Bandai Namco's much-anticipated new Dragon Ball fighting game is less than three months away, the publisher announced today. Dragon Ball FighterZ's release date has shifted from a vague "early 2018" to a precise date: it launches January 26, 2018 in the United States and Europe on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Developed by Arc System Works, the studio responsible for Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, FighterZ is a stylish 2D fighting game featuring a ton of characters from the world of Dragon Ball, who are rendered in 3D. Just recently, we learned that Nappa and Captain Ginyu will be playable, joining the likes of Android 16, Future Trunks, Krillin, and Piccolo. You can see all the Dragon Ball FighterZ characters in our roundup.
In addition to the competitive aspects of the game, FighterZ features a "what-if" story mode where Android 16 is revived and the Z-Fighters are progressively killed off. Players will take control of a different character from chapter to chapter.
Unlike its predecessor, Destiny 2 will release on PC. Although players have had to wait longer for it, there's not much longer left now. Destiny 2 doesn't launch on PC until October 24, and for those of you that didn't pick it up on Xbox One and PS4, the PC version features a variety of improvements and differences compared with its console counterparts. To help you get an idea of what to expect from the PC release of Bungie's hotly anticipated sequel, we've gathered all of the essential details below. Take a look and you'll find detailed information on everything from what's different, to recommended PC hardware specs, and how it works with Blizzard's Battle.net client.
Unfortunately, if you didn't try it already, the Destiny 2 PC beta has already passed. For more on the game, check out our Destiny 2 review. We also have tons of Destiny 2 guides, tips, and tricks for those who have already begun playing on consoles or are simply looking to get a head start on how things will work on PC.
Destiny 2 PC Release Date and Differences
The PC version is confirmed to have release date on October 24, while the Xbox One and PS4 versions are already out, having launched on September 6. Bungie has announced the game's servers will become available at 10 AM PT on October 24, which works out to 1 PM ET / 2 PM BRT / 6 PM BST / and 4 AM the next day in Australia. We've spent time with the computer version and have highlighted the key differences with Destiny 2 on PC.
Destiny 2 PC Minimum Requirements and Recommended Specs
While there may be changes made for the final release, Destiny 2's PC beta brought a list of minimum and recommended system specs. Additionally, Bungie provided a list of hardware for those looking to upgrade their systems, with CPU and GPU minimums and recommendations.
Windows 7 64-bit or Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit (Recommended)
Hard drive space
68GB available hard drive space
Bungie System Specs Used at Events
CPU: Intel i7-7700k
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080Ti 11GB
Destiny 2 Pre-Loading
Pre-loading for Destiny 2 is officially underway. If you've pre-ordered the game through Battle.net, you can download the game now so that it's ready as soon as Bungie's servers come online.
Texture Anisotropy (Anisotropic Filtering, up to 16x)
Texture Quality
Shadow Quality
Depth of Field
Environmental Detail Distance
Character Detail Distance
Foliage Detail Distance
Foliage Shadow Distance
Light Shafts
Motion Blur
Wind Impulse
Render Resolution
High Dynamic Range (HDR)
Chromatic Aberration
Film Grain
Destiny 2 PC Control Scheme
The PC version uses a relatively straightforward control scheme, which you can see in the image below. It's worth noting that the controls are completely customizable.
Destiny 2 Doesn't Use Dedicated Servers
Unfortunately, the game will use peer-to-peer servers. However, this doesn't work quite the same as in the previous game; when Bungie explained why Destiny 2 doesn't use dedicated servers, it noted that you'll never run into a host migration situation.
Destiny 2 PC Impressions
During our hands-on time with the game, we found the mouse and keyboard support to be a welcome addition. It enhanced the overall feel of multiplayer, though it did seem to make the single-player portions we played easier than we anticipated. You can check out our analysis of the PC beta for a technical look at the game; for further impressions of the PC version, watch the video below.
If you're hoping the game is dramatically different from the original Destiny, you may be in for a disappointment, but those seeking a refined version of that game will likely be pleased. You can read our impressions of the full game on console in our Destiny 2 review diary and Destiny 2 review-in-progress.
Destiny 2 Uses Blizzard Battle.net
Destiny 2 uses Blizzard's desktop app. It's the first game not directly developed by Blizzard to appear on the platform. Activision and Blizzard have changed its name several times recently, but moving forward it will be referred to as Blizzard Battle.net.
Destiny Progress Doesn't Transfer to Destiny 2
Unfortunately, Destiny 1 power, possessions, and Eververse-related items and currency will not transfer over. While your character's appearance will not be abandoned in the sequel for console owners, there's no word if it'll support any kind of transfer from console to PC.
Following its release in Japan and Europe, Nintendo will soon bring the SNES-themed New 3DS XL to the US. The limited edition console launches in the region next month, on November 27.
Unlike the European version, which was identical to the Super Famicom-themed New 3DS XL that released in Japan, the US version sports a design based on the region's distinctive purple-and-gray SNES. The top flap looks like the classic console's Power, Reset, and Eject buttons, while the bottom resembles the SNES's cartridge slot. You can take a look at images of the handheld below.
The SNES edition New 3DS XL is available to pre-order now on Amazon. It retails for $200 and includes a download code for Super Mario Kart, the debut installment in Nintendo's popular mascot racing series. The SNES edition New 3DS XL is listed as an Amazon exclusive, though it's unclear whether the handheld itself or the Super Mario Kart bundle is exclusive to the online retailer. We've followed up with Nintendo for clarification.
If you're more interested in the New 2DS XL, Nintendo will also release a special edition Poke Ball-themed handheld next month. The Poke Ball New 2DS XL launches on November 3 and retails for $160, making it a cheaper alternative for those still looking to pick up Nintendo's great handheld console.
Super Mario Odyssey is the latest installment of Nintendo's tenured franchise starring the lovable Italian plumber. You once again control Mario as he works to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. But this time around, he has the help of a new hat sidekick named Cappy, who he can throw at certain objects or enemies to temporarily posses them and use their unique abilities.
With Super Mario Odyssey's release date set for October 27 on Nintendo Switch, we've compiled our most important features and gameplay videos detailing everything you need to know about the game. Check back often as we update this article with our in-depth review, guides, additional articles, and videos.
Features
As a 3D-style Mario game, the emphasis is on exploration in Super Mario Odyssey. The game sports a multitude of open sandbox environments to navigate, which are each packed with enemies and platforming challenges. For more about our impressions about the game thus far, check out the features below:
The general rule of horror franchises is that, as the series continues, the plots get simpler and more repetitive, until the inevitable reboot which resets everything. Not so with the Saw series. What started in 2004 as a clever, gripping, but relatively modest thriller has, over the course of seven films, become a preposterously complicated narrative, with flashbacks, parallel subplots, recurring characters, twists, turns, and head-spinning callbacks. Jigsaw is the eighth movie in the series, and it hits theaters this week. But with a seven year gap since the last movie, 2010's Saw 3D, fans could be forgiven for not really remembering what the hell has happened so far.
The only true way to make sense of where we are is to sit through all the previous movies--which, conveniently, are now all on Netflix. But for those that don't have time, here's a recap of the essential elements of the story so far.
The main problem of attempting to chronicle the plot of the entire series is that so much happens out of sequence. Every movie contains flashbacks to scenes at different points on the timeline, with a variety of important events occurring before the first movie. So let's go from the very start.
There are several key players in the Saw story, all of whom have some backstory that is revealed before the first movie kicks off. At the center we have John Kramer, also known as Jigsaw. Before he was a torture-obsessed maniac, Kramer was a morally responsible architect with an equally wholesome, pregnant wife called Jill, who ran a clinic for recovering drug addicts. But a robbery at the clinic led Jill to have a miscarriage, and soon after, poor Kramer discovered he has an inoperable brain tumor. He attempted suicide but failed, and then decided that his life should follow a darker course. He decided to use his remaining time to set up a series of gruesome games, each one designed to test his victims' will to live.
We also have Amanda, a recovering addict at Jill's clinic, who orchestrated the robbery. Kramer abducts her, and she survives his test and becomes his apprentice. Finally, there's Hoffman, a cop whose sister was murdered by her boyfriend, Seth. Hoffman learns about the so-called Jigsaw killer, and uses a Jigsaw-style trap to kill Seth. Kramer learns of this, abducts Hoffman, and blackmails him into becoming another apprentice.
Saw
Ok, got all that? Good. Now, onto the first Saw. The film centers on Dr. Gordon, the doctor who first diagnosed Kramer's tumour, and a man named Adam, who are two of Jigsaw's abductees and have been locked in a bathroom together, with a corpse on the floor. By the end of the movie, Gordon has sawn his foot off to escape, Adam has been shot and left to die in the room, and the corpse has stood up and revealed himself to be Jigsaw all along.
Saw II
Saw II starts to introduce some of the other characters into the mix. We meet Hoffman, as he and Kramer abduct various victims and imprison them in the disused building known as the Nerve Gas House. There, the duo proceed to play a series of gruesome games upon their abductees, which also an undercover Amanda, Jigsaw's other apprentice. The movie ends with Hoffman renovating the Nerve Gas House, setting up new traps in every room.
Saw III
Onto Saw III, and this is where things start to get really complicated, as the events of both Saw III and Saw IV take place simultaneously. It largely focuses upon a doctor named Lynn, who is placed in one of Jigsaw's traps (the shotgun collar) by Amanda and forced to perform life-saving surgery upon a bed-ridden Kramer. Both Kramer and Amanda die in this one, but don't worry, the games will continue!
Saw IV
As mentioned, Saw IV takes place at the same time as Saw III. This movie provides a lot of Kramer's backstory, revealed by Jill in an interrogation with FBI agent named Strahm. It also focuses on a cop called Rigg who is obsessed with trying to save people, following his own encounters with Jigsaw in the second movie. Of course, he doesn't make it out alive, and the movie ends with Hoffman truly established as the heir to Kramer's insane work.
Saw V
OK, four movies down, three to go. Ready for more? In Saw V, FBI agent Strahm figures out that Hoffman is actually Kramer's apprentice, and finds the Nerve Gas House. Strahm and Hoffman confront each other; Hoffman is locked in a coffin, while Strahm is crushed to death. Meanwhile, Kramer's widow, Jill, receives a mysterious black box from her dead husband...
Saw VI
We're getting there! Saw VI sees Hoffman given five more victims by Kramer from beyond the grave, their identities contained in Jill's black box. Unfortunately for him there is another name in the box--Hoffman himself. Having avoided the cops, Hoffman is caught by Jill, placed in a trap and left for dead. He manages to escape by tearing his face open. Eeeww!
Saw 3D
And… deep breath, just one movie left. Saw 3D sees the return of Dr. Gordon, who we learn was recruited by Kramer as an apprentice after the events of the first movie. Hoffman kills Jill with a trap, but Gordon catches him, and fulfils Kramer's final request by trapping Hoffman and leaving him to die inside the bathroom in which we started the series.
And that's it, so far! But if Jigsaw is a hit, expect this story to keep going, and going, and going. Ready to play...?
The Marshadow distribution may have just ended, but Pokemon Sun and Moon players can now add a new Legendary Pokemon to their teams. Beginning today, GameStop and EB Games stores in the US and Canada will be giving away a shiny Silvally.
Like other Pokemon distributions, the shiny Silvally will be available via a free download code. The Pokemon is level 100 and comes equipped with a Gold Bottle Cap. It also knows the following four moves:
Multi-Attack
Parting Shot
Punishment
Scary Face
To get your shiny Silvally, select Mystery Gift from Sun and Moon's main menu and choose the option to receive your gift via code/password. When prompted, input the code you received at either GameStop or EB Games and you'll be able to claim the Pokemon from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center.
Netflix has announced what's coming and going in the month of November. As usual with the streaming service, many titles--both original and not--will be added to the service leading throughout the month. One particularly interesting addition is the upcoming documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, which is made up of behind-the-scenes footage of Jim Carrey during production of Man on the Moon--the Andy Kaufman biopic.
Of course, the most anticipated release of the month for Netflix is none other than Marvel's The Punisher. The streamer's first Marvel series after Defenders launches November 17, with Jon Bernthal playing the gun-toting vigilante. November will also see the arrival of new seasons of Lady Dynamite and Broadchurch, along with movies like Chappie, Men in Black, and Piranha.
Leaving Netflix isthe Matrix Trilogy, V for Vendetta, and The Human Centipede: First Sequence, to name a few. On the TV front, the streaming service will also remove all nine seasons of How I Met Your Mother, along with four seasons of Jessie.
You can take a look at the full list of what's coming and going on Netflix in November below. And for streaming completists, make sure to check out what's being added to Hulu in the month of November, as well.
Arriving on Netflix, Netflix 2017
November 1
42
Casper
ChappieCharlotte's Web (2006)
Field of Dreams
Men in Black
Michael Clayton
Oculus
Scary Movie
Silent Hill
Stranger: Season 1
The Bittersweet
The Pursuit of Happyness
The Reader
The Whole Nine Yards
To Rome with Love
Under Arrest: Season 7
Undercover Grandpa
Where the Day Takes You
November 2
All About the Money
It's Not Yet Dark
Ten Percent (aka Call My Agent!): Season 2 (Netflix Original)
November 3
Alias Grace (Netflix Original)
Eventual Salvation
The Big Family Cooking Showdown: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
November 4
Williams
November 5
The Homesman
The Veil
November 6
The Dinner
November 7
Dizzy & Bop's Big Adventure: The Great Music Caper
Fate/Apocrypha: Part 1 (Netflix Original)
Killing Ground
P. King Duckling: Season 1
Project Mc²: Part 6 (Netflix Original)
The Journey Is the Destination
November 10
Blazing Transfer Students: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Dinotrux Supercharged: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Glitter Force Doki Doki: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
Lady Dynamite: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
Mea Culpa (Netflix Original)
The Killer (Netflix Original)
November 12
Long Time Running
November 13
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
November 14
DeRay Davis: How To Act Black (Netflix Original)
Hickok
November 15
Lockup: State Prisons: Collection 1
November 16
9
November 17
A Christmas Prince (Netflix Original)
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton (Netflix Original)
Longmire: Final Season (Netflix Original)
Luna Petunia: Season 3 (Netflix Original)
Marvel's The Punisher (Netflix Original)
Mudbound (Netflix Original)
Red, White, Black, Blue Odyssey
Santa Claws
Shot in the Dark: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Spirit: Riding Free: Season 3 (Netflix Original)
Stretch Armstrong & the Flex Fighters: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
November 20
Piranha
November 21
Beat Bugs: All Together Now (Netflix Original)
Brian Regan: Nunchucks and Flamethrowers (Netflix Original)
Saving Capitalism (Netflix Original)
The Case for Christ
November 22
Cherry Pop
Godless (Netflix Original)
The Boss Baby
Tracers
November 23
Deep
She's Gotta Have It: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Bushwick
Cuba and the Cameraman (Netflix Original)
Frontier: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
The Many Faces of Ito: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Trailer Park Boys: Out of the Park: USA: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
November 27
Broadchurch: Season 3
Darkness Rising
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: Season 7 Part 2
Xbox One games won't be the only ones to look better when played on Xbox One X. Enhancements will also be available for a select number of Xbox 360 games, Microsoft confirmed today.
When played on Xbox One X, these Xbox 360 games will run at "higher resolution, 9X the original pixel count, and [with] expanded color details," according to Microsoft. This is done using the Heutchy Method--named after the Microsoft engineer who developed it--which is also used to play improved versions of original Xbox games on Xbox One. This "leverages the power of Xbox One X to let the Xbox 360 emulator present the very best version of the game possible with the existing assets--all without touching the game code."
At least to start, only four Xbox 360 games will feature Xbox One X enhancements. These are, however, some of the platform's biggest titles. Here's the full list that will be supported on launch day.
There's no word on when we'll see more Xbox 360 games added; a number of Xbox One games have already been confirmed for Xbox One X enhancements. Specifics vary from game to game in terms of the actual changes, but we'll likely have a much better idea of what to expect as the system approaches its release on November 7.
The Predator is the upcoming reboot of the sci-fi action series, and a first poster was revealed earlier this month, when it was spotted on Fox's stand at Brand Licensing Europe Expo in London. Now an official version has been released, as a cool motion poster via the franchise's app.
It shows lightning striking a town at night, with the bolts of electricity ultimately forming the Predator's mask. It's very cool, and somewhat scary. Check it out below:
The Predator was originally set to arrive in March but will now hit theaters on August 3. It's directed by Shane Black, who previously made Iron Man 3 and last year's comedy thriller The Nice Guys. It stars Boyd Holbrook (Narcos, Logan), Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Keegan-Michael Key (Keanu, Key & Peele), Sterling K. Brown (The People v. OJ Simpson), Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse), and Jacob Tremblay (Room).
"I think that they came to me knowing pretty much that... they said, basically, if I wanted to make Predator but treat it like it was Iron Man 3 instead of just another little movie. I said, 'Let's really do it right this time.'"
Ever since the seemingly endless search for Sophia back in its second season, The Walking Dead has been happy to drag events out over a frustrating number of episodes. For many fans, Season 7 was one long, tiresome tease for the inevitable showdown between the Saviors and Rick's people at Alexandria. This was not helped by the decision to separate many of the characters and spend entire episodes away from certain storylines, leading to a pace that felt glacial at times.
Showrunner Scott Gimple has been open about his decision to make Season 8 faster-paced and more focused, and if nothing else, "Mercy" delivers on that promise. It's also the 100th episode, but unlike Season's 7 controversial premiere, this wasn't about headlines, cliffhangers, or unexpected shocks. No one of consequence dies, and there's not really anything happening that we haven't seen before.
War against the Saviors has begun, and Rick and his people launch their assault on Negan's base. The episode opens with a series of inspirational speeches--the sort only ever spoken in movies and TV shows by people about to face impossible odds against an unstoppable enemy. Rick has a go, then Maggie, then Ezekiel. Carl looks cross that he can't join in, and instead has to stay behind and look after Judith. Sound like something we've seen before?
Thankfully, once the speeches are out of the way, the characters actually get on with it rather than just talking about it. We are spared the details of Rick's plan; instead simply seeing it in action. Daryll is communicating with Dwight, who has swapped sides and is working undercover amongst the Saviors. Explosives are set, walkers are herded up, and Rick and crew roll up and demand Negan's surrender.
This brings a level of urgent immediacy to "Mercy", and viewers who felt a little starved of action will certainly be happy with much of episode's second half. There are no juicy walker kills, but zombies do play a crucial role in Rick's plan, as Daryl leads them towards Negan's base. There isn't much room for character moments either, beyond what we've seen many times before--Rick and Daryl are gruff and manly with each other, Gabriel offers Rick some moral quandaries, and Michonne continues in her dual role as Carl's older sister/stepmom. And Gregory remains a far more interesting bad guy than cartoonish Negan, Xander Berkeley playing him with just the right balance of cowardice, deviousness, and knowing villainy.
That's part of the problem. A hundred episodes in, and we're still watching the good guys run around shooting at a group of similar-feeling bad guys, while trying to avoid being eaten by zombies. This is what The Walking Dead does, and a radical reinvention is perhaps never going to happen. It's hard to see the show maintaining any momentum past the end of this particular conflict. In the comic book, the whole story jumped forward two years for this very reason.
A potential time-jump is teased in this episode, although it's hard to know whether the scenes seemingly set in the future are a dream or a glimpse of actual events. The unfolding action is interspersed with two sets of strange interludes, one an extreme close-up of Rick looking upset, the other a shot of Judith as a little girl, Rick living a happy life with Michonne, and a big grey beard. Perhaps we are seeing two potential futures. Or perhaps both will come to fruition; security and happiness followed by yet more sadness and loss.
The Walking Dead has used this technique before, teasing events by dropping non-chronological inserts into the main narrative--think Sasha's journey in the coffin at the end of Season 7, or Abraham's reappearance earlier in the same season. The ones in "Mercy" are even more oblique than usual, but in this case they work. The timeline of the main story is already jumbled, with the preparations for war intercut with the action itself, and these fleeting moments add mystery without interrupting the episode's flow.
On the whole, this was a solid episode. There was a cliffhanger of sorts--Gabriel trapped in a cabin with Negan, surrounded by dozens of walkers, and that does suggest that we'll hopefully get to see Jeffrey Dean Morgan do some of the proper acting he is more than capable of, instead of just smirking and swaggering. VFX whiz and Walking Dead veteran Greg Nicotero directs with plenty of energy, but on the whole it felt like a placeholder episode, something to remind fans of why they like the show in the first place, while hinting at some more interesting developments to come--not a 100th episode.
Best kill
"Mercy" was short on zombie-splatter, and the best kill actually happened off-screen. Rick ambushes one of the Savior's men and is about to leave him to die until he starts taunting him about Carl. Rick cuts a walker that was tethered nearby free, and the man is devoured by the hungry zombie. Sure, he was going to die anyway, but this death sounded A LOT more painful.
Bungie partnered with Vicarious Visions to make sure Destiny 2 is specifically tuned for the PC and has the look and feel of a game that's true to the platform. This meant having a seven-week release gap after the console versions, as developers stated that the extra time was spent to get it right. The game is also going to live on Blizzard's Battle.net ecosystem and uses some of its functionality--like the friends list and chat/whisper. But what else separates this version from its console counterparts? And what specific features are offered for PC players?
Control Schemes
Competitive players will no doubt use a keyboard and mouse, but Destiny 2 still has full support for controllers. So, for those more laid-back and less stressful encounters, you can kick back with a controller, if you want, since the game seamlessly transitions between control schemes. The game will switch schemes as soon as it receives input from either one. Unlike keybinds, gamepad button mappings aren't fully customizable, but gamepad control options are the same as seen on consoles.
Recoil Pattern
While we're on the subject of controllers, Bungie and Vicarious Visions stated in a roundtable discussion that the recoil pattern for weapons is different depending on whether or not you're using keyboard and mouse vs controller. For example, an auto rifle will have a scattered recoil pattern when using keyboard and mouse, but the same gun will pull upward as you're firing when using a controller. These patterns immediately switch as soon as the game receives an input from either control scheme.
As the developers stated, it wouldn't be good design if players constantly had to constantly swipe the mouse downward to fight the recoil whereas this is much less of an issue with a controller's analog stick.
Graphics Options Galore (3D Ambient Occlusion, No MSAA)
Destiny 2 got the full PC graphical treatment with plenty of options to choose from. You'll be able to unlock the framerate, so users of high-refresh monitors should be happy. It comes with that coveted FOV slider for wider viewing angles and even accommodates 21:9 displays properly.
There were three distinct anti-aliasing options in the beta, but the final release has one dropped. The beta had issues with multisample antialiasing (MSAA), and Bungie and Vicarious Visions stated that they couldn't get it working properly. Fast-approximate AA (FXAA) and subpixel morphological AA (SMAA) are the only ones found in the menu. Supersampling is possible through increasing the render resolution; it's visually superior but also taxes performance big time. Check out our explainer if you want to know more about anti-aliasing techniques and how they impact performance,
There's also a never-before-seen ambient occlusion option available. It's simply marked as "3D" in the menu, and this particular implementation here uses proprietary tech that adds more depth to the look of object shadowing than HDAO, and it's similar to techniques like HBAO plus. You can dig deeper into what ambient occlusion does for games in our own explainer video here.
How To Improve FPS
Speaking of performance and framerate, Nvidia did a comprehensive analysis on each graphics option; the visual difference and their effect on FPS. The company used a mid-range rig equipped with a 6GB GTX 1060 video card and an Intel Core i7-6700K CPU at 4.6GHz with a 1080p resolution for a large majority of the performance breakdown, but highlighted a few points if you want to squeeze out more FPS without sacrificing too much visual quality:
Turning off "Depth of Field" gave an extra 4 FPS
Going from an "FOV" of 105 to 95 saved about 2.4 FPS
"Foliage Detail Distance" from High to Medium added 4.1 FPS
Using HDAO instead of 3D for "Ambient Occlusion" boosted framerate by 5.4 FPS
"Shadow Quality" on High instead of Highest saves about 4.1 FPS
Note: using Medium offers a 9.4 FPS boost from Highest
At the Activision/Bungie preview event for Destiny 2 on PC, GameSpot was able to experience the game in 4K while consistently staying above 60 FPS, even in chaotic Crucible matches. Our graphics settings included SMAA, 16x anisotropic filtering, 3D ambient occlusion, and a mix of medium to max quality settings with FOV set to 105. The system used for the following gameplay video was equipped with an Intel Core i7-7700K CPU and Nvidia's GTX 1080 Ti video card.
Content Rollout Will Sync With Consoles
A big question about the PC version of Destiny 2 is how the rollout of content will be handled on the platform, considering the nearly two-month release gap. The Raid will be available approximately one week after release, giving players time to level and gear up. Over time, the cadence of activities and events will be in sync across all versions. In talking with the developers, it's confirmed that DLC and patches will come out at the same time for each platform.
In addition, the PC version may also receive patches separate from the console version, since it'll likely need attention to platform-specific issues that may arise, like weapon balancing or potential bugs.
No Cross-Play Or Cross-Save Planned
Bungie and Vicarious confirmed in a roundtable discussion that there aren't any plans to implement cross-play, even for non-competitive situations. PC players will only be able to play with other PC players, and same goes for each console. There also aren't any plans for cross-save functionality, so characters on each version can only be used on that particular platform.
Those are a some of the key differences between the PC and console releases of Destiny 2. If you want to get an idea of how the game is as a whole, check out Kallie Plagge's full Destiny 2 review of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions and stay tuned for her updated review that'll include the PC version. And if you're ready to get started, be sure to read through our wealth of class guides and tips.
Activision hosted and provided accommodations for a preview event for the PC version of Destiny 2 in which GameSpot participated and gathered the information in this article.
The next pair of Pokemon games, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, are quickly approaching their November 17 release date, and ahead of their launch, Nintendo has been giving away a ton of free items and Pokemon for the previous Sun and Moon versions. Many of the giveaways have already ended, but there are still plenty of rare freebies for Sun and Moon players to get their hands on.
We've rounded up all of the distributions that are currently running for Pokemon Sun and Moon, as well as a few that will be available for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon when those versions launch. We'll be updating this list as more giveaways are announced, so check back often to see what free items and Pokemon you can get.
Pokemon Sun/Moon Free Gifts
Mega Stones -- Ends Oct. 31
Mega Stones are exceptionally rare and valuable in Pokemon Sun and Moon. When equipped to their corresponding Pokemon, Mega Stones allow it to Mega Evolve during battle, often changing its type and giving it a considerable stat boost. Nintendo is giving away several batches of Mega Stones that aren't normally available in Sun and Moon, all of which are redeemable via a universal download code. Input the following codes in Mystery Gift by October 31 and you'll receive these Mega Stones:
Players in the US can pick up a free download code for Charizard from the electronics department in Target stores. The popular Fire-type Pokemon comes at level 50, is equipped with the Red Card item, and knows the moves Dragon Dance, Flare Blitz, Fly, and Earthquake. As with other download codes, you need to input your code via Mystery Gift to receive Charizard. The distribution runs until October 14, and you have until February 4, 2018 to redeem your code.
Marshadow -- DONE
For a very limited time, players can pick up a free download code for the Mythical Pokemon Marshadow. Those in the US can get the code from GameStop, while players in the UK will have to visit "participating retailers." This is the first legitimate way Sun and Moon players can obtain the rare Fighting/Ghost-type, which comes at level 50 and is equipped with Marshadium Z. It also knows the attacks Spectral Thief, Close Combat, Force Palm, and Shadow Ball.
Pikachu
To celebrate the release of the Pokemon series' 20th anniversary film, Pokemon The Movie: I Choose You, The Pokemon Company is giving away six different versions of Ash's Pikachu for Sun and Moon. To receive a Pikachu, enter the code PIKACHU20 in Mystery Gift. However, you can only receive one of the six Pikachu, and the version you get depends on when you enter the code. The full Pikachu distribution schedule is below.
Players who purchase either Pokemon Gold or Silver from the 3DS Eshop by September 21, 2018 will receive a bonus download code for the Mythical Pokemon Celebi. The code can be redeemed in Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, or Ultra Moon. We've outlined the steps you need to take to find and redeem the code here.
Magearna
Unlike other Mythical Pokemon, the Steel/Fairy-type Magearna is available not through Mystery Gift, but via a QR code. After defeating the Elite Four and completing the main story, you can use the QR Scanner feature to scan the below code. After doing so, visit the Antiques shop in Hau'oli City and pick your Magearna up from the deliveryman waiting there. The Mythical Pokemon comes at level 50 and knows the moves Fleur Cannon, Flash Cannon, Lucky Chant, and Helping Hand.
Shiny Silvally -- Ends Nov. 13
Beginning October 23, players in the US and Canada can pick up a free download code for a shiny Silvally from GameStop and EB Games stores. The distribution will run until November 13. Players in the UK will also have a chance to get the rare Pokemon at participating GAME stores from November 3-16.
Pokemon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon Free Gifts
Rockruff -- Ends Jan. 10, 2018
Purchase either Pokemon Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon by January 10 and you'll receive a special Rockruff as a free bonus. This Rockruff will only evolve into Dusk Form Lycanroc, a new variant of the popular wolf Pokemon that is exclusive to Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
Along with a cast of fan-favorite characters, Steven Universe: Save the Light, the upcoming Steven Universe RPG for PS4 and Xbox One, will feature a handful of new characters. Today, Cartoon Network revealed another Crystal Gem who'll be making her debut in the title: Hessonite.
Described as a "pompous Homeworld commander," Hessonite is the Crystal Gem allied with the game's other original character, Squaridot. Hessonite is the one responsible for stealing the Prism from Steven at the start of the adventure, and she intends to restore into a powerful Gem weapon. You can take a look at the first artwork of Hessonite below.
Like Paper Mario, Save the Light is a 2D RPG that features a turn-based battle system with action commands. Players form a party out of popular Steven Universe characters and must press the correct button at the right time in order to defend yourself against enemies and deal more damage when you attack. You can watch 20 minutes of gameplay footage from the title above.
Steven Universe: Save the Light launches for PS4 in North and Latin America later this month, on October 31. The Xbox One release will follow globally three days later, on November 3. The game will only be available digitally and will cost $25.
As with Xbox 360 games, you can pop the physical disc in your system, or you can play using a digital version from the Xbox Store. System link is supported, even between different generations of Xbox hardware, though online multiplayer is not due to support ending for original Xbox games in 2010. Achievements are also not available, given that they weren't included in the original versions. Support for 1080p, higher or more stable framerates, and faster load times are all in place according to IGN--just be aware that most of these run in 4:3 aspect ratios.
Xbox games will not be added to the backwards compatibility list on the same sort of time table as Xbox 360 games. Following this initial set of 13, the next "batch" of game will arrive sometime in Spring 2018.
The video below showcases what Knights of the Old Republic looks like running on an original Xbox versus an Xbox One S. While you're unlikely to mistake it for a newly released game, it does look noticeably better, with sharper textures and less aliasing.
When we spoke with Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently, he teased that Xbox One X owners may receive some kind of special backwards compatibility support. "There's some stuff we're going to talk about in that space in terms of how compatibility's going to work on [Xbox One] X specifically that I think people will find pretty interesting," he said. Based on the Xbox Wire post, it sounds as if that is 4K support for these games.
As he works on the movie's script, along with co-writer Chris Terrio (Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice), Abrams doesn't want the film to live in the past. Instead, he's looking to the future. Given that Disney, the studio behind Star Wars, will no doubt be continuing the franchise, that makes perfect sense.
During an interview alongside composer Michael Giacchino (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Abrams tells BBC Radio 4, "I feel like we need to approach this with the same excitement that we had when we were kids loving what these movies were and, at the same time, we have to take them places that they haven't gone, and that's sort of our responsibility." That's a comment that could be taken both literally and figuratively.
Surely, the film will visit new planets and bring about new species of aliens--and possibly different droids--but there's more to the idea of uncharted territory in the Star Wars universe. The current trilogy continues the saga started by Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in 1977's A New Hope. Over 40 years later, it may be time to explore some new story ideas.
In a galaxy as large as the one Star Wars exists in, there are plenty of stories to tell and many of them are getting the chance to shine in projects like Star Wars Rebels. Perhaps the time will come after Episode IX for a new saga to be introduced on the big screen.
It certainly sounds like something on Abrams' mind as he looks forward. "It's a strange thing. Michael [Giacchino]'s worked on things like Planet of the Apes, and Star Trek, and Star Wars and these are the things of dreams," he says. "Yet we can't just revel in that, we have to go elsewhere."
While the future of Star Wars is unknown, hearing Abrams talk about it certainly does make it exciting.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in theaters on December 17. Star Wars: Episode IX releases on December 20, 2019. Between the two, Solo--the Han Solo standalone movie--will debut on May 25, 2018.
Brock Lesnar is the current WWE Universal champion, even though he only works part-time--no house shows, barely any television, and only select PPVs. Up until now, WWE has sold fans on a shaky, flawed premise: that because a Lesnar appearance is rare, it makes the title an exclusive treasure, defended on the biggest stages only. According to WWE, this increases the title's importance rather than decreasing it.
But the opposite is true. The current booking renders the title meaningless. The WWE Universal Championship is, like every other title belt, a storytelling device, and WWE has not given fans a reason to care about who wears it and why. By keeping it on Lesnar, the company squanders any opportunities to correct this problem.
Getting the fans to care was never going to be easy. When the Superstar Shakeup went down last summer and the roster was split between Raw and SmackDown, WWE had to figure out how to divvy up the existing belts. There were two midcard belts--the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship--so it was easy to split those between two shows. But there was only one main event world title: The WWE Championship. So, WWE created the WWE Universal title as a second world title and made it a Raw exclusive.
The WWE Championship, which is currently exclusive to SmackDown, has a long, distinguished history. Buddy Rogers held it for the first time in 1963. Bruno Sammartino held it, collectively, for over a decade. Hulk Hogan held it. Bret Hart held it. Steve Austin held it.
It's part of WWE's institutional memory. When fans see the WWE Championship, they're seeing something weighted with history, blood, and sacrifice. Even when there's a weak champion--like Jinder Mahal, who is the current title holder--it doesn't diminish the title's importance. It would take a lot to undo over 50 years of storytelling.
The Universal title, on the other hand, has none of that historical context to fall back on, which made it important to build the title's reputation and emotional attachment. But that's never happened—sometimes due to factors outside WWE's control, and sometimes due to the company's own self-sabotage.
The belt debuted with a particularly rough start. When Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon unveiled the belt at SummerSlam 2016, the hostile Brooklyn crowd booed its design viciously--so viciously that Seth Rollins took to Twitter to scold fans for their behavior.
But design can change. The real test of the belt's long-term future was whether its champions could make it matter. And here, WWE ran into some bad luck. The inaugural champion, Finn Balor, would have been a perfect candidate to represent Raw. But unfortunately, he dislocated his shoulder during his SummerSlam 2016 match with Seth Rollins. He relinquished the belt to commissioner Mick Foley less than 24 hours after he won it.
Miraculously, WWE devised a Plan B that, at first glance, seemed almost as good as their first plan. Triple H interfered in a Fatal 4-Way match to determine the next Universal Champion and literally handed his NXT protege, Kevin Owens, the title.
It created enough potential plotlines to last WWE for two years. It was an ultimate corrupt heel move. It set up a meta-narrative, where both in real life and in the storyline, Triple H was orchestrating a takeover of WWE through NXT. And new champion Kevin Owens had skills in the ring and on the mic. He wasn't chiseled like Finn Balor, but perhaps, in this new era of WWE, he didn't have to be.
But instead of backing his handpicked champion in person, Triple H disappeared from WWE television for weeks at a time and never explained his actions. And Owens, rather than being the lonely, emotionally damaged character that he excels at, was placed in a comedic BFF storyline with Chris Jericho. Unfortunately for Owens, no one on the roster, no matter how he or she can talk, can compete with Chris Jericho on a microphone.
Even worse, Kevin Owens relied on Jericho's outside interference. That's no way to build the new title's prestige--to have its first long-reigned champion struggle to hold onto it.
And then, to make matters worse, a 50-year-old part-time Goldberg took the Universal title from Owens, in a fluke match that lasted under 30 seconds. It nostalgia-popped the crowd, but it did no favors toward building the title's reputation. Less than a month later, Goldberg lost the title to Lesnar at WrestleMania.
Lesnar hasn't dropped it since then, and his rare matches have been inconsistent. His best defense was a Fatal 4-Way at SummerSlam between him, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Samoa Joe. Lesnar wasn't involved in the entire match, as he was injured. But he returned towards the end and performed well.
Unfortunately, this big victory was bookended by two lackluster PPV performances. Lesnar earned a clean win against Samoa Joe at Great Balls of Fire, and he earned another clean win against Braun Strowman at No Mercy. In both matches, he defeated his opponents with a single, insulting F-5.
So to recap: The Universal title went from being dropped by an injured champion, to being held by a weak champion, to being won with sheer luck by a gimmick champion, to being won and held by a part-time champion. Two of the four men held it for less than a month. What does the Universal title even signify with that sort of lineage?
How can WWE fix the Universal title's stagnancy? First, get it off Lesnar. The sooner that happens, the better. Put it on a tough, full-time wrestler--one who fights cleanly rather than cheating--and have him score a series of high profile wins. Lesnar's limited schedule does not allow him or WWE to give the title the on-screen attention it deserves.
Rumor has it that Roman Reigns will win the Universal title at next year's WrestleMania, cementing him as the top guy in the company. But WWE should give him a crown worthy of his long-awaited coronation. And as it currently stands, the WWE Universal title is no crown. It's an ugly tiara, in need of some real jewels.
Prior to the system's release, Atlus confirmed that it was working on a new Shin Megami Tensei game for Nintendo Switch. Now, we've gotten a new trailer for it and confirmation that this is the next full-fledged entry in the series: Shin Megami Tensei V.
Atlus shared the news during a recent livestream, though we're still in the dark regarding many of the specifics. The video shows that the game will at least partially take place in modern-day Tokyo. We see two characters walk through what looks like a normal train station before the video transitions to a tunnel filled with slain demons. Finally, there's a scene in a post-apocalyptic city as flying creatures swoop in and attack those same two characters.
When it was first revealed, a trailer for SMT V--known at the time as Shin Megami Tensei: Brand New Title--showed off a destroyed office building and some familiar-looking demons. Like that one, this trailer is entirely in Japanese. Atlus has not yet confirmed an international release for the game. Given that recent Shin Megami Tensei games have been localized for western markets, a localization seems likely. There might be a wait for such a version, but given that Switch is region-free, you can always opt to play the Japanese version as soon as it's available.
The Nintendo 64 was home to many great games during its run in the '90s, and the jump to 3D meant big changes for every genre. The era also brought many platformers, and we can't help looking back on them with rose-tinted glasses.
But much like a middle schooler going through puberty, a few games handled the changes more gracefully than others. Some platformers rose to the top, while others were simply lost to time. There's a reason Super Mario 64 is considered a classic, while Superman 64...well, isn't.
With Super Mario Odyssey set to bring that nostalgic feel back in just a few short days, we're taking a look back at the best platformers the Nintendo 64 had to offer. Do you agree with our list? Let us know your favorite in the comments below!
Bandai Namco has shared a lot of exciting news about Dragon Ball FighterZ today. On top of announcing a release date for the highly anticipated fighting game, as well as an upcoming open beta for PS4 and Xbox One, today the publisher revealed the first details about the game's DLC character pass.
Following the game's launch, players will have the option to purchase the FighterZ Pass, which grants access to a slate of DLC characters "at a discounted price." The pass costs $35 and gives players access to eight new characters when they're released. Bandai Namco hasn't hinted at which characters will be included, but they'll come alongside their respective stamps and lobby avatars.
So far, Bandai Namco has revealed 18 characters for Dragon Ball FighterZ, including fan favorites like Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Future Trunks, and Android 18. Most recently, we learned that two more villains, Nappa and Captain Ginyu, will also be playable characters. You can see all the Dragon Ball FighterZ characters in our roundup.
Dragon Ball FighterZ releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in the US and Europe on January 26, 2018. PS4 and Xbox One players who pre-order the digital version will get early access to the game's open beta, though Bandai Namco hasn't revealed any timing details. Pre-ordering the title also unlocks Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta early.
Bandai Namco has reiterated plans to host an open beta for Dragon Ball FighterZ. Specifics of the test are still unknown, but those eager to spend some extra time with it now know how they can get in early.
In addition to a variety of other bonuses, pre-ordering a digital copy of FighterZ grants early access to the open beta, which will only be available on PS4 and Xbox One. It's unclear if pre-ordering the physical edition--which you'd have to do if you want the FighterZ Collector's Edition--also qualifies for this early access. We've followed up with Bandai Namco to find out and will report back with any information we receive.
We don't yet know what the open beta will consist of or when exactly it will take place. It can't be especially far off, as we've learned that Dragon Ball FighterZ's release date is set for January 26, 2018. A closed beta first took place in September.
In addition to early beta access, other perks for pre-ordering include early access to SSGSS Goku and SSGSS Vegeta, two exclusive lobby avatars, and a Girls Stamp Pack that consists of Android 21, Android 18, and Bulma. All of this will be available for the game at launch. Separately, players will be able to purchase a season pass that adds eight characters to FighterZ's roster.
Total War: Warhammer 2's upcoming Mortal Empires mode promises to introduce the largest map in Total War history. By combining both the first game and the second games' battlegrounds, developer Creative Assembly is giving players the opportunity to puppeteer a fantasy war on a scale much grander than anything it has done before.
If you own both Total War: Warhammer games, you'll be able to pit over 100 factions from across the two titles against each other. With 117 starting locations, 295 settlements, and 35 legendary lords, it promises to be a vast, involved gameplay experience. But is it any good?
GameSpot's Dave Jewitt, a self-confessed Total War and Warhammer nut, recently had some hands-on time with the mode and has offered his assessment of how it's coming together. In the video above you can hear him talk about how the thousands of new variables impacts flow, the opportunities bringing all the factions together provides, and whether you'll need an insane PC to play the mode.
For those wondering if they should check the base game out, GameSpot's Total War: Warhammer 2 review awarded it a 9/10. "With Warhammer II, Total War doesn't reinvent anything so much as it iterates on the ideas that made the first so special," said Daniel Starkey. "At its heart there's still the marriage of Total War's big-scale strategy and Warhammer's precise tactical play. But, through a thousand tiny tweaks, they've refined the experience into one of the most intriguing and exciting strategy games ever."
Total War: Warhammer 2's Mortal Empires mode will launch on October 26 for PC.
A new batch of PS4, PS3, and Vita deals are now available in the US PlayStation Store. Along with an EA Sports sale, this week marks the start of the Halloween-themed Sale of the Dead, which offers discounts on a huge range of horror games for Sony consoles. [Update: Today, October 23, marks the final day for many of these sales, making this your last chance to take advantage of the current prices. Sale of the Dead's second week begins tomorrow.]
PS4 owners in particular can find the biggest selection of games on sale, with PS Plus subscribers saving an additional percentage off on many of the titles. Perhaps the biggest is Resident Evil 7, the newest critically acclaimed installment in Capcom's long-running horror series. The standard edition runs for $30 (or $36 without a PS Plus subscription), while the Deluxe edition and season pass cost $45 ($54) and $24 ($27), respectively.
A couple of older Resident Evil games are on sale as well, including Resident Evil 4, 5, 6 ($8/$10 each) and Code: Veronica X ($3.74/$5.24). Other notable PS4 games that are discounted during the first week of the Sale of the Dead include:
In addition to the Sale of the Dead, a handful of EA's recent sports titles are on sale this week for PS4. The Madden NFL 18 standard edition runs for $40.19, while the GOAT Squads edition costs $53.59. In addition to that, NBA Live 18 is available for $30. All three editions of NHL 18 are also on sale. The standard release runs for $40.19, while the Young Stars and Young Stars Deluxe editions cost $53.59 and $67, respectively.
The EA Sports sale runs until October 24, while many of the Sale of the Dead discounts will be available until Halloween. You can find the full list of this week's deals on PlayStation Store.
The latest batch of Xbox One and Xbox 360 discounts are now available for Xbox Live Gold members. This week's selection consists of some great games for both platforms, including a few recent releases. [Update: Today, October 23, marks the final day of availability for these deals. If you're interested in anything, you'll want to pick it up now before it returns to its regular price.]
On Xbox One, Gold members can find discounts on some of this year's sports games, including NBA Live 18: The One Edition ($30/£30), Madden 18 ($40.19/£40.19), and some virtual currency bundles for NBA 2K18. All three editions of NHL 18 are also on sale; the standard version costs $40.19/£40.19, while the Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions run for $53.59/£53.59 and $67/£60.29, respectively.
Xbox 360 owners don't have quite as many discounts to choose from, though there are still some notable games on sale. This week, Gold members can pick up Red Dead Redemption, which is backwards compatible with Xbox One, for $9.89/£8.24. Other notable games on sale for Gold members are The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition ($3), Grand Theft Auto IV ($8/£7.19), and Bully Scholarship Edition ($7.49/£6).
As always, this week's Xbox Live Gold deals will only be available for a limited time and expire at 6 AM ET on October 24. You can find the full list of discounts on Major Nelson's blog.
Update: Bungie has replaced this week's Nightfall Strike due to issues players were experiencing with Exodus Crash. For the remainder of the week, you can try your hand at the Nightfall version of Pyramidion. Along with that change, there are also new modifiers in place: Timewarp: Zero Hour (which prevents you from extending the time limit) and Torrent (increasing the rate at which your skills recharge). [Today, Monday, October 23, is the last day to attempt this Nightfall--and earn its corresponding rewards--before the weekly reset occurs.]
Original Story: Every seven days, Destiny 2's weekly reset changes a bunch of variables within the game, from the activities on offer to the rewards available to the items on sale in shops. This week's Nightfall Strike, Exodus Crash, is set in Arcadian Valley, while Eververse have some new gear on offer.
Two modifiers are active in Exodus Crash this week, one of which again offers a way to earn additional time. Timewarp: Rings presents a set of large white circles throughout the mission for you to jump through; each one provides an additional 30 seconds of time to finish the Strike. The other modifier, Prism, rotates through each of the three elements, with the chosen element doing additional damage (and the others doing less than usual). Following the release of a Destiny 2 update last month, this now functions correctly, as the message indicating the chosen element no longer lasts for just a brief moment. Additionally, an on-screen effect helps to highlight when the element changes from one to the next.
In terms of Challenges, Speed of Dark is active as always, which requires you to finish the Strike with at least five minutes remaining. Unbroken tasks you with completing the Strike with fewer than three deaths. And finally, Faster Than Lightning asks your Fireteam to kill nine Shanks with melee attacks before defeating Thaviks.
Exodus Crash in Arcadian Valley has a recommended Power level of at least 240. If you haven't made it to that point, you may want to consider waiting until after you've raised your Power level before grabbing the Nightfall reward, which is Powerful gear. This Nightfall will be available until Destiny 2's next weekly reset, which occurs at 2 AM PT / 5 AM ET / 10 AM BST / 8 PM AET on Tuesday, October 24.
Away from the Nightfall Strike, you can grab a new bundle from Eververse. Costing 2000 Silver, the legendary Golden Sevens bundle contains seven bright Engrams, seven shaders, 500 Bright Dust, and a unique Nothing Gold ship. Take a look at the ship for yourself below. [Update: It appears this bundle is no longer for sale on the Eververse store.]
Plenty more has likely changed for the week, with previous resets offering new Milestones, Challenges, and treasure maps to buy from Cayde. Sadly, the weekly reset also means last week's Iron Banner event is now over. However another event, the Leviathan Prestige Raid, goes live tomorrow, October 18, after it was delayed last week.
Destiny 2's new winter activity, which is called The Dawning event, has also been revealed. It includes the ability to play hockey at the Farm, and throughout Destiny 2's playable areas there will also be snowballs you can throw at enemies to do damage. Of course, there's also new gear. You can see all the details on Destiny 2's winter event here.
In other Destiny 2 news, Bungie has removed the Monty Python-inspired, high-kicking walk emote. Although the developer hasn't officially said why this has been removed, it may have something to do with the emote letting players get into some walled-off, unfinished areas.
Nintendo has announced it will host a Direct event for its mobile Animal Crossing game. The direct will take place on October 25 and the pre-recorded broadcast will stream on YouTube from 12 PM JST (October 24 at 8 PM PT / October 25 at 7 AM BST). According to the Japanese Nintendo Twitter account, it will last 15 minutes.
The Animal Crossing mobile game was originally scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2017, but was delayed into Nintendo's next financial year. This means the game's launch could be anytime up until March 31, 2018.
Nintendo attributed the reason for the delay to the launch of Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Mario Run, the first two mobile games released as part of its partnership with DeNA. Fire Emblem Heroes launches February 2, while Super Mario Run launched for iOS on December 15, 2016.
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto previously said the company will continue to focus on crafting original games to mobile, rather than porting old ones. This has been the case for Mario, which appeared on iOS and Android devices as an auto-runner, and Fire Emblem, which was released as a new free-to-play entry in the series.
In his Super Mario Run review, critic Peter Brown awarded it a 7/10, saying "it's easy to fault Run for various reasons, but it's hard to totally lose appreciation for how well it's brought the series' core gameplay to smartphones."
He added: "It's a shame to find that it's on the easy side and bereft of a long-lasting platforming adventure, but it's the sort of game that you'll be happy to have in your pocket."
Kallie Plagge's Fire Emblem Heroes review, meanwhile, awarded it a 6/10. "When the incentive to keep playing is to be able to keep playing, it's easy to burn out on Fire Emblem Heroes," she said. "Aside from obtaining your favorite characters--if you even care about that--Fire Emblem Heroes becomes less and less rewarding as time goes on.
"Grinding can only be fun for so long before chasing rare allies becomes a chore, and in that sense it caters to two ends of a wide spectrum while offering little incentive for anyone in between."
DC's Justice League hits theaters next month, but there will be a bit of a wait for the next movie from the studio, with Aquaman not due until December 2018. The good news is that production on Aquaman has now wrapped.
Stars Jason Momoa and Amber Heard, along with director James Wan, have all taken to social media to mark the end of shooting. You can check Momoa's Instagram post (featuring Heard) below, while Wan and Heard's own posts can be found here and here.
Earlier this year, Momoa spoke about his role in the film and explained that that unlike Batman or Superman, this wasn't a character who already had an established identity onscreen. "We've never really seen anything from this guy before, so it's fun to have a level playing field," Momoa said. "There aren't like four Aquamans before me. I get to set the tone for it."
Given the enormous success of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds, developer Bluehole is of course going to continue to support the game for a while. But Playerunknown himself, Brendan Greene, said in a new interview that a sequel is not coming anytime soon.
Speaking to IGN, Greene was asked directly about the next five years of PUBG and if this will include a sequel. "Oh no," Greene responded. Instead, players can expect PUBG to take the games-a-service model, with developer Bluehole updating and refreshing it with patches over time instead of making PUBG 2.
"We're building this game as a service," Greene said. "We'll still have the boxed copy that you buy ... we still want to polish and refine. Add more maps, add more assets, and continually refine the gameplay and optimise as we go forward."
Greene clarified that PUBG will be available on Xbox One on a disc (in addition to digitally), if players want to pick it up at a physical retailer. Microsoft is publishing the Xbox One version of PUBG, and Greene said he's excited to bring the game to a console like Xbox, which he said is synonymous with gaming. The Xbox One version of PUBG will launch later this year, though a specific release date hasn't been announced yet.
Like that rash you hate to see but love to scratch, Xur is back. This week, Destiny 2's shadiest salesman is hanging around on Titan and is very easy to find. Simply fire up your PS4 or Xbox One, fast travel to The Rig, and he's a hop, skip, and a jump away from you with new wares to peddle.
Take a look below and you'll find a list of all the Exotic gear Xur has to offer this week--with the usual array of one weapon and three pieces of armor (one per class). We also have images of them, so you can read up on the exact stats they have and see how they might fit into your gameplay style. Alternatively, watch the video above to see us hunt Xur down and show off his stock.
Click image to view in full screen
Sweet Business (Auto Rifle): 29 Legendary Shards
Raiden Flux (Hunter Class Chest Armor): 23 Legendary Shards
Doom Fang Pauldron (Titan Class Gauntlets): 23 Legendary Shards
Winter's Guile (Warlock Class Gauntlets): 23 Legendary Shards
Following Destiny 2's launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in September, the shooter comes to PC on October 24. Bungie has detailed a roadmap for the rollout of endgame activities in the PC version. At launch, players will be able to try the normal or Prestige Nightfall Strikes. A week later, the Raid will go live. For more on Destiny 2, take a look at the list of recent stories below.
Bungie has also detailed Destiny 2's winter activity, which is called The Dawning event. It includes the ability to play hockey at the Farm, and throughout Destiny 2's playable areas there will also be snowballs you can throw at enemies to do damage. Of course, there's also new gear. You can see all the details on Destiny 2's winter event here.
Ahead of Destiny 2's release for PC next week, you can now start pre-loading the shooter. As announced previously, pre-loading started on October 18.
Destiny 2's PC version is available only on Blizzard's Battle.net platform, not Steam or other digital stores. You can buy the game right here and start pre-loading right away. Of course, Destiny 2's servers don't go live until 10 AM PT on October 24, but pre-loading ensures that you can start playing right away come launch.
The game supports 4K resolution, uncapped frame rates, and custom key mapping. PC players can also adjust the field of view and use up to three monitors. There are also quite a few settings to play around with, including anti-aliasing, foliage detail distance, film grain, wind impulse, and motion blur, among many other things.
Bungie has detailed a roadmap for the rollout of endgame activities in the PC version. At launch, players will be able to try the normal or Prestige Nightfall Strikes. A week later, the Raid will go live. For more on Destiny 2, take a look at the list of recent stories below.
Destiny 2's new winter activity, which is called The Dawning event, has also been revealed. It includes the ability to play hockey at the Farm, and throughout Destiny 2's playable areas there will also be snowballs you can throw at enemies to do damage. Of course, there's also new gear. You can see all the details on Destiny 2's winter event here.
Assassin's Creed Origins is the latest entry in the long-running Assassin's Creed franchise. Unlike past games, which continually pushed the ancestor timeline forward, this entry is a prequel. Set in Egypt, you play as Bayek, a warrior whose struggle against the corrupt forces of the time leads him towards becoming the first Assassin.
With the game's release date set for October 27 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, we've compiled our most important features and gameplay videos detailing everything you need to know about Assassin's Creed Origins. Check back often as we update this article with our in-depth review, guides, additional articles, and videos.
Features
Unlike its predecessors, Assassin's Creed Origins is an action-RPG; it sports a multi-faceted skill tree, damage hit points, and equipment with varying statistics. In addition, everything you do feeds into an overarching progression system that steadily improves your character's strength and abilities over time. For more about the game's mechanics and story, as well as our impressions of it thus far, check out the features below:
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