoles or look to third-party recreations.
Not all aftermarket systems are created equal, especially when Seattle-based Analogue is in the discussion. The company is highly regarded among classic game collectors who want the best experience possible when playing old games on modern displays, and it's just opened pre-orders for its next boutique console: the Super Nintendo-based Super Nt, coming in February 2018. At $190.00 (available for order worldwide), it's not cheap, but that's because Analogue aims to provide the best experience possible and has made a significant investment to ensure that it can redefine the standards by which all other SNES systems are measured.
The Super Nt will be sold in four different color schemes.
Kevin Horton is a renowned engineer with an eye towards classic video games, and he's been working at Analogue full-time for the last 14 months developing what was previously thought to be a far-off achievement: a 100% accurate FPGA-based SNES. FPGAs are physically programmable circuits that can mimic hardware and, when handled correctly, can provide a more accurate approximation of classic systems (like the Super Nintendo) compared to traditional software emulation. It was previously known that a few hobbyists had made some progress on creating a Super Nintendo on an FPGA, but nothing approaching total accuracy or even commercial distribution. Because of this, Analogue's announcement is an exciting surprise if you're the sort of person interested in having the best gear available, in this case when it comes to playing 16-bit Nintendo games.
In simpler terms: Analogue promises that any Super Nintendo game you throw at the Super Nt, from any region around the world, will work on modern TVs without any flaws or finicky technical hurdles. But if you want to dig into the settings to adjust various aspects of visual and audible experience, there are plenty of options waiting to be tinkered with. By all appearances, the only feature missing from the Super NT that was present on the excellent NT Mini is a versatile analog video connection. While useful for purists who prefer the old glow of a CRT, this is apparently a little-used feature that was shaved off to reduce the cost of the system.
The other cost-cutting measure was the move from a milled aluminum chassis to an all-plastic design. In addition to lowering the entry point--the lowest ever for an Analogue console--this also means the Super Nt can be produced in various color schemes. The company has also partnered with 8bitdo, maker of high-quality wireless controllers for classic systems, to ship each Super Nt with matching controllers made custom for Analogue's new console.
We've yet to test Analogue's claims first-hand, but our experience with its CMVS Neo Geo and NT Mini NES have us convinced that the Super NT is worth looking forward to. For a more in-depth look into Analogue's handiwork, check out our full review of the impressive Nt Mini.
Marvel Entertainment has released a new trailer for Black Panther, providing a look at the wonders of Wakanda. The trailer also sets up T'Challa as the new king of the hidden nation, and shows Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, an exile seeking to overthrow Wakanda's rightful monarch.
The impressive trailer is packed with plenty of superhero action and a fair bit of burgeoning turmoil, all set--appropriately--to a bombastic version of Gil Scott Heron's "The Revolution Shall Not Be Televised," with some voice samples from Long Beach rapper Vince Staples. Check it out above.
Last year, Boseman, who plays T'Challa, suggested that the movie will adopt a different tone to many of the other movies in the Marvel universe. "For me, most of the time the darker superhero movies are the ones that I gravitate towards, that I love the most," he said. "I'm glad that the tone of [Black Panther] may be a little grittier.
"I just wanted to establish that from the beginning, that that's what we were doing," he continued, referring to the character's first appearance in this year's Captain America: Civil War. "That that's what I intend to do. I feel like we'll end up in a place that I've always wanted to be when I look at superhero movies. Those are the ones I like the most. It's exciting to do that."
Black Panther hits theaters on February 16, 2018.
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