Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a wonderfully clever idea. If Ritual of the Night is a riff on the classic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, how brilliant the developers at Inti Creates must have felt when they thought of creating an homage to Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse to serve as its stage-setting prequel. As a bonus for a Kickstarter stretch goal it could have been left at that, as a clever "I see what you did there" concept wrapped around a merely so-so game. Thankfully, it's much better than you might expect.
You could be forgiven for having missed the announcement of Curse of the Moon entirely. While it has been on the docket of backer rewards since Ritual of the Night's crowdfunding campaign ended, it was only given a name and the first official details a couple of weeks before release. The 8-bit style platformer features four playable characters: Zangetsu, a sword-wielder; Miriam, the main character of Ritual of the Night, with her whip; Alfred, the alchemist; and Gebel, a shapeshifter. You start with Zangetsu and gain allies as you progress, and you can hot-swap between them at will.
Curse of the Moon's inspirations are instantly recognizable, right down to the bright hero sprite sticking out from the parallax-scrolling backgrounds like a diorama. Apart from the widescreen aspect ratio, it all looks and feels like an authentic 8-bit Castlevania game, even as it tweaks the classic formula in subtle ways. Boss sprites and backgrounds pull off large-scale movement that would usually have made a real NES flicker, and the characters are lighter on their feet than Simon Belmont ever was. It feels reverent but not overly precious.
From that framework, Curse of the Moon pulls off a few additional modernizations that take advantage of the multi-hero mechanic. For one, each character has his or her own set of sub-items, which ensures a better balance with their main weapon than if they all shared a uniform set. It also lets some characters exist with limited utility. Alfred, with his powerful spell-casting, has a miniscule health bar compared to his compatriots. That makes him a poor choice for progressing through an entire stage, but perfect for small moments when his powers are needed most.
The result is the feeling that you're playing as the team, rather than as individual characters. Losing an ally doesn't necessarily cost you a life. It will reset you as one of the other heroes at a checkpoint, which is a minor but not insurmountable setback. It's still best to swap to another character if one's life bar is getting low, but it's only once all four heroes have gone down that you lose a life. That makes it slightly more forgiving than some classic Castlevania games.
Curse of the Moon is on the short side at only a couple of hours, albeit with branching story paths determined by how you use the various characters to traverse through a stage. As a backer reward and value-priced game it should be regarded mostly as a strange and special treat. Its existence creates a kind of fictional history for Ritual of the Night to be borne into, and it does it with surprising sophistication.
E3 is traditionally the time for big video game companies make their biggest announcements, and EA has two major titles on the roster that will no doubt consume much of its press time this year: Anthem and Battlefield V. The company holds its big pre-E3 event, EA Play, on on Saturday, June 9 at 11AM PT / 2PM ET / 7PM BST, which kicks off three days of EA events until June 11. Unlike E3, EA Play is focused on player events, featuring lots of demos and fan-centric content.
We now know Battlefield V, EA DICE's World War II first-person shooter, will come out October 19 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The developers unveiled many details about the game on May 24, and indicated Battlefield V will improve on its predecessors by focusing more on class and soldier customization and progression. No doubt EA will reveal even more about the game at E3; there are rumors that a Battlefield V battle royale mode is in the works as well. Here are all the Battlefield V details we have so far.
Anthem, on the other hand, is still more of a mystery. It will be an open-world action game with a very Destiny-esque feel. We know it will support co-op multiplayer but you will also be able to play it on your own. At E3 2017, EA-owned BioWare said Anthem would revolve around factions of operatives known as freelancers who wear mechanized suits called Javelins. In combat, we've seen the javelin suit capable of a lock-on rocket barrage--one of the abilities on cooldown at the bottom of the HUD. And we witnessed a co-op partner execute a sort of ground pound ability for area-of-effect damage. Here's everything we want from Anthem at E3.
We'll certainly hear more about EA's sports titles, as well, including Madden NFL 19, which has now been officially announced and will release on August 10 on PS4 and Xbox One. Follow GameSpot's full coverage of E3 2018 for the latest breaking news and details, and check out the full E3 conference schedule, and check the list below for all of the confirmed EA games we know are slated to make an appearance at the show, so far.
With the rapid success of Fortnite and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, other developers are looking at the growing popularity of the battle royale sub-genre to find their next big hit. Bringing together dozens of players into an intense fight to determine who's number one, it's steadily become one of the hottest game modes in some time--with both PUBG and Fortnite having comfortable spots on Twitch's top streamed games. But as the sub-genre continues to make strides with online communities, with even celebrities joining in on the fun, many are wondering where the burgeoning game-mode can go from here.
In order to understand where the battle royale arms race is going next, it's important to start back from the beginning of the trend. To break down how we got to this point--from its early days as a player mod paying homage to popular films, to the juggernaut that it is today--here's our explainer on all thing battle royale, and what could be next for players.
What Is Battle Royale?
Battle Royale (2000) -- Takeshi Kitano explains 'BR' to the class.
To put it simply, battle royale is a large scale free-for-all deathmatch with the goal to be the last player alive. With only one life to live, you'll have to find any weapon you can--crowbars and frying pans included, depending on the game--while keeping focused as you stay one step ahead of the competition. Though most games that tackle the battle royale game type have their own gimmicks, the basic framework of a match is always the same: One big map, a large pool of players, randomized gear to find, and a slowly shrinking battle arena to force combatants into more tense confrontations. While players can expect some exciting encounters that can be satisfying in their own right, those are all moot if you don't reach the true goal. If you're not the last one standing, then you didn't win.
The origins and framework of the game type can be traced back to the cult-classic Japanese novel and film adaptation titled Battle Royale. Written by Koushun Takami, the story is set in a dystopian-future Japan where the government stages an annual 'Battle Royale' competition to keep the populace in check, while also stifling the growing unrest of the country's youth. A group of junior-high school students are transported to an abandoned island 10km in size, outfitted with bomb collars to prevent escape, and are forced to compete in a battle to the death with whatever items they can find. In order to push for more confrontations, forbidden zones gradually spring up across the island, forcing combatants closer together.
Despite the morbid premise, Battle Royale has a hyper-stylized approach to its portrayal of violence--often coupling schooltime drama with powderkeg situations out of a Quentin Tarantino film. Many of the film's more intense moments are a result of poor judgement, lack of equipment, or a general misplaced faith in the combatant's abilities--which usually make up the most common player deaths in battle royale games. Though the film was successful, even finding a passionate audience in the west, another novel and film series with a similar premise known as The Hunger Games found greater popularity. At the time of its release, many fans were inspired to implement their own take on the premise in their favorite games via player mods.
How Did Battle Royale Games Get Their Start?
PC gaming is where online multiplayer and unique game modes first found their footing, which would go on to influence countless other games--PC and console alike--in the coming years. On the surface, battle royale functions like a traditional game of multiplayer deathmatch, which found popularity within PC online multiplayer games during the '90s. With modding for PC games eventually becoming more accessible thanks to freely available developer tools and resourceful players, online communities were able to craft different types of experiences--even in titles that you would least expect. For instance, games like Counter-Strike and League of Legends started out as fan mods for Half-Life and WarCraft III--which were popular enough to warrant a response from the core developers themselves.
In an interview with GameSpot, Brendan Greene, the creator of PUBG, stated that player mods have had an immense impact on the state of gaming.
"The five biggest games in the last twenty years have come from mods," said Greene. "League [of Legends], CS: GO, Dota [2], they're all from mods, and I think it's because modding gives a freedom to take those risks and do something that people aren't asking for, but is something you want to play. That's what I wanted to do. I wanted to make a battle royale game that I wanted to play, and I think that freedom to create whatever you want is an advantage that modding gives people."
Around the time of the release of The Hunger Games during the the early 2010s, Minecraft became a popular game with players of all ages for its then-unmatched creation tools and worldbuilding. Focusing on the exploration of a procedurally generated world where you can craft items, build houses, collect resources, and battle creatures that lurk around, its creator Markus 'Notch' Persson rapidly found success after videos and social media impressions of the game went viral. As Minecraft grew in scope, its creation tools expanded further--allowing the community to include their own unique assets and scenarios into the game. Latching onto the popularity of The Hunger Games films, an older subset of players eventually made competitive focused mods known as Hunger Games--now called Survival Games. Just like in the film, players were forced into a death-battle against others--which was a change of pace from the game's usually mellow vibe.
Another game that also found a foothold in online multiplayer circles was a peculiar title known as DayZ, which started out as a custom mod for the tactical military shooter Arma II. DayZ creator Dean Hall wanted to make an online shooter and quasi-social experiment set within a bleak and relentless environment where resources were limited, and spontaneous alliances formed with others could fall apart at any moment. Also, there were zombies--lots of them. Eventually, DayZ was released as a standalone game, with Hall even joining the Arma devs at Bohemia Interactive soon after. As the open-world zombie shooter grew, its community began to experiment with new mods for the game. One such player in the online Arma community--going by the name PlayerUnknown--eventually released the DayZ Battle Royale mod in 2013. Not long after, other developers began to see potential in the budding popularity for the new free-for-all game mode.
H1Z1: From Zombies To Battle Royale
As the popularity of the Arma modding scene grew to include the City Life RPG and Invasion 1944 mods, the core games also saw increased success--with many players purchasing the game just so they could experience the community creations. Upon the release of Arma 3, PlayerUnknown--real name Brendan Greene--put out another mod that advanced his concept further, known as PlayerUnknown's Battle Royale. Soon after, he was approached by Sony Online Entertainment to work on a new title that would eventually become H1Z1. As a response to the massive success of DayZ, the developers created their own open-world zombie shooter focusing on survival against the odds. However, the developers wanted to include an official battle royale mode of Greene's design to complement the core game. Known as King of the Kill, 100 players would compete against each other to reach the top spot. The studio not only believed it would boost its player base, but also saw it as a potential esports hit.
Unfortunately, several setbacks kept the game in early access longer than expected. In 2015, Sony sold off the Sony Online Entertainment studio, which had both H1Z1 and a new EverQuest MMO in active development. While the MMO would later be shelved, the studio--rebranded as DayBreak Game Company--continued work on its online shooter. After a year of work as an independent studio, the developers split H1Z1 into two distinct modes, Just Survive and King of the Kill, which came in response to growing players trends in-game. While the original survival game with zombies--now known as H1Z1: Just Survive--had a following, the battle royale mode became more popular, prompting a pivot from the developers. These changes, along with other adjustments to the base game, resulted in some creative differences with Brendan Greene and the team, and the modder-turned-developer decided to part ways with DayBreak.
Today, H1Z1 still has an active community, even setting up several esports events for the top players to compete for cash prizes. Now out of early access and in open-beta on PS4, H1Z1 has been showing steady growth over the years, even featuring a number of experimental modes like Auto-Royale--a vehicle focused free-for-all--that switch up traditional gameplay. However, Brendan Greene's departure from DayBreak ended up paving the way for a game-changer in the battle royale sub-genre.
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner: The Rise Of PUBG
After Greene left DayBreak, he was approached by producer Chang-Han Kim from South Korean developer Bluehole to collaborate on a new game centering around the battle royale experience. In keeping with the formula he created for the Arma mod, and sticking with his online community name, they started work on the game which would eventually become PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. Taking on the role of creative director for his first standalone title, Greene would work extensively with Bluehole on the game--which he believed would be the truest form of battle royale he had envisioned during his time making mods.
In the original version of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, a large group of players are brought to an 8x8km island known as Erangel--an abandoned Soviet Union military base--to fight it out and determine the last man standing. Players are transported to the island via cargo plane and can drop out and skydive to a spot of their choosing. Surrounding the players is an encroaching blue energy field, which gradually closed in around the island--forcing more players into conflict in the process. When the final player gets the last kill, they're greeted with the now infamous congratulatory message, "Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner."
During the pre-launch periods, player count was estimated to have reached over 80,000 players, giving the game substantial momentum heading into its official release. With its growing fanbase, which began referring to the game as PUBG, Battlegrounds eventually launched on March 19, 2017 in early access on PC. It quickly reached the top spot of Steam's best-sellers list, and shortly after its launch, the developers also landed a timed console exclusive deal with Microsoft for Xbox One. In September 2017, after several million copies of the game were sold, Bluehole rebranded the core development team working on the game as PUBG Corporation, with Chang-Han Kim acting as CEO.
By the end of 2017, PUBG was a massive success, with a peak player count in December reaching over 3 million active users on Steam. Battlegrounds would go on to break several records on Steam, even taking in a higher monthly revenue than both Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive during its first month. As of March 2018, PUBG sold over 40 million copies across all platforms and even received a free-to-play mobile version. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds was one of the most talked about titles of 2017--even earning Game of the Year nominations from several press outlets. During its first year, PUBG Corporation released two full maps for the game, with another map that's smaller in scale--the 4x4 map Savage--currently in beta. Moreover, the developers are also experimenting with a more traditional deathmatch mode offering more diversity in content, while also supporting the Xbox One release--which recently hit over 5 million players.
Seeing the success PUBG had, many other developers began to shift their focus to align with the popularity of the genre--even if it meant retooling their existing games into something entirely different.
The Rebirth Of Fortnite
Revealed in 2011, Epic Games' Fortnite was a passion project for many of its core developers, which included Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski. As a Horde-mode zombie-shooter with a focus on base building, Fortnite was primarily about surviving against increasingly challenging waves of enemies. With co-op play in mind, the original mode--now known as Save The World--took players across several maps leveling up their characters and acquiring new loot. Though the developers were excited about its potential, the development of the game was rather troubled, with the team having issues nailing the core gameplay and mechanics. After several years of retooling and refining its gameplay systems, Fortnite was released in early access on July 25, 2017 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
The timing of Fortnite's launch coincided with the growing popularity of PUBG, which the developers were also playing at the time. During a GDC 2018 talk about their unorthodox approach to launching the game, Ed Zobrist--head of publishing for Epic Games--stated that they quickly wanted to come up with an alternate mode to complement Fortnite's main campaign. By shifting Unreal Tournament's development team to focus on Fortnite: Battle Royale, they were able to release the new game mode on September 26, 2017--two months after the base game's early access launch. To offer the game to as many players as they could, the new mode was free-to-play, while the PVE content was only playable by purchasing the base package of the game for early access--which will eventually be available for free to all players once it leaves early access. This decision would go on to change Fortnite in a drastic way.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale, the general pace is quicker, and with a smaller map, engagements with other players are quite common. Featuring a more stylized design and aesthetic, the general feel and shooting mechanics are more arcade-like when compared to PUBG's realistic shooting-style, in keeping with its roots in military-style action games. Instead of a cargo plane, players are brought to the island by a flying party bus, with music thumping in the background as players descend onto the island. From here, players can get into the same sorts of engagement you'd expect from battle royale games. However, the big difference between Fortnite and PUBG is the inclusion of the building mechanic.
Just like in the Save The World mode, players can break down objects in the environment for resources to build structures, such as walls and staircases. This allows players to create defensive structures to shield themselves from attacks or reach places around the map that are impossible on-foot. While you can get through much of a game without having to build, the final battles within the top 20 showcase the speed and complexity of building. A basic understanding of structure creation, and the dexterity required to keep up with others, becomes a must for survival toward the end of matches.
Though Fortnite saw a massive influx of new players during its first few months, Battle Royale hit its stride during early 2018. In many ways, Fortnite is a more accessible game when compared to its direct competitor, PUBG. Not only in terms of aesthetics and content, which feature a more stylized and cartoony art style, but also in that it's a free-to-play game--which is in contrast to PUBG's $29.99 price tag. Fortnite's approach to microtransactions have also earned some praise. With the Battle Pass and V-Bucks (premium currency), you can gain access to skins and other cosmetics that don't impact gameplay. Over the course of leveling up and unlocking new tiers, you can upgrade certain skins--giving them them new looks in the process. You're never locked out of the core experience with Fortnite: Battle Royale. Though each season requires players to purchase a new pass to unlock the next set of challenges and unlockables, it's never forced upon players. Epic has also been quick to address feedback concerning aspects of the game, along with adding in a plethora of new content--making the game feel like it's in constant growth.
Currently, Fortnite: Battle Royale is one of the most popular games in the world, with many in-jokes and references invading real-life. Its mobile release also saw huge success, finding a dedicated audience of players that seek to take its style of battle royale on-the-go. Along with professional athletes performing victory dances and actions based on the game, famous rap artist Drake spent several hours playing with popular Twitch streamer N1nja, with the likes of Travis Scott and former MegaUpload owner KimDotCom joining in their game. And in another bizarre case, Epic collaborated with Marvel Entertainment to launch an Avengers: Infinity War tie-in event where players can pick up the Infinity Gauntlet and take control of Thanos himself. To say Fortnite has found new success with its pivot to battle royale would be a massive understatement. The grand majority of players in Fornite are there for the PvP mode, viewing it as the main game over the PvE mode--which is something that's tucked away behind a (temporary) paywall.
What was once a game that struggled to piece itself together over the years, it's now become a game that many seek to imitate. And because of the sudden and monumental success that Fortnite had with its pivot, it's now open season on the sub-genre, with other developers attempting to find their own fortune with the concept.
The Future of Battle Royale, And The New Competition
With the battle royale sub-genre offering players a chance to test their mettle against a large player pool, not many games can offer that same type of thrills and satisfaction when making a good run of it. But just in 2018, we've seen several games looking to chase the same hype surrounding the game mode, including The Darwin Project, S.O.S., Paladins: Battlegrounds, and Radical Heights--which recently saw the closing of developer Boss Key Productions. In a stranger case, the developers behind the loot-oriented action-RPG game Path of Exile included a free April Fools update featuring a new battle royale game mode, which ended up being surprise hit according to their developer blog. Though it only took a day for the creators to make, over 27,000 games were played in its first 31 hours online. Due to the surprise success, the developers are looking to implement the mode as a part of their seasonal content.
In May, Treyarch and Activision revealed the long-rumored battle royale mode for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 titled Blackout, which aims to celebrate the history of the sub-series while offering the largest-scale combat the franchise has seen yet. Shortly after, EA and DICE revealed Battlefield V. Though they didn't reveal their own take on battle royale, the developers shared their thoughts on the battle royale craze, stating that it would be a good fit for the Battlefield series. Whether any of the upcoming games will see the same monumental success of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or Fortnite remains to be seen, but still, there's definitely a drive from developers to experiment and create something a bit different with their existing games.
There's a solid chance that battle royale will likely be a normalized game mode for many online shooters moving forward. One thing is for certain--the landscape of the battle royale sub-genre will look very different by year's end. With so many battle royale games on the way, and with Fornite's spot becoming more secure by the day, other developers will seek to introduce another battle royale hit to shift the paradigm once again. For PUBG's Greene, he welcomes the coming changes and titles adopting the game type, while all adding in their own unique take on it.
"That's what I always thought of the mode when I first invented it, in that it could be that [basic] mode eventually like capture the flag or king of the hill--it's that type of game mode, and I think it's flexible enough to be that," said Greene. "It's great to see the genre grow in the way it has. There's [a lot of] new and interesting spins coming out, like The Darwin Project just released the Director Mode, so it's so great to see those different takes on a very simple concept."
For more on the future of the battle royale genre, be sure to check back with GameSpot to learn all about the newest games looking to jump into the fray.
Fortnite's latest limited-time mode has been temporarily postponed. Shortly after the Close Encounters event began, Epic Games announced on Twitter that an issue had been discovered and the mode was being disabled across all platforms--PS4, Xbox One, PC, and iOS--while the developer investigated it. [Update: Close Encounters is now live.]
Close Encounters was slated to be the second new limited-time mode in Fortnite: Battle Royale this week, following on the heels of Solid Gold v2, which began with the release of the 4.2 content update. In contrast to Solid Gold, Close Encounters mode focuses on "close quarters combat" and only features shotguns and the newly added jetpacks.
Epic hasn't provided any further details on the unspecified issue it discovered in Close Encounters, only noting that the mode has been taken out of the rotation while it works to address the problem. Likewise, the developer didn't announce a time frame for when Close Encounters will return in the game.
In the meantime, players can still take part in the aforementioned Solid Gold v2, which will still be available in the rotation for a limited time. Like the previous iteration of the mode, every weapon that drops in Solid Gold is of the Legendary variety, and certain items like the Chug Jug, Launchpad, and Special Grenades spawn more frequently.
On top of jetpacks, Epic recently added a new set of weekly challenges for Battle Pass owners; you can check out our guide on how to complete the Week 4 challenges. Additionally, the developer recently outlined some of the new features and content on the way to Fortnite, including a Playground mode that has respawns and friendly fire. Fortnite will also have a presence at E3 2018.
E3 2018 is approaching, and expectations for the big event are growing higher by the day. While it's looking like Microsoft, Nintendo, and several other publishers will have some compelling content for E3, a lot of eyes are on Sony. Recently, the company revealed that it'll have four major games to show at E3: Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us: Part II. In addition to these titles, it'll also highlight several third-party games coming to the platform, but no new hardware will be shown.
Sony in particular has had a stellar showing at E3 in the last few years, revealing games like the Final Fantasy VII: Remake, God of War, Resident Evil 7, and Days Gone--some of which are still awaiting their release. On top of this, the publisher has also managed to secure impressive third-party exclusives, which includes content for Destiny 2 and Call of Duty. Because of this, there's been a lot of anticipation and speculation regarding what Sony could have in store for its press conference this year.
Here are our big predictions for what could be coming to the PS4, and what types of games have a chance of making a showing.
Kojima Will Debut Death Stranding's Gameplay, Confusing Everyone Even Further
Three trailers in and we're pretty desperate to hear more about what Death Stranding is actually about. So far we've only gotten vague details about the story and how it'll play. While the surreal imagery of previous trailers have piqued people's' curiosity, we can't imagine that another teaser will do Death Stranding any favors. Intrigue can only take a game so far; we need something more substantial.
We're thinking Kojima will take the stage once again at this year's Sony press conference to go into explicit detail about Death Stranding, as well as show off actual gameplay footage. We'd love to see an in-depth demonstration of the life/death and timefall mechanics that Kojima discussed late last year. At the very least, we're can see Kojima will giving the audience more of a sense of how it'll feel to actually play the game, as well as what its combat and UI looks like.
Death Stranding has garnered massive interest due to the sense of mystery that veils its story and gameplay. We're hoping that Kojima and Sony will provide some answers to the questions that its initial trailers gave us. | Matt Espineli
A New Remaster Of A Classic Playstation Game Will Be Announced
We know that Sony is going to put a big focus on four games at its E3 2018 press conference, but if the last few years are anything to go by, remakes and remastered versions of classic PlayStation games are almost a sure bet as well. Like, a sure, sure bet. At E3 2014, we got The Last of Us Remastered. The next year at E3 2015, the Final Fantasy VII Remake was finally announced, and at PSX we got Rez: Infinite. E3 2016: Crash Bandicoot remaster. PSX 2016: Parappa the Rapper, Loco Roco, Patapon, and Wipeout all had remasters announced. At PSX 2017, we also saw the reveal of MediEvil Remastered, another revival of a classic PS1 series.
Finally, the recent remake for Shadow of the Colossus, announced at E3 2017 was released this year and earned critical acclaim. The studio behind the title, Bluepoint Games, is already at work on another remake. So chances are very good that we'll hear about that project, or at least another remastered re-release. Is it going to be Ico? Ape Escape? Syphon Filter? The Getaway? The Bouncer? TOKYO JUNGLE? Ah look, they'll probably get to them all eventually anyway. | Edmond Tran
The Last Of Us: Part II Will Get A Release Date
The Last of Us was one of Sony's most critically acclaimed titles from the previous generation, and many fans have been anxiously awaiting more info about the sequel. Though we've seen two trailers showcasing The Last of Us: Part II's new visuals and darker tone, Naughty Dog has avoided sharing too much about the continuation of Ellie and Joel's story. However, Sony has confirmed that Part II will be one of the four major titles that the publisher will focus on during this year's E3.
Sony has been on a roll as of late with their slate of exclusives like God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn, both selling beyond expectations and earning wide praise. And while The Last of Us: Part II is expected to attract that same attention, Sony would do well to go beyond just presenting the gameplay demo and leaving fans hanging. To make Naughty Dog's return to its bleak and emotionally draining world all the more exciting, we predict that Sony will also reveal the game's release date. The timing seems just right for Naughty Dog's next game to show the beginning signs of its release, and E3 2018 would be the perfect place to do it. | Alessandro Fillari
From Software Will Debut A New IP
At The Game Awards in 2017, From Software debuted a 30-second teaser trailer, giving us an incredibly brief hint at its next project. While a lot of people were naturally excited to assume it's new Dark Souls or Bloodborne game, a closer look suggests something completely different, at least thematically. The visuals we got showed a bony-looking contraption in front of a scroll of Japanese calligraphy. The device is cast in iron and wrapped in bloody string that's slowly pulled taut. This is accompanied by audio of rain, the sound of a shakuhachi (Japanese flute), and a taiko drum.
From Software has a few feudal Japan-themed franchises in its roster--most prominently, the stealth-action series Tenchu, hack-and-slash game Otogi, and the survival horror game Kuon--but it's also entirely possible that it'll launch a new title altogether. After all, Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne were all new properties spawned in the last decade which caused huge waves, and we wouldn't put it past From Software to do it all again. | Edmond Tran
Sony Will Reveal Red Dead Redemption 2 Exclusive Content For PS4
All the way back in 2016, PlayStation and Rockstar Games announced that some Red Dead Redemption 2 online content would be made available first on PS4. In the almost two years since then, we have not heard a peep about what form this content may take or how long it'll be exclusive to PS4 players. We think that we'll finally learn more about this during Sony's E3 2018 briefing. Rockstar does not usually do much of anything at E3 on its own. However, the company announced GTA V's PS4 edition on Sony's stage back in 2014, so there is precedent of Rockstar making announcements through Sony at E3.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is going to be one of the biggest games of 2018, and an announcement about exclusive content would be a big win for Sony to potentially help drive people to pick up the PS4 edition. This content will be for Red Dead Redemption 2's online mode (which we also don't know anything about), so it would be exciting to see a new trailer for the game at E3 that shows off how Rockstar is building upon the gargantuan success of GTA Online for the new Western. | Eddie Makuch
Another Surprise Exclusive For PS4 Will Be Announced
Sony's PlayStation press conferences have been really fun to watch in the past few years, and part of the reason is because it always throws curveballs at us. Announcements and surprises of brand-new things it managed to keep secret--things we had no idea were coming and no idea we wanted. The announcement of Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima, Insomniac's Spider-Man, Bend Studio's Days Gone, Kojima Productions' Death Stranding, Resident Evil 7, and Shenmue 3 were all things that caught us unaware. We know that Sony's E3 2018 press conference is going to put a big focus on four games, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have something else up its sleeve too. | Edmond Tran
Battlefield 5 is causing quite the commotion. With the reveal of the WWII period shooter, EA and DICE revealed the character on the front cover is a woman and multiplayer will feature playable female characters for the first time. DICE boss Oskar Gabrielson took to Twitter to defend the decision.
Over the last couple of days since the reveal, a number of Battlefield's fans have been up in arms about the female character heading the game's cover art. Hashtags like "#notmybattlefield," have aimed to call for more "historical accuracy" in the game. Many have claimed EA and DICE are pandering to minority audiences with this creative decision, rather than accurately representing history.
First, let me be clear about one thing. Player choice and female playable characters are here to stay. pic.twitter.com/fvi9riUZDM
His statement continues, "We want Battlefield V to represent all those who were a part of the greatest drama in human history, and give players choice to choose and customize the characters they play with."
"Our commitment as a studio is to do everything we can to create games that are inclusive and diverse. We always set out to push boundaries and deliver unexpected experiences. But above all, our games must be fun!"
Battlefield has never been about telling a true-to-life moment in history. Battlefield exists as a work of historical fiction inspired by true events and people. Gabrielson's statement continues, stating "The Battlefield sandbox has always been about playing the way you want. Like attempting to fit three players on a galloping horse, with flamethrowers. With BFV you also get the chance to play as who you want. This is #everyonesbattlefield."
Women existing and playing major roles in this game isn't a rewriting of history in any way--women actually did fight in WWII. Some notable ones are Lyudmila Pavlichenko, was a Russian sniper with 309 confirmed kills, making her the deadliest sniper in history; Wanda Gertz, a Polish solider who posed as a man, began her career in WWI, and eventually led an all-female battalion; and Elieen Nearne, a British spy who was dropped into France to create a network called "Wizard"--she was caught by the Gestapo, tortured, and sent to Ravensbruck, and later escaped during a transfer to another labor camp.
When Battlefield 1 released in 2016, a black man, representing a Harlem Hellfighter, was placed on the cover and featured in the campaign beside a Muslim woman. A similar outburst from the community also occurred, as the game was accused of "black-washing" history.
Not only is the character on the standard edition of Battlefield 5 a woman, but there appears to be another female protagonist in the game's screenshots who is also disabled. Her left arm is amputated, replaced with an era-appropriate prosthetic. As of this moment, we don't know who or what she is supposed to be representing, or if she's the same woman on the cover.
We're more than likely to learn more about her role at E3 in just a few weeks, and what other minorities will be represented in the game from its campaign to its multiplayer. Check out all biggest changes to Battlefield 5, and our behind-closed-doors look at the game. Battlefield 5 releases on Xbox One, PS4, and PC October 16.
Treyarch has big plans for the next entry in the Black Ops series. Along with revamped multiplayer, an expanded Zombies mode, and a series of solo missions centered around the Specialist characters, the developer plans to bring the battle royale craze to Call of Duty. During yesterday's Black Ops 4 reveal event, we got to play over an hour of multiplayer. We also spoke with studio design director David Vonderhaar about Treyarch's influence on the Call of Duty series and how the team is looking to make big changes with the next game.
Set between Black Ops 2 and 3, this fourth entry in the series re-examines the pace of combat, rebalancing many of the more established perks and weapons, while also slowing things down to offer a team-oriented and consistent combat loop. One of the biggest changes in Black Ops 4 is the move back to more traditional infantry-based multiplayer gameplay. Gone are the thruster-packs and wall-running antics of the future soldiers, and in their place is a more tactical take on engagement.
However, many of the more established features from the previous Black Ops games are still present. Along with the Pick 10 system, which allows you to customize your build with weapons, perks, and attachments, the Specialists from Black Ops 3 also make a return. In Black Ops 4, the Specialists--who include Ruin, Seraph, and Battery--and their dynamic with the other members of the team are far more important to winning matches, and there are many cases where the team will use their unique skills in tandem. My team used Recon's Vision Pulse ability to highlight all the enemies in a room, for example, and then relied on Ajax's riot shield to clear it out. This emphasis on teamwork and how to balance it with Call of Duty's gameplay took time to figure out, Vonderhaar said.
"It's really hard to make a tactical game if your character's not [on the ground], so that was the main motivation for us when looking at Black Ops 4. We looked at the thrust-packing and wall-running from the last game... but for the experience we wanted to make, it made the most sense to make things a little bit slower--and slower by Black Ops standards is not slow at all! To give it a more tactical experience, it was really about the [removal of] health regeneration and keeping you on the ground."
The general flow and movement of Black Ops 4 feels far more in line with Black Ops 2.
One thing I appreciated about playing Black Ops 4 is that the Specialists have a much stronger presence in-game. Compared to Black Ops 3, the unique characters were mostly about their special abilities, which were only activated every so often during a fight. But with each character having access to a particular set of gear in BO4, their place in the general flow of battle is much more identifiable. This goes great with the more tactical approach the game is going for, with players having to be a bit more reliant on their squad while also being more aware of which Specialists are on the other team. During our few games, I was more cognisant of which characters were in use by the enemy squad and how to best counter their skills. This was a nice change of pace from most other COD multiplayer games, where both sides just spam the same tactics ad nauseam.
While skilled players are still capable of taking on multiple enemies at once, there are a few changes in Black Ops 4 that they'll have to get used to first. Though players actually have more health than in previous COD games, Black Ops 4 also removes health regeneration in favor of a new healing button. This makes healing a conscious decision, as opposed to running for cover and waiting for the damage to pass over, that can also lead to some hairy moments where you have to pick a good time to heal. Also, the mini-map will only show a set distance ahead of you--meaning you're largely blind when navigating much of the map.
The more tactical flow of matches took some time for me to get used to, which meant a few failed games of multiplayer. Despite these changes, Black Ops 4's multiplayer still runs at an extremely brisk pace. The general flow and movement of Black Ops 4 feels far more in line with Black Ops 2, which was a favorite among fans. There were a number of thrilling moments during my matches in Hardpoint, Domination, and the new game type Control, which forces the teams to fight for specific territory with only a limited number of lives. Seeing the team gel together, as opposed to just running off and trying to be the hero, was exciting to be a part of.
One of the new game types in Black Ops 4 is the long-rumored battle royale mode called Blackout. Set on a large map, where players can take control of characters and use any weapon from the Black Ops games, Treyarch aims to make a battle royale mode that is consistent with the style and tone of the series. While the team hasn't shared any more info regarding the specifics of player count--which according to Vonderhaar is still being decided--they're confident they're introducing a new take on the game mode that will feel unique to Call of Duty and to other games of the sub-genre.
"We love those types of games internally, and our fans love those types of games as well," said Vonderhaar. "I think there's a strong opportunity to create something special for the series, and specifically for Black Ops fans. There's a unique way to do that for Treyarch, and for Call of Duty. If we didn't believe that, then we wouldn't do it. This is a unique battle royale-experience for the Black Ops series... All we really want with [Blackout] is for Black Ops fans to have an experience to call their own. We're going to do it the Black Ops way."'
The new pace of combat felt fresh, and I'm already looking forward to getting into a few more matches with the Specialists, along with diving into the new battle royale mode.
Treyarch plans to launch Black Ops 4 on October 12 for PC as a Battle.net exclusive alongside a simultaneous console release on PS4 and Xbox One. Going hands-on with it took some adjustment--who knew that we'd be so used to using jetpacks and exo-suits--but these changes felt welcome after few matches. The new pace of combat felt fresh, and I'm already looking forward to getting into a few more matches with the Specialists, along with diving into the new battle royale mode.
Days Gone goes out of its way to make it feel like you're in an oppressive and bleak setting. With many scattered survivors, bandits lurking in the streets and dense forests, and undead roaming among the remains of civilization--the zombie-apocalypse is a constant struggle to survive in. And the only thing keeping you going are the meager resources you can scrape together, and a motorcycle that's seen far better days. Coming from Bend Studio, the same developers behind the Syphon Filter series and Uncharted: Golden Abyss, the upcoming open-world game is a massive departure for its creators, which shows some solid signs of ambition.
We recently got to check out the early hours of the PS4 exclusive, and saw some promise in the large open-world of this zombie shooter. You take on the role of Deacon, a motorcycle-riding drifter who's lived through two years of the apocalypse and counting--the game literally has a counter that shows how many days have passed since the outbreak. As he travels deeper into the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, he'll encounter bandits, gangs, dangerous wild-animals, and other ruthless factions seeking to claim what's left of the world, all the while finding out just how far the infection has spread.
In order to stay alive, you'll have to stay prepared and on the move, and Deacon's most valuable tool to do just that is his motorcycle. Not only is it his go-to mode of transport, but it also allows him to haul materials to various safe havens. During our session, we started out in one of the many safe-zones scattered around the world. In these areas, Deacon can meet up with several NPCs who can give him quests, trade resources, and upgrade much of his gear--including his bike. In familiar open-world fashion, you'll be able to explore the map and take on a number of side-missions from NPC characters, as well as minor encounters that lead to some minor rewards. With a world size that's similar in scale to Horizon: Zero Dawn, the map encompassing the six regions that you can explore will gradually become more diverse in layout and design, while also slowly growing more hostile.
I enjoyed the way Days Gone presents its world, but I couldn't get over how familiar it all felt. With the fantasy of the zombie apocalypse being a very common premise--survivors being pushed to their limits while dealing with life in a chaotic post-civilization where bandits and the undead are out to kill you--it was hard to find something really unique in Days Gone. It often traversed a very well-worn path in the hour I spent with the game. Moreover, the exploration was constantly bogged down by some noticeable performance drops and odd bugs throughout, most of which occurred during moments of heavy action.
Eventually, we found ourselves searching an abandoned laboratory facility operated by NERO--Days Gone's more sinister take on the CDC--which happened to be filled with the undead. While bandits and other hostile factions will be on the look out for other survivors--the larger threat to everyone are the numerous 'freakers' lurking about in the world. The freakers are essentially traditional zombie fodder, and can be easily taken out when only dealing with one at a time. However, they can be especially deadly in packs. In one of the game's more interesting moments, large swarms of freakers moved in unison like a ravenous wave shifting through the woods and streets of the world. Even when driving your bike at high-speed, they'll literally throw themselves at Deacon to knock him off--resulting in him getting swarmed by others when he's left scrambling.
In most cases, it's best to stick to the stealthy approach when entering areas swarming with bandits and zombies. Much like any other open-world action-game, Deacon has an assortment of skills that range from crafting, melee, long-range, and stealth. As he collects experience from quests and taking out enemies, he'll level up and gain skill-points to unlock new perks and buffs. These upgrades includes longer use of breakable melee weapons, improved aiming, and more efficient crafting skills for better rewards. With resources being so scarce, Deacon will have to scavenge supplies found out in the wilderness, and from derelict buildings and vehicles left on the side of the road. An ever helpful survivor-sense also allows him to hone in on points of interest in the immediate area, such as hidden caches and hostiles.
In recent times, the survival aspect has become a key pillar in many open-world games. Whether it's managing your character's intake of resources like food and water, or simply just trying to keep them in one piece while exploring the land and trying to make it back to safety. Days Gone tends to stay within that middle ground. Not too overbearing, but still placing you in situations where you're against a swarm of zombies with low ammo and healing. Deacon, while resourceful and capable of handling himself in a fight, isn't able to sustain himself for long out in the wild.
Days Gone shows a lot of potential when it comes to offering a large world to explore. There are some trace echoes of other Sony exclusive titles like The Last of Us and Horizon to be found in its presentation and environmental design, which aren't bad influences to have on this open-world title. Even though it was a brief demo that only scratched the surface of what we can expect in the final game, I was impressed with how much of content and sights there were to see. While you can follow the story missions pretty closely, there are a number of cool side-objectives and challenging moments to be found off the golden path--such as trying to sneak through a freaker-infested lumberyard, which went horribly wrong in my case and resulted in me having to high-tail it back to my bike.
But we still have some concerns about whether it can find a more meaningful way to distinguish itself, apart from some cool moments riding the motorcycle and the amazingly detailed zombie swarms. With a release in early 2019, there's still some time for Days Gone to get itself into shape on the technical side of things, and hopefully show us a stronger sense of its own identity.
Solo: A Star Wars Story's many, many Star Wars Easter eggs and references aren't limited to simple in-universe callbacks. There's even one moment late in the film that directly calls out, in a very meta way, the most infamous change George Lucas made in his widely despised remasters of the original Star Wars trilogy. We're talking, of course, about "Han shot first."
In Solo, Woody Harrelson's grizzled scoundrel Tobias Beckett repeatedly tells young Han not to trust anyone. After a predictable series of double crosses, the two face one another on the sand, in glorious old West showdown style. And this time, unlike in Lucas's "updated" version of A New Hope, Han absolutely, unequivocally shoots first.
It's a great payoff from an in-fiction story perspective. Han has been bright-eyed and bushy-tailed throughout Solo, and his naive optimism gets him into trouble more than once. Fans know that Han is significantly more jaded by the time we catch up with him ten years later in Episode IV. Taking Beckett's advice to heart and betraying his sort-of-mentor before Beckett can double cross him again is a big step on Han's path toward becoming the character we know.
But even more than that, the moment felt satisfying on a meta level--reassuring, even. George Lucas's history-altering change to the cantina scene, in which he added an extra blaster shot so that Han technically shoots Greedo in self defense, was an attempt to sand the rough edge off the character. Sure, he's a scoundrel and a villain. But he's not a killer--at least, not anymore.
That doctored scene, blasphemy though it might be, may well be the canonical version of events (depending who you ask). But even if it is, Solo's "Han shoots first" scene is a direct rebuttal: This is who Han Solo is. It's the executives and creatives at Disney acknowledging that the Han Solo fans have always preferred--the one who shoots first--is the real Han Solo, no matter what actor is playing him.
Solo's writers, Lawrence and Jonathan Kasdan, certainly see it that way.
"That was part of the reason I wanted to do it," Lawrence Kasdan, who also co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, told GameSpot during a recent interview. "George [Lucas] really wrote that idea, and then he backed off that idea, and it bothered me enormously, since A New Hope is so important to me. And part of what I love about that scene in the cantina, which is one of the greatest scenes ever, was that it was realistic and hardboiled in the way I wanted it to be. So it's really bothered me."
The writer mentioned the "movement" among fans who consider Lucas's re-working of the scene to be "revisionist history," and he's definitely in agreement with them. He added that when his son, Jonathan Kasdan, came onboard to co-write Solo: A Star Wars Story with him, they knew it was one of the few things they would have to address.
"We didn't have a long checklist of things we were going to do," Lawrence Kasdan explained. "But that's one we wanted to do."
Jonathan Kasdan added that the character Tobias Beckett evolved into a perfect fit for that moment in the film.
"That's when we arrived on the idea of Beckett," he said. "It was one of those cathartic moments that you occasionally have when you're writing, where it gelled that [Han] would have this Long John Silver type relationship, this Neil McCauley [Robert De Niro's character in the 1995 crime movie Heat] mentor, and that that would be the person who would finally teach him this invaluable lesson that he'd carry with him his whole life. It seemed organic to the story we wanted to tell."
Say whatever else you want about Solo, but love it or hate it otherwise, this, at least, is awesome.
E3 is just around the corner, and for publishers like Sony that means big splashy presentations and surprising announcements. The annual PlayStation showcase is one of the highlights of E3, especially since the company has fine-tuned its presentation to deliver one trailer after another.
It's hard to say just how surprising this year's show will be, however. Sony has taken the unusual step of outlining its plans ahead of time, with a particular "deep dive" focus on four games: Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us Part II. That covers the first-party line-up for the foreseeable future, and time will have to tell if Sony will devote any of its press conference to third-party games.
Sony's E3 press conference will begin on Monday, June 11 at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET. You can check out our full press conference schedule for the rest of the line-up, and look below for all of the PS4 games confirmed to be at the show so far.
With E3 2018 right around the corner, we want to continue the annual tradition of making predictions; educated ones of course. Speculation is fun when it comes gaming's biggest show and we always appreciate pleasant surprises, so we corralled the GameSpot team to throw some ideas out there. This time, we're looking at Microsoft's press conference and what could be in store for Xbox One owners.
As we get closer to the show, developers and publishers slowly tease or reveal plans for E3, but Microsoft has played its cards closer to its chest than most. We can expect more about Crackdown 3, since it's one of the biggest 2018 games in Microsoft's rotation. It's been hit with several delays, but with the game scheduled to launch this year, more details and a definitive release date would make sense. A new entry in the Halo franchise is a possibility given the last mainline entry was in 2015. Perhaps another Gears of War? Based on series cadence, Forza Horizon 4 seems likely--unless you're Walmart Canada who's thinking ahead to Forza Horizon(s) 5. Those wouldn't really come as surprises, though. We're here to stretch the imagination, grounded in some sort of reality.
Microsoft is changing things up a bit this year by moving its E3 press conference and show presence to its own Microsoft Theatre at LA Live, which is right across from the LA Convention Center. Microsoft executive Mike Nichols said it'll be the company's biggest show yet. As to what that means, we'll find out on June 11 at 1PM PT. For now, read our predictions, and if you want more sweet speculation, check out what we're predicting from Sony and Nintendo for E3 2018.
Halo 6 Will Be Announced
It has been nearly three years since the release of Halo 5: Guardians, so if we are to believe that Halo is on a three-year release pattern (Halo 5 came out three years after Halo 4), Halo 6 could launch in fall 2018. In any case, the time is right for Master Chief to return to battle. Halo 5 was a big success with the advancements it made to multiplayer and Forge and a story that, while underwhelming in parts for not entirely paying off, showed us a new and intriguing side of Master Chief.
Halo is one of Microsoft's oldest and best-known franchises, and it's time for Microsoft to try something new with Halo 6. I don't know what that might look like, and it would be a bit sad and uninspired of Microsoft to simply try to cash-in on the battle royale trend. Instead, I want to see something new and unexpected from Halo at E3 this year. We already know the game will have split-screen, which is great because Halo 5 didn't. But I want to see Microsoft completely blow fans away with story and gameplay advancements. | Eddie Makuch
A New Blue Dragon Is On The Way
Blue Dragon was a little JRPG exclusive on Xbox 360 that released worldwide in 2007, made by Japanese developers Mistwalker and Artoon. With the the help of Microsoft's publishing arm, Blue Dragon brought something the console was short on: Japanese games. Famed artist Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball, Chrono Trigger) also put his distinct touch on the game with character designs and artwork. Although it was a fairly by-the-numbers RPG and didn't do much to push the genre forward, it was still an enjoyable game that diversified the Xbox 360 library.
Support for Japanese game-makers on the Xbox platform hasn't really improved since then, especially after the cancellation of Scalebound; the PS4 has this aspect locked down with franchises like Yakuza, Persona, and Nier. However, earlier this year, head of Xbox Phil Spencer said in response to a Tweet about whether or not JRPGs would be highlighted at E3 2018, "As of now, yes. Things can change but like last year I wanted to make sure we supported our Japanese publishers on our stage and this year we are working to do the same. It's important to us."
Microsoft still holds the Blue Dragon name and it's one of the few existing franchises of Japanese origin that the Xbox can boast. It'd be exciting to see a revival on the Xbox One and if Mistwalker would be on board to develop it. | Michael Higham
Platinum Games Has Something In The Works For Xbox
The cancellation of Scalebound was extremely disappointing for Xbox One owners since it had been touted for a long time as a top-tier exclusive. Also, the fact that Platinum Games was working on it made many believe it would live up to the hype, given the developer's track record (Bayonetta, Vanquish). Hideki Kamiya, the director behind Devil May Cry and Okami, was leading the charge, too.
But as believers in Platinum's work, we'd like to think that there's something that can be salvaged. It'd be a shame for everything from Scalebound to go to waste. Also, Xbox boss Phil Spencer stated that Microsoft wants to support Japanese games and do so this year at E3. Based on the critical reception of Nier Automata, which released for PS4 and PC, it'd be big for Microsoft to have its own Platinum hit. | Michael Higham
Crackdown 3 Will Have A Battle Royale-like Mode
Alright, we know it's easy to name any game and say it's going to have a Battle Royale mode. It's been the topic of conversation since PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds blew up and Fortnite: Battle Royale became the biggest topic in all of games. We're even seeing big name franchises like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto adopt elements of the genre and we're constantly thinking about who's next to do so. It could be Crackdown 3.
Microsoft is flexing Crackdown 3 as a super-destructive multiplayer experience where skyscrapers, city streets, and anything in the environment can be obliterated--this could be how it separates itself from competitors. Considering that Crackdown takes place within an open-world structure, it seems that the playground for battle royale is already set. Xbox boss Phil Spencer stated that Microsoft won't be making its own standalone battle royale game, which makes sense given that PUBG is a console exclusive on the Xbox platform. But that doesn't rule out having a mode in an existing game, and of all of Microsoft's IPs, Crackdown appears to have the makings for a last-person-standing deathmatch where the entire environment can be blown to smithereens. | Michael Higham
Xbox Streaming Service Revealed
There have been rumblings and rumors of an Xbox game-streaming service for years now, and I think E3 2018 will be the year it gets officially announced. Given the expansion of reliable internet, the marketplace is better-suited now for a streaming service to work. It wouldn't be available for everyone, everywhere, but the market has unquestionably grown and become more capable and dependable in recent years.
Microsoft would be following in Sony's footsteps, as the company already has PlayStation Now. It is exciting to think about what Microsoft--which already owns data centers around the world--could do in the streaming space. It is especially interesting given that game sizes today are trending bigger and bigger, which makes streaming--which requires no installs--an attractive proposition for some. Pricing will be important, and it would be great to see Microsoft create a "Netflix for gaming" type service where you pay a monthly fee and play all the games you want. | Eddie Makuch
Perfect Dark 2 Is Rare's Next Game
Rare just launched Sea of Thieves not too long ago and it looks like the game will have continual post-launch support and content updates moving forward. However, Rare's next big thing could be the return of Perfect Dark. The franchise began on the Nintendo 64 in 2000 as the follow-up to the classic Goldeneye 007, and made a comeback in 2005 with Perfect Dark Zero as an Xbox 360 exclusive after Microsoft acquired Rare. Now it's been 13 years since an entry in the sci-fi FPS series and now would be as good a time as any for another one.
Not only would we want to play as Joanna Dark in a new conspiracy-laden single-player campaign, we'd love to see what Perfect Dark multiplayer can be this generation. Laptop machine guns that turn into turrets and strange alien pistols you can dual-wield still seems like a whole lot of fun. This is more of a pipe dream than something we're realistically expecting. | Michael Higham
Bethesda is preparing for its big E3 stage show, and this year it does mean big. Marketing boss Pete Hines, who usually appears on-stage at its E3 presentations, suggested that this year's showcase may be its longest ever. Shortly after he did offer reassurances that we aren't in for a three-hour marathon event.
Still, Bethesda is one of the more mysterious companies at the yearly event, usually squirreling away a big surprise or two that no one saw coming. As a result, most of its plans are still under wraps. It has plenty of franchises to draw upon, from Elder Scrolls and Fallout to Wolfenstein and Doom, so the field is wide open for new franchise entries. The company also tends to hold announcements until they're nearly ready, sometimes debuting games at E3 that are already preparing to launch in the fall.
One of the least expected announcements has already been given, though. Rage 2, a sequel to the 2011 id Software title, is on its way. It was one of the most surprising outings from a veritable flood of Walmart Canada leaks, and Bethesda responded in a playful way that nearly confirmed it from the beginning. The company claims it had always planned to debut the trailer when it did, so presumably it has something else in store for the stage show. You can check out what we'd like to see from Rage 2.
Bethesda's stage presentation will take place Sunday, June 10 at 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET. You can check out the full conference schedule to plan your watching accordingly, and check the list below for all of the games Bethesda has confirmed for its presentation this year.
This week in the PS4 universe is an overwhelming one. E3 2018 is right around the corner, and your favorite titles have lots to give in terms of freebies and updates.
Make sure to check out the new freebies and updates in Fortnite, H1Z1, Tekken 7, Call of Duty: WWII, and Battlefield 1 this week and next. God of War is down to $47 in the US, and PS4 now has its own Elite-esque controller for $200 thanks to a third party. The PlayStation 4 might be nearing the end of its console life cycle, and Sony is looking back into portable gaming. We have a release date for Battlefield 5 and Madden NFL 19, and our first looks at Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Zombies mode and PlayStation exclusive title Dreams. As for E3, Ubisoft has released what major titles it plans on discussing (apart from the surprises), and you can check out all of our hopes for games like Days Gone, Death Stranding, Kingdom Hearts 3 and more.
This week in Xbox news brings a lot to the table. One of Microsoft's most cherished franchises has been confirmed to return at some point, E3 is just a couple weeks away, and there are tons of free events and DLC for your favorite titles to play this weekend and beyond.
Yes, Halo will have yet another installment. Halo 6 has been confirmed to happen, but it likely won't happen for some time. Overwatch's anniversary event is live and free to play this weekend, and Monster Hunter World and Fortnite also have limited-time game modes you won't want to miss. Make sure to grab all the freebies in Fortnite, Tekken 7, Call of Duty: WWII, and Battlefield 1 this week too. Sea of Thieves will see its first big expansion soon, and Minecraft just saw the release of its first aquatic expansion. Our hopes for Anthem, Kingdom Hearts 3, and Borderlands 3 at E3 are already live, as are the official plans from Ubisoft and the devs behind Fortnite.
The biggest gaming show of the year, E3 2018, is nearly upon us, and this year's event promises to offer an exciting look at what each platform has in store through the rest of 2018 and beyond. With the Switch in its second year on the market, the hybrid console will undoubtedly be the focal point of Nintendo's E3 presentation. Already the company has confirmed it will show off more of Super Smash Bros. for Switch, and there will certainly be a lot of surprise announcements in store for the console.
But while Switch may be the star of Nintendo's E3 plans, it isn't the only console the company will be talking about during its big presentation. Its dual-screen handheld, the 3DS, is also still chugging along thanks in large part to the frequent hardware refreshes it has received over the course of its lifetime. Even with competition from Switch, 3DS has remained a consistent seller for Nintendo, and the company will no doubt want to continue that momentum with a steady lineup of upcoming releases.
While we know a little about what we can expect from the Switch side of its E3 presentation, Nintendo's plans for 3DS remain very much a mystery. The company hasn't confirmed any 3DS games that will be showcased during its E3 presentation. This isn't out of the ordinary; outside of Super Smash Bros. and Splatoon 2, Nintendo has been cagey about which games it plans to show off during E3, leaving us to speculate about what the company will talk about.
Still, while Nintendo hasn't explicitly said which 3DS games it plans to show off, there are quite a few already-announced titles that we may see more of. During a recent Direct presentation, Nintendo announced a handful of new titles coming to 3DS this year, including WarioWare Gold, a remake of Luigi's Mansion, and a remake of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
We'll see what else Nintendo has in store for 3DS this year very soon. The company's Direct-style E3 presentation airs online on Tuesday, June 12, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, just before E3 officially begins. In the meantime, you can see all of the confirmed 3DS games below. We've also rounded up all of the confirmed Switch games for E3 2018.
All the Nintendo 3DS Games Confirmed for E3 2018
WarioWare Gold (assumed)
Luigi's Mansion (assumed)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey (assumed)
E3 2018 is nearly upon us. That means it's time to tally up the games we know we'll see at the show, while getting hyped about any surprises that may be in store. Anyone who primarily plays games on PC has a number of presentations to keep an eye on, including the PC Gaming Show as well as the big publisher conferences, all of which will likely reveal upcoming PC games.
Among the biggest PC games we know will be shown at E3 2018 are EA's shared-world shooter Anthem and Ubisoft's anticipated sequel The Division 2. We can also look forward to learning about the big fall update Bungie has planned for Destiny 2 and finding out what game Remedy has been working on since shipping Quantum Break in 2016.
On top of those sure things, the organizers of the PC Gaming Show promise this year's presentation will feature more unannounced games and new trailers than in any previous year. Here's when all the shows featuring PC games will be streaming live.
Microsoft - Sunday, June 10 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET
Bethesda - Sunday, June 10 at 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET
Square Enix - Monday, June 11 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET
Ubisoft - Monday, June 11 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM PT
PC Gaming Show - Monday, June 11 at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET
For more information, hop over to the full E3 conference schedule, and check the list below for all of the PC games we know are slated to make an appearance at E3 2018.
A ton of new games are now available on Nintendo Switch. This week is an especially busy one for the console, with more than 20 new titles arriving in the Eshop. Additionally, Switch owners can download a handful of new demos from the digital storefront, while another batch of DLC quests have been released for Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
Fans of retro (and retro-inspired) platformers in particular have a lot of great titles to choose from this week. First, Capcom's classic Mega Man compilations, Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 and 2, are both now available on Switch. Each can be purchased individually from the Eshop for $20. Capcom has also released a physical Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 + 2 package, which comes with a game card of the first Legacy Collection and a download code for the second.
The recently announced Bloodstained prequel, Curse of the Moon, is also now available on Switch. Developed by Inti Creates, the studio behind the Azure Striker Gunvolt series, Curse of the Moon is an 8-bit-style platformer reminiscent of the classic NES game Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. It features four playable characters, who each have their own unique abilities and can be swapped between on the fly.
In addition to those titles, the acclaimed and ultra-difficult platformer N++ has launched on the Eshop. Other notable releases this week include PixelJunk Monsters 2; the latest classic Neo Geo game, Top Player's Golf; the MMA management sim Punch Club; and the rhythm/action game Runner3. You can find the full list of this week's Switch releases below.
On top of all the new releases, a handful of new demos are now available in the Eshop. First, Nintendo has released demos for two of its upcoming games: Sushi Striker and Mario Tennis Aces. The latter, however, will not be playable until Nintendo kicks off the game's Pre-launch Online Tournament next weekend. Switch owners can also now download a demo of Happy Birthdays, the charming world-creation game by Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada.
Finally, a new batch of DLC has been released for Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Several new quests are now available for players who've purchased the game's expansion pass. The pass costs cost $30 / £27 and gives players access to additional quests, Blades, items, and other content. A challenge battle mode and new story content are also still slated to arrive this year for expansion pass holders.
Summer movie season may be starting in May, but Netflix is going out of its way to make sure you stayed glued to your couch. We're now well into the new month, and the streaming service has released the full list of additions for May. That features a variety of new movies, TV shows, and originals to keep you busy for the foreseeable future--and there's some good stuff on tap.
Firstly, Disney/Pixar's Coco will be added on May 29. If you somehow missed one of the studio's best animated films ever, this will be your chance to watch and cry in the privacy of your own home. That's always a better option than publicly weeping in a theater, right?
On the TV side, the latest seasons of some of the CW's biggest shows will be added in April. Riverdale, Arrow, The Flash, Supernatural, and Dynasty will all end their current seasons, with them becoming available to stream a week later. Additionally, a new season of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, along with a slew of other originals, will arrive throughout the month. Of note, the second half of The Toys That Made Us Season 1, the documentary series about famous toy lines, released on May 25.
To get an idea of everything coming on Netflix in May, take a look at the list below, and make sure you see what's leaving the service. Additionally, if you missed what the streamer was up to in April, you can check that out.
Arriving on Netflix in May
May 1
27: Gone Too Soon
A Life of Its Own: The Truth About Medical Marijuana
Amelie
Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures: Season 1
Beautiful Girls
Darc
God's Own Country
Hachi: A Dog's Tale
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous Live at Radio City (Netflix Original)
Mr. Woodcock
My Perfect Romance
Pocoyo & Cars
Pocoyo & The Space Circus
Queens of Comedy: Season 1
Reasonable Doubt
Red Dragon
Scream 2
Shrek
Simon: Season 1
Sliding Doors
Sometimes (Netflix Original)
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Carter Effect
The Clapper
The Reaping
The Strange Name Movie
Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: Season 2
May 2
Jailbreak
A Little Help with Carol Burnett (Netflix Original)
Anon (Netflix Original)
Busted!: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Dear White People: Volume 2 (Netflix Original)
End Game (Netflix Original)
Forgive Us Our Debts (Netflix Original)
Kong: King of the Apes: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
Lo más sencillo es complicarlo todo
Manhunt (Netflix Original)
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman: Tina Fey (Netflix Original)
No Estoy Loca
The Rain: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
May 5
Faces Places
May 6
The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale (Netflix Original)
May 8
Desolation
Hari Kondabolu: Warn Your Relatives (Netflix Original)
May 9
Dirty Girl
May 11
Bill Nye Saves the World: Season 3 (Netflix Original)
Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist (Netflix Original)
Spirit Riding Free: Season 5 (Netflix Original)
The Kissing Booth (Netflix Original)
The Who Was? Show: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
May 13
Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife (Netflix Original)
May 14
The Phantom of the Opera
May 15
Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce: Season 4
Grand Designs: Seasons 13–14
Only God Forgives
The Game 365: Seasons 15–16
May 16
89
Mamma Mia!
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The Kingdom
Wanted
May 18
Cargo (Netflix Original)
Catching Feelings (Netflix Original)
Inspector Gadget: Season 4 (Netflix Original)
May 19
Bridge to Terabithia
Disney's Scandal: Season 7
Small Town Crime
May 20
Some Kind of Beautiful
May 21
Señora Acero: Season 4
May 22
Mob Psycho 100: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Shooter: Season 2
Terrace House: Opening New Doors: Part 2 (Netflix Original)
Tig Notaro: Happy To Be Here (Netflix Original)
May 23
Explained (Netflix Original)
May 24
Fauda: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
Survivors Guide to Prison
May 25
Ibiza (Netflix Original)
Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life (Netflix Original)
The Toys That Made Us: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
Trollhunters: Part 3 (Netflix Original)
May 26
Sara's Notebook (Netflix Original)
May 27
The Break with Michelle Wolf (Netflix Original)
May 29
Coco
May 30
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Season 4 (Netflix Original)
May 31
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman: Howard Stern (Netflix Original)
Season 4 of Fortnite: Battle Royale rolls on with a new set of challenges for Battle Pass owners to complete. Week 4's challenges are now live on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and iOS, and this time around, they're made up primarily of straightforward tasks, although a few may still pose a bit of trouble. Here's how to complete all of Week 4's objectives.
As usual, there are seven new challenges to complete, most of which are fairly self-explanatory. On the easier end of the spectrum, one challenge tasks you with dealing damage with Assault Rifles, which is simply a matter of finding the right weapon and using it to inflict a specific amount of damage to other players.
Some of the other new challenges are a bit more dependent on luck. One tasks you with visiting the center of three Storm Circles in a single match, while another has you searching seven Ammo Boxes in a match. There's also a challenge that requires you to search seven chests in Wailing Woods, but fortunately, this one doesn't have to be completed in a single round.
The one that will likely prove to be the trickiest is a Hard-difficulty challenge that cryptically says to search between a bench, Ice Cream Truck, and Helicopter. Both benches and Ice Cream Trucks are fairly common on the map, so your biggest clue is the helicopter. As you can see in our map below, the challenge leads you to the center of Moisty Mire, under a big tree near the area's movie set. Simply head to that location and you'll be able to pick up a Battle Star.
The remaining two challenges are likewise labeled Hard. The first tasks you with eliminating one opponent using a Trap, while the second has you eliminating three players in Snobby Shores. Your best bet for completing each is to attempt the challenges in a Solo playlist, where you don't need to worry about opponents being revived by teammates. The reward for clearing each Hard challenge is 10 Battle Stars.
Completing weekly challenges helps you rank up your Battle Pass, which in turn unlocks new skins and cosmetics. As always, the weekly challenges will be available through the remainder of Season 4, so you have until the season ends to complete them and unlock rewards.
However, since Season 4 kicked off, Epic has offered an incentive to complete each weekly challenge as quickly as you can. Clearing all the challenges within a given week completes a new Blockbuster challenge, which rewards you with a loading screen that points to the location of a free Battle Pass tier. You can get a full rundown on how to complete everything in our Season 4 challenge guide.
Season 4, Week 4 Challenges
Deal damage with Assault Rifles to opponents (1,000) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search Chests in Wailing Woods (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search 7 Ammo Boxes in a single match (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Visit the center of different Storm Circles in a single match (3) -- 5 Battle Stars
Hard: Search between a Bench, Ice Cream Truck, and a Helicopter -- 10 Battle Stars
You're here for one simple reason: You want to know whether you need to stick around in the theater once the credits start rolling on Solo: A Star Wars Story. Star Wars movies have never had post-credits scenes before now, though, and the answer to this question is simple: No, Solo does not have any post-credits scenes, mid-credits scenes, or stingers of any type. Once the credits start rolling, that's it. Movie over. Go home.
Even as Disney has perfected the art of the credits scene in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they've somehow resisted shoehorning them into Star Wars. Fans might argue that stingers would feel out of place in Star Wars--for decades, these movies have been over when the credits started to roll and the iconic theme music kicked in. The Marvel movies are newer, and they've had post- and mid-credits scenes from the start.
For now, Disney is playing it safe by keeping the Star Wars tradition going. That said, there are a couple of scenes toward the end of Solo that feel like they serve the same purpose in the film--one pays off a loose end from earlier in the movie, and another sets up potential entries in the franchise's future with these characters.
In our Solo review, we said, "It's valid for some fans to wish Disney would devote resources to telling fresher tales that don't rely so heavily on nostalgia and existing plots and characters...But Solo: A Star Wars Story is what we have right now, and if it's simply an enjoyably well-crafted side story, well, is that really so bad?"
Sega issued a teaser for what appeared to be a new Sonic Racing game in March, and now it appears the company is finally nearly ready to reveal it. During a recent official livestream (via Nintendo Everything), the company hinted that news will be coming very soon.
"A lot of you have been waiting for news and information, and you're very curious about what that title was that we teased back at South by Southwest, and at least in the near future, you might be hearing some more news and information about that," said Sega PR's Aaron Webber. "So hey, that's coming up. Get ready. It's on the horizon."
Of course, "on the horizon" isn't exactly a clear timeline. With E3 just around the corner, it stands to reason that Sega will take the wraps off sometime before then, but that's a wide range of time that encompasses almost a month. Webber also didn't confirm that the game is Sonic Racing, but given the revving engines and bright prominent "R" in the initial tease, that's hardly a guess at this point.
In the same event in March, Sega announced Sonic Mania Plus, a physical re-release of last year's acclaimed 2D Sonic game. Plus features a new Encore mode and two additional playable characters: Mighty and Ray. Additionally, the company is partnering with Puma to sell sneakers inspired by the blue hedgehog.
Detroit: Become Human, the latest narrative adventure game from David Cage's studio Quantic Dream, debuts this week. The developer has a history of story-heavy games with mature themes and dramatic cinematography, and Detroit is no exception. Taking place in a near-future setting where androids are treated as second-class citizens, you follow the journeys of three such automatons as they impact the coming revolution.
How does it handle this heady subject matter? Unevenly, judging by the critical response. According to our verdict, the story intertwines gracefully and captures some unforgettable moments, but it appropriates real-life events like the Civil Rights movement clumsily. Our Detroit: Become Human review also concluded that despite being built for multiple playthroughs with branching story paths, going back and seeing another possibility didn't feel fulfilling or worthwhile. Read on for a quick glance at impressions from around the industry, or go to GameSpot's sister site Metacritic for the wider consensus.
Game: Detroit: Become Human
Developer / Publisher: Quantic Dream / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Release date: May 25
Price: US $60 / £49 / AU $78
GameSpot -- 7/10
"Things didn't always go the way I wanted, but that was a burden I chose to bear, and the story benefitted from my commitment, flowcharts be damned. After completing the game, I tried to go back and fight my instincts to see what would happen if I chose a darker path. It never felt justified nor worthwhile. Detroit is well worth playing, but it struggles to strike the right balance between giving you freedom of choice and reminding you that it's all a game in the end. Cage and Quantic Dream are getting closer to nailing this style of game, but it's obvious that there's still room to grow.." -- Peter Brown [Full review]
GamesRadar+ -- 4.5/5
"Detroit: Become Human is a game with grand ideals, wonderful levels of polish, and tiny imperfections. It's an ambitious, wonderfully executed piece of storytelling, and one of the most interesting games of this generation. It will split opinion, and give birth to a litany of opinion pieces--some deep and thoughtful, others half-baked and sensationalist." -- Andy Hartup [Full review]
Guardian -- 4/5
"Detroit: Become Human is a spectacularly crafted game that bends and branches out around the player's choices in an astonishing and unparalleled way. Although hampered by tired central plots and some predictable, occasionally hokey storytelling, the result is a technical feat in video game development and a meticulously detailed cinematic achievement." -- Oliver Holmes [Full review]
Game Informer -- 8/10
"Detroit made me think about topics I've avoided about humanity and our future, and that's a good thing. These are hard issues to explore, and I'm glad Quantic Dream took on the challenge knowing it could result in failure. Detroit both succeeds and stumbles in that area." -- Kimberley Wallace [Full review]
IGN -- 8/10
"Detroit: Become Human is a poignantly pulpy interactive sci-fi drama where your choices can impact events to a greater and more satisfying degree than in most games of this type. Though I wish its story had been handled with a softer touch, especially considering the subtlety that can be conveyed through its tech and performances, its well-written and acted central trio were vital enough to me that I found myself feeling genuine distress when they were in danger and a sense of victory when they triumphed. Most importantly, Detroit offers a multitude of transparent branching paths that entice further playthroughs, and choices have a permanence that raise the stakes throughout." -- Lucy O'Brien [Full review]
USGamer -- 3.5/5
"Detroit: Become Human improves upon its predecessors by having a cast that you enjoy and want to spend more time around. Quantic Dream's visual craft and presentation is top-notch, but the writing hasn't quite caught up yet. It isn't subtle and some of the references to social ills are amazingly on-the-nose instead of being more unique. It's better than Beyond: Two Souls, but there's still room to grow." -- Mike Williams [Full review]
Destructoid -- 7/10
"Detroit: Become Human, like most Quantic Dream games, is filled with muddled symbolism and a spark of hope amidst its most interesting universe yet. It doesn't have anything particular new to say, but it delivers in terms of drama, to the point where I started a second playthrough shortly after my first seven hour-ish run. It's flawed, but coherent, which is an upgrade." - Chris Carter [Full review]
Grand Theft Auto V is celebrating Memorial Day weekend with features and discounts made to fill your coffers faster in GTA Online. Through May 28, the game is offering double GTA$ and Reputation in special events, and discounts on some popular vehicles.
The Double Cash and Rep bonuses apply to Motor Wars, Bikers, Executives and Other Criminals, and the newly released Trap Door. The last mode is a Battle Royale that was released just last week, pitting four teams of four against each other as a ticking clock forces closer confrontations.
To show your newly earned swag you can make several big purchases at a significant discount. A new Executive Office and Biker Clubhouse will be 30% off, along with a collection of vehicles. The Pfister Comet Sr, DeClasse Tornado Rat Rod, Coil Raiden, Overflod Entity XXR, Sea Sparrow, Imponte Runner 2000, TM-02 Khanjali, and Buzzard Attack Chopper are all 30% off. If you need a place to store all those, good news: the Executive Office Garage will be 30% off too.
In addition, four rare vehicles will be available to purchase for an extremely limited time, from May 25-28. On top of that, they're discounted too. Those include the LCC Sanctus, Vapid Liberator, and Western Sovereign for 25% off. Yachts and modifications will also be 50% off.
Battlefield 1943 is the latest to be added to Xbox One's backward compatibility list. The 2009 game was a value release that was only distributed digitally, but it picked up a strong following thanks to delivering lots of the Battlefield experience in a smaller package.
Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) announced the addition via Twitter. As always, if you already own 1943 on your current Xbox Live account, it will be populated into your collection automatically. Meanwhile if you don't already own it, it's available for $10 / £10 / AU$15 on the Xbox Store. It's also now available in the EA Access Vault.
The game enjoyed high critical marks upon release, earning an average 83 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. Our Battlefield 1943 review praised that its "balanced classes, diverse vehicles, and dynamic maps provide the kind of variety and replayability that is the hallmark of the most engaging online shooters." Microsoft is making more games backwards compatible on Xbox One at a fairly regular pace, and the list is getting rather lengthy.
The cool new Steam Link app Valve announced recently, which allows you to stream Steam games to your mobile device, will apparently be an Android exclusive, at least for the time being. Following its recent announcement and subsequent beta release on Android, Valve has revealed that Apple has reversed its decision and will not allow the app to be released on the iOS App Store.
Valve announced the Steam Link app earlier this month, with plans to release on Android and iOS shortly after that. According to a statement from Valve, Apple approved the app's release just prior to the May 9 announcement. However, a day after news of it was made public, "Apple revoked its approval citing business conflicts with app guidelines that had allegedly not been realized by the original review team."
This prompted Valve to appeal the decision, according to the company, arguing the app "simply functions as a LAN-based remote desktop similar to numerous remote desktop applications already available on the App Store." Despite this, Valve says Apple denied the appeal, effectively blocking its release.
Valve doesn't provide any sense of whether it has a path for retooling the app to satisfy Apple; instead, it makes it sounds as if it's entirely up to Apple to change its mind. "The team here spent many hours on this project and the approval process, so we're clearly disappointed," Valve said. "But we hope Apple will reconsider in the future."
We've reached out to Apple for comment and will report back with anything it has to share. It seems possible its decision is related to concerns that the app circumvents the App Store, letting Valve sell games to iOS users without allowing Apple to get a cut, but that's purely speculation at this point.
It's unclear if this decision also means the other app Valve announced--one that would let mobile users stream the movies and videos they own through Steam--will also be blocked. For the time being, Android users can pick up the Steam Link beta on the Google Play Store.
For Season 4 Battle Pass owners, Tuesdays are an exciting day in Fortnite. A new set of weekly challenges is released, and although you have the full season to complete them, players are eager to get them done and earn new rewards. That process is about to become a more pleasant one, thanks to one of several new quality-of-life changes coming soon.
Epic Games has outlined many of the new features and changes that are slated for update 4.3 and beyond. One thing that is coming in 4.3 is challenge progress notifications. As you accomplish your objectives, a message will pop up during matches to let you know where you stand toward finishing a given challenge.
Currently, you can only check on how you're doing with challenges in between matches from the main menu. You can also take mental notes (or physical ones, if you really want to get wild), but that becomes difficult when a bunch of challenges pile up. Was I supposed to get Eliminations in Tomato Town and open chests in Greasy Grove, or the other way around? How many more shotgun kills did I need? It gets confusing and can impact your ability to get things done if you're shooting at enemies with a pistol when you're already done with that challenge.
It's a minor adjustment, but it's just the sort of thing that's much appreciated by players--especially when Epic continues to roll out new playable content. It's also not the only quality-of-life improvement that will benefit those seeking to complete challenges, although others are useful to everyone. For instance, Epic is experimenting with adding in-world markers (to go along with those you see on the map and compass) and continuing to reduce load times.
The latest Fortnite update, 4.2, introduced the long-awaited jetpack for a limited time. There's a lot more to look forward to on the horizon, as we're also on the verge of seeing more new limited-time modes, including one called Playground that includes respawns and friendly fire.
It may not be a surprise, but it's official: Madden NFL 19 is coming to PS4 and Xbox One on August 10. This year's installment features improvements to the graphics and animation, thanks to Real Player Motion Technology. Players will also have better tools for building their roster and new ways to train and develop the players. You can find more details here.
Whether you buy the new edition each year or you're looking to get into the franchise for the first time in 2018, you might be wondering what editions are available, how much they cost, and where to pre-order Madden NFL 19. We have you covered below.
Madden NFL 19 Standard Edition
Suggested retail price: $60
This is the standard version of the game. Pre-ordering it from Best Buy gets you a $10 reward certificate, but Newegg has it for $10 off. The cover athlete hasn't been revealed at the time of this writing.
Where to buy the Standard Edition:
Best Buy - PS4 / Xbox One: $60 ($10 reward certificate with pre-order)
The Hall of Fame Edition has 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, wide receiver, Terrell Owens on the cover. It costs $20 more than the standard edition, but it gets you the core game, plus a number of extras. It also lets you choose between Owens or four other NFL legends (Brian Urlacher, Rod Woodson, Dan Marino, and Terrell Davis) to add to your team. Additionally, you get 12 Gold Team Fantasy Packs, one Elite Madden 19 cover athlete (TBA), and two All-Madden Uniforms.
As above, pre-ordering from Best Buy gets you a $10 reward certificate redeemable at Best Buy, but Newegg gives you $10 off the price from the start. And if you pre-order it anywhere, you get access to the game three days early (August 7).
Where to buy the Hall of Fame Edition:
Best Buy - PS4 / Xbox One - $80 ($10 reward certificate with pre-order)
Microsoft is preparing for its big E3 2018 stage show to debut and hype the biggest and best games coming to Xbox One this year. The company has been setting lofty expectations, calling the show its "biggest showing ever." To that end, it has mostly moved its actual show presence out of the Los Angeles Convention Center and into the nearby Microsoft Theater at LA Live.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has promised "positive changes" and more support for Japanese publishers. Aside from those vague hints, though, we know very little about what the company will actually be showing this year. In fact, Microsoft has been so secretive that we don't even know which first-party games are slated for the rest of this year. Halo? Gears of War? Forza? Any of them could be a surprise announcement.
We could also hear expansions or announcements related to the company's own popular initiatives like Xbox Game Pass and Xbox One backwards compatibility. As for third-party support, it's a safe bet that Battlefield 5 will be prominently featured given the apparent marketing deal for EA's upcoming shooter.
Microsoft's E3 2018 briefing will take place on Sunday, June 11 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET. Check out the full E3 conference schedule, and check the list below for all of the Xbox One games we know are slated to make an appearance at the show.
With nearly $2 billion at the worldwide box office thus far, it's safe to say a lot of people have seen Avengers: Infinity War. Now, nearly a month after its release, the writers of the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, along with its follow up Avengers 4, are tackling some very important questions.
Naturally, they aren't getting into spoiler territory when it comes to the next Avengers adventure. After all, with so many superheroes turned to dust by Thanos (Josh Brolin), even the smallest tidbit about what's to come could give away far too much. Screenwriters Stephen McFeeley and Christopher Markus did have plenty to share about Infinity War on a wide-ranging interview with Collider, though. Here are just a few of the juiciest bits.
Where was Sharon Carter?
After the role she played in Captain America: Civil War, many fans were surprised Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) didn't appear in Infinity War. However, as Markus reveals, that wasn't always the case. "She was in previous drafts [of the script]," he admits.
"Sharon Carter was a victim of what we came to realize as we were writing it, which was if you are writing scenes that set up people before the story has gotten to them, such as Steve and Sharon trying to make it work in an apartment, they're gonna go because the movie does not have time to catch up to previously on the life of Steve Rogers," the screenwriter elaborates. Truthfully, he's not wrong. Infinity War was already packed to the brim with story and characters. Setting time aside to deal with the personal lives of the characters, for the most part, would have been a distraction.
What about Hawkeye?
The question of Hawkeye's (Jeremy Renner) involvement in Infinity War has been one fans obsessed about. In the end, he didn't appear in the film at all, though there was a mention that he cut a deal with the government to go home. Was that always the case, though?
According to McFeeley, the archer was never going to appear in the film. "We've said this before. Some characters have great stories in the second movie," he explains. "We also gave ourselves permission to tell complete arcs for the characters."
Sorry, Hawkeye fans.
Is Avengers 4 even done?
It turns out, filming on the fourth Avengers movie is not complete yet. Reshoots and pickups are scheduled to film in September. However, the writers aren't revealing how much more shooting is needed or who will be involved.
How are they including Captain Marvel?
Avengers 4 is in a tricky position--and it's one they've never been in. Though the standalone Captain Marvel will hit theaters first, star Brie Larson filmed her scenes as the superhero in the next Avengers film before her solo movie started production.
"We were in the same position as we were with Spider-Man and [Black] Panther, where Brie was going to have to shoot her scenes before she shot Captain Marvel," McFeeley says. "We're trying to set up something that will work for our movie that won't screw up their movie."
Of course, the major difference is while Civil War introduces fans to Spider-Man and Black Panther, that will not be the case for Captain Marvel, whose standalone film releases on March 6, 2019--nearly two months before Avengers 4.
There have to be deleted scenes, right?
There was a bunch of stuff cut from the film, though the writers are careful not to reveal much. Some of it could wind up being used in Avengers 4, while other bits will be included in the home release of Infinity War.
However, Markus does have one moment to share. "We shot an unbelievably long version of Tony and Pepper in the park that features cameos," he says. "It was sort of Robert and his friends' day at the park." According to the writers, the scene featured several MCU characters showing up, as well as Infinity War co-director Joe Russo. "It got kind of out of control and was off-plot entirely," Markus admits.
Deadpool 2 delivered the goods when it comes to what fans of the superhero franchise want. The Merc with a Mouth, played by Ryan Reynolds, had plenty of meta jokes and dirty words to sling at audiences, while poking fun at himself, other comic book movies, and anything else that stood in his way.
As with the first movie, Reynolds embraced the utter ridiculousness of the character and his personality, taking it to the extreme. Still, there is one moment the actor was against--at least at first. The following contains spoilers for Deadpool 2. If you haven't seen the movie, you should stop reading now.
In the movie's post-credits scene, Deadpool uses Cable's (Josh Brolin) watch to travel back in time, rectifying a number of events--including preventing the deaths of Peter (Rob Delaney) and Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). Originally, though, Vanessa wasn't going to be resurrected.
"The entire tag to the movie... was actually initially conceived as a scene with Peter," Reynolds tells the Empire podcast. "The whole thing was a scene with Peter, just because we loved Peter."
Director David Leitch didn't think that was enough, though. He approached Reynolds and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick with the idea of using the moment to undo Vanessa's death, which Reynolds wasn't a fan of at first. He remembers, "I was like 'No, we can't bring Vanessa back! That's cheating!'"
In the end, though, they settled on the scene as it plays out. "Rhett, Paul, and I thought, 'Fine, if we're going to go back to save Vanessa, then let's bring back Peter, let's kill Baraka-pool, and let's execute Ryan Reynolds,'" the Deadpool 2 explains. And that's exactly what they did. The scene stands out as one of the most ridiculous and memorable of any comic book movie and leaves room for Baccarin to return in future Deadpool movies.
Like it or not, it's hard to forget the scene as it played out. Still, while it's great that Vanessa is still alive, what the world really wants to know is if Peter will be back for Deadpool 3.
Recent Articles:
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website.
No comments:
Post a Comment