We've teamed up with Hi-Rez Studios to give away 5,000 skin codes for SMITE's Black Knight Osiris to redeem on PC/PS4/Xbox One. This is an instant-win and you will receive an email with the code within 24 hours.
This giveaway coincides with SMITE's new action-packed RPG mode titled "Shadows Over Hercopolis". Players band together to traverse iconic locations from Norse mythology, confront legendary monsters, and get sweet loot.
Much like the characters of Cuphead and Mugman, brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer's experience in making their dream game started with a big gamble. While many fans were looking forward to the game since its 2013 reveal, few knew of the struggles that the creators faced when making their dream game into a reality. The journey making this run-and-gun platformer was a remarkable one for Studio MDHR, and in the weeks since its September 2017 release, the developers have been welcome with open arms by a loyal and dedicated audience. Though it's now a million seller, the hardships of development still linger in the minds of its creators.
In an exclusive interview with the creative force from Studio MDHR, GameSpot learned the true story about the making of Cuphead, and how the brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer took many personal risks to make this game happen--and with its success under their belt, the duo are now looking to the future.
One of the most striking elements of Cuphead is its detailed and lush visual design. As a callback to classic animation of the 1930s, Studio MDHR's game evokes a certain rubbery exuberance throughout the many levels Cuphead and Mugman travel through. But the creation of the game's visuals turned out to be a trying task for the small team. Evolving over the course of the game, the animation style and technique became increasingly more elaborate in design and visuals, which showed an enormous attention to detail, but also meant each battle and event had a particular style and tone that set itself apart from what came before.
"Everything in the game is done classically, for the most part. Everything is hand drawn on paper, it's hand inked on paper. All the backgrounds are watercolor paintings." -- Chad Moldenhauer
To make the game in-keeping with its throwback aesthetic, the developers chose a traditional approach to creating its design. Over the course of its development, the game's visual design and implementation proved to be the studio's biggest challenge, all made worse by the limited number of people available to develop the game. From painstakingly painting foam mock-ups of background architecture, to illustrating by-hand the many characters and bosses that are found Cuphead, Studio MDHR went the extra mile to bring the world of Cuphead to life--but at great cost to their careers and personal lives. But over time, this approach began to pay off, giving the game its iconic and vibrant style that put it on the map.
Along with its beautiful visuals, Cuphead built a reputation for its uncompromising challenge. A clear contrast to the vivid, and even inviting graphics on display. In the years before its release, the throwback game was known as something to not take lightly, which the developers felt weren't that unusual when compared to the retro games it sought to replicate. While they acknowledge that difficult games aren't for everyone, the brothers refined their gameplay system that rewarded those that approached the system with patience and perseverance.
Making games is an incredibly taxing and time-consuming affair, which is something that the developers know all too well after their journey. There's much more to learn from our extended talk with the creative minds at Studio MDHR. Be sure to check out our review of the game, along with videos detailing the influences that the team pulled from, and just how they managed to recreate many of the game's most memorable, and challenging stages.
Injustice 2, NetherRealm's superhero-filled fighting game, is set to receive its most surprising DLC additions yet. A new trailer for the game's Fighter Pack 3 DLC has revealed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will join the fray, alongside Enchantress and Atom.
While the latter two characters mentioned above are exciting new arrivals in their own right, they're somewhat overshadowed by the Ninja Turtles. Interestingly, all four of the heroes in a half shell will join the Injustice 2 roster, which will have cool gameplay implications.
In the trailer, which you can see above, the Ninja Turtles interrupt a battle between Enchantress and Atom, and when Michelangelo calls dibs on fighting the "magic lady" he's told that they "fight as a team" by Leonardo. More than just a cool cinematic moment, this could be a tease of how the squad will fight.
Although there hasn't been any gameplay of them in action yet, we're guessing that one of the Ninja Turtles will be the main on-screen character, with the others jumping in and out of battle to execute special moves or lend a hand in combos. From the way the trailer ends, it looks like Leonardo--leader of the Ninja Turtles--will be the primary character and his brothers will back him up. Of course, this is all speculation on our part, and NetherRealm could surprise us by introducing a unique tag-mechanic for them.
These DLC characters, and the ones that came before them, are included as part of the Ultimate Edition of Injustice 2 or can be purchased in the upcoming Fighter Pack 3 DLC. Atom will be available for early access on December 12, but specific release dates for the other characters haven't been confirmed yet.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now only a month from release and we can expect plenty more publicity over the next few weeks. A pair of new trailers were released recently, and now we have another TV spot.
While this teaser is very short, it's actually mostly new footage. We see Finn delivering the franchise's most famous line, Poe getting some snappy dialogue of his own while in a space battle, and Rey twirling her lightsaber on Ahch-To. Check it out below:
The Last Jedi is directed by Rian Johnson and stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, and Andy Serkis. It hits theaters on December 15.
Unsurprisingly, the movie is expected to have a huge opening weekend at the box office. Early first-weekend projections have predicted that the film will make $215 million in the US over its first three days. While that would be below The Force Awakens' first-weekend haul of $247 million, it would still be the second-biggest of all time, ahead of Jurassic World's $208 million opening in 2015.
It was a quiet week for new television series and seasons. Amidst the reality competition shows, primetime dramas about cops solving crimes, and more shows about people rehabbing houses, there wasn't too much to be excited about. However, we did find one of the best shows of the year this week on ESPN-- althrough it is a documentary and not a new series.
Over the course of the past couple of months, we've been looking at a selection of new and returning shows and giving you a quick breakdown of what is worth watching and what you should pass on. This week, we're talking about 30 For 30: Nature Boy, The Curse of Oak Island, and Lady Dynamite.
30 For 30: Nature Boy
ESPN's 30 For 30: Nature Boy tells the story of sports entertainer Ric Flair. He was at the top of his game, and one of the best in the business during his time with NWA, WCW, and WWE. He lived as his in-ring character, riding in limos, wearing fancy clothes, and sleeping with different women every night. However, his home life suffered, leaving behind multiple wives and children.
I've always enjoyed the 30 For 30 series, even when the topic matter doesn't intrigue me at first. However, the chronicling of Ric Flair is one of the best. He's a sympathetic character, as most of his actions seem to stem from not getting attention from his parents, so he, in turn, wanted attention from the entire world. Flair understands his faults, including that he's a functioning alcoholic and was an absentee father, and it's endearing to hear his tale. In addition, it was surprising to see interviews with so many people from the wrestling business be so frank about Flair's character, and many times, their words were not flattering.
Is It Worth Watching?: Yes. Even if you don't like wrestling, this is an incredible story.
30 For 30: Nature Boy is available to watch through on-demand services and on ESPN's website.
The Curse of Oak Island
In the two-hour Season 5 premiere of History Channel's reality series, the gang heads back to Oak Island to try and find hidden treasure that may have been buried centuries ago on the 140 acre island. They find some old nails, an old button, and that's about it.
The show is interesting when it delves into the history of crazed treasure hunters and the lengths they went in order to find the supposed treasure on the island. However, it becomes apparent that the "curse" on Oak Island is that these people will be trapped there forever, searching for something that doesn't exist. The real "money pit" they keep referring to is the search itself, which they've spent millions of dollars on already. More than anything else, this showcases a group of men's descent into madness.
Is It Worth Watching?: While the history portion of this show is really interesting, The Curse of Oak Island drags and fails to be worth your time.
The Curse of Oak Island airs on Tuesdays at 9 PM ET on History Channel.
Lady Dynamite
Maria Bamford's Lady Dynamite kicks off with a whole new season where Maria is living with her boyfriend, Scott. He thinks Maria let a raccoon in the house, and it's trashing the place. Things get a bit surreal from there and are incredibly hard to follow, but that's always been the case with this series.
As much as I loved the first season of Lady Dynamite, the first episode was a little bit of a letdown. There were some moments I loved, like Maria in the future getting scanned during a pitch meeting, and the moments where her dogs were talking to each other. However, the first episode really didn't grab me, which is incredibly unfortunate. The jokes are hit-and-miss, but when they do hit, they're hilarious. Lady Dynamite is one of those shows where you have to remind yourself that things aren't going to make sense, and it's going to be all over the place because Maria Bamford, who is an amazing comedian, is behind the show.
Is It Worth Watching?: This wasn't the greatest first episode, but I have a feeling it will pick up.
Season 2 of Lady Dynamite is now available on Netflix.
Come back next week for our thoughts on Future Man, Punisher, and There's… Johnny!
Call of Duty: WWII's focus on brotherhood and bonds are both refreshing and familiar as it shed its futuristic, sci-fi storytelling to return to its roots in war. From its moving story to the multitude of ways to play online, it maintains the jump-in-and-play attitude while breaking out of its recent tropes. While it's still a grab-and-go kind of title, there's a lot more depth here than meets the eye. Our in-depth guides are an easy way to get started and stay invested.
Be sure to check back here for changes to our guides as we do update them often. Some guides may contain mild spoilers.
Call of Duty: WWII is both familiar and breaks the mold of what we've come to know as Call of Duty. Similar elements from previous installments are bent just slightly for a nice surprise. We've come to we've come to see plenty of things we wish we knew before diving deep. Click the link above to get a peek at what we've learned.
Call of Duty: WW2 Multiplayer Tips - Beginner's Guide
This year's Call of Duty multiplayer mode beckons. Trading in its sci-fi path to return to its roots, Call of Duty: WWII's latest multiplayer mode brings several new things to the table. Abilities and loadouts are now fully customizable and there's a brand new mode called war mode. Whether you're a recruit or a veteran, that plight might seem a little overwhelming, and we've got just the guide to make jumping in a breeze.
Call Of Duty: WW2 Multiplayer Tips - War Mode Guide
War Mode is one of the many new additions to the latest iteration of Call of Duty, but instead of the traditional death match battles we've come to love, this one goes for objectives. These team battles are lengthy, and while it does play on some of Call of Duty's typical multiplayer formulas, just knowing your map won't be enough to get you a victory here. We've compiled 10 not-so-obvious things to hop right into the heat of battle and get you and your teammates on the right side of history.
Zombies is nothing new to Call of Duty: WWII, but the mode is different in key ways to keep you on your toes. Similar to Zombies in previous titles, this version is co-op once again, but emphasizes teamwork, cooperation, planning, and skill needed to keep you and your teammates alive. This guide has a lot of tips and tricks to get you started and keep going, but it won't tell you every secret. If you're looking for something really special to up your game, check out how to get the Tesla gun.
Star Wars Battlefront II's progression system might seem incredibly complicated at first. With three different currencies to spend and a wealth of star cards to parse through, it can be difficult to make sense of what everything does and how it all contributes to your overall progression. To help get you up to speed on the game's systems, we've compiled details on its major concepts and unlocks below.
Battlefront II officially releases on November 17, but it's currently playable for EA and Origin Access members on Xbox One and PC. That trial provides the full multiplayer component and the first three single-player missions, though you're limited to a total of 10 hours of gameplay. Pre-ordering the Deluxe edition gets you complete access on November 14, including on PS4. For more about Star Wars Battlefront II's progression system, watch our video detailing the effect microtransactions have on it. You can also check our pre-review impressions of the game's multiplayer.
Currencies
There are three major currencies to manage in multiplayer, which you use to open loot crates, purchase microtransaction packs, and upgrade your Star Cards. Below you can find details on each of the three currencies, what they do, and how you earn them.
Credits are earned from playing matches, completing Milestone challenges, or receiving Star Card duplicates. You use them to open loot crates.
You obtain Crystals by purchasing microtransaction packs or completing certain Milestone challenges. Like Credits, Crystals are used to open loot crates.
Crafting Parts are earned from playing matches, opening loot crates, or completing Milestone challenges. You use them to either craft new Star Cards or upgrade the strength of Star Cards you already own.
Star Cards
The main way to increase your strength in battle is by equipping Star Cards, which are class-specific upgrades you acquire from opening loot crates. You can apply up to three cards to a trooper, hero, or vehicle. troopers, heroes, and vehicles have two major Star Card types: Boost and Ability.
Boost Cards apply general improvements, like faster health regeneration or improved energy replenishment on ship lasers.
Ability Cards improve or change abilities specific to troopers, heroes, or vehicles. For example, Killstreak Infiltration replenishes active time when you defeat an enemy.
Your trooper, hero, or vehicle initially starts with one open slot to equip a Star Card, but additional slots are unlocked as you increase your class rank. This is determined by the number and quality of Star Cards you have equipped--the better your Star Cards, the more slots you'll unlock.
There are four values of Star Card: Common (20%), Uncommon (25%), Rare (30%), and Epic (40%). Each value represents the percentage that a card's buff contributes towards a class, hero, or vehicle. For example, a Common Survivalist card reduces trooper health regen delay by 20%.
If you're looking to increase the value of a Star Card, you can do so by spending Crafting Parts. However, Star Cards can only be upgraded once you've reached a particular class level and player rank. For example, an Uncommon Assault Training card requires you to be at assault level 22 and rank 15 overall. You can find this info in the text window that appears when you highlight a card.
Loot Crates
As you play the game, you'll steadily earn Loot Crates, which contain a combination of items and valuables, including Star Cards, weapons, Credits, Crafting Parts, and victory poses/emotes. There are three crate types in total, and each supplies you with items and valuables for the specific category they're associated with. Below you can find details on each crate type's price point across the two main currencies.
Trooper Crate: 4,000 Credits or 200 Crystals
Starfighter Crate: 2,400 Credits or 120 Crystals
Hero Crate: 2,200 Credits or 110 Crystals
If you receive any duplicate items or valuables, you'll earn Credits in exchange for your troubles. This also occurs when you earn a higher value version of a Star Card you already own (and the lower level card is turned into Credits).
Unlocking Weapons
In general, weapons are unlocked for each trooper class by hitting killcount Milestones (50 skills, 200 skills, 500 kills). It's also possible to acquire weapons via loot crates.
Unlocking Heroes
Across the various multiplayer modes, you'll notice that your choice of Heroes and Heroic Vehicles to control is limited. However, it's possible to purchase more using Credits. For example, you can purchase the ability to use Darth Vader for 60,000 Credits. As of writing, there's no other way to buy Heroes or Heroic Vehicles, so if you're looking to play with these iconic representations of Star Wars lore, you'd better start saving up.
Star Wars Battlefront II is set to launch in a little over a week, and while the game will give away new characters and maps as free DLC to all players, it will also include microtransactions in the form of loot crates. Now we know how much they'll cost in the full title.
Crates can be acquired in Battlefront II through gameplay or using the game's virtual currency, Crystals, which in turn can be purchased with real money. Crystals are sold in various packs, with EA Access members saving 10% off of them; the cheapest runs for $4.49 (or $5 for non-Access members) and nets you 500 Crystals, while the $90 ($100) pack includes 12,000. You can find the prices for non-Access members on the Xbox Store.
Players can use Crystals to purchase Hero, Trooper, and Starfighter crates. Each one includes "one or two" Star Cards, crafting parts, and an additional item, which can range from emotes, weapons, victory poses, and other kinds of Star Cards. Hero crates cost 110 Crystals each; Starfighter crates cost 120 Crystals; and Trooper crates cost 200 Crystals apiece, which ultimately works out to 60 crates for $100.
"As a balance goal, we're working towards having the most powerful items in the game only earnable via in-game achievements," DICE explained. "You have to earn the right to be able to upgrade Star Cards and unlock most weapons. You can only upgrade or unlock them if you have reached a high enough rank, which is determined by playing the game."
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 arrives on Switch in a little less than a month, making it the last major first-party game coming to the console this year. Nintendo revealed a lot more information about it during Xenoblade's dedicated Direct presentation earlier this week, and now the company has given us a closer look at the open-world RPG.
A representative from Nintendo's Treehouse stopped by the GameSpot office and took us through a 30-minute demonstration of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. In the video above, you can watch an early portion of the game set on the Titan Gormott. We also get to witness the humorous scene when the Nopon mechnaic Tora creates his own artificial Blade, Poppi.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 puts players in the role of Rex, a Driver who can wield living weapons known as Blades. When his life is restored by the Blade Pyra, the two set off on a journey together to find the World Tree and the fabled paradise it is said to house, Elysium.
The Call of Duty series has been around for 14 years now, and in that time it has grown into one of gaming's biggest franchises. Activision's marquee series began life as a comparatively humble PC-exclusive military shooter, and since then it has evolved into an annual blockbuster and spawned several popular sub-series.
This year's installment, Call of Duty: WWII, turns back the clock for the franchise in some notable ways. Activision has touted the game as a return to the series' roots, eschewing the more futuristic setting and weaponry of Black Ops III and Infinite Warfare for the familiar territory of the second World War, which served as the backdrop for the series' earliest installments.
For longtime fans, Call of Duty's return to WWII marks a sort of homecoming, since it has been such an integral component of the series since the beginning. In the video above, we explore Call of Duty's long history with WWII, from its inception as a "Medal of Honor killer" to its breakthrough on consoles with Call of Duty 2 and beyond.
Demand for Nintendo Switch remains high, but supply shortages have proven to be a problem since launch. Nintendo continues to work toward alleviating that as we head into the holiday season, where it expects to sell a ton of systems, but it reportedly has its sights set much higher in 2018 and beyond.
During the current fiscal year, which runs from April 2017 through March 2018, Nintendo expects to sell 14 million Switch units. Combined with sales from its launch month in March, that will bring it to a total of nearly 17 million units in its 13 months of availability. According to sources with "direct knowledge" speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Nintendo plans to potentially produce a whopping 25 to 30 million units during its next fiscal year (April 2018 through March 2019).
Nintendo has reportedly begun informing business partners about these plans. Depending on how well it sells during the holiday season, Nintendo could increase that figure further, according to the WSJ.
As part of its recent earnings report, CEO Tatsumi Kimishima said that Switch production would increase for the holidays, and that manufacturers have upped the number of production lines assembling Switches. The WSJ notes this typically will only happen when a company agrees to the deal for an extended period of time because of the costs involved. That suggests the extra work lines may not be a short-term move.
If Switch sells as well over the next few months as Nintendo expects, the system will top lifetime sales of the Wii U, which sold 13.56 million units. It would also bring it close to lifetime sales of GameCube (21.74 million). Should Nintendo indeed make 25-30 million units next year, eventual sales of those systems would push it past N64 (32.93 million), although the company's best-selling home console, Wii (101.63 million), is still much further off.
Nintendo's handheld unit sales may actually be the better point of comparison. A survey released as part of the recent earnings report shows that the bulk of Switch owners use it in both handheld and docked modes. However, there are more who use it exclusively as a handheld than those who only use it when connected to a TV. Nintendo's handhelds have traditionally sold better than their console counterparts--DS lifetime sales are 154 million--in part because of the potential for a single household to buy more than one.
Nintendo isn't making additional units just so they can sit on store shelves. It's unclear what exactly is driving its optimism, but one possible explanation is the launch of a major game or games. Nintendo's 2018 and 2019 lineup has not yet been detailed, but we do know Metroid Prime 4 is on the way, as is a Pokemon "core RPG." Metroid does not yet have any kind of release date, while Nintendo lists Pokemon for a "2018 or later" launch.
Although Respawn Entertainment, the developer responsible for the Titanfall series, has worked primarily with Electronic Arts since its inception, it wasn't actually owned by EA. That changes today, as EA has announced it has acquired the California-based developer and the Titanfall IP along with it.
EA has served as the publisher of Respawn's games so far, including last year's Titanfall 2. The studio is currently at work on a new Titanfall game (a fact that was confirmed today), a third-person Star Wars title, and a VR game. Specifics on all of these have not yet been announced. We don't know what to expect from the Titanfall game, though Respawn has expressed interest in continuing the series. As for Star Wars, we know it's being directed by God of War III director Stig Asmussen. (Notably, EA recently shut down Visceral Games, which was also working on a Star Wars game.)
"We've seen firsthand the world-class caliber of Respawn as a development studio with incredible vision, deep talent and an inspiring creative mindset," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a press release. "Our longtime partnership is grounded in a shared desire to push the boundaries and deliver extraordinary and innovative new experiences for players around the world. Together, we've brought this to life in the Titanfall franchise, and now with the Respawn team joining EA, we have exciting plans to accomplish even more amazing things in the future."
In a letter on Respawn's website, CEO Vince Zampella discussed the decision to sell the company, noting that he will remain in charge and that no layoffs will take place. "While it wasn't necessary, going with EA made a lot of sense," he said. "With Titanfall and Star Wars, EA has been a great development partner that supports us and doesn't interfere with our process for making games or studio culture. EA will provide us with more resources, access to new technologies, and expertise that we can tap into to that will help us make better games, and Respawn will retain the same creative freedom and culture we've always had. We've been talking closely with the leadership at EA and we share their values and vision for the future of being a developer-focused company that puts the players first."
EA helped Respawn to get off the ground after Activision fired the developer's founders, Zampella and Jason West, from their roles at Call of Duty studio Infinity Ward. This resulted in a well-publicized lawsuit. Since then, West left Respawn and retired. This new deal sees EA pay $151 million in cash for Respawn, as well as up to $164 million in equity. Performance milestones could see the cash figure rise as high as an additional $140 million.
This story has been updated with additional comments from Vince Zampella.
Of the many changes from Star Wars Battlefront to Star Wars Battlefront II, one of the most significant is the inclusion of all eras of Star Wars films. That will only continue next month, as free post-release updates will introduce content from the upcoming Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. We already knew some of the details, but EA and DICE have now revealed more about what it's calling "The Last Jedi season."
The bulk of the new content comes on the multiplayer side. This starts on December 5, when you'll be able to choose your side--First Order or New Republic--and complete special faction quests over the next few weeks. Your choice will make a difference, as the rewards you receive for completing these quests will be specific to your faction.
On December 13, new heroes and maps will arrive. As previously announced, the new hero units are Finn and Captain Phasma. The new maps include the planet Crait (for Galactic Assault) and D'Qar (Starfighter Assault). Throughout December, you'll also encounter new quests and challenges. The exact schedule is laid out in the gallery images above, or you can see it here.
Perhaps most notably, The Last Jedi season introduces a new single-player mission. There aren't many details, but you'll take control of protagonist Iden Versio "during the days of the First Order's rise to power." The mission is called Resurrection and also launches on December 13.
The Last Jedi itself officially releases in theaters on December 15, although the first showings will actually be on December 14. All of this Last Jedi-themed content will be available for free, as is the case with all Battlefront II DLC. EA will compensate for that by offering microtransactions, which have been controversial.
The latest in-game freebie for Amazon and Twitch Prime subscribers is available now, and it grants some free loot in Hearthstone. This is the latest in Amazon's frequent loot drops for subscribers of its service.
From now until January 9, you can get a Golden Classic Card Pack for free. The pack contains a random assortment of cards, but Blizzard promises that every card contained within will be the rarer, golden version of the base card (although the difference is purely cosmetic).
Subscribers can redeem their pack from their Prime Loot tab, which you can find through the Twitch homepage, or by going to this page. Subscribers get a whole lot of other stuff this month, too, including 5 loot boxes in Overwatch, 5 loot chests in Heroes of the Storm, and the Master Assassins Pack in Assassin's Creed: Origins. If you haven't already, make sure to link your Amazon Prime account to your Twitch account to unlock the freebies.
In other Hearthstone news, we sat down with Blizzard at BlizzCon to discuss the announcement of a single-player Dungeon Run mode coming in the latest expansion. You can read our full interview here.
If you've got a clear PC case, a need to upgrade your GPU, and some disposable income, Nvidia's latest video card reveal might be for you. The hardware manufacturer announced two Star Wars versions of its highest-end GPU, the $1200 Titan Xp.
There's both a light-side version and a dark-side version of the card, and, not surprisingly, they'll be green and red. According to Nvidia's press release, the Jedi Order version of the GPU "simulates the wear and tear and battle-worn finish of many items used by the Rebel Alliance," an effect that the company achieved by subjecting it to "an extensive, corrosive salt spray." It's also got some green lights that are meant to evoke Luke Skywalker's lightsaber.
The Galactic Empire version, meanwhile, has light panels that are meant to remind owners of the design of the Death Star. In addition, it has "simple, clean lines, emulating the high-end, orderly nature of the resource-rich Empire."
If you use Nvidia's GeForce platform, you can preorder the cards now; everyone else will have to wait until mid-November. They'll run you $1200, but they come with a metal badge with either the Empire or the Rebel insignia, so that's nice. Otherwise, the cards have the same specs as the normal Titan Xp.
Running into some bumps with Destiny 2's Guided Games? Bungie's noticed too. This week's update post delves a little deeper into the Guided Games experience and what the team has planned for it.
Guided Games is a Destiny 2 feature that pairs solo players with high-level players for endgame activities like Nightfalls and the Raids. Even with its good intentions, Bungie has noticed that the new feature isn't quite what it's meant to be just yet, and updates to the mode are coming.
"Well, one thing we're really happy to see is that Guided Games has enabled a bunch of new players to play the Nightfall and/or Raid for the first time (since Destiny 1)," social designer M.E. Chung said in the update post. "Our goal with Guided Games for end-game content is about helping players find tight-knit communities to join, but we see and are very aware of the current issues. For example, we know that the lack of reconnections causes all kinds of problems with unintentional oathbreakers, that the lack of audio feedback when a clan is found is causing players to miss the queue, that guides lack proper incentives, that we need a guided games option for Trials of the Nine, etc."
Both social designers M.E. Chung and Steve Dolan acknowledged that Guided Games isn't quite up to par because of these issues. Small changes to alleviate the issues are coming with the release of Curse of Osiris on December 5. These changes include audio cues when you find a guide, full clan guides, reminders that when you reject a clan you're still at the front of the queue, and new Nightfall and Raid content with the expansion.
The two also mention the need for updates to chat in-game and checkpoints. Clan chat in-game is one of the team's highest priorities, as well as Tower and zone chats. As for checkpoints, those were excluded from the game to prevent farming, but the team has seen that not having them has been detrimental too. The possibility is being looked into, but bringing the feature could potentially make queues longer.
Disney's plans for a new streaming service were first revealed back in August, but it was the news this week that the studio is planning new Star Wars and Marvel TV shows that gave fans a better idea of what to expect from it. Disney CEO Bob Iger has now spoken about the service and revealed that it will cost less than Netflix to subscribe to.
As reported by The Wrap, Iger explained that the price of the service will be connected to the amount of content that it will carry. "Our plan on the Disney side is to price this substantially below where Netflix is," he said "That is in part reflective of the fact it'll have less volume."
The service will launch with "a lot of high quality" content and will increase its price as the platform adds titles over time. For reference, the cost of a Netflix subscription currently ranges from $8 to $14 a month.
The service is set to launch in 2019. It is expected that all Disney content, including releases from Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar, will eventually disappear from Netflix and be solely available to stream on the new platform. In addition, fans can expect a live-action Star Wars show, an unnamed Marvel series, and shows based on Monsters Inc. and High School Musical.
Aside from general "connectivity improvements and optimizations," the patch brings with it "stability improvements and bug fixes" for in-game leaderboards, after they had to be temporarily suspended following "extremely high demand." There was no mention, however, of returning Headquarters to a social experience after it was made a solo one for the same reason.
The update also nerfs and buffs a handful of weapons. The Walther toggle action shotgun, Bren LMG, and LMG bipod have all been boosted, while the BAR, STG44, FG42, and machine pistol are all weaker now than before.
The patch weighs in at around 1.1 GB and is out now on PS4 and Xbox One; Sledgehammer says another update for consoles will follow within a day, and that a PC patch is coming soon. See more details about today's update--and all its tweaks--in the patch notes at the bottom of this article, via Sledgehammer.
The update, which is available on both Nintendo Switch and Wii U, introduces a new side-quest that, upon completion, rewards you with armor based on Xenoblade Chronicles 2's Rex. Like previous DLC armor sets, you'll need to acquire each piece individually by completing different portions of the side-quest.
Additionally, the patch adds support for the four new Champion Amiibo figures. The figures, which are available now, each unlock a helmet based on their respective Divine Beast. They also grant a specific buff--take a look at the bonuses below.
In what some are saying is unprecedented in the movie world, actor Kevin Spacey is being recast in his newest movie just six weeks before it is due to hit theaters. According to Entertainment Weekly, Spacey's role of J. Paul Getty in the Ridley Scott movie All the Money in the World, is now being performed by Christopher Plummer.
Spacey has been in the news over the many allegations of sexual assault against him. Reshoots of the film are expected to begin soon, and All the Money in the World's December 22 release date is still on the schedule. Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg also star in the movie. This isn't the first instance of controversy around the movie, as the AFI Fest pulled it from their schedule in the wake of the Spacey situation.
Just about a week ago, Star Trek: Discovery star Anthony Rapp told Buzzfeed that when he was 14, Spacey made unwanted sexual advances on him at a 1986 party. Spacey was 26 at the time. Shortly after the allegations were made public, Spacey apologized on Twitter, claiming he does not remember the incident.
In the wake of the allegations, Netflix announced that it is parting ways with Spacey, confirming they won't work with him on House of Cards going forward. Additionally, Spacey's Netflix movie, Gore, has been canceled.
Spacey, who won an Oscar for American Beauty and The Usual Suspects, used his statement to address his personal life. "As those closest to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man," Spacey said.
The support page on Nintendo's European website hosts PDFs of the manuals for 19 really good Nintendo 64 games. On its own this doesn't seem like a big deal, but with rumors of a Nintendo 64 Classic edition circling, some took this as further evidence for it. However, upon further examination by Forbes, it looks like this is just the list of N64 games released for the Wii U's Virtual Console in Europe. Bummer.
These are some of the N64's best games, and 19 is pretty close to the number of games on the NES and SNES Classics. So if the N64 Classic is indeed real, we would probably expect many of these games to be on it. But it's too soon for that, if it ever happens at all.
Nintendo's retro plug-and-play line of micro consoles began in 2016 with the NES Classic, continuing this year with the SNES Classic. They were both extremely popular, so it wouldn't be a big surprise to learn that an N64 Classic is coming up next, though given how recently the SNES Classic launched, and with the holiday shopping season coming up, it seems too soon for Nintendo to start talking about the next one.
Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft says it will release more Nintendo Switch games. During an earnings call this week, CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that, "We will have some Switch games next year." That could be a reference to calendar year 2018 or fiscal year 2018. We're following up with Ubisoft in an attempt to find out.
Either way, Switch fans may be happy to learn that more games are coming from Ubisoft. However, Guillemot did not say which games might be on the way.
During the call, Guillemot said Ubisoft is "very happy" with Switch sales so far. By Nintendo's latest count, the system had sold 7.63 million units worldwide.
Battle for Atlas is confirmed to launch in 2018 while Steep is without a release date, so those could be the Switch games that Guillemot mentioned during the presentation. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
Car-hailing company Uber is heading to the skies. The company announced a partnership with NASA today to devise a plan to work together on making low-altitude flying vehicles that you can use to get around a city like Los Angeles.
A concept video for the new service shows how UberAir might work. In the situation presented in the video, you'd head to the "Uber vertiport" on top of a building to board your aircraft to take you where you want to go before landing at another port. Uber said this is more economically viable than things like roads, rail, bridges, and tunnels.
"So far we've been focused on ground-based transportation. For us, the natural next step was flight," Uber chief product officer Jeff Holden said. The executive explained that flying can be faster and better for the environment, while the price may not be as high as you think. Uber says its new service will cost the same as UberX at launch.
UberAir's vehicles are called Electric Vertical Take-Off And Landing Vehicles or EVTOLs. "They'll fundamentally change how are cities function and how we will live in them," Uber Aircraft Systems boss Mark Moore says.
Don't expect to be flying around in Uber's new air vehicles any time soon, however, as another Uber executive said in the video below that, "It's very much the early morning on day one of this adventure."
"On-demand aviation has the potential to radically improve urban mobility, giving people back time lost in their daily commutes," the company said. "Uber is close to the commute pain that citizens in cities around the world feel. We view helping to solve this problem as core to our mission and our commitment to our rider base. Just as skyscrapers allowed cities to use limited land more efficiently, urban air transportation will use three-dimensional airspace to alleviate transportation congestion on the ground."
Los Angeles, Dallas, and Dubai are expected to be among the first cities to offer UberAir. In Los Angeles, Uber will install 20 of its Skyports around the city, including places like Los Angeles International Airport, Santa Monica, and Sherman Oaks. Operations in LA are expected to open in 2020. For what it's worth, Blade Runner predicted we would have flying cars in 2019.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the gaming division of the movie and TV giant, has announced the formation of a new Harry Potter games label called Portkey Games. Named after the magical item from the book and movie series, Portkey Games will oversee the launch of "a series of mobile and console game experiences." The first of these is the just-announced AR game Wizards Unite, from Pokemon Go developer Niantic Labs.
We don't know what the rest of the games will be, but an update on Pottermore teases that they will feature new characters and familiar ones. Intriguingly, the games might show these familiar characters "at different points in their lives" from the Harry Potter series. That's exciting to think about.
"With Portkey Games, we are thrilled to answer the fans' requests for more games inspired by J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World," WBIE president David Haddad said. "We are working with talented creators to build games that focus on player-generated stories, which will live alongside the magical universe created by J.K. Rowling."
There are no further details about any of the new Harry Potter games, but more details are expected to be revealed "very soon."
The new Harry Potter AR game, Wizards Unite, will launch in 2018. Similar to Pokemon Go, it allows players to roam the real world collecting power-ups, defending locations, and exploring their environment. Niantic has said it was the success of Pokemon Go, and its "unprecedented scale," that made this development possible.
What would you like to see from the next Harry Potter console game? Let us know in the comments below!
Japanese gaming giant Square Enix today reported earnings for the six-month period ended September 30, and the Final Fantasy company had a strong half-year.
Square Enix pulled in ¥132 billion in sales, up 24.2 percent, while total profit was ¥17 billion, a huge increase of 218.7 percent year-over-year. Looking to the full year, Square Enix doesn't expect things to go as well, with full-year sales predicted to be in the range of down 6.6 percent o up 1.2 percent. Profit is expected to be in the range of down 17.7 percent to down 2.7 percent. You can see the full earnings results and guidance in the chart below.
Square Enix said the dramatic uptick in sales during the six-month period was attributable in part to the launches of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age and Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. Additionally, Nier: Automata and other previously released games had "strong download sales," Square Enix said, though the company did not disclose any specific numbers.
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, Hoshi No Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light, and Kingdom Hearts Union X all continued to "show strong performance globally" Square Enix said. The publisher also called out Final Fantasy XIV as a top performer during the period, with the new expansion, Stormblood, helping to boost subscribers and revenue.
Square Enix's gaming division, Digital Entertainment, saw its revenue rise 30.4 percent to ¥102 billion, with operating income coming in at ¥26 billion.
The company did not provide any new updates on the sales of Final Fantasy XV in the report. You can read Square Enix's full earnings report here on the company's investor page.
[UPDATE] GameStop released a statement regarding its first-day Xbox One X sales, confirming that they are getting more units from Microsoft soon.
"Sales of the new Xbox One X have been incredible! We have sold through most of our initial allotment in just one day," GameStop SVP of merchandising Bob Puzon said. "We are already working with Microsoft to get our hands on more of the world's most powerful video game console!"
The original story is below.
Retailer GameStop sold nearly all of its Xbox One X stock on launch day, November 7, the store has announced, according to The Wall Street Journal. As WSJ mentions, GameStop did not say how many units its sold, which is a critical detail.
Retailers don't want to be stuck with excess stock, so it's possible GameStop requested a conservative number of units, though we don't know for sure. Not having units to sell puts GameStop in an unfortunate situation in the short-term, but the company will surely receive more shipments. And in the meantime, it creates the feeling of scarcity, which could in turn create more interest in the new console.
GameStop will report earnings next on Tuesday, November 21, at which time the retailer may discuss Xbox One X sales and more. We will report back with more details as they are announced.
GameSpot's Xbox One X review called it a "future-proof Xbox for 4K and HDR." Reviewer Jimmy Thang said, "While the Xbox One X is an expensive box, from a hardware standpoint, you're getting a very powerful and capable machine. You'll be hard pressed to build a comparably powerful PC for $500. On top of that, you get a 4K HDR Blu-ray player, which can cost several hundred dollars on its own."
Ahead of Black Friday, a new batch of deals are now available in the US PlayStation Store. This week's selection is fairly slim compared to previous weeks, but PS4 owners can find discounts on a slate of titles from Warner Bros. Interactive.
While there aren't any other special sales going on this week, players can still find a handful of other games on sale in the PlayStation Store. Among them is LawBreakers: Deadzo Deluxe Edition, which is available for $20. Also on sale is Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue; PS Plus subscribers can download it for $36, while everyone else can pick it up for $48.
Most of these deals are available for a limited time and will expire on November 14 at 8 AM PT/11 AM ET. You can find the full list of discounts on the PlayStation Store. This month's free PS Plus games are also now available to download for Plus subscribers and include Worms Battlegrounds, Bound, and other titles.
Like that one song that Spotify keeps playing even though you're in shuffle mode, Xur is back. This time Destiny 2's best Resident Evil 4 Merchant cosplayer has landed on Nessus, and to get to him all you've got to do is fast travel to Watcher's Grave.
Once you've landed, bring up the map and pop a waypoint on him. If you've been playing Destiny 2 since launch, you'll no doubt be familiar with this spot, as it's a frequent haunt for our boy Xur. If you haven't, it's as easy as hopping on your Sparrow when you land, boosting straight forward, and then doing some light platforming up the tree to find him hanging out on a branch.
If you're wondering whether it's worth the effort, we've got a breakdown of everything he has to offer. Take a look below.
Click image to view in full screen
The Prospector (Grenade Launcher) -- 29 Legendary Shards
Foetracer (Hunter Class Helmet) -- 23 Legendary Shards
An Insurmountable Skullfort (Helmet) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Eye of Another World (Warlock Class Helmet) -- 23 Legendary Shards
The big Destiny 2 news this week is that Faction Rallies are up and running again. As with the last one, you'll need to pledge yourself to one of three groups, and then hunt down items to exchange for gear and weapons. Before you make your decision, check out our Destiny 2 faction rally guide to see all the new weapons, gear, and other rewards.
If you're planning to participate in the event, it may be worth checking out this article on a new Destiny 2 Faction Rallies exploit that lets you earn tokens really quickly. That'll save you some time and get you the gear you want much quicker.
Looking further ahead, Guided Games, a Destiny 2 feature that pairs solo players with high-level players for endgame activities like Nightfalls and the Raids, will receive small changes with the release of Curse of Osiris on December 5. These are intended to alleviate some issues that have persisted since its launch. You can read more about the upcoming changes to Destiny 2's Guided Games here.
It's a big week for Xbox, as the Xbox One X launched, and with it comes a new round of Deals with Gold, offering up to 85 percent off certain games. This week's deals include one that is enhanced for the Xbox One X. Quantum Break is a time-bending action game game that recently received an update that introduces Xbox One X enhancements. For a limited time, it's half off at $20 for Xbox Live Gold members.
If you're looking to get a racing game fix, Forza Motorsport 6 and the Forza Horizon 2 bundle are 50 percent off, among others; Forza Horizon 3's winter-themed Blizzard Mountain DLC is also half price. You can also pick up Homefront: The Revolution for just $12, and tons of its DLC content is also half off in this week's Spotlight sale. The excellent Enter the Gungeon also drops to $7.49.
As GTA Online continues to grow and grow with no sign of slowing down, Rockstar of course is not going to stop supporting the mode with new content and activities anytime soon. The developer today announced the newest updates for GTA Online, which include a new mode, a new vehicle, discounts, and more.
The new mode is called Dogfight. This is a 1v1 aerial battle mode where you'll get into a plane and try to take down your enemy. Coinciding with the launch is the nice bonus of double GTA$ and RP now through November 13. The new vehicle in GTA Online this week is the P-45 Nokota, a classic plane that you can pick up from Warstock Cache & Carry and then use it for the new Dogfight mode if you want. Check it out in the image below.
This week's sales cover things like the Dynasty 8 real estate company and the Ammu-Nation gun store, while quite a few vehicle and customization options are discounted. Everything listed below is 25 percent off through November 13 (and Smuggler's Run tattoos are marked down by 25 percent for the week):
DYNASTY 8
25% off Executive Office Renovations
25% off Executive Garage Renovations
25% off Executive Custom Auto Shop Renovations
AMMU-NATION
25% off Body Armor
25% off Ammo
VEHICLE & CUSTOMIZATION SAVINGS
25% off the Pegassi Torero (Sports Classic)
25% off the Dune FAV (Weaponized Vehicle - both Buy It Now & Trade Price)
25% off Liveries (all vehicles)
25% off Bullet proof tires
25% off Vehicle armor (land vehicles & aircraft)
Rockstar also announced this week's Premium Stunt race and time trial; the Premium Stunt race is Vinewood Downhill, and it's locked to bikes alone. The Time Trial, meanwhile, is Great Ocean Highway. In the Premium race, the top three finishers get GTA$ and everyone earns triple RP. For the Time Trial, beating the par time gets you an allotment of GTA$ and RP.
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