Dragon Ball FighterZ possesses a number of mechanics that aren't as easy to figure out as hurling Ki blasts with characters. Much like the show it's based on, your characters will be able to collect several dragon balls, with the user being granted a single wish from the legendary dragon Shenron. However, the game doesn't quite spell out how exactly to do this, which may confuse some players who suddenly find a dragon ball during a fight.
In the video above, we lay out what you'll have to do to find all the dragon balls and summon the dragon to grant your wish. Essentially a special comeback move, you'll have to string together a set of combos to score a specific number of hits for each orb. However, what makes this particular meta-challenge so tricky is that your player will compete against the opposing player for the dragon balls, who can steal the chance to summon Shenron. Once summoned, you'll be granted a selection of four wishes--which include health regeneration, reviving a downed teammate, restoring full Ki energy, and granting maximum health. While these may seem fairly tame, these wishes can make all the difference in a fight.
Sony is releasing a new pair of special edition DualShock 4 colors in the US and Europe soon. Beginning in March, PS4 owners will be able to pick up a DualShock 4 in Midnight Blue and Steel Black variants, though they won't be available for very long.
Both the Midnight Blue and Steel Black controllers will be released in limited quantities. Midnight Blue is an entirely new color for the PS4 controller, while Steel Black was previously available in 2016. You can see images of the two DualShock 4 controllers in the gallery below.
The Midnight Blue and Steel Black controllers will be released in Europe on March 7, though pricing has not yet been revealed. Sony hasn't announced an exact date for when they'll arrive in the US, but the controllers will retail for $65 each and are available to pre-order now from various retailers. You can read more about them on PlayStation Blog.
Nintendo Switch has been on the market less than 11 months, but it has already outsold its predecessor, the Wii U. Around 12.13 million Switch units were sold during the nine months ending December 31, 2017, with 2.74 million sold during the hybrid console's debut month last March.
Overall, this means 14.87 million Switches had been sold by the end of December last year. As of October 31, 2017, Wii U hardware sales stood at 13.56 million. Barring an unlikely 1.31 million Wii U consoles being sold in November and December, this means the Switch has almost certainly outsold the Wii U. More up-to-date sales figures for Wii U have not been provided.
Switch sales are now not too far off those of the Gamecube, which sold 21.74 million, but they're still far behind those of the ultra-successful Wii, which reached around 101.63 million units sold.
Nintendo has also confirmed that Super Mario Odyssey is the console's best-selling game to date. The platformer sold 9 million units up until the end of December. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which launched in April 2017, sold 7.3 million units and Splatoon 2 reached 4.9 million units by the same date. According to Nintendo, it now has eight million-seller titles for the fiscal year, but includes games published by third parties in this figure.
Call of Duty: WWII expands today with the addition of a new map pack. The add-on is called The Resistance, and it's out now on PS4. Xbox One and PC players, however, will have to wait.
The pack comes with three normal multiplayer maps, called Valkyrie, Anthropoid, and Occupation. It also features a new War mode map, titled Operation Intercept, which requires one side to rescue Resistance fighters and escape. Finally, the pack comes with a new Nazi Zombies mode, The Darkest Shore.
We don't yet know when The Resistance will launch on Xbox One or PC, but those platforms typically have to wait approximately one month for Call of Duty DLC thanks to Sony's timed exclusivity deal with Activision. We do know the pack will set you back $15 / £11.59 / AU $20.45; it's also included with Call of Duty: WWII's season pass, which costs $50 / £40 / AU $65.
Ahead of the expansion's launch, a new limited-time Call of Duty: WWII event has begun for everyone. Also called The Resistance, the event is free and runs through February 27. It adds new weapons, gear, and a new Division, and it marks the return of the ridiculous Prop Hunt game mode.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus has new DLC out now, as The Diaries of Agent Silent Death launches on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The add-on has you exploring a Nazi's version of Hollywood, and it's available for $10 / £8 / AU $15.
You play as former OSS agent Jessica Valiant, and you'll get to visit film studio-turned-Nazi propaganda machine Paragon Pictures. It sounds as if this expansion will be stealth-focused, as publisher Bethesda says you'll "stalk, shoot, and stab from the shadows in pursuit of your prey."
As well as being available by itself, The Diaries of Agent Silent Death is included as part of Wolfenstein II's Freedom Chronicles season pass, which costs $25 / £18 / AU $35. This also includes a previously released bonus chapter called Episode Zero and the first proper expansion, The Adventures of Gunslinger Joe. A third and final DLC pack is still to come: it's titled The Amazing Deeds of Captain Wilkins, and it will task you with dismantling a Nazi operation in Alaska.
We enjoyed the game's main campaign here at GameSpot. "The New Colossus never lets you forget who and why you're fighting," wrote critic Kallie Plagge. "Nazi brutality is on full display, from the blown-out, irradiated remains of Manhattan to each of the resistance members, who all carry mental scars if not physical ones. You're never given a chance between cutscenes, missions, and even downtime on the U-boat to lose sight of the Reich's cruelty. Wolfenstein's tense gameplay elevates this further by giving you the power to truly resist--and come out of each battle ready for another fight." Read more in our full Wolfenstein II review, or check out why we named it one of the five best Xbox One games of 2017.
Another new PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds update is available now for Xbox One's early access version of the game. The new patch is primarily focused on vehicles and how much damage they give and take, though it also includes some bug fixes and small enhancements.
Developer PUBG Corp. says it has "increased damage [dealt] to the vehicle body." Moreover, it says gunfire to vehicles' wheels will now deal "significant damage." Grenades will also do more damage to vehicles from now on. The tweaks don't stop at the vehicle itself: drivers and passengers will now lose more health from crashing into objects or other vehicles, though pedestrians hit by cars will now receive slightly less damage.
Away from vehicles, PUBG Corp. says it has further optimized the input time for controllers and improved the "visual quality" of reticules such as the red dot, 2x, and holographic sights. A bunch of bug fixes are also included in this seventh update--check out the full patch notes at the bottom of this article, via PUBG Corp.
The new patch comes just days after a sixth PUBG Xbox One update was released. That update added a new auto-run ability and refined the game's controls a little. The battle royale game has also received a new PC update containing bug fixes and other optimizations--check out the full PUBG PC patch notes for more.
Finally, PUBG Corp. recently announced their hit game has reached 4 million players on Xbox One alone. To celebrate, the company is is giving away a whole bunch of in-game currency to Xbox players for use on loot crates. Xbox One players will receive 30,000 Battle Points to use on in-game cosmetic items. However, you must have purchased the game and created a character by 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET / 8 AM GMT / 6 PM AEST on January 31 in order to get the bonus. The points will appear on February 1.
PUBG Xbox One Update 7 Patch Notes
Gameplay
Increased damage to the vehicle body, and significant damage to the wheels when targeted with gunfire
Increased vehicle damage when successfully targeted with a grenade
Both driver and passenger will suffer increased injuries from crashing into objects or other vehicles (Dacia, UAZ, and Buggy)
Slight reduction to player damage when being struck by a vehicle
Optimization
Continued optimization to controller input lag
Visual quality of reticle is improved for Xbox One (Red Dot, Holographic, and 2x Sight)
Bug Fixes
Resolved issue where inventory may highlight the wrong column when looting
The sensitivity setting for 4x Scope is now also applied to the permanent scope on the VSS
Auto-run (double-clicking the left stick) is disabled when aiming down sights
Players can now use the D-Pad while in the map view without switching melee, pistol, or throwing weapons
Removing the marker from the map when pressing (Y) will no longer switch primary/secondary weapons
Fixed issue where the crosshair is not correctly displayed after players reconnect to a game session
Shadow of the Colossus first launched on PS2 in 2005, quickly becoming a critical darling and fan favorite. An HD remaster arrived for PS3 six years later and was similarly loved. So surely the PS4 remake would follow in the game's own footsteps?
We enjoyed it in its pre-launch state and thought it felt better than ever on PS4. But with the remake's release date now just days away, final verdicts have started to appear. Read on to see a selection of reviews, or check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic for a wider view on critical opinion.
Developer / Publisher: Sony Japan Studio, Team Ico, Bluepoint / Sony
Platforms: PS4
Release Date: February 6
Price: $40 / £30 / AU $55
GameSpot -- 9/10
"Shadow of the Colossus is a tremendous journey, and one well worth taking and retaking. The visual overhaul is stunning, thoroughly enhancing every facet of Wander and Agro's excellent adventure. Galloping through the tranquil world is always breathtaking; felling a monumental colossus is always humbling. Shadow of the Colossus is a beautiful reconstruction of an already exceptional title. It continues to be a modern classic and is an extraordinary game that everyone must experience." -- Edmond Tran [Full review]
IGN -- 9.7/10
"The true definition of a classic, the gameplay and story of Shadow of the Colossus are every bit as great and emotional today as they were in 2005. This outstanding remaster skilfully enhances those qualities with improved controls, performance, and sheer graphical beauty. It remains one of the best PlayStation games ever made, and it's wonderful that Sony has brought it back to the fore so a new generation of gamers can experience it without having to look past its aged facade." -- Marty Sliva [Full review]
GamesRadar+ -- 4/5
"Despite a couple of minor quibbles, Shadow of the Colossus works on both its intended levels--as a returning nostalgia blast for those who remember it, and an enjoyable game for newcomers. The apparently disparate parts, those long journeys filled with solitude and massive boss battles, are tied together by a strong personality that develops and draws you in. It's like poking around a house where someone died, looking at things you know are important but with no one left to ask why. It's still a mysterious thing to play, that feels as thought provoking and artful as it did all those years ago on PS2." -- Leon Hurley [Full review]
Polygon -- 9.5/10
"Sony's big PlayStation exclusive of the season is this recreation of a PS2 classic. As wonderful a game as this is, the lesson mustn't be that we need more games that look like this Colossus--rather, that we need games that feel like it: a decade later, pushing against what we expect from games, warts and all." -- Chris Plante [Full review]
The Telegraph -- 5/5
"In 2005 Shadow of the Colossus was a masterpiece and that remains so in 2018. This is one of the greatest games ever made and is an accolade that shows no sign of being detached from its monumental presence." -- John Robertson [Full review]
In some parts of the world, January is already over, and that means a new selection of free PlayStation Plus games are on their way. Luckily, Sony has now revealed its selection of freebies for PS4, PS3, and PS Vita owners in February.
From February 6, PS4 owners can grab Knack and Rime for free. Knack is the PS4 launch title developed by Sony Japan and the system's hardware architect, Mark Cerny. Rime, meanwhile, is a colorful adventure game released last year. You can read more about the two games in our Knack review and our Rime review.
PS3 owners, meanwhile, will receive platformer Spelunker HD and turn-based RPG Mugen Souls Z free of charge. Lastly, PS Vita's free games for the month are 2D Metroidvania-style game Exile's End and tactical RPG Grand Kingdom. The latter of these is also available for free on PS4 with Cross-Buy. As an added bonus, PS Plus subscribers can also grab the PSVR exclusive Starblood Arena for the low, low price of nothing until March 6.
On Xbox One, Gold members have a few more hours to download the action-RPG The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III, while Xbox 360 players can snag the co-op action game Army of Two. Like all other Games with Gold titles, the latter is also playable on Microsoft's newer console thanks to backwards compatibility, giving Xbox One owners two freebies to claim right now.
Both of the aforementioned titles will only be available until February 1, when they'll be replaced by the next free Games with Gold. That batch includes the Xbox One first-person shooter Shadow Warrior and the Assassin's Creed spin-off, Assassin's Creed Origins: India. On the 360 side, the racer Split/Second will be free for the first half of February, while the Dreamcast classic Crazy Taxi will be available from February 16-28. Gold members also have until February 15 to claim January's final free title, Zombi.
You can find the full list of January's Games with Gold titles below. In addition to those, Gold members still have a few days to take advantage of this week's Deals with Gold, which offer discounts on Fallout 4, FIFA 18, Madden NFL 18, and other Xbox One and 360 games.
January 2018 Games With Gold
Xbox One
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III -- January 1-31
Secret of Mana's HD remake is set to release in just a few weeks on PS4, Vita, and PC, but one of the more puzzling aspects of the upcoming game is the fact that it's not on Nintendo Switch. After all, the Japanese version of the original trilogy was released on Switch last year. So, with this new version's graphical upgrade, added sound and voice options, and gameplay improvements, why isn't it getting a wider console release? To get the answer to that and a wide range of other Mana-related questions, we talked recently with Masaru Oyamada, the game's producer, during a demo session in San Francisco.
If you don't want to dig into the full discussion, the answer to the headline question is: the Nintendo Switch wasn't a known quantity when this remake started development. However, that doesn't rule out the possibility of a Switch remake in the future. Read on for our full interview.
GameSpot: The producer, especially in Japan, encompasses a lot of different roles. Depending on the company and the project, that can mean something different. Day-to-day, what kinds of things do you do on the project?
Oyamada: I kind of come up with a proposal for the project as well as manage the progression of the project itself. Also, when it comes to the Mana series overall, I'm responsible for figuring out how we operate, deploy, and plan for the series moving forward. So that's the type of role I have in the company.
Were there any particular challenges in remaking a game like this?
The visuals are now in 3D, and so bringing it into that kind of 3D visual world was a little bit of a challenge. That said, looking into the future and where we need to take the series, we felt like it was the necessary approach, which is why we converted the visuals into 3-D for the remake.
I feel like, in some ways, there's kind of been a renaissance of that 16-bit, old-school feel in games. Why did you feel it was necessary to make this look more modern?
Of course, the opinion on that specific matter differs among people. But personally, looking at the younger generation--people in their 20s or even the new hires that join the company--a lot of them haven't had the opportunity to play games back then in their original form. So on a yearly basis, I have some of the younger crew members play it in its original form, but you can see that a lot of these players are more used to playing games in 3D. A lot of people aren't familiar with that 2D style anymore, it seems.
When looking at the future of the series, we felt like it was necessary to make the title a little bit more accessible for the newer generation, which is why we felt the need to accommodate and support those types of graphics as well.
There was kind of a chance for players to play Secret of Mana in that original form recently with the Nintendo Switch, but that only came out in Japan. Do you feel like that's more a market for the Japanese audience? And do you think something like that could catch on in the States?
Yeah, I think if there is a desire and a demand from the consumer base, we do believe that it is our job to try to respond to the needs of the consumers. Specifically with regards to the collection that was released in Japan, they were the market--the audience that played all the games in their original form. We understood and knew that the demand was there and, we were a little bit surprised to see the demand and feedback that we received--the positive sentiment--from North American/European fans when we announced the collection. It's actually the first time we realized that there was such a following for the original works.
So, of course, if there is the desire, that's something that we'd love to consider. That said, we don't want to completely ignore the younger generation and what their needs are, so to speak. The ideal scenario would be to be able to cater to both recurring fans as well as the newer generations and release games in that fashion.
That sounds like confirmation of a Seiken Densetsu collection in the US to me! [laughs]
[laughs] Of course, we don't have [Seiken Densetsu] 3 over here, so it might be a little more difficult than we'd want that to be.
More seriously, I was a little surprised when this was announced because there is that collection on Switch, but the HD remake is only coming to PS4, Vita, and PC. Why is this version skipping Switch?
With regards to the Secret of Mana project, we started planning for it almost two years ago. At that point in time, the Switch in itself wasn't officially or publicly announced, so there wasn't really much information in terms of the specifications. We weren't completely sure if we'd be able to do it because we didn't know that information. And there was always a question of, "Is it going to come out or not?"
Our development progressed in tandem with everything, and so the Switch platform was removed from our targets. That said, once we announced this title around TGS--a couple of people in Japan, but more so among North America and European players--they were requesting a Switch version. So the amount of feedback we received at that point in time was actually quite surprising.
Looking to the future, figuring out and making considerations for what's possible or not, we're definitely open to that.
Please. That would make me very happy. I just want to play everything on Switch. It's so handy.
I know the title is different in Japanese and English, Seiken Densetsu versus Secret of Mana, but do you have an answer to, "What is the secret of Mana?"
[laughs] Yeah. Unfortunately, I don't have the answer to what the secret of mana is. We'll have to reach out to the original producers for an answer on that.
So, it does feel like there is a lot added to this version of the game. Does it feel like you're getting to do as much as you wanted, or did you wish you had more time? Does this open up the idea of, if you did another remake, maybe you could expand the scope even further?
Specifically with regards to this particular title, when I reached out to the original developers, Hiromichi Tanaka as well as Koichi Ishii, I informed them that we wanted to be true to the experiences that players had back in the day when the original was released, but bring it to the modern platforms.
This remake was done within the restrictions of the overall direction of the project, and within that restriction, we felt like we were able to do everything in our capacity. That said, for all the things that I would like to try to introduce or bring to the series or whatnot, I would like to try to tackle those in a new title, if it were ever to come to fruition.
With regards to the remake, it's really about what the players desired while also making it more accessible for modern-day players on modern-day devices and whatnot. And it's also tackling all the issues and concerns that people had experiencing the game back in the day. Those were the focal points in tackling the remake.
In terms of future remakes, of course, upon playing this game, if there are any opinions or feedback or things that consumers want us to be mindful of for any future products, that's always helpful because at least we have something to reference and consider to bring to future products if at all. So if there's anything that you feel the need to improve upon, we'd be more than happy to receive any type of feedback from everyone.
When you remake a game like this which, did you have a lot of access to the original concept art? Did you know exactly what you wanted each object to look like, or did you have to figure some things out based on just the 16-bit sprite?
In terms of the documents and references that remain from back then, we only had the pixel art and the sprites to reference off of. There wasn't anything additional in terms of documents. But aside from that, we would get further context from Ishii-san and other developers about certain aspects. For example, what type of country and what type of elements they were referencing. From that kind of information, we would try to expand our imagination and build upon that.
With regards to the 16-bit graphics, obviously, it's a little bit more symbolic in that it really kind of draws on the player's imagination too. We understand that there are going to be certain people who feel like it differs from what they had imagined back then. That said, what we are depicting here is kind of an extension of the expression that they sought to realize back in the day. So our approach is to build on that and utilize it as an extension of what they had as a vision back then.
Is there anything else you wanted to touch on?
We already kind of mentioned this, but the original concept for the remake was to recreate this experience for people who have played this game in the past, as well as whoever will be playing it for the first time; they'll be able to relive the experience and the fun that they had back then playing the original game, but also making it a little bit more accessible for modern-day gamers.
We would love to see people get together and play the game together once again. It'd be great if we can see that happening. Also, we try to respond to the needs and desires of the consumers to the best of our ability. In that respect, we included two versions of the BGM, which you can switch as well as the Japanese and English VO. You can also adjust all the volumes in the game. So we hope that people will be able to find their own gameplay style and enjoy the game in their own ways.
Editor's note: This transcript has been edited for clarity, and Oyamada's responses were provided through a translator.
In a crossover that might have seemed incredibly unlikely in the past, Xbox's most well-known character, Master Chief, can now appear on your Nintendo system's screen. Thanks to the arrival of a new DLC pack for the Switch and Wii U versions of Minecraft, skins from Xbox-exclusive game series like Halo, Gears of War, and Fable are now available.
Minecraft developer Mojang, which is owned by Microsoft, announced last year that it was "still working on" bringing custom skins to the console versions of Minecraft. It's now made good on that promise, announcing that Skin Pack 1 and a new DLC skin pack themed around Moana release today for both the Switch and Wii U versions, as well as those available on Xbox One, Windows 10, and mobile. Notably, the PlayStation versions are absent from that list.
Skin Pack 1, which is priced at $2 / £1.59 / AU $ 2.65 on Xbox 360, consists of skins based on Halo (including Master Chief and the grunt), various Fable characters (such as Jack of Blades), Banjo, 'Splosion Man, and Gears of War's Cole Train. You can see these and the Moana skins in the gallery below.
This is obviously most notable for the presence of Xbox-exclusive IP on Nintendo's systems, but it could also pave the way for the Better Together update to make its way to Switch. As it stands, the new cross-platform multiplayer support introduced to Minecraft last year is not yet available on Switch. The same is also true of PS4, PS3, and Vita, though Microsoft is still interested in making Xbox One/PS4 cross-play happen.
As always, change is afoot in Overwatch. Blizzard has released a new developer update video (above) in which game director Jeff Kaplan discusses some hot-button issues in the community, including potential balance changes to a variety of characters. He also touches on toxicity, which the company has been attempting to address for some time now.
In terms of balance, Kaplan first brings up Mercy, the game's most-played hero "by far." He references the changes currently in testing on the PTR version of the game, which he says are primarily intended to "tone down the impact of Resurrect and make Mercy more manageable when she's in her Valkyrie state during her Ultimate." There have been concerns among Mercy players that she could be nerfed too hard; if that happens, Kaplan says that they will be paying "very close attention" to these changes and will provide her with buffs if necessary. He notes that Blizzard isn't considering removing her from Competitive Play or replacing the Resurrect ability, as some players have suggested. "We do think it's a balanceable ability," Kaplan says.
Also in line for a nerf is Junkrat. This will start by adding damage falloff for Concussion Mine, so that it doesn't deal as much damage to targets who are further away from the explosion. As it stands, it deals an equal amount of damage to all enemies who are within its range regardless of how close they are. Kaplan says the goal is to make Junkrat players "be more accurate."
On the Hanzo front, it's Scatter Arrow that has Blizzard's attention. The studio wants to avoid situations where aiming the ability at a character's feet leads to an easy one-shot kill; Kaplan specifically notes this happening to Orisa. Blizzard is looking to balance the ability but also has ideas for things that could potentially replace the ability. Kaplan says Blizzard hasn't decided which of the two paths it will ultimately take.
Mei is also discussed, and Kaplan says he believes she is not in a "horrible place." That said, she may need a "slight adjustment to make her a little more relevant. Mei I put into this category of heroes we need to be really careful with. She can feel very oppressive to play against if she's too powerful."
Kaplan goes on to restate that Blizzard views Mei as a "more situational" character who isn't necessarily going to be a great pick in all situations. He also makes a similar point about Symmetra; she's being discussed, but the studio thinks she doesn't "need major buffs." Like Mei, "there are going to be occasions where Symmetra is not the right pick." Kaplan agrees that "she doesn't have enough usefulness across the board" currently, and while the intention is to help her out, Blizzard doesn't anticipate that her pick rate will ever skyrocket from where it currently stands.
Finally, Kaplan talks about toxicity. The added ability for console players to be able to report others has seen "great results," and the warnings for players who about to be subjected to discipline has "helped a lot." Combined with in-game notifications that tell you when action has been taken again someone you've reported, Overwatch has seen abusive chat decline by 17% in Competitive Play. Additionally, the number of player reports has increase by 20%. Kaplan sees these as positive signs but admitted they aren't as strong as they could be, nor does he think the problem has been resolved. He also noted that Blizzard is proactively seeking out evidence of toxic behavior on places like YouTube and is taking action before those players are even reported in-game.
Following some server issues that cropped up last week, Epic Games has once again brought something new for players to do in Fortnite. The Battle Royale portion of the game has announced a new limited-time mode for all players on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and it's available now.
Sniper Shootout is now live, and as you can probably guess, it's a sniper rifle-centric experience. All weapons on the map have been replaced by sniper rifles, though you'll also find some revolvers to make short-range encounters less of the nightmare they'd be with snipers only. Consumables can also be found like normal, but grenades have been removed to ensure it's the aforementioned weapons (or melee attacks) that are involved in any kills.
This is the first instance of Sniper Shootout, so it remains to be seen if it'll become a regular part of the rotation. It should make the new city area introduced in the recent Fortnite map revamp an especially popular drop zone, what with all the tall buildings.
You'll have only a few days to check out the mode, as it will rotate out on Friday, February 2. There's no word on what will be next, but other limited-time modes we've seen include those that focus on suppressed weapons or explosives. Another turned the game into a 50v50 affair, which I was particularly fond of.
Although there weren't many deals on the Xbox One X in the immediate wake of its release, January has brought a flurry of offers involving Microsoft's new, 4K-capable console. Perhaps the best one yet is now available, getting you both a discount on the system itself and an additional freebie.
Over on Ebay, highly rated seller Antonline has the offer (via Wario64). It's selling the Xbox One X for $460, which is $40 off its usual price, and is throwing in a free $50 Xbox gift card. The latter is usable for anything on the Xbox Store--you can buy games or DLC, rent movies, and so on, making this a more flexible freebie than what's often included in system bundles.
This is a new, unused system, and a free shipping option is available. It will ship to many places around the world, though this is a North American version of the system and its power cable. One important thing to note is that the gift card will be sent to you by email within a week of the system itself being shipped. As a result, it's possible you may not have it at the same time the console arrives. There's no exact date for how long this will be available, but it's possible it could sell out, so you should act fast if you're interested.
As part of Nintendo's latest financial results, the company revealed its best-selling Switch titles to date. As you may have guessed, Super Mario Odyssey is the Switch game with the most units sold so far, though a number of other games have also done well.
Super Mario Odyssey's sales total 9 million units worldwide, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (7.3 million) coming in second. Next on the list is Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with 6.7 million units sold, followed by Splatoon 2, which has sold 4.9 million units so far. Two more Nintendo-published titles--Arms and Xenoblade Chronicles 2--have each hit the million sales milestone, with 1.6 and 1.06 million sales respectively. Two further third-party games have hit the same million sales milestone, but we don't what those games are or precisely how many units they've shipped. Note these figures are correct as of December 31, 2017.
Anthem, the new IP from BioWare, will not be released in 2018 as previously planned. Instead, the Destiny-esque action game will launch in early 2019, EA confirmed today during its quarterly earnings call with investors. For its part, the company claims this is not a delay.
Prior to the call, it shared this with the Wall Street Journal, confirming a recent report from Kotaku that said Anthem had been delayed. Speaking with the WSJ, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen stated this was not actually a delay. However, that appears to be untrue, given the company had previously cited a 2018 release for the game, which is headed to PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
EA didn't go into great deal about the reasoning behind the delay. Kotaku's report suggested it was due at least in part to issues with development, though the statement to the WSJ attributes it instead to a desire to release the game during a less crowded period. EA only briefly addressed the subject during this afternoon's conference call with investors, and it was presented as if this were not a delay. We'll report back with anything it has to say during the Q&A portion of the call. Its actual earnings report made no mention of the news.
Capcom has released details on its financial performance for the nine month spanning April 1 to December 31, 2017. It reported lower sales than the same period in 2016, but improved profits thanks to its digital content business.
Sales for the nine months were reported as $439 million, which is an 11% decrease when compared to the same timeframe in 2016, during which sales were cited as $492 million. Profits, meanwhile, were $65 million in 2017, which is a 38% increase over 2016's $47 million.
Monster Hunter Frontier Z, an online game available in Japan, celebrated its 10th anniversary and was said to have given a "solid performance." In terms of mobile titles Monster Hunter Explore was called out as a key performer, as Capcom conducts "business reforms including alliance strategies."
In its fourth quarter, which ends March 31, 2018, Capcom says it plans an "aggressive sales campaign with the release of its flagship title, Monster Hunter World." Capcom has shipped 5 million units of Monster Hunter World to retailers, marking a new record for the series. Although we haven't received sales numbers for the game, early signs are promising.
The critical reception for the game has also been positive. In GameSpot's Monster Hunter World review Ginny Woo awarded it an 8/10, saying it is "the biggest and best that the franchise has ever been."
"It's not just the comparative depth of the narrative," she continued, "It also boasts almost seamless integration between combat systems that were previously incomprehensible for amateurs. The Monster Hunter formula has definitely honed its claws, and all the above factors play their part in making Monster Hunter World a meaningful evolution for the series at large.
Bungie has concluded its server maintenance routine, and Destiny 2 servers are back online. The first Iron Banner event of Season 2, which began in early December with Curse of Osiris's release, is now live for a limited time, and a major new update has been released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Here's exactly what it does.
As Bungie detailed previously, update 1.1.2 introduces Masterwork armor. This is a rare quality that all Legendary armor can take on, and it operates similarly to the Masterwork weapons system added in December. Essentially, Legendary armor can drop as (or be upgraded to) a Masterwork version, which provides you with an additional stat bonus that can be re-rolled. Each piece of Masterwork armor also offers a 3% damage resistance bonus while your Super is active; this effect stacks, offering a maximum of 15% if all five of your armor pieces are Masterworks. These items can be obtained through all of the normal means, though Trials of the Nine and Raid activities are more likely to drop them. Dismantling them provides you with materials that can then be used to upgrade a Legendary item into a Masterwork.
Drops related to the Raid have also changed in a number of ways. By completing a corresponding activity in a given week, you'll be able to purchase a rotating selection of armor or weapons from Benedict 99-40. Raid encounters are now guaranteed to drop a piece of armor or a weapon, and completing a Prestige Raid encounter before doing the normal version will get you rewards from both the Prestige and normal versions. A new Exotic Ghost exclusive to Leviathan can now be found during Raid activities' final encounter. Finally, as pictured below, Raid armor all now have unique mods with new perks that only work when on the Leviathan. These can be rotated in and out by spending a Raid Token, and even existing Raid armor will have a spot to equip these mods.
This patch kicks off the Iron Banner event, which features new gear to earn. Other notable changes include a reduction in the amount of XP needed to receive an Illuminated Engram; it now takes 120,000, rather than 160,000. Both the Gleaming Boon of the Crucible and Vanguard have seen their Bright Dust prices slashed. And several individual items have seen balance fixes or changes; Prometheus Lens, for instance, which was a major problem in Crucible after its release and was later nerfed, has seen its damage increased. Additionally, its Flame Refraction perk no longer pulls ammo from your reserves; instead, it generates fresh ammo to use.
There are a ton of other tweaks made in this update too, and the patch notes are quite long. You can see them in full on Bungie's website.
The name of the game in Monster Hunter is, obviously, hunting monsters. But whether you're assigned to hunt down a particular creature or you happen upon one during an Expedition, you don't necessarily have to kill it. Capturing monsters is often the best way to go, and in some cases it's a mandatory aspect of a given quest. Monster Hunter World makes strides in welcoming in new players, but the process still might be unclear. Here's exactly how to do it.
First, it's important to note that not all monsters can be captured. Smaller monsters can't be, though minor wildlife--ants, birds and rabbit-like creatures, and so on--can be easily snagged with the Capture Net (and some can then be freed in your living quarters). It's the creatures known as Large Monsters that you'll be able to properly capture, and doing so requires a few items.
In the video above, we run through the exact process. Essentially it boils down to a few steps: wear the monster's health way down without killing it, deploy a trap (such as the Shock Trap or Pitfall Trap), and then tranquilize the monster after it gets stuck in the trap. The process of tranquilizing can be done with Tranq Bombs or Tranq ammo from ranged weapons; the effects from these last a short time, so it's possible to capture a monster by trapping it after it's been tranquilized.
If you enroll in a quest where you goal is to explicitly capture a monster, the item box will provide the necessary items for free, though you may want to come equipped with extras. However you do it, capturing a monster can net you more monster parts than killing it. It's a more involved process, but the rewards can be worth the effort.
Monster Hunter has always been an intimidating series to dive into. Although the community surrounding it is quite friendly and helpful, the games themselves often lack the kind of assistance that a newcomer requires to fully grasp what's going on. Monster Hunter World makes strides in that direction, but going in with an idea of what to expect will make the entire experience much easier to deal with.
In the video above, we run through some beginner's tips that will help you to get started, whether you're a newcomer to the series or a lapsed played who's forgotten some of the essentials. Although every weapon is viable, some are friendlier to those just getting acquainted with the series. And something like pre-hunt preparation, while not the sexiest-sounding activity in the world, is essential to excelling at the game. We also have a text-based Monster Hunter World beginner's guide that will walk you through all the key information you should have before playing, as well as a guide on how to capture monsters.
As noted above, World does a better job of welcoming in new players than past titles, but that's not its only improvement. It also features much larger and more beautiful environments, thanks to being built for current-gen consoles and PC (the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X experience is particularly nice). There are also smaller quality-of-life improvements that are extremely welcome, such as the addition of scoutflies, which make the process of locating and tracking your target much easier.
Monster Hunter World is a game with a simple premise: explore the world, fight huge monsters, then turn them into your own weapons and armor. And as the first Monster Hunter in many, many years on a home console that isn't the Wii U, Monster Hunter World has the potential to draw in even more players than any game in the series before. Whether this will be your first game in the series or you're a returning veteran, we'll cover Monster Hunter with in-depth guides and reviews throughout the coming weeks to help you take down the game's biggest beasts and craft the best-looking gear.
In this roundup feature, you'll find links out to all our most-relevant Monster Hunter content as it goes live, so check back for updates and Monster Hunter tips!
The final public beta has ended for Monster Hunter World, but its full release on Xbox One and PS4 is imminent. Set to launch on January 26, Monster Hunter World marks the end of the franchise's long hiatus from home consoles. The latest entry in the series is also coming to PC, but Capcom hasn't set a firm date for that launch yet. According to the game's producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto, the delay is because "rather than have it taking up resources during the console development and not being able to have our full attention on it. We want to get console out the door, and then we're going to take some extra time and try and get the PC version as good as possible." The PC date is currently set for sometime this fall.
For PS4 and Xbox One users, Monster Hunter World will have an important day one patch that adds online multiplayer, event quests, chat, and other online features. In addition, the patch will fix some bugs and add series-favorite Poogies to the game. Additional space required for the patch will be approximately 815 MB.
Review
Our full Monster Hunter World review is now online, in which we awarded the game an 8/10. "Ever since the title was first announced last year, it was clear that Capcom was gunning for something grander than Monster Hunter Generations. It has succeeded, and this is likely the biggest and best that the franchise has ever been. It's not just the comparative depth of the narrative; it also boasts almost seamless integration between combat systems that were previously incomprehensible for amateurs. The Monster Hunter formula has definitely honed its claws, and all the above factors play their part in making Monster Hunter World a meaningful evolution for the series at large."
Digital Deluxe Edition ($70/￡57.99/$115 AUD) -- includes a Samurai Set skin, three gestures, two sticker sets, and an additional face paint and hair style option. The PS4 version of the Digital Deluxe Edition also comes with 14 weapon-themed PSN avatars. All of these items will be available to purchase separately once the game launches.
Collector's Edition ($150/$300 AUD) -- includes a physical copy of the game, a voucher for the customization items included in the Digital Deluxe Edition, a hardcover art book, a monster statue, and a code for a digital soundtrack, all housed in a collector's box.
Monster Hunter World PS4 Pro ($450/£380/$660 AUD) -- The special "Rathalos" edition of the console will also come with a red controller, pre-order bonuses, a physical copy of the game, and a special PS4 dynamic theme.
Arc System Works' highly-anticipated fighting game, Dragon Ball FighterZ, is officially here. The cel-shaded 2.5D fighter follows a 3v3 format similar to Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and it's packed with Easter eggs and references for Dragon Ball fans to find. Here, we're collecting all the details you need to know about Dragon Ball FighterZ, from the release date to gameplay, tips, and more.
Dragon Ball FighterZ released on January 26 and is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It also had a pre-release open beta, during which only 11 of its characters were playable. The game is out, but we'll continue to update this feature with the final review, guides, and more as they're published. We'll also update with information about the DLC as it arrives, so stay tuned!
GameSpot's Dragon Ball Fighter Z review-in-progress is now online. In it, critic Peter Brown states, "FighterZ is complex and distinct enough to be enjoyed by fighting game competitors, but there's no question that it's been designed to tap into the hearts of Dragon Ball's most dedicated fans, and no doubt those same qualities will win people over who've never given the series a chance." You can read the full review here, or check out our FighterZ review roundup.
The roster primarily includes Dragon Ball Z characters, though there are a few introduced in the recent films and Dragon Ball Super--including Goku Black, Beerus, and Hit--and an entirely new character, the mysterious Android 21, who is locked behind completion of the story mode.
Guides
We've assembled a Dragon Ball FighterZ beginner's guide to help you grasp the game's fundamentals. We touch on a variety of subjects, including managing your Ki energy, assembling a strong team of fighters, and much more. You can also check out the video version with the best tips to know before starting.
We've covered a lot Dragon Ball FighterZ's Easter eggs--which you can see below--but if you want to see them for yourself, we detail how to trigger all the game's anime references in our Easter eggs gallery.
Gameplay and Features
Watch Dragon Ball FighterZ gameplay, see all the Easter eggs, test your Dragon Ball knowledge, and more.
Dragon Ball FighterZ includes a new story mode that takes place after the end of Dragon Ball Z and sometime during the events of Dragon Ball Super. The new character, Android 21, seems to play a major part in the story.
Note that in any mode, you can opt to use either the Japanese or English voice acting.
Nintendo has detailed its financial performance for the nine-month period ending December 2017. In the year the company released the Switch, Super Mario Odyssey, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it should come as no surprise that it has reported significant increases in both sales and profit.
Sales were cited as $7.9 billion, which represents an increase of 176% over the same period in 2016. Profit, meanwhile, reached $1.4 billion, which is a 494% improvement when compared to 2016. Nintendo attributed this strong performance to Switch hardware sales, which it said "sold well following the launch and sales rose substantially during the holiday season."
In total, Nintendo Switch hardware sales for this period reached 12.13 million units, which when added to the 2.74 million unit sold in its launch month brings lifetime Switch sales to 14.87 million units. This means that, in just 10 months, Nintendo Switch has almost certainly outsold the Wii U (Nintendo has not yet provided updated Wii U sales figures), which has been available since 2012.
In terms of software, Super Mario Odyssey sales reached 9 million units globally in the nine-month period. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which launched in April 2017, sold 7.3 million units and Splatoon 2 reached 4.9 million units sold. According to Nintendo, eight Switch titles reach the million units sold mark the fiscal year, but that figure does include games published by third parties. Total software sales were listed as 47 million units.
Nintendo 3DS also contributed and the company noted that "hardware sales did not weaken after the launch of Nintendo Switch." Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon, both of which launched in November 2017, sold 7 million units combined, but 3DS software sales overall declined by 33% year-on-year.
Other notable contributors mentioned in Nintendo financial report include the SNES Classic Edition and Amiibo. Digital content sales were described as "brisk" thanks to Nintendo Switch software, and also showed a year-on-year improvement.
In terms of mobile games, Nintendo said "consumers not only continued to enjoy Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes, which became available for download during the previous fiscal year, but also had fun with Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, released globally during October and November." Income from mobile games was 172% increase on a year-on-year basis.
Looking ahead, Nintendo highlighted Bayonetta 2's Switch launch in February, as well as Kirby Star Allies coming in March and Detective Pikachu for 3DS also launching in March. This is alongside "major titles" from third-party publishers. "We aim to broaden the platform's user base by continuing to introduce compelling new software in addition to the stable of popular titles that already have been released," Nintendo said.
The organisers of the Game Developers Choice Awards today announced the recipient for this year's Pioneer Award, confirming it will go to Atari and Chuck E. Cheese founder Nolan Bushnell. However, GDC has now confirmed that it's re-examining this nomination in the wake of an outcry regarding Bushnell's past behaviour and treatment of women.
A spokesperson for GDC organiser UBM confirmed to Glixel that it is evaluating what it plans to do with the Pioneer Award, saying that GDC and its nominating committee did not know about Bushnell's history when they nominated him. GDC is now going back to look at the nomination "more closely." Bushnell did not respond to a request for comment when approached by Glixel.
The hashtag #notnolan took off today on Twitter, with game designers and other industry people calling out UBM for giving the award to Nolan and blasting the organisation for being tone deaf about the #MeToo movement.
Brianna Wu, a game designer from Massachusetts currently running for a seat in US Congress, said on Twitter than Bushnell's nomination is "wildly inappropriate." Speaking to Glixel, Wu said Bushnell is deserving of the award, but not this year.
"Nolan Bushnell is clearly a deeply important person in video game history," she said. "He deserves to be honored for a lifetime achievement award without question. But in the year that the #MeToo movement is going on and we're having a reckoning about what women face in the workplace? It just seems really tone deaf by GDC."
"We need to understand that supporting this award for him potentially causes real pain among the women who had to endure him and it sends a difficult message to everybody who is currently enduring similar behavior in our industry," she went on to say. "It tells women who have been exposed to similar situations that their perpetrators can not only get away with that, but [they] will also be recognised for their work, even if their behaviour along the way was unacceptable."
1/ GDC is choosing to honor Atari founder Nolan Bushnell this year, something I find wildly inappropriate with the #metoo movement. Here are some facts about the sexual harassment Mr. Bushnell commited at Atari in the 80s.
Game designer Elizabeth Sampat also weighed in, ripping Bushnell for being "well-known industry garbage." Sampat offered up some suggestions for what to do instead of giving the award to Bushnell.
UBM: don't give the Pioneer award to anyone this year. Or rather, award it symbolically to all of the women who built this industry and are no longer here, in large part due to men like this.#notnolan.
The GDC Advisory Committee voted to give Bushnell the Pioneer award. Some of the people who sit on the panel include Halo developer Kiki Wolfkill, EA producer Jade Raymond, and Valve's Doug Lombardi.
In the book The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon and Beyond, Bushnell is quoted as saying that Atari, at its start, "seemed more like fraternity parties than business meetings." Pong designer Al Alcorn shares in the book a story about a hot tub meeting in which Bushnell reportedly tried to get a woman into the tub with him.
"We had a board meeting in his tub," Alcorn wrote in the book. "Nolan was saying how much money we were going to be worth, all these millions, and I thought to myself, 'I'll believe this when I see it.' Nolan needed some papers and documents so he called his office and said, 'Have Miss so and so bring them up.' We were in this tub [when she arrived], so he proceeded to try to get her in the tub during the board meeting."
An old San Francisco Chronicle report quotes Bushnell as saying, "Some ladies feel comfortable around me, and some don't. I find the aura of power and money is very intimidating to an awful number of girls."
A story for Playboy, "Sex, Drugs, And Video Games," claims that Atari engineers codenamed upcoming games after women. One codename was Darlene, who Bushnell said "was stacked and had the tiniest waist."
According to GDC organisers, the Pioneer award "honors breakthrough business and game design milestones." GDC organisers also today announced that Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail will take home the Ambassador Award, while Double Fine boss Tim Schafer is getting the Lifetime Achievement award.
The Game Developers Choice Awards take place on March 21 in San Francisco as part of the Game Developers Conference. We will report back with more details on what GDC plans to do with the Pioneer award as more information becomes available.
If you've been looking for something to play on the cheap, the latest Humble Bundle is a great opportunity to get some great PC games for a steep discount. It includes a bunch of fantastic Rockstar titles, and you can get all of them for just $15 total.
Also as usual with Humble Bundle, you can decide where you want your money to go. This month's charity is the Rainforest Alliance, an environmentalist organization working to mitigate biodiversity loss, climate change, and social inequality. Rockstar is donating all of its proceeds to the charity, so you can choose how to split your money between the Rainforest Alliance and Humble Bundle.
This is a great opportunity to check out some classic Rockstar games and see the predecessors of Grand Theft Auto V. And although GTA V isn't included in it, there are some pretty incredible mods out there that'll make GTA IV look pretty amazing.
An Alaska man hit his roommate with a replica Legend of Zelda Master Sword before later attacking this person with a kitchen knife, police say. According to Anchorage Daily News, 22-year-old Jeremy Tazruk was arrested and charged with fourth-degree assault and reckless endangerment.
Anchorage police arrived on the scene at an apartment near the University of Alaska Anchorage campus to find a "broken television, a bloody napkin, a knife on a table and a bent sword on the floor." The police then found a person, identified in an official court document as T.P., on a nearby bike trail with a stab wound. This person was taken to the hospital with a puncture wound on the ribs.
Here's how Anchorage Daily News summed up the fracas (via Kotaku):
"According to Tazruk and witnesses, it said, T.P. started to push a roommate and flipped her onto the armrest of a chair. Another roommate tried to push T.P. away, and T.P. punched that person. When Tazruk and his fiancee, who was holding their baby, stepped in, T.P. punched both of them too.
"Tazruk's fiancee asked someone to call police. Tazruk grabbed a replica sword from the 'The Legend of Zelda' off the wall 'and tried using its sheath to hit T.P.,' the document said. After T.P. ran at him, Tazruk hit T.P. multiple times with the sword, according to the court document."
The document then explains that, with the fight escalating, Tazruk ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. After T.P. advanced on Tazruk, Tazruk "struck out at T.P. at least twice, hitting T.P. with the knife."
According to the document, "The edges of the sword were not sharp, but the tip was sharp."
Call of Duty: WWII's first DLC pack launches soon, and it looks like it'll be a pretty big addition to the game. With a theme focusing on the resistance to Axis occupation and a War mode map based on prisoner rescue, it'll also likely have a fairly serious tone. But the new trailer for the pack is definitely not serious.
Following in the path of past live-action trailers, this one features some Call of Duty fans who get a little too passionate about the game. They start planning their own resistance in the real world, although it's unclear who, exactly, the occupiers are. You can watch the trailer in the embed above.
The pack comes with three normal multiplayer maps, called Valkyrie, Anthropoid, and Occupation. It also features a new War mode map, titled Operation Intercept, which requires one side to rescue Resistance fighters and escape. Finally, the pack comes with a new Nazi Zombies mode, The Darkest Shore.
The Resistance DLC launches for PS4 on January 30. As usual, we don't know its exact date yet on other platforms, but Call of Duty DLC generally arrives a month later for Xbox One and PC. If you own Call of Duty: WWII's $50 season pass, this DLC is included, but you can also buy it separately for $15.
Ahead of its launch, a new limited-time Call of Duty: WWII event has begun for everyone. Also called The Resistance, the event is free and runs through February 27. It adds new weapons, gear, and a new Division, and it marks the return of the ridiculous Prop Hunt game mode.
If you're running out of time on your Xbox Live subscription, or if you just want to extend it relatively cheaply, there's a good deal going on for the service. Right now, if you buy three months of Live, you'll get three more for free.
This works out to be a pretty solid discount, even if you generally buy per year. Three months of the service costs $25, which works out to a little more than $6/month (for comparison, a 12-month subscription at $60 is $5/month). The extra three months, then, brings the price down to a bit more than $4/month. The offer is available in the US, UK, Australia, and a handful of other regions, as outlined here.
You can take advantage of the discount by heading over to Microsoft's store here. Upon buying a three-month subscription, you'll receive an email with a code for an additional three months. You can apply this to your own account or send it to someone else.
Rainbow Six Siege's third season of content is kicking off soon with the launch of a big update and the Outbreak event. But Ubisoft already has more in store for Year 3 Season 1, including new Operators. Recently, the company teased some of what you can expect from the game's next playable characters on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
The Operators will make up a new Counter-Terrorism Unit--one of the classes of characters in the game. The new CTU will be the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Threat Unit, specializing in counter-Weapons of Mass Destruction operations.
According to Ubisoft's blog post, the first Operator "hails from France and uses a drone to maintain quarantine perimeters. Their service record is astounding, but their list of regrets seems endless." The second Operator, meanwhile, "moved to Russia to pursue their studies and they uncovered a range of applications for self-dissolving nanobots. All allies can benefit from the research carried out by this CBRN Specialist."
These two Operators will be added to the multiplayer roster and will be playable during the upcoming Outbreak event. Outbreak consists of a new cooperative mode that involves teams of three taking on a town ravaged by an epidemic (it sounds like you'll be fighting some sort of zombie-like creature). And, of course, there'll be gear for you to acquire.
If you want to see the future of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, the PC test server is where to play. Developer PUBG Corp. deploys frequent updates to the server to beta-test new features, and a new patch was released today on Steam. In addition to tweaks to the desert map, the patch also adds a new anti-cheating measure.
The desert map, called Miramar, has been playable for around a month now, and it's provided players a significantly different experience to the original map. Although it's largely been received positively, the studio has received some feedback, and this test server update attempts to address certain complaints. For example, the patch adds more structures and cover "to improve the engagement experience," adds more off-road routes, and rebalances the item spawn level of certain areas.
The patch also includes a variety of other tweaks and fixes. Among other things, it removes the bug that allowed heal and boost items to be used underwater, and it solves certain glitches resulting in players getting stuck in Miramar.
The most notable addition in the test server update is a new anti-cheating solution that PUBG Corp. is working on. PUBG has had an issue with various cheats and exploits over the past few months, and the studio has struggled to address it. Although the developer didn't provide many details on the new anti-cheat system, it did say that it's still under development and that it's gathering data on possible compatibility issues.
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