Diablo creator David Brevik recently revealed his upcoming solo project, It Lurks Below, with a brief trailer. The game blends elements of Terraria and Minecraft, including an emphasis on crafting the tools you need to survive, with the randomly generated dungeons and looting of Diablo. Brevik recently stopped by the GameSpot office to show off the game and let us play the closed beta.
You start by creating a character and choosing one of several RPG classes--rogue, bard, and so on--before you're dropped in a very Terraria-esque 2D loop of a world. Right away, your main priorities are finding food, crafting a wand (which functions as a magical gun), and making some sort of shelter to protect yourself from nighttime monsters. If you're not taking damage, you might be critically tired or hungry, and dealing with all three at once is a hectic balancing act at first.
Once you've got your bearings on the crafting and basic survival front, it's time to start heading...below. We died pretty much instantly thanks to a combination of overconfidence, a lack of equipment, and a little bit of panic, so we mined some iron and crafted some armor and tried again. We successfully defeated a boss before our time was up, and it dropped an impressive area-of-effect item that would make future excursions a lot less daunting.
We've only scratched the surface (literally), so it remains to be seen what's in store on the more Diablo-like end of It Lurks Below's gameplay loop. But the tried-and-true combination of managing resources, crafting, and basic survival was engaging and relatively easy to pick up. The next step is digging deeper, and if there are some Diablo-style twists waiting below, the game could really set itself apart from the likes of Terraria and Minecraft.
It Lurks Below currently doesn't have a set release date, but it's supposed to come to Steam later this year. Brevik is developing the game solo as part of his studio Graybeard Games.
If you were watching TV in 2004, chances are you or someone else you knew was completely and utterly obsessed with Lost. ABC's drama series took the world by storm, creating a passionate fanbase that took to the internet to discuss each episode and theorize about what it all means.
In 2018 that might not sound like anything special, but it's important to note that this was the very first show to capture the hearts and minds of TV audiences living in the internet age. It wasn't easy to congregate on places like Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube because, well, they didn't exist in any meaningful way.
But part of being a Lost fan was engaging with others, and it was undoubtedly a show that gave its audience plenty of material to work with. Lost was filled with characters to love--and hate--mysteries to consider, and wild twists that shocked us. Regardless of whether you love it or hate it, the fact that it was a cultural phenomenon is undeniable.
And now, it's available to stream in its entirety on Hulu. To celebrate its arrival on the streaming service we decided to put together a video looking back at what made Lost so unique. If you'd like to read instead of watch, you can check out our gallery on the 8 Ways Lost Changed TV.
While Marvel is not in business of making movie flops, the huge commercial success of Black Panther has surpassed many expectations. The movie made $202 million in its opening weekend, setting a new record for a film released in February, and has now made more than DC's Justice League did in its entire run. Director Ryan Coogler has now released an emotional letter thanking fans of their support of the film.
Coogler explains that he never expected audiences to turn out in the volume they have, and stated that the overwhelming response "moved me and my wife to tears." Check out his tweet below:
Cooger writes: "I am struggling to find the words to express my gratitude at this moment but I will try. Filmmaking is a team sport. And our team was made up of amazing people from all over the world who believed in this story. Deep down we all hoped that people would come see a film about a fictional country on the continent of Africa, made up of people of African descent.
"Never in a million years did we imagine that you all would come out this strong. It still humbles me to think that people care enough to spend their money and time watching our film--but to see people of all backgrounds wearing clothing that celebrates their heritage, taking pictures next to our posters with their friends and family, and sometimes dancing in the lobbies of theaters--moved me and my wife to tears.
"For all the people who bought out theaters, who posted on social about how lit the film would be, bragged about our awesome cast, picked out outfits to wear, and who stood in line in theaters all over the world--all before even seeing the film. To the press who wrote about the film for the folks who hadn't seen it, and encouraged audiences to come out.
"And to the young ones who came out with their parents, with their mentors, and with their friends... thank you for giving our team of filmmakers the greatest gift: The opportunity to share this film, that we poured our hearts and souls into, with you."
In related news, Captain American star Chris Evans this week seemed to confirm that the rumored Black Widow movie is in development at Marvel. Evans was asked about the success of Black Panther, and said, "There's nothing they can't do, man," he said. "I'm sure it's going to have the exact same effect when Captain Marvel comes out, and then the Black Widow movie comes out. Marvel just has the winning recipe."
Rainbow Six Siege has enjoyed an incredible comeback, as Ubisoft's strong support for the game has not only kept players coming back but actually increased the size of its player base over time in a way we rarely see. That support will continue in the upcoming Year 3 of Siege, with two new Operators set to shake up the game's meta once again. But perhaps more exciting than the more traditional additions we're seeing in the Operation Chimera update is Outbreak, a limited-time PvE game mode.
Ahead of its release next month, we got to go hands on with Outbreak and found it to be a great deal unlike anything else in Siege. Ubisoft has delivered an update to the PC version's technical test servers, giving players an early look at not just the new Operators, but also Outbreak. In the video above, you can check out the opening cutscene for the mode, as well as three others where Ash talks to another of the game's characters. Her conversation with Doc shows him wanting to find a cure, while Tachanka is looking for a Russian connection. Thermite, unsurprisingly, just wants to blow things up.
Outbreak is played out on three new maps that have been made specifically for the mode. They're more open than the standard PvP maps and feature some degree of progression, while still seeking to provide multiple paths and ways for Operators to use their respective gadgets. Only certain Operators can be used in this mode--including Recruit, if you don't have access to any of the supported ones. This is because Ubisoft limits players to Operators whose gadgets make sense in the context of these maps. That presumably explains why Chimera's new Operators--both of which are usable in Outbreak--are attackers, rather than the usual arrangement of each new expansion adding one attacker and one defender.
The Chimera update--and Outbreak along with it--debuts on March 6. Outbreak is accompanied by a new set of loot boxes you can purchase to gain exclusive cosmetic gear. These will only be available for the duration of the event, which runs until April 3. After that, the mode will disappear.
To coincide with the launch of the Overwatch League in January, Blizzard released a big update for Overwatch that introduced a ton of new League-themed skins. But unlike any other skin in the game, these could only be obtained by purchasing them, an arrangement meant to generate revenue that could be shared with teams. Soon, however, you'll have a new route to get your hands on skins.
Twitch, which owns the broadcast rights to Overwatch League, has partnered with Blizzard to reward League viewers with Overwatch Tokens. This is the new type of currency introduced alongside the League skins, which each cost 100 Tokens (or about $5, if you buy the smallest bundle available). Watching Overwatch League won't get you any skins in a hurry--you'll receive one Token for each "live map finish" you view--but it's a free bonus for those already watching, and a small incentive for others to give the burgeoning esports league a chance.
Although that one-Token-per-match reward may not be huge, there's also the potential for something more. Watching the end of the final match during a live broadcast will enter you in the running to win 100 Tokens. Twitch only says that a "percentage" of viewers will randomly win this prize, leaving the specifics unclear.
At least at first, Token rewards will only be available to PC, PS4, and Xbox One players in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan. To qualify, you'll need to connect your Battle.net account with Twitch, MLG.com, OverwatchLeague.com, all of which allow you to watch live matches.
Twitch also announced Overwatch League Cheering, which allows viewers to spend Bits purchased with real-world money to support teams and players. This, in turn, can unlock "in-game hero skins that will be exclusive for a period of time, as well as emotes and team-branded items," which are pictured above.
Say whatever else you want about last year's Ghost in the Shell adaptation, which pissed off most fans by changing the ending and allegedly missing the point. At least it looked great, sporting the budget, design, and effects it deserved. The same can't be said for director Fumihiko Sori's live-action Fullmetal Alchemist adaptation, which manages to feel cheap in every imaginable way.
Fullmetal Alchemist follows the Elric brothers Al and Ed in a pseudo-European world where the science of "alchemy" is nearly indistinguishable from magic. As kids, the brothers became disfigured after an alchemical ritual gone wrong--Ed loses an arm and a leg, and Al his entire body, his soul coming to rest inside a hulking suit of armor. Years later, the boys have joined the army as official State Alchemists in the hopes their adventures will lead them to the Philosopher's Stone, which Ed can theoretically use to reunite Al with his real body.
The movie's issues start immediately, as it brushes over the Elrics' origin story in a weird hurry to get it over with. The scene of the ritual gone wrong cuts off halfway through, followed by a jarring jump several years into the future. Audience members unfamiliar with the source material are likely to simply scratch their heads at the ensuing action scenes, in which a young man in an ill-fitting blonde wig chases down a magic priest with the help of an empty suit of armor. When the movie finally revisits that opening scene, it's as a flashback Ed sees while dreaming. And to add to the confusion, it's the adult version of the character--not the child--who loses his limbs and strikes a deal to get his brother's soul back.
There are some things that simply seem less plausible in live action than in an animated format, and Fullmetal Alchemist seems eager to brush past as many of them as possible. The movie uses multiple early scene info dumps to lamely get its core rules across: Alchemy isn't magic, despite looking like it, because of the "law of equivalent exchange," which doesn't seem to have an actual definition except in rare instances the plot requires it to. Someone early on marvels at Ed's ability to do alchemy "without a transmutation circle," but characters throughout the movie snap their fingers to summon fireballs and perform other unexplained feats.
Fullmetal Alchemist is infinitely more interested in parroting the sights and sounds of its source material than in exploring the anime's ideas or adding anything original to the formula. Unfortunately, those sensory elements are poorly imitated as well. The movie's ample CG effects, from alchemical spells like rippling cobblestones to a goopy army of groaning golems, look so bad you'll actually marvel that this was made last year and not in the late '90s. Al's suit of armor is the one exception, as it looks like they mixed some practical effects with the CG there.
Fullmetal Alchemist overall suffers from unimaginative visual design, particularly in the characters' outfits and many terrible wigs, neither of which ever seem to fit right. The "Homonculi" Lust, Envy, and Gluttony--three ghoulish baddies whose motivations or purposes the movie never bothers to explain--are especially corny, with cheap-looking outfits and terrible CG "powers."
To top it off, what little alchemy the Elric brothers actually perform in the movie boils down almost entirely to laying their hands limply on the ground and summoning barriers from the pavement. These boys--especially Ed--are supposed to be inhumanly skilled alchemists, and yet they remain totally unimpressive for the entire film.
This is more than just cutting things out to fit dozens of hours of story into a two hour-plus movie; what they did cram in meanders between poorly set-up, rushed emotional pivots, like the infamous Nina twist, to scenes that simply feel boring or pointless. There's one extended fight scene between the brothers themselves that manages to simultaneously make no sense, feel completely pointless, have no bearing on the story, and break the already vaguely defined rules of this world all in one.
Despite its high profile and fan hunger, Fullmetal Alchemist is everything wrong with live-action anime adaptations. It both adds nothing to the original and does a poor job imitating it. If you've never experienced FMA before, go watch the anime (preferably the Brotherhood series); if you're already a fan, boot up Netflix and watch the Fullmetal Alchemist live action movie at your own risk.
Although the next Bond movie is currently untitled, we do know that Daniel Craig will return as the legendary superspy. With the director's chair currently empty after the departure of Sam Mendes from the series, MGM is looking for a new director. It has now been reported that the studio has Danny Boyle in its sights.
According to Variety, Boyle is high on the studio's list of potential directors. Although no formal offer has been made to the fillmmaker, the sites notes that "he has keen interest in the project and has always wanted to direct a Bond film." Boyle is best known for the likes of Slumdog Millionnaire, Trainspotting, Steve Jobs, and 127 Hours.
This news follows the confirmation earlier this week that another high-profile British director--Christopher Nolan--will not be directing the 25th Bond movie. Despite meeting with producers last year, Nolan stated: "I won't be the man. No, categorically. I think every time they hire a new director I'm rumored to be doing it. They don't particularly need me. But I've always been very inspired by the films and would love to do one someday."
Mendes directed the previous two movies in the series--Skyfall and Spectre. In 2016 he announced that he would no longer be involved with the franchise. "It was an incredible adventure, I loved every second of it," he said. "But I think it's time for somebody else. At the end of the day, I want to make stories with new characters."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, McKay is in negotiations with the studio to helm the film. McKay was the animation director on the hugely successful The Lego Movie, and was a producer on last year's Lego Ninjago Movie. He is also developing a Nightwing movie at DC.
The Dungeons & Dragons reboot currently has a release date of July 23, 2021. Baby Driver lead Ansel Elgort has reportedly been in talks to star, but beyond that, no further news is known about the project. An earlier Dungeons & Dragons movie was released in 2001, but it was a commercial failure and poorly received by critics.
McKay's Nightwing movie hasn't currently got a release date, but the director has previously spoken about his plans for it. In December he explained why he was drawn to the character. "I think that [Nightwing] is so unique in the history of comics, because no other character really grows up," he said.
"Spider-Man kind of perpetually stays within an age range. All these other characters--Reed Richards' greying temples are always that. Robin grew up from being a kid and working with Batman, and then leaving Batman, and then going off and becoming his own thing and several versions of his own things."
Bandai Namco has released a couple of very short teasers for Broly and Bardock, the first DLC fighters for Dragon Ball FighterZ. There's no combat gameplay but we do see the legendary Super Saiyan and the father of Goku gearing up for a fight. These short animations look to be pre-fight intros which have been edited down.
For fans of Dragon Ball Z the inclusion of Broly is exciting, as he's incredibly powerful and, in the series' lore, is believed to be a mythical warrior that only appears once every 1000 years. No doubt there will be some awe-inspiring combo videos made with him. It'll be interesting to see his fighting style as, despite his overwhelming size, Broly manages to remain quite light on his feet.
Bardock, meanwhile, is the father of Dragon Ball Z protagonist Goku, but hasn't had as many opportunities to show off his fighting ability. In Dragon Ball FighterZ, however, not only will he be able to take on some the series' most iconic fighters, but he'll also be able to transform into a Super Saiyan.
Images of both characters as well as some brief details (below) have also appeared on the Japanese Dragon Ball FighterZ website. Broly is described as being super powerful with long reach and has his signature energy attack: "Eraser Cannon." Bardock, meanwhile, is a rush character that combines speed and power. He excels in close distances and has a move called "Riot Javelin," which is likely similar to his Final Spirit Cannon from the series.
Broly and Bardock are included in Dragon Ball FighterZ's season pass, along with the other six yet-to-be-revealed DLC characters coming to the fighting game. Bandai Namco hasn't announced individual pricing for the two fighters, but the season pass costs $35 USD / £29 / $52.95 AU.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is available now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Critic Peter Brown awarded the title a 9/10 in GameSpot's Dragon Ball FighterZ review and said, "Even if you think Dragon Ball is old hat, and even if you're intimidated by fighting games, there's a good chance you'll be drawn into the explosive action and personalities that expertly evoke the anime's infectious spirit."
Sonic the Hedgehog and Pac-Man are as close to royalty as the gaming world gets, and now the two legends are crossing over for a limited time. For one month, you'll be able to play as Pac-Man and Ms Pac-Man in Sonic Dash and as Sonic in Pac-Man for iOS and Android.
Sonic Dash's fifth anniversary will see the game host four one-week-long special events, each allowing you to play as the Pac-Man couple to defeat Bash the Ghost. Dr Eggman, meanwhile, has invaded a special Pac-Man world that looks like Green Hill Zone, so Sonic must chase after him to save his friends.
Sega and Bandai Namco say fans who play any of the six Sonic stages in Pac-Man before March 20 will unlock those mazes forever. It's also possible to keep Pac-Man and Ms Pac-Man in Sonic Dash, provided you collect enough fruits, bells, and keys.
Burnout Paradise Remastered will not, it seems, include microtransactions. After the PS4, Xbox One, and PCremaster was announced yesterday, some fans spotted that the game's PlayStation Store listing stated it would include optional "in-game purchases." The message is still present on the store listing, but EA says the note is a mistake.
"The store listing for Burnout Paradise that mentions 'in-game purchases optional' is an error," said EA's community engagement manager, Ben Walke. "There is no MTX or any additional paid for content. Pitchforks down please."
The original Burnout Paradise received a number of DLC packs, and the eight main ones that launched during the Year of Paradise are included in the remaster. They are Big Surf Island, the Party Pack, Burnout Bikes, Boost Special, Legendary Cars, Cagney Update, Toys, and the Cops & Robbers Pack. All that will set you back US $40 / £35 / AU $48 on PS4 and Xbox One.
The remaster's release date has been set for March 16, with a PC version coming "later this year." The current-gen edition includes "high resolution textures" and 4K / 60 FPS support for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X.
If you've spent any time on the internet over the last week you'll know that Marvel's Black Panther has had what can only be described as a sensational reception. Reviews for the superhero flick have been overwhelmingly positive and, based on early figures, it's on track to be one of Marvel and Disney's most successful movies yet.
In our Black Panther review Michael Rougeau said it is "a top tier Marvel movie with all the humor, style, action, passion, and fun that the MCU has come to embody." Not to mention "a cultural event that's going to be hard for Marvel to top."
We've been thinking about where the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes from here, and while we can only take guesses at how the story plays out, we're confident that Marvel is going to change the way they make films. The success of Black Panther, which feels different to previous entries in the MCU, could serve as a new template for Marvel's movies, much like 2008's Iron Man established the framework for most of the films up until now.
That's the argument that Tamoor makes in the video above, where he talks through how he feels main character T'Challa is different from other heroes like Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Stephen Strange, and what makes his first standalone film unique from a characterization perspective. On top of that, he discusses why, alongside Thor: Ragnarok, Marvel is starting to lean towards creating films with a unique identity, instead of a bunch of flicks that feel uniform.
In related news, Chris Evans, who plays Captain America in the MCU, has indicated that a standalone Black Widow film starring Scarlett Johansson is in the works. Prior to this, it was reported that writer Jac Schaeffer had been hired to pen the script. However, as of yet, there has not been official confirmation from Disney or Marvel.
The upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie now has an official release date--and it's a bit later than originally expected. The film, which is coming from Sony's Paramount film studio, will come to theatres on November 15, 2019, which is just before Thanksgiving.
The release date news comes by way of The Hollywood Reporter. When the film was originally announced in 2016, Sega said it was expected in 2018, so this is a delay. The last we heard, the untitled movie is expected to mix animation and live-action, though details about the plot and cast are being kept under wraps for now.
Sonic Forces
Jeff Fowler is directing the Sonic movie, making his directorial debut for a feature-length film with the project. He has experience and has captured acclaim with animated projects before, however. He directed the 2004 Oscar-nominated animated short Gopher Broke, the animation for which was done by the prolific and celebrated video game effects studio Blur.
The Fast and the Furious producer Neal H. Moritz is producing the Sonic movie. The Sonic movie's script is being written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, the duo who created the Fox show Golan the Insatiable.
2016 marked the 25th anniversary of the Sonic franchise. The latest instalments in the series were Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces, both of which were released in 2017.
While you have to wait a bit longer for the Sonic movie, the new Tomb Raider movie starring Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft is coming out in March. You can watch the newest trailer for the movie here.
Once you beat the main story, you can create a NG+ save and keep all of your existing progression, including things like weapons and outfits, along with abilities, XP, inventory items such as crafting materials and tools, and of course your character level.
Of course, some things won't carry over such as all of the maps and discovered territories, as well as quest competition status and Senu's perception level. Activities tied to progression are reset, so things like Trials of the Gods and the Hippodrome won't be available until you unlock them as part of normal gameplay progression.
Additionally, you'll find the experience more difficult as the difficulty level will go up one notch compared to your previous campaign. So for example, Easy will go to Normal and Normal to Hard, etc. Enemy scaling is on by default in NG+, but you can deactivate it.
There will be a "unique reward" for when you beat the NG+ version of the game, but Ubisoft is keeping this a surprise for now. For a full, detailed breakdown of the NG+ mode, check out this FAQ on Ubisoft's website.
The second and final expansion for Origins, The Curse of the Pharaohs, is coming in March for all platforms. However, an update on February 27 will include a new quest, "Lights Among the Dunes," that serves as an introduction before the full expansion lands on March 6.
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