When it comes to one of the most secretive movie franchises on the planet, it's rather funny how bad some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe actors are at keeping secrets. Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) and Tom Holland (Spider-Man), in particular, are known for being pretty loose-lipped when it comes to details about what's to come in the MCU.
Whether it's Holland revealing that his Spider-Man is getting a trilogy of movies, though only two have been officially announced, or Ruffalo accidentally streaming part of a Thor: Ragnarok screening on Instagram, the two must be Marvel's worst nightmare. That said, the pair are now having a bit of fun with their bad reputations.
In a new video posted to his Instagram (see it below), Holland reveals a secret package he got in the mail from Ruffalo. It contains none other than what looks like a teaser poster for Avengers: Infinity War--along with a note that says the poster is confidential and shouldn't be shared with anyone.
The next two Avengers movies are said to be acting as something of a finale for the current MCU. As previously reported, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige is making a point of saying things will be very different after Avengers 4. "We're 22 movies in, and we've got another 20 movies on the docket that are completely different from anything that's come before--intentionally," he explains to Vanity Fair.
Avengers: Infinity War soars into theaters on May 4, 2018. Avengers 4 will follow on May 3, 2019. You can see Holland's video below.
TOM HOLLAND SHOWING A CONFIDENTIAL INFINITY WAR POSTER THAT MARK RUFFALO SENT HIM IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN pic.twitter.com/tYVdOyMxiz
Playtonic Games has announced a release date for the Nintendo Switch version of its Banjo-Kazooie spiritual successor, Yooka-Laylee. The retro-style 3D platformer launches for Nintendo's console on December 14.
"The Playtonic team has spent many, many months optimising Yooka-Laylee for Nintendo Switch (with technical help and support from Nintendo and Unity themselves!) and we believe we're delivering a version Nintendo fans can be proud of," Playtonic wrote on its website.
The Switch version of Yooka-Laylee will feature a custom achievements system, as well the ability to play all eight multiplayer mini-games with a single Joy-Con. It also features all of the improvements Playtonic made to the game with Yooka-Laylee's first big update, including a new camera system, improved controls, the option to skip through dialogue quickly, and many other adjustments.
Switch owners will be able to pre-purchase Yooka-Laylee through the Nintendo Switch Eshop beginning December 7. You can read more about the title in GameSpot's Yooka-Laylee review.
Sony has launched the next set of free games for PlayStation Plus members. We're now well into November, and subscribers can download a total of seven titles across PS4, PS3, and Vita. That's one more than usual, as Sony is again offering a bonus PlayStation VR game following the headset's recent one-year anniversary. As usual, PS4 owners have the widest and best selection of games, but you've got something to look forward to regardless of platform.
PS4 owners with PS Plus have four games in total to nab for free right now: strategy game Worms Battlegrounds, the gorgeous (but hard-to-describe) Bound, and PSVR shooter Until Dawn: Rush of Blood; the latter will be available for longer than the other games, as it's not a part of the standard monthly lineup. Additionally, Cross-Buy provides PS4 players with a fourth title at no cost, the action RPG Dungeon Punks.
All of the standard PS Plus freebies can be claimed until December 5, when they'll return to their regular prices. By adding them to your library before then, you can play them for as long as you remain a Plus subscriber. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, meanwhile, remains free until January 3. You can see the full list of this month's PS Plus freebies and grab them from the links below. PSN's Black Friday sale has come to a close, but there's still something to look forward to, as we should be learning about December's free PS Plus games on November 29.
Publisher 2K has revealed the first expansion for Civilization VI, called Rise and Fall. The expansion adds eight civilizations and nine new leaders, along with a variety of new systems to further bolster the turn-based strategy game.
In addition to the new civilizations, Rise and Fall adds eight new world wonders as well as new units, districts, buildings, and improvements. It also expands the Government and Diplomacy systems, allowing you to form new types of partnerships with other civs that can provide new bonuses. It also adds Great Ages and Governors, which are characters that can be hired to further customize a city.
Rise and Fall introduces a number of features designed to level out the playing field in the later game, when it can be hard to catch up to the civilization in the lead. This includes a Loyalty system for cities and other adjustments. For more details, check our preview of Rise and Fall's new systems.
Civ 6: Rise and Fall launches for PC on February 8, 2018. A price has not yet been announced.
Disney's free-to-play action game, Marvel Heroes, is shutting down earlier than expected. The game's developer, Gazillion Entertainment, announced its closure via Twitter, resulting in the game being sunset across all platforms "immediately."
"It is with great sadness that we announce the closing of Gazillion Entertainment," the tweet begins. "As a result, we are no longer able to operate Marvel Heroes Omega until December 31 as originally planned. Instead, Marvel Heroes Omega will be sunset immediately on all platforms and will no longer be available as soon as this process is completed. The company would like to sincerely thank its fans and employees for all the support over the years of development and live service."
News that Marvel Heroes would be shut down broke earlier this month, when Marvel announced that it had ended its business arrangement with Gazillion Entertainment. The game's servers were initially going to be kept live through the end of the year, while all of its microtransactions would be removed once the sunset period began.
However, Massively OP reported that Marvel Heroes would be shut down much sooner than that and that Gazillion had terminated "almost every employee" shortly after the announcement. Several former Gazillion developers lent further weight to the report by tweeting that they had been laid off from the studio before Thanksgiving and that the company wasn't paying vacation time or PTO. Now, the game is officially dead.
Marvel Heroes is a Diablo-like action-RPG featuring a wide variety of Marvel characters, from the Avengers to the Guardians of the Galaxy. The game was first released on PC back in 2013, while the Omega versions launched for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One earlier this year.
Update: Following the Russos' tease, Marvel has outright confirmed that an Infinity War trailer will debut this week. More specifically, it arrives tomorrow, November 29. You can check out a teaser video for it below. The original story follows.
Yesterday, they posted an image of a large cartoon number three. At the time it wasn't clear if that meant the trailer would drop in three days time or on December 3. However, the latest post is a number two, strongly suggesting that the trailer will be be released on Thursday.
In the build up to the trailer, Vanity Fair this week carried some extensive Infinity War coverage. As well as four different covers revealing the movie's main heroes, Marvel boss Kevin Feige was interviewed about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is expected that many of the franchise's veteran stars, including Chris Evans (Captain America), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), and Chris Hemsworth (Thor), may not return for further movies beyond 2019's Avengers 4. However, Feige is confident about the MCU's future.
"There will be two distinct periods. Everything before Avengers 4 and everything after. I know it will not be in ways people are expecting," he said. "We're 22 movies in, and we've got another 20 movies on the docket that are completely different from anything that's come before--intentionally."
Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018, with Avengers 4 following on May 3, 2019.
The first major expansion for Civilization VI, called Rise and Fall, has been unveiled. In addition to nine new leaders and eight new civs, the expansion adds a number of features designed to level out the playing field later in the game. While we there's a lot we still don't know about it, one thing is very clear: Rise and Fall is about comebacks.
In an interview, Rise and Fall lead designer Anton Strenger explained the thought process behind the new systems. "I noticed in Civilization VI [vanilla] that it became very powerful to have a large empire, and it became really hard to challenge the civ in the lead." Each of the main additions in Rise and Fall--the Great Ages system, Loyalty, and Governors--seems to work toward improving the base game's perceived pitfalls.
Great Ages are the most substantial of the upcoming changes. Based on how successful you are as a leader, your civilization can enter either a Golden Age or a Dark Age, with special bonuses, challenges, and modifiers to go with it. If you navigate a Dark Age carefully and complete the challenges posed to you, your next Golden Age will be a much stronger Heroic Age, giving you the edge even after you've slipped behind. Learn from your mistakes, and you won't have to suffer for them through the entire game.
"Of course, [Dark Ages give] us another challenge: how do you keep someone from quitting the game because they just reached a Dark Age?" Strenger said. "Our answer to that were Heroic Ages. They're like Advanced Golden Ages, or Triple Golden Ages. They give unique bonuses when you crawl out of a Dark Age. You'll also get unique policies during Dark Ages, so it's not always necessarily a bad thing to enter one."
Loyalty, which is specific to each individual city, adds to this later-game balancing. If you let a city's Loyalty fall too low, it will potentially declare independence, leaving room for another civ to swoop in, gain the city's loyalty, and expand its borders. The new Governors--seven minor characters that allow for more specialization in cities via bonuses and promotion trees--can be used to reinforce Loyalty. They also add another layer of customization to existing civs.
Rise and Fall's changes both aim to move Civ VI forward while also ironing out criticisms of the vanilla game. Great Ages, Loyalty, and Governors are only a few of a slew of changes big and small coming in the expansion, and if it's done wrong, it could be too much to try all at once. But if it's done right, Rise and Fall could be a seriously interesting addition to the long-running franchise.
Tekken 7 solidified itself in the fighting game community with its PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC release earlier this year, having sold well over two million copies to date. Along with that success, developer Bandai-Namco is continuing to support the game with new content and the tradition of worldwide tournaments. One of the things to get excited about is the implementation of crossover characters from other franchises. The game launched with Street Fighter's Akuma, but Geese Howard from the Fatal Fury series will join the roster by the end of the year, and Noctis from Final Fantasy XV is jumping in next year.
Tekken producer and director Katsuhiro Harada along with designer and translator Michael Murray visited our office here at GameSpot with a hands-on demo of the next crossover character, Geese Howard. But we also took this opportunity to speak with them about the process of incorporating characters outside of the Tekken universe, why the the Tekken World Tour tournament had its finals in the US, and if there's a Nintendo Switch version down the road.
This interview was conducted prior to the announcement of Noctis coming to Tekken 7.
GameSpot: Now that you're bring in a new character, how does, if at all, Geese Howard change the balance within the game and where would you say he falls into the character tiers in the competitive space?
Harada / Murray: One of the things we face with Geese, and this is kind of similar with Akuma, is that we didn't receive any assets from SNK or Capcom. We created the character from scratch, so all the character modeling, the animations, everything we did on our own. And also, when taking new characters and putting them into our game, obviously, the Tekken characters have a lot of techniques, a hundred or so on average per character. The 2D fighters, they have their very famous techniques that we implement first, but then we have to also fill out the rest of their technique list with moves to mesh them well with the Tekken. Even before we get to the balancing part of the development, this section alone is quite the priority.
As far as the game balance goes, two characters fighting each other on the ground is something we have a lot of experience and confidence in as far as the frame data that, the attributes that we give to the techniques, how much time they need to recover after their techniques, etc. All these balancing issues are something we're very familiar with, but when we implemented Akuma, he appeared to be quite strong to a lot of people at first because he was one of the first characters in a 3D fighting game to actually be able to jump at your opponent like you do in the 2D games, and Tekken wasn't designed like that. So, some characters don't really have a lot of options against that particular aspect, at first, when he was released. So we've continued to balance out Akuma through a series of different patches after we released him. Now we feel that the feedback from the community is that he's fairly balanced. But it took some time developing that. We're in a good space with the blend of 2D characters with our game.
What's next for franchise crossover characters? Do you see more Street Fighter, any Guilty Gear characters, or Persona 4 Arena characters, maybe?
After doing two collaborations so far in Tekken 7, one thing we found is it's a lot more difficult than we've originally come to vision. First off, there might be a certain character that we would want to do that maybe the person on the other end, the other company and their licensors, might not be on board. Or it could be something that the fighting game community would really like to see, but that particular IP owner wouldn't sign off on being in Tekken.
Even a lot of times, the point is not to try to take the fans from the respective IP and bring them into Tekken. It's more, by adding that IP if fighting games as a whole kind of become more exciting, and you attract a newer audience that wouldn't have bought either game in the first place because it's so exciting, and that's really what we're trying to achieve from a marketing goal, especially. So when you look at these kind of collaborations, there might be some that the fighting game community just go crazy about, so some of the marketing people in charge might be in the mind that "Okay, that might be really cool for the hardcore fans, but it wouldn't bring a new audience." Collaboration is really, we've found, quite difficult. It's just that in certain cases, we think, "Yeah, this is awesome." The IP owner then thinks, "Yeah, this is cool. Let's do it." And the marketing guys as well say, "Yeah, that's a good opportunity." And then it's finally able to come together. It is a lot more difficult than we originally imagined.
How do these cross-IP collaborations start? Was it easier to get a hold of and work with SNK?
It is kind of an interesting story. In past interviews when we were still creating Tekken 7, Harada was often asked who he likes, characters from other franchises. We all often answered that we love Samurai Shodown, and also Geese [from Fatal Fury]. He's just an incredible villain that both of us really love, and the fans caught on to that interview, and they were like, 'Wow, I love Geese, too. He would be so cool in a Tekken game!' And it turns out that the SNK team actually saw that, and they approached us and said, 'Hey, you know the Geese thing? Is there anyway that we could make this happen?' So they actually approached us, which made it a lot easier, and so it was quite smooth.
Another factor in discussions is, from a market standpoint. For example, we often receive collaboration offers from other IP owners for like Tekken, and maybe the game designers on each side think, "Okay, this could work, and we might get along well," but from a marketing team's perspective, the scale might be a little bit smaller for Tekken. Tekken is a franchise that sold 47,000,000 copies worldwide to date. One particular installment might sell three to four million copies each, so if the IP being offered is quite small and not as well known worldwide as our game, a lot of the times our marketing team won't be able to work it out just because the balance isn't there. So, a lot the elements really have to come together to make one of these projects happen.
Going back to Tekken characters specifically, have there been any thoughts of bringing some older characters that aren't in the roster? A lot of people like Lei Wulong and Julia! Or are you sticking to trying to do collaborations?
Up until now with Tekken, we haven't really done much DLC. It's always been a new, developed game, a particular installment, and then it's released, and that's it. You move on to the next one. But since we're doing DLC and the lifecycle is a bit longer, this opens up doors to do other things with the franchise for a particular installment. It's not like the possibility is zero that we'll see a returning character like the ones you mentioned.
We obviously have to have new content or people will say the game feels stale or what's new about this particular installment. So, a lot big games do bring back certain characters from past installments, etc., and that's a really good thing to do. But at the same time, if you are creating this new content that's expected of your game, especially for a fighting game, there's some older elements that you have to decide not to include often times, especially with characters.
For example, if you had game with a hundred characters, and it would be pretty hard to make into a balanced game. Your typical fighting game has 20-30 characters, so if you're trying to balance like 70 or 80, that's quite difficult in itself. It might be good for players selecting a character, but as far as creating the game, it's a lot not only for the assets but the balance itself, since your opponent also can pick from 80-70 characters. Just trying to learn the matchups and the balancing is a nightmare. And if we were to do that at the same time as including new things, we can't have both. It's kind of a trade-off. And if you were to have 80 characters in your fighting game, people would start giving questions about the game balance as well. So, it's really a difficult problem for us in trying to fulfill all these different needs because they often contradict each other.
It's quite difficult as far as who we pick for the character roster because a lot of times people will be very vocal and stand out on social media once a character that they were using has been eliminated from the game. But they're completely silent when a particular character is in the game. For example, Ganryu is a character that everybody uses a lot and likes, but he's not in the game currently. And it's a character you don't really hear much about if he's in or if he's missing. So, it's really difficult to gauge how accurate and how big the numbers are behind that particular character.
And when we do make these decisions, it's not just based on our personal preferences. With Tekken Tag Tournament 2, we have to use these numbers and try to look at how much a character is being played. For example, Jun was a character that was added for Tag 2, brought back from an installment after a lot of outpouring on social media. But then when we did include her, we actually went and looked at the raw numbers of usage and how many people were playing. We saw that it wasn't nearly as much as it seemed on social media at the time. So, it's quite a difficult problem to ascertain exactly how many people are fans of certain characters. We would really like to, and part of the problem is a character might not be as popular as we think, and maybe the character wasn't designed well enough on our side to make it appealing enough to a wider audience. So, Harada does give that to the community, but at the same time, if there is a character that you like, you should show a lot of love and maybe they won't disappear.
Akuma from the Street Fighter franchise was the first crossover character for Tekken 7.
Let's talk about the Tekken Finals! What was the impetus in bringing it here to San Francisco and out of Japan for the first time?
Well, it's really a simple answer. It's basically that in the past we had tournaments in Japan, and if you look at fighting games, we've had fighting game tournaments for quite a long time before it developed into esports. But in recent years, we've seen this gradual jump to esports in the fighting game community, which also means you have sponsors, but you also have prize money. And in Japan, there are a lot of restrictions on prize money, so that's something we couldn't do in Japan. So for this time around, to actually have a proper world tour, we gave the reins over to our American and European offices, they're their own separate companies. They were basically in charge of planning the whole tour, all the logistics and regulations and everything. It's really strange that Harada and I are just guests at the tournament this year, just like the players. It's quite difficult to hand off everything to them because we can't be involved. But that's kind of one of the reasons that it's in the U.S. this year for the Finals.
But another reason we were able to hand it off easily to our Western counterparts, is that Japan has always kind of been the home of fighting games because of the arcade culture, the way that the genre grew up. We've always seen a lot more tournaments in the arcades and also in Japan. But with our game, with Tekken, we've notice that the player base is 95% in the West. Over half of that, European. So, we were happy to see our American and European offices take over this and to perhaps give our players in those different regions more opportunities to participate in tournaments and to enjoy the game in that manner.
When you have these huge events like these Finals, especially, what's the most exciting part for you, though?
We've actually purposefully designed Tekken 7 this time to have a lot of elements in the gameplay linked to a spectator experience; what's typically exciting for the player can also be exciting for the viewer as well. Like, when someone turns the tables with their Rage Art or Rage Drive, or certain times when the game will go into super slow-motion right before the last blow by their opponent. These kind of things are what make the game really fun not just to play but to watch. These big events showcase those feature game. And personally, I would just say that you have all the communities together from Europe, the US, normally there's a lot of focus on Japan or Korea because they see the arcade installment first, but it's always cool to see the rivalries between the different player bases in different regions. And in Japan and Korea, you'll kind of see a tendency for players to gravitate towards whatever character seems to be the strongest at the moment. But I see, especially in Europe, a lot more interesting choices that we don't see come out in tournaments in Asia, as well. Even the way they play is quite different in each region. Seeing that all come together at one worldwide tournament is really exciting.
Now, you have Tekken 7 out there in the open on all platforms. It's currently sold over 2,000,000 copies at least on consoles. I'm sure you would consider that a success. How has that enabled you to plan for what's in the near future? Has that changed how you're approaching the roadmap for Tekken?
Well, that's an interesting question. If you look at the previous installment before Tekken 7, it would be Tekken Tag Tournament 2. And that was game that was really well received from the fighting game community and Metacritic, as well, but it actually didn't sell nearly as well as a lot the installments in the series. It was actually maybe one of the more difficult titles throughout the history of the franchise. Now we're almost at the start line because Tekken 7 came out and like you said, it sold over 2,000,000 copies worldwide, and it did so rather quickly compared to internal company expectations. So, that combined with esports becoming a more exciting scene and Tekken being able to play a major role in it, these two things have brought Tekken back to the scene in our company. It was a series that didn't quite meet expectations with the past installment but now people are saying, hey, Tekken still has broad appeal. And with those two things, we're finally on the starting line so that we can now perhaps have more authority in some decisions, and maybe that'll pave the way. Obviously for Tekken 7, there are some things we would've liked to include in the game that we couldn't for a variety of different reasons. A lot of these things are some of things that fans are pointing out as well. Maybe this makes it a little bit easier to try to do some of these things that we initially wanted to do but couldn't.
Would that include a Nintendo Switch version?
Well, you know, it's always a challenge. For example with Tekken 7, because we use Unreal Engine 4 that allows us to first bring the game to PC, something we've never done before. Unreal Engine was great because right away, we could get the graphics to a certain level quality the game was running fairly quickly. But it's not something right out of the box we can program and it's done. There are a lot of things that people don't realize, we have to reprogram on our side to make it work well with Unreal Engine. That was just for the current hardware, so you can imagine that for Switch. Especially at launch, that's something that wasn't a viable option. Some of the core components have to be handled by the engine, so I guess, as time goes on, maybe we'll see more of the adaptation of the engine to the Switch. Maybe we'll see methods to make a lighter version of the game that's easily portable to that platform. At the moment, that's not necessarily the case.
Actually, we haven't really done much research into how much it would take to do that, yet, as we're still working on trying to address certain areas of the game or to add features for the current platforms that people are interested in. So, we're not even really aware yet of how many people would actually want a Switch version of the game. We understand the appeal there, being able to take it anywhere with you, that's quite an awesome feature. But at the moment we're not in a position to do that. But like we said, we're not quite aware of how many people out there are looking for Tekken 7 on Switch. Maybe it starts by people saying, "Hey, this something that I really want." And we would go from there, but who knows? At the moment, nothing planned.
The online functionality in Demon's Souls will cease to operate early next year. Sony has announced that it's ending online service for the PS3 game, which will remain playable, but without some of its more memorable components.
Just three months remain for Demon's Souls' online services, as they will be shut down at the end of February. "After 9 years of reoccurring deaths and frustrations, but just as many triumphs of dedication, Demon's Souls online servers will terminate on February 28, 2018," the official Dark Souls Twitter account has announced.
Sony, which published the game in Japan, also shared the news on its website, stating that online multiplayer (both co-op and invasions), leaderboards, wandering silhouettes, bloodstains (left by other players), and hints and messages written by other players will all disappear. The core game itself will still be playable offline, just without the extra flavor provided by these features. A specific boss fight that involved fighting another player, Old Boss, will also now function differently.
Atlus, which published the game in North America, confirmed this shutdown will also take place in the West. "It's with mixed emotions we say goodbye to the service," it said on its website. "Countless players have enjoyed Demon's Souls and the functionality it introduced to players when such things were rarer."
Demon's Souls was originally released back in 2009. Developer From Software has gone on to develop follow-ups in the form of the Dark Souls series and Bloodborne, while Team Ninja's Nioh also took inspiration from the game. Its servers were originally set to shut down back in 2012 but ultimately received what's turned out to be a five-year extension. The PS3 game has never made it to another platform, but director Hidetaka Miyazaki said last year a Demon's Souls remake could happen--it just won't be developed by From Software.
Upcoming weapons and game modes on the way to Call of Duty: WWII have been revealed by way of a leak. A video showcasing the new content first surfaced on YouTube courtesy of MrJaRni, and it offers a brief look at some of the content that's apparently on the way.
Although the original video has been pulled, it's still online thanks to Reddit user xXCrankXx93 and Mp1st; you can watch it below (at least for now). In terms of modes, it starts out by showcasing Gun Game, the classic mode where players compete to be the first to earn a kill with each weapon in the game; as in the past, you'll simply need to earn one kill to be rotated from your current weapon to the next one. Others include Infected, Control, and Lockdown.
In terms of weapons, we get a glimpse of the Gewehr 43 and Sten, though we unfortunately don't get any real sense of how they'll function. More importantly, we also don't know when any of this content is coming or how it'll be obtained. Presumably at least part of it will be offered as part of future DLC packs, but others could come through Supply Drops or be added for free. As of yet, there's been no official word from Activision or developer Sledgehammer. We'll report back when an official announcement is made.
Bungie has found itself under fire in recent days after the discovery of a previously undisclosed XP scaling system in Destiny 2, which constrained XP gain in some situations. The studio has since acknowledged its existence and at least temporarily disabled it, but this has coincided with an increase to the amount of XP needed to level up, further frustrating some players.
It all began last week when a post on the Destiny subreddit revealed that players were not necessarily earning XP as quickly as the game would lead them to believe. Put simply, the game reduces your progress toward leveling up when earning XP rapidly, such as by taking part in Public Events. This is particularly notable because, once you reach level 20, you begin earning Bright Engrams each time you fill your XP bar. Bright Engrams are something that can be purchased with real-world money, naturally sparking speculation that this scaling system is meant to prevent players from earning Bright Engrams for free too quickly. You can read the full findings by Reddit user EnergiserX here.
Bungie addressed the concerns during the Thanksgiving holiday with a post on its website. "We've seen community discussion around XP gain in Destiny. After reviewing our data, we agree that the system is not performing the way we'd like it to," it stated.
"Currently, XP will scale up when playing longer or fixed duration activities like Crucible competitive multiplayer matches and the Leviathan Raid, and XP will scale down when playing activities that can be quickly, repeatedly chained, like grinding Public Events," it explained. "We are not happy with the results, and we've heard the same from the community. Effective immediately, we are deactivating this system.
"As a result, players will see XP earn rates change for all activities across the board, but with all values being displayed consistently in the user interface. Over the course of the next week, we will be watching and reviewing XP game data to ensure that these changes meet our expectations, as well as yours. Any additional updates to this system will be communicated to you via our official channels."
While a positive change, even this move has been met with some controversy. Players are now earning more XP overall, but the amount needed to level up had been quietly doubled, going from 80,000 to 160,000. Bungie subsequently confirmed this was the case and said it's working on an update so that the in-game UI correctly lists this new amount, but that has not yet been released.
We'll be hearing a lot more about changes to Destiny 2 this week, with Bungie set to share details about the Destiny 2 December update's economy and investment changes, which include things like new rewards systems and adjustments to how vendor gear is obtained. Game director Luke Smith and project lead Mark Noseworthy will also "be answering some questions and addressing community feedback we've been reading since launch." Given the recent frustrations with XP, we may be hearing more about the subject soon.
Luke Skywalker may only featured briefly in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but the iconic character is set make a big return to the blockbuster series next month, when The Last Jedi hits theaters. Actor Mark Hamill, who first played role back in 1977, has been speaking about his time in the series and has revealed one moment that he is not a fan of.
"When filming [the] scene I was assured my lightsaber swipe toward camera (creature not on set) would simply singe fur to scare him off," the actor tweeted. "[I was] horrified to later see amputation and unnecessary cruelty. Wampa was HUNGRY (not EVIL). Luke would never do this!"
The matter didn't end there however. After Hamill confirmed that he was "serious" about this issue, another fan brought up the fact that in A New Hope, Luke boasts that he used to "bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home." Hamill then explained that there was a big difference between those Tatooine-based creatures and the giant ice monsters of Hoth. "Womprats are aggressive, oversized disease-ridden rodents that threatened the family farm," he said. "Not the same."
Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15. There has been plenty of promotional activity for the movie over past couple of weeks, including a TV spot in which Chewie smacks a Porg, and another that focuses on Luke's relationship with Rey.
Pokemon Go fans have been able to catch Lugia, one of the Legendary Pokemon from Gold and Silver, since July. However the other Legendary Bird Pokemon, Ho-Oh, has so far been unavailable in-game. Luckily, following the recent Global Catch Challenge, developer Niantic has unlocked the rainbow-colored creature in Raid Battles worldwide.
"As a result of all your hard work, Ho-Oh is now appearing in Raid Battles at Gyms around the world until December 12, 2017," the company said. The Global Catch Challenge ended just recently, and unlocked Farfetch'd around the world (as well as Kangaskhan in east Asia). Since players reached the end goal of collectively catching 3 billion Pokemon, they also earned 6-hour lures and double XP.
Although James Cameron's Avatar stands financially as the most successful movie ever made, many fans were surprised when the director announced that he was making no fewer than four sequels. Production is underway on Avatar 2 and 3, with the first of these set to arrive in 2020. However, Cameron has now admitted that the fate of Avatar 4 and 5 depends on the success of the first two movies.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Cameron was very honest about the future of the sci-fi series. "If Avatar 2 and 3 don't make enough money, there's not going to be a 4 and 5," he said.
However, the director also explained that while connected, the movies also work as standalone narratives that aren't entirely dependent on each other. "They're fully encapsulated stories in and of themselves," he explained. "It builds across the five films to a greater kind of meta narrative, but they're fully formed films in their own right, unlike, say, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, where you really just had to sort of go, 'Oh, s**t, all right, well I guess I better come back next year.' Even though that all worked and everybody did!"
Last week, Cameron spoke about some of the technical challenges involved with making the Avatar sequels, in particular shooting motion-capture underwater. "It's never been done before and it's very tricky," he said. "Our motion capture system, like most motion capture systems, is what they call optical base, meaning that it uses markers that are photographed with hundreds of cameras. The problem with water is not the underwater part, but the interface between the air and the water, which forms a moving mirror. That moving mirror reflects all the dots and markers, and it creates a bunch of false markers.
"So, we've thrown a lot of horsepower, innovation, imagination, and new technology at the problem, and it's taken us about a year and a half now to work out how we're going to do it."
The first cast image from the Avatar sequel was revealed in September. Although specific plot details about Avatar 2 are scarce, producer Jon Landau did explain that the young cast would help shift the tone of the movie. "We never had this youthful element before, and that brings a different kind of energy to the film," he said. "They represent the future generation of Pandora and play a very significant role--not just in this movie but throughout all the movies."
November is wrapping up, and now streaming platform Hulu has announced all of the TV shows and movies coming to a leaving the platform for December. As you might expect, there are a handful of holiday-themed movies landing on Hulu next month.
One of these is A Christmas Wedding Tail, which tells the story of two dogs who fall in love. Other holiday movies landing in December include A Princess For Christmas, Chilly Christmas, and I'll Be Home For Christmas. As for non-holiday additions to the Hulu library in December, some great movies like Silence of the Lambs, Space Jam, Searching for Sugar Man, and Apocalypse Now, among others.
As for what's leaving Hulu next month, James Bond movies Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, The Man With the Golden Gun, Die Another Day, and A View to a Kill are all on the way out. Congo, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Total Recall are also headed out.
You can see a full rundown of what's coming to and leaving Hulu for December below, as compiled by the company and shared with GameSpot. In other streaming news, here's everything coming to Netflix in December.
Hulu December 2017:
Available December 1
East Los High: Finale Event (Hulu Original)
The History of Comedy: Complete Season 1 (CNN)
Inside Number 9: Complete Season 2 (BBCWW)
Tree Fu Tom: Complete Seasons 3 & 4 (Sprout)
Trust Me: Complete Season 1 (StudioCanal)
The Wine Show: Complete Season 2 (Sky)
3 Ninjas (1992)
A Christmas Wedding Tail (2011)
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
A Princess for Christmas (2011)
Aliens of the Deep (2005)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Apocalypse Now Redux (2001)
At Close Range (1986)
Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction (2006)
The Black Cauldron (1985)
Bloodsport (1988)
Breakheart Pass (1975)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Buffalo 66 (1998)
Cheri (2009)
Chicago (2002)
Child's Play (1988)
Chilly Christmas (2012)
Coopers Camera (AKA Coopers' Christmas) (2010)
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Crazy/Beautiful (2001)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Downhill Racer (1969)
Driftwood (2006)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex… (1972)
Evita (1996)
Extortion (2017)
The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)
The Final Cut (2004)
First Kid (1996)
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
George of the Jungle (1997)
Hammett (1982)
Hannibal (2001)
Heaven's Gate (1981)
Hitch (2005)
I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998)
The Improv: 50 Years Behind the Brick Wall (2013)
In & Out (1997)
In Enemy Hands (2003)
In the Line of Fire (1993)
Jack (1996)
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
L7 Pretend We're Dead (2016)
The Last Warrior (2000)
Light Sleeper (1992)
Meet Wally Sparks (1997)
A Midsummer Night Sex Comedy (1982)
The Missing (2003)
Mississippi Burning (1988)
Moonstruck (1987)
Mr. Wrong (1996)
One from the Heart (1982)
One Magic Christmas (1985)
P2 (2007)
Penelope (2008)
The Perfect Score (2004)
Political Animals (2012)
The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
Presumed Innocent (1990)
Primal Fear (1996)
Puppetmaster: Axis Termination (2017)
Red Corner (1997)
Robocop (1987)
Robocop 2 (1990)
Robocop 3 (1993)
Rocky (1976)
Rocky II (1979)
Rocky III (1982)
Rocky IV (1985)
Rocky V (1990)
S.F.W. (1995)
Sarafina! (1992)
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
Serpico (1973)
Shelby: A Magical Holiday Tail (2014)
Silence (2016)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Space Jam (1996)
Stealing Harvard (2002)
Stigmata (1999)
The Three Musketeers (1993)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
Three Men and a Baby (1987)
Titanic (1997)
Total Recall (1990)
Valkyrie (2008)
The Water Horse (2007)
The Weight of Water (2002)
Winnie the Pooh, A Valentine for You (1999)
Without (2011)
Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007)
The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa (2012)
Available December 2
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5 Premiere (ABC)
Available December 3
Cop Land (1997)
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
The Rules of Attraction (2002)
Available December 4
Frontera (2014)
Superbad (2007)
Available December 5
The Great Christmas Light Fight: Season 5 Premiere (ABC)
Iron Protector (2016)
Available December 6
Shut Eye: Season 2 Premiere (Hulu Original)
Killers (2015)
Available December 8
Defining Moments: Season 1 Premiere (ESL)
The Great American Baking Show: Season 3 Premiere (ABC)
Legion: Complete Season 1 (FX)
Crank: High Voltage (2009)
Legion of Brothers (2017)
Available December 9
Dave Made a Maze (2017)
Available December 11
Steven Universe: Complete Season 4 (Cartoon Network)
Available December 12
Younger: Complete Season 4 (TV Land)
Holiday Fairy Tale Wedding: Special (Freeform)
Foreman (2017)
Available December 13
Vengeance of an Assassin (2014)
Available December 14
Bunheads: Complete Season 1 (Freeform)
Available December 15
40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)
The Crow (1994)
Everest (1998)
Kate and Leopold (2001)
The Limehouse Golem (2017)
Score (2016)
Tears of the Sun (2003)
Available December 16
The Next Step: Complete Season 5B (BBC)
Available December 18
Graves: Complete Season 1 (Epix)
Made In Chelsea: Complete Seasons 1-13 (E4)
Mighty Magiswords: Complete Season S1A (Cartoon Network)
The end of the month is in sight, so Microsoft has revealed the next batch of games that will be available for free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers. As usual, December's Games With Gold lineup consists of four games spread across Xbox One and Xbox 360.
A new month means a slew of new programming to watch on Amazon Prime. The streaming video component of the service is ending the year on a high note by adding some notable franchises, the new Doctor Who Christmas special, and classic movies like Point Break to its offerings in December.
Most notable, the Rocky movies are coming to Prime. Rocky through Rocky V will all help Amazon kick off the month. They join Creed, which is already available to subscribers. Now Amazon just needs to snag the rights to Rocky Balboa and the collection will be complete.
The streamer is also adding the eight-film Marvel Animated Features collection. The cartoon movies, originally released direct-to-DVD, include Ultimate Avengers, Planet Hulk, Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme, and Thor: Tales of Asgard, among others. Originally released between 2006 and 2011, the films exist in their own universe apart from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
December also brings several more Thursday Night Football games, as the NFL presents the Saints vs. the Falcons, the Broncos vs. the Colts, and the Steelers vs. the Texans. Those games will air live through Amazon Prime.
With the arrival of the holidays comes a slew of new shows and movies on Netflix. It's a particularly busy month for the streamer, with many holiday specials joining the service, alongside several Netflix originals and a number of new library titles. With popular titles like V for Vendetta, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Disney's The Santa Clause trilogy arriving, December is going to be a busy month for streaming.
However, it's a Netflix original movie that you should be paying closest attention to. December 22 will see the premiere of Bright, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. The fantasy crime movie is directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad) with a script by Max Landis (American Ultra). The film marks Smith's first time starring in a Netflix project and he's certainly picked an interesting one.
Bright is set in a world where humans and fantasy creatures coexist. Smith plays an LAPD officer who is partnered with an Orc (Edgerton) when they find a very powerful magic wand that has the potential to change the world. Other new entries include Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, a new season of The Ranch, and Dave Chappelle's latest stand-up comedy special. It's not all good news, though.
There are also many titles departing the service in December. Black Snake Moan, Practical Magic, and 11 seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia are just a few of the movies and shows that will no longer be available after the end of 2017. So make sure you watch them while you still can.
You can take a look at the full list of what's coming and going on Netflix throughout December below. You can also see everything that's arrived in November.
Arriving on Netflix, December 2017
December 1
8 Mile
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
All Hail King Julien: Season 5 (Netflix Original)
A StoryBots Christmas (Netflix Original)
August Rush
Chef & My Fridge: 2017
Dark: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Diana: In Her Own Words
Dreamcatcher
DreamWorks Home: For the Holidays (Netflix Original)
Easy: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
Exporting Raymond
Forbidden Games: The Justin Fashanu Story
Full Metal Jacket
Hitch
My Happy Family (Netflix Original)
Nacho Libre
Sahara
The Farthest - Voyager in Space
The Little Rascals
The Wackness
The Young Victoria
Tyson
V for Vendetta
TURN: Washington's Spies: Season 4
Voyeur (Netflix Original)
While You Were Sleeping
December 4
When Calls the Heart: Season 4
December 5
Craig Ferguson: Tickle Fight (Netflix Original)
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
December 6
Trolls Holiday Special
December 8
El Camino Christmas (Netflix Original)
The Crown: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
December 11
Catwoman
The Magicians: Season 2
December 12
Disney's The Santa Clause
Disney's The Santa Clause 2
Disney's The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Judd Apatow: The Return (Netflix Original)
December 14
41 Dogs in My Home
A&E: When Patients Attack
Ainsley Eats the Streets: Season 1
Halt and Catch Fire: Season 4
December 15
A Five Star Life
Christmas Inheritance (Netflix Original)
Discovering Bigfoot
El Señor de los Cielos: Season 5
Erased: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Freeway: Crack In The System
Neverlake
Pottersville
Reggie Yates Outside Man: Volume 2
The Haunting of Helena
The Mafia Kills Only in Summer
The Ranch: Part 4 (Netflix Original)
Trollhunters: Part 2 (Netflix Original)
Ultimate Beastmaster (Netflix Original)
Wormwood (Netflix Original)
December 18
Hello, My Twenties!: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
December 19
Miss Me This Christmas
Russell Howard: Recalibrate (Netflix Original)
The Indian Detective: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
You Can't Fight Christmas
December 20
La Casa de Papel: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
December 21
Peaky Blinders: Season 4 (Netflix Original)
December 22
72 Dangerous Animals: Latin America: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Bright (Netflix Original)
Dope: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Fuller House: Season 3, New Episodes (Netflix Original)
Rosario Tijeras: Season 1
The Toys That Made Us: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
December 23
Creep 2
Myths & Monsters: Season 1
December 25
Cable Girls: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
Planet Earth II
December 26
Todd Barry: Spicy Honey (Netflix Original)
Travelers: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
All Hail King Julien: New Year's Eve Countdown 2018
Beat Bugs: New Year's Eve Countdown 2018
Larva: New Year's Eve Countdown 2018
Pororo: New Year's Eve Countdown 2018
Puffin Rock: New Year's Eve Countdown 2018
Skylanders Academy: New Year's Eve Countdown 2018
Trollhunters: New Year's Eve Countdown 2018
True and The Rainbow Kingdom: New Year's Eve Countdown 2018
Word Party: New Year's Eve Countdown 2018
December 27
Pusher
December 29
Bill Nye Saves the World: Season 2: Part 1 (Netflix Original)
Killer Legends
La Mante: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Shelter
The Climb (Netflix Original)
December 31
Dave Chappelle: Equanimity (Netflix Original)
Fun Mom Dinner
Leaving Netflix, December 2017
December 1
All I Want for Christmas
Bedazzled
Black Snake Moan
Compulsion
Cousin Bette
Hoffa
La Viuda Negra: Season 1
Picture Perfect
Practical Magic
Rebelde
Scary Movie 2
Scary Movie 3
Super Size Me
Terriers: Season 1
The Crucible
The Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus
The Man from Snowy River
Touch: Season 2
Toys
Two Girls and a Guy
Waking Life
Young Frankenstein
Yu-Gi-Oh! Bonds Beyond Time
Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal: Seasons 1-2
December 5
Holes
December 9
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Seasons 1-11
December 10
Lucky Number Slevin
Nightcrawler
The Rite
December 11
Dollhouse: Season 2
December 13
The Queen of Versailles
December 15
America's Funniest Home Video Kids: Holidazed
America's Funniest Home Videos Kids: Animals with Attitude: Season 1
America's Funniest Home Videos Kids: It's Tough Being a Kid: Season 1
America's Funniest Home Videos Kids: Playtime Ain't for Wimps: Season 1
America's Funniest Home Videos: New Collection D: Nincompoop Nation
Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself
December 19
Dance Academy: Series 1-3
December 20
Che: Parts 1 & 2
December 24
Amores Perros
December 25
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Have an Xbox Live Gold membership? More free games are now waiting for you to claim, but only for a limited time. The second wave of November's Games With Gold titles are out now, presenting you with two new titles (for a total of three) to grab. With the end of the month in sight, you should act quickly.
You can use the links below to queue up your download of November's remaining free Games With Gold games. They are free through the end of the month, with the exception of Tales From the Borderlands, which will stick around until December 15. December 2017's free Games With Gold titles have not been announced yet, but we'll report back with all the details once Microsoft shares them.
In other news, Microsoft's ongoing Black Friday sale is nearing its end. Hundreds of Xbox One and 360 games are on sale, and although the prices may not be as strong as those you can get in stores, many of them are very good. The same goes for the current Deals With Gold, which also expire soon but offer the likes of Middle-earth: Shadow of War for $36.
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. In the meantime, check out our rundown on everything new in Pokemon Ultra Sun And Moon, and the differences between Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
Pokemon Sun/Moon Free Gifts
Pokemon
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.
Celebi -- Ends Sep. 21, 2018
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.
Charizard -- DONE
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 -- DONE
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.
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.
Mega Stones -- DONE
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:
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.
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 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 is streaming now, 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.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are in the past, but that doesn't mean video game deals have dried up. Microsoft today announced and launched the latest lineup of weekly Deals With Gold offers. And while the lineup is not as extensive or impressive as the Black Friday/Cyber Monday Xbox Live offers, there are still some solid deals to be had.
On Xbox One, 2014's puzzle-platform game Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) is marked down to $3/£2.40/$4 AU. With an arctic fox at your side, you play as a young girl from the Alaska native people, the Inupiat. You are on a perilous journey to find the source of an "eternal blizzard" that threatens her people. Almost 40 Inupiat people contributed to the development of the game, which is the first ever to be made with the Inupiat.
The game's first expansion, Foxtales, is also on sale, marked down to $2/£1.60/$2.68 AU. Additionally, the Never Alone Arctic Collection, which contains the base game and the Foxtales expansion, is discounted this week to $3.60/£2.88/$4.83 AU. Other Xbox One games on sale this week include Mordheim: City of the Damned ($10/£7.50/$15 AU) and Earthlock: Festival of Magic ($7.50/£6/$10 AU).
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt introduced a lot of people to the Witcher universe for the first time, but the series' history extends much further back. The Witcher just turned 10 years old, and to celebrate the game's birthday, one modder decided to build an homage to the game using The Witcher 3's much-improved engine.
Nexusmods user erxv recreated the opening act of the original game in The Witcher 3, and the results are pretty incredible. In the video embedded above, we take a closer look at how the mod makes over the memorable prologue.
It helps that The Witcher 3 returns to so many of the same places that the original game featured. Both games feature the Kaer Morhen fortress, after all, and they look pretty similar--even though many years have passed when The Witcher 3 opens. Erxv also did a good job of bringing in the original audio and timing the animations correctly.
You can download the mod here (be careful, as always, downloading user-created mods). If you haven't played the original game in its entirety yet, you should give it a try: you can get the Enhanced Edition for $1.49 right now, and it's a great game. When it first launched, GameSpot gave it an 8.5/10.
Although Steep didn't generate a ton of buzz when it was released last year, Ubisoft Annecy has nonetheless supported the extreme sports game with quite a bit of DLC. Its biggest piece of post-release content, however, is still to come: the Road to the Olympics expansion will add a new story and a whole bunch of new sports, and you can try out some of it in its open beta beginning tomorrow.
Road to the Olympics adds two new areas to the game, Japan and South Korea, joining Alaska and the Alps. In the open beta, players will be able to try out the new Downhill and Big Air events. Downhill will feature the high-speed, well-defined race courses of its real-world counterpart, while Big Air will task you with scoring the most points on a single jump. If you happen to be really good at Downhill, and end up at the top of the leaderboards, you'll get a chance to win a ticket to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
You'll also be able to explore a bit of of the larger Japan map; there, you can complete two wingsuit challenges and one snowboard challenge. The full expansion will feature a story mode that follows the journey of a freestyle athlete who attempts to win Gold in three events: Big Air, Halfpipe, and Slopestyle.
The beta will run from November 28 to December 4, and it'll be available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The full expansion costs $30; Ubisoft is also launching a bundle with both the base game and the expansion for $60, and a bundle with all the DLC for $80. It launches in full on December 5. Previous pieces of DLC have added various challenges, cosmetic items, and sports like speedflying and tobogganing.
"We have never said anything about discontinuing that title but for some reason that's the rumour out on the market," he told GI.biz in a wide-ranging interview.
Mankind Divided
That being said, Matsuda strongly suggested that the Deus Ex series is taking a breather for the time behind. Series developer Eidos Montreal is currently working on an Avengers game, and understandably it sounds like that project is taking up the lion's share of the studio's development resources.
"What I can say is Eidos Montreal has always developed Deus Ex, and the issue is we do not have limitless resources," Matsuda said. "We have several big titles that we work with and that's partly a factor in what our lineup looks like. Of course, it would be ideal if we could work on all of them all of the time, but the fact of the matter is some titles have to wait their turn. The reason there isn't a Deus Ex right now is just a product of our development lineup because there are other titles we are working on."
Matsuda added that Deus Ex is a "very important franchise" for Square Enix overall, adding that some discussions are already being had about what Square Enix wants to do with the next Deus Ex game. No further details are available at this time, however.
Mankind Divided launched in August 2016 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. GameSpot's Mankind Divided review scored it an 8/10, with reviewer Edmond Tran writing, "Mankind Divided is still a uniquely fulfilling experience, one which feels rare in games today." For more, you can read GameSpot's full review here.
Call of Duty: World War II has added microtransactions. You can now buy "Call of Duty Points" from the in-game store in allotments ranging from 200 to 13,000. These run in price from $2 to $100, and you can see a full breakdown below with local pricing.
200 Call of Duty Points -- $2/£2/$3.35 AU
1,100 Call of Duty Points -- $10/£8.39/$14.95 AU
2,400 Call of Duty Points -- $20/£16.79/$29.95 AU
5,000 Call of Duty Points -- $30/£35/$59.95 AU
9,500 Call of Duty Points -- $75/£53/$112.95 AU
13,000 Call of Duty Points -- $100/£85/$150.45
Call of Duty: WWII microtransaction pricing for Australia
When we logged on today we found we were given a free allotment of 200 Call of Duty Points, so go check for yourself and you may have a gift waiting.
You can spend Call of Duty Points to get rare-level supply drops AKA loot crates for multiplayer and Zombies creates/loot boxes in the Zombies mode. You also also obtain other items with Call of Duty Points; and the currency also works for similar items in Infinite Warfare, Modern Warfare Remastered, and Black Ops III.
Investment firm Spark Capital led the round of funding with an unspecified amount; others that put money in include Founders Fund, Meritech, Javelin Venture Captial, You & Mr. Jones, and the gaming company NetEase.
Spark Capital general partner Megan Quinn will join Niantic's Board of Directors as part of her company's investment. She wrote on Twitter, "We believe [Niantic CEO John Hanke] & the team are building an incredibly important company at the intersection of AR and real world location."
Once owned by Google, Niantic Labs is now an independent studio. They worked with The Pokemon Company on the massively successful Pokemon Go, and the team is now collaborating with Warner Bros. on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Like Pokemon Go, Wizards Unite will send players into the real world to complete tasks and objectives. The game is due out in 2018, though no other details about it are available at this time.
The new round of funding for Niantic suggests that launching and supporting Wizards Unite (in addition to Pokemon Go) may not be all that the company has in store in the AR market. According to GI.biz, Hanke said in an email that the new funding will open up the opportunity for "new strategic opportunities," including "long-term investments" in AR.
We teamed up with 704Games to giveaway these awesome prize packs for NASCAR Heat 2:
Prize 1: An Xbox One S signed by Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, an Xbox One code for NASCAR Heat 2
Prize 2: An Xbox One NASCAR Heat 2 game signed by Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney
Prize 3: A PS4 NASCAR Heat 2 game signed by Brad Keselowski
Prize 4: A Hat signed by Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney; a code for NASCAR Heat 2 (PS4 or Xbox One, winner's choice)
Four (4) winners will be chosen after the competition ends Monday, December 4 at 12:01AM PT. Entry is open to US residents only, void where prohibited.
Enter below (the additional entries are OPTIONAL to increase your chances of winning):
A new patch is out now for Sony's Horizon: Zero Dawn, containing fixes for problems that came up in the new expansion, The Frozen Wilds, and more. Before going any further, be warned that the patch notes contain potential spoilers for Horizon and the expansion.
Specifically, this new patch fixes a problem where campfires would fail to stay lit in The Frozen Wilds, while it also clears out an issue that prevented players from creating a New Game+ loadout. Also fixed with this patch is a problem where two datapoints could not be obtained in The Frozen Wilds, while several problems related to "graphics" are fixed as well. Additionally, some dialogue and subtitles problems are fixed, while some cutscenes and animations have been improved for The Frozen Wilds.
The new patch, 1.45, also makes changes to a number of quests and also tweaks the characteristics of some machines. You can see the full patch notes for the 309 MB update below, as posted by developer Guerrilla Games on Reddit. Be warned that the patch notes may contain spoilers.
• Fixed an issue where players could not create a New Game+ loadout from the pause menu.
• Fixed an issue where Bluegleam resources would carry over to New Game+.
• Fixed an issue where the Insulated Outfit Weave could not be obtained.
• Fixed an issue where the campfires in The Frozen Wilds would not stay lit after reloading.
• Added a 'Dismount Strike' counter to the progression page and fixed an issue where it would not allow the user to get 100% completion.
• Fixed an issue where The Frozen Wilds hints would appear to users that did not own the DLC.
• Fixed an issue where two datapoints from The Frozen Wilds could become unobtainable.
• Fixed several issues with icons not showing up for collectables, and icons displaying the wrong locations for enemies or quest points of interests for "The Frozen Wilds".
• Fixed an issue where the 'First Bluegleam Trade' trophy would not unlock when buying certain items.
• Fixed several geometry issues in the world where Aloy could get stuck in The Frozen Wilds.
• Fixed several issues where the user could skip areas of the world and cause progression issues.
• Fixed an issue where the Icerail tutorial would not progress when using the Adept version of the weapon.
• Fixed several graphics issues in The Frozen Wilds.
• Fixed several dialog and subtitle issues in The Frozen Wilds.
•Several animations and cutscenes improvements in The Frozen Wilds.
• Several balancing tweaks to outfits and weapons.
• Several balancing tweaks to encounters in The Frozen Wilds.
• Several fixes to the buddies and enemy A.I. in The Frozen Wilds.
• Several progression and crash fixes.
• Performance improvements.
• General improvements.
GENERAL FIXES
• Fixed an issue where players were not able to create a New Game+ loadout after completing the game.
• Fixed an issue where the Insulated Outfit Weave would not be present at its set location.
• Fixed an issue where Skill Points would still be visible when the player had all skills unlocked.
• Fixed an issue at the Charger site near Song's Edge, where there was a chance that Chargers would not spawn at the site when visiting the area.
• Fixed an issue at the Scorcher site, where there was a chance that only Scrappers would spawn at the site when visiting the area.
• Fixed an issue where fast traveling to the Longnotch icon would put Aloy on top of a tent.
• Fixed an issue where the campfires in The Frozen Wilds would not stay lit after being activated and reloading.
• Fixed an issue in the loadings screens, where hints for The Frozen Wilds would be displayed even without the DLC installed.
• Fixed an issue with the Banuk Icerail tutorial where the tutorial would not progress when a player used the Adept version the Banuk Icerail.
• Fixed an issue where players were able to carry over Bluegleam to a New Game+ save, after creating a New Game+ loadout when they had Treasure Boxes with Bluegleam in their inventory.
• Fixed an issue in the Machine Catalogue in Aloy's Notebook where the 'Sources' lists for loot would not be updated with the new machines from The Frozen Wilds.
• Added a counter for 'Dismount Strikes' in the Combat Statistics in Aloy's Notebook.
• Fixed an issue where Ikrie's Challenge would count towards the percentage of game completion of the base game.
• Fixed an issue that some players experienced where their Ghost Level experience value was displayed as a negative number after reaching level 60.
• Various visual improvements in The Frozen Wilds.
• Various improvements to geometry in The Frozen Wilds.
• Fixed various issues in cinematics in The Frozen Wilds.
• Fixed an issue that players experienced where Aloy would talk about Bluegleam too often. These callouts have been reduced and will not occur when Aloy is inside any buildings.
• Fixed various issues with other callouts in The Frozen Wilds.
• Updates to the credits of The Frozen Wilds.
• Fixed various issues with in-game text, subtitles and localization.
QUESTS: The Shaman's Path
• Fixed an issue in "The Shaman's Path" where the Frostclaw would not get stunned after overriding the Control Tower.
• Fixed an issue in "The Shaman's Path" where sections of Ourea's Retreat had extended periods without background music.
• Fixed an issue in "The Shaman's Path" where the waypoint finder would lead the player a long way around when falling down the jump under the helipad.
QUESTS: For the Werak
• Fixed an issue in "For The Werak" where in certain the of one of the damaged Frostclaws would swap.
QUESTS: Firebreak
• Fixed an issue in "Firebreak" that some players experienced where the Frostclaw would jump through the door when taking Aratak's Path.
• Fixed an issue in "Firebreak" where the datapoint icons would not show up on the compass until the player used their Focus at least once.
QUESTS: The Forge of Winter
• Fixed an issue in "The Forge of Winter" where Aloy will be blasted off the floating crates if her idle hanging animation plays when passing over the broken vent.
• Fixed an issue in "The Forge of Winter" where Aratak and Ourea would not follow you past the bridge of the Recycling Area after the player backtracked within the Cauldron.
• Fixed an issue in "The Forge of Winter" where Aratak and Ourea would remain stationary after the second Control Tower is destroyed when battling the daemonic Fireclaw.
• Fixed an issue in "The Forge of Winter" with the animations of the Fireclaw while fighting it near the Cauldron Core.
• Fixed an issue in "The Forge of Winter" in Ourea's Retreat, where two icons of CYAN could be seen on the user's compass.
QUESTS: Waterlogged
• Fixed various issues in "Waterlogged" with the water in the Greycatch.
• Fixed an issue in "Waterlogged" where Aloy would pry open the door with Sylens' spear, even when the player doesn't have this spear yet.
• Fixed an issue in "Waterlogged" with Gildun's positioning to close the first sluice gate.
QUESTS: Ikrie's Challenge
• Fixed an issue in "Ikrie's Challenge" where the rolling logs would not respawn when attempting the trial again.
ACTIVITIES: Hunting Grounds
• Fixed an issue in "Weapons for the Lodge" where players would experience the quest log not being updated correctly after clearing one of the trials in the Snowchants Hunting Ground in The Frozen Wilds.
COLLECTABLES
• Fixed an issue where Animal Figurine icons were missing from the interior maps in The Frozen Wilds.
• Fixed an issue where a Bluegleam icon was missing from the exterior map for Bluegleam in the Drone Hangar.
ECONOMY
• Fixed an issue where players reported that they would not be able to buy every outfit in the game, as there were not enough slots. You can now get all outfits with a fully upgraded Outfits Satchel and the 'Hoarder' skill unlocked.
• Fixed a cosmetic issue in the Banuk Werak Chieftain outfit.
• Fixed a UI issue where the 'Master' Adept versions of outfits would have the same name as the 'Heavy' Adept versions in New Game +.
• Fixed an issue where the Banuk Ice Hunter Heavy would provide more protection than the Adept version of this outfit, while they both have the same resistance stats.
• Fixed an issue with the Shield-Weaver outfit, which would not work correctly if Aloy was damaged by two damage types or explosions.
• Fixed an issue where the shard value for spear mods would be inconsistent.
MACHINES
• Fixed various damage issues on edge-case scenarios for the Fireclaw and Frostclaw, which could lead to more than the intended damage.
TROPHIES
• Fixed an issue with the "First Bluegleam Trade" trophy. This would not unlock if a players bought an Adept version of one of the new outfits from The Frozen Wilds.
PROGRESSION ISSUES FIXES
• Fixed several issues that some people experienced with geometry in The Frozen Wilds. Players could leave the intended play area and get stuck, blocking progression.
QUESTS: Firebreak
• Fixed an issue in "Firebreak" that some players experienced, where Aloy could get pushed through the Cauldron door when fighting the Daemonic Scorcher.
• Fixed an issue in "Firebreak" that some players experienced, where killing the Daemonic Scorcher near the Cauldron door could cause the option to open the door to be hidden by the option to search the Scorcher.
QUESTS: The Forge of Winter
• Fixed an issue in "The Forge of Winter" that some players experienced, where killing the Daemonic Fireclaw near the Cauldron Core could cause the option to override the Cauldron Core to be hidden by the option to search the Fireclaw.
QUESTS: Waterlogged
• Fixed an issue in "Waterlogged" that some players experienced, where in certain situations Aloy could not pull up on the ladder after solving the Flow Puzzle.
• Fixed an issue in "Waterlogged" that some players experienced, where some ladders could lose their functionality, blocking progression.
• Fixed an issue in "Waterlogged" that some players experienced, where fast-traveling out of the Greycatch from the top of the counterweight would block progression of this quest.
• Fixed an issue in "Waterlogged" that some players experienced, where Gildun would disappear after completing the optional puzzle and walking through the unlocked doorway.
QUESTS: Frontier Justice
• Fixed an issue in "Frontier Justice" that some players experienced, where if the player fast traveled away after completing the first 'Follow the tracks' objective and before completing the second objective, there would be no quest marker.
QUESTS: Ikrie's Challenge
• Fixed an issue in "Ikrie's Challenge" that some players experienced. If the player died on the second attempt after having received Gold the first time, the objective would be missing from the quest objective log.
QUESTS: The Claws Beneath
• Fixed an issue in "The Claws Beneath" where the game would not auto save when killing the Claws Beneath before accepting the quest through Umnak.
ACTIVITIES: Bandit Camps
• Fixed an issue in the Stone Yield Bandit Camp that some players experienced, where the Bandit Camp leader would already be dead without the player killing it, blocking progression.
COLLECTIBLES
• Fixed an issue with datapoints 'Induced Coma' and 'The Swarm'. These datapoints could not be collected after completing "The Forge of Winter" but can now be found in this location if you missed it in Cauldron Epsilon.
Welcome back to your favourite video game news video show: GS News Roundup! Jess McDonell and Dan Crowd are here again to tell you all about the following stories:
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What did you think about today's news? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and we'll see you tomorrow!
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