In case you didn't know, the '90s are coming back in full force. And who doesn't remember the era's iconic beat-em-up, Streets of Rage? Although it's been almost a quarter of a century since Streets of Rage 3, publisher DotEmu has announced the return of the side-scrolling beat-em-up with Streets of Rage 4.
Developed by Lizardcube (Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap) and Guard Crush Games (Streets of Fury), Streets of Rage 4 will further Sega's arcade brawler with new mechanics, an original story, and streets filled with rage. In addition to new mechanics and an original story, Streets of Rage 4 will be composed of hand-drawn visuals similar to Lizardcube's 2017 remake of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap.
Sometimes the streets can be unforgiving, though. Thankfully, Streets of Rage 4 will include solo and cooperative play, but it's unclear whether co-op will be offline, online, or both. Furthermore, publisher DotEmu hasn't revealed the platforms Streets of Rage 4 will appear on, nor has it confirmed a release date for the upcoming '90s-inspired brawler.
Streets of Rage, also known as Bare Knuckles in Japan, is a side-scrolling beat-em-up released in 1991 for the Sega Genesis. Developed by Sega, the Streets of Rage franchise is considered a classic 2D beat-em-up, held in the same regard as other brawlers like Battletoads (1991), Final Fight, and Golden Axe. The last entry in the series, Streets of Rage 3, released in 1994 for the Sega Genesis.
The Nintendo 3DS family of systems just might live forever. The first iteration of the hardware debuted in 2011, and here we are seven years later with Nintendo releasing three new bundles containing a game that also launched seven years ago. The bundles contain various color designs of the New Nintendo 2DS XL with Mario Kart 7 pre-installed.
The bundles come in Black and Turquoise, Orange and White, and a new color combination: Purple and Silver. You can see how they look in the images below. They're selling for the suggested retail price of $150 and will be available on September 28.
Why buy a New 2DS XL in this day and age? Aside from how great the color combinations look, this iteration of the 3DS family of hardware is impeccable; you can read GameSpot's New Nintendo 2DS XL review for details. It also plays all Nintendo DS and 3DS games which, taken together, comprise one of the best libraries in the history of gaming.
And even though the Nintendo Switch has been around for over a year, 3DS games are still trickling out. The bizarre and delightful WarioWare Gold launched in early August. The GameCube classic Luigi's Mansion is getting a remake on the system in December. And the first-person RPG Etrian Odyssey Nexus will arrive early next year. Nor should you dismiss the bundled game Mario Kart 7, even though it's basically retro at this point.
So whether you're a 2DS/3DS collector or you've just decided to pick up the handheld console, these bundles give you more options.
Destiny 2: Forsaken is the online shooter's big year-two expansion. It launches on September 4 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Just like The Taken King for the original Destiny, Forsaken is a major new piece of content that you'll have to buy separately even if you purchased Destiny 2's expansion pass. In fact, you can even buy a new "annual pass" to pre-order three additional content releases that will come out following Destiny 2: Forsaken.
Forsaken's story will bring players back to the Reef to fight off a group of powerful enemies who broke out of prison. The expansion also introduces a number of changes to Destiny 2, including a new mode called Gambit, as well as major changes to weapons, mods, and Masterworks. The overall goal is to give players more reasons to keep playing once they reach the endgame. We now know exactly when the DLC and its patch go live, although a major pre-DLC 2.0 update has already been released.
If you're ready to pre-order Destiny 2: Forsaken, you'll probably want to know what your options are. We've gathered all the info you need below.
Destiny 2: Forsaken Pre-Order Bonus
If you pre-order Destiny 2: Forsaken at participating retailers, you'll receive Cayde's Exotic Stash. It contains the following items.
Ace of Spades Last Hand Exotic Ornament
Queen of Hearts Exotic Ship
Standoff Exotic Emote
Shades of Cayde-6 Armor Shaders
Destiny 2: Forsaken Legendary Collection
This version of the game is the complete package. It comes with Destiny 2, Expansion I: Curse of Osiris, Expansion II: Warmind, and Destiny 2: Forsaken. If you don't have Destiny 2 yet, this is the version you'll want to buy.
Amazon -- $60 ($48 with Amazon Prime) -- PS4 | Xbox One | PC
In order to play any of the versions of Destiny 2: Forsaken below, you already need to own Destiny 2 and Expansions I and II. The core game and expansions are not included in the following packages.
Destiny 2: Forsaken Standard Edition
The standard edition comes with the Forsaken expansion and nothing else. Here's where you can pre-order the standard edition right now.
This purchase does not include the Forsaken expansion. Instead, it offers standalone access to everything included in the annual pass. That means you get bonus rewards, as well as three "premium content releases" expected to arrive in winter 2018, spring 2019, and summer 2019.
The digital deluxe edition comes with the Forsaken expansion, the annual pass, and the Awoken Legend Set, which includes Wrath Majestic Legendary Bow Ornament, Dirge Paladin Emblem, and Vestian Ghost Shell.
With the big Forsaken DLC expansion drawing close, Bungie has released a major Destiny 2 update (as well as a Forsaken launch trailer). Patch 2.0 is now live and makes sweeping changes to certain areas of the game before the DLC launches. While some changes, like the overhaul of mods, won't come until the expansion hits, the patch does completely rework how weapon slots work, among many other things.
As detailed in the patch notes on Bungie's website, most weapons are no longer locked to the Kinetic, Energy, or Heavy slot. While those that use Heavy ammo will remain confined to the Heavy slot, you'll be able to have weapons that use Primary ammo or Special ammo in either the Kinetic or Energy slot. Additionally, the type of ammo used and damage dealt by a weapon is now fixed.
With this adjustment comes a variety of other changes. Each class of weapon will now take a set type of ammo; hand cannons take Primary ammo, while shotguns take Special and rocket launchers take Heavy. Grenade launchers, depending on how they're loaded, will take either Special or Heavy ammo.
Here's exactly how things shake out on that front:
Primary Ammo Weapons
Hand Cannons
Scout Rifles
Auto Rifles
Sidearms
Submachine Guns
Special Ammo Weapons
Fusion Rifles
Shotguns, Sniper Rifles
Trace Rifles
Single Shot Grenade Launchers
Heavy Ammo Weapons
Drum-Loaded Grenade Launchers
Rocket launchers
Linear Fusion Rifles
Swords
Because of the change to what weapons go in which slots, there are a variety of former Heavy weapons you'll find in new slots. For instance, Hawthorne's Field-Forged Shotgun now goes in the Kinetic slot. However, there are some exceptions--while shotguns and snipers now use Special ammo, the Exotic DARCI continues to use Heavy ammo, as does Tractor Cannon, The Legend of Acrius, and Whisper of the Worm.
"The tuning of Destiny weapons and abilities is inexorably tied to the systems that we build upon," Bungie explained. "Ultimately our goal is to still provide gameplay challenge despite a global increase in player damage output due to the new systems introduced." With weapons that formerly used Heavy ammo like shotguns, snipers, and fusion rifles now being a more regular part of the rotation, Bungie has made numerous adjustments to other weapon types and perks to compensate.
For example, precision damage has been increased for weapons that use Primary ammo, but Special ammo weapons deal less damage overall. The full list of changes is too numerous to list here, but it looks to be a major shake-up for Destiny 2.
Other changes of note in update 2.0 include being able to apply shaders to swords; the replacement of Year 1 Meditations with a Heroic Story playlist; new Strike playlists; more Vault space; adjustments to Xur; Cayde has left the Tower; and the appearance of escaped prisoners from the Prison of Elders (though they won't drop rewards until Forsaken is out). There's a lot going on.
Forsaken launches on September 4 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, increasing the level cap, adding new subclasses and Supers, introducing Gambit mode, and more. Before then, you'll be able to try out Gambit on September 1.
Update: The 15-minute broadcast has concluded, and is often the case with these videos, there were a ton of games on display. You can rewatch the entire thing below, and we've rounded up all of the Switch games that were featured. Additionally, a particularly stellar one, Into the Breach, is out now on the Eshop. The original story follows.
A new Nintendo Direct is on the way soon. Following Nintendo UK's surprise Indie Highlights video earlier this week, Nintendo of America has announced it will air its own indie-focused presentation on August 28.
The Nindies Summer Showcase 2018, as the broadcast is called, is scheduled to begin at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. As usual, Nintendo hasn't specified which titles will be shown off during the presentation, but we'll get a look at "multiple unannounced indie games coming to Nintendo Switch."
You'll be able to tune in to the Nindies Summer Showcase on Nintendo's YouTube and Twitch channels. GameSpot will also be covering the presentation, so be sure to check back for all its biggest announcements and highlights.
Nintendo UK's recent indie presentation contained its own share of surprise announcements, including the reveal of Windjammers 2 and the Switch version of Terraria. As often happens, a number of new titles were also added to the Switch Eshop shortly after the broadcast, most notably Bad North, Prison Architect, and Morphies Law.
What's scarier than a theme park filled with haunted mazes and spooky rides at Halloween? A killer actually being on the loose in one, according to the new red band trailer for Hell Fest.
The upcoming film is set at a Halloween-themed amusement park, not unlike Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights, where an actual serial killer is on the loose and taking the lives of those looking for a cheap thrill. Luckily for viewers, based on what's shown in the trailer, the mysterious killer is going about murdering his victims in some very intriguing ways--it's a good thing that prop guillotine also works as an actual guillotine.
Like many a slasher killers in movie history, the villain of Hell Fest is hidden behind a spooky mask that looks like it was quickly snagged from the set of the latest Purge film. That doesn't keep him from being a scary force, though, especially when you consider he's essentially stalking and killing his prey in theme park hell.
That's bad news for the ragtag group of friends at the center of the movie, who range from extremely excited about Hell Fest to not really into it. Unfortunately for most of them, chances are only one of two of them will survive the night. The one who takes a massive needle to the eye in the trailer is definitely not going home alive.
Hell Fest stars Bex Taylor-Klaus (Scream: The TV Series), Amy Forsyth (Channel Zero), and Reign Edwards (MacGyver). It hits theaters on September 28, giving you plenty of time to go see the movie then head to your local theme park haunt. Happy Halloween!
Nintendo announced 22 indie games coming to Switch in the company's newest Direct. Most of the games are coming this year, including critically acclaimed titles like Into the Breach and Hyper Light Drifter, but a few are scheduled for 2019.
Into the Breach is the biggest surprise to come out of the Direct. Previously a PC exclusive, the turn-based strategy game turned heads this past February with its superb storytelling written by Chris Avellone--who's previously written narratives for games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and Fallout: New Vegas--and stunning musical score composed by Ben Prunty--who also made the soundtrack for FTL: Faster Than Light. We gave the game a 9/10 in our review.
Nintendo used the Direct to announce a few indie games coming to Switch in 2019 as well. Mineko's Night Market is scheduled for early 2019, and tells a 20-hour story about a young girl who opens her own stall in a night market. With four regions to explore and plenty of quests to undertake, you'll have plenty of activities to keep you busy as you expand your wares in this cat-filled world. Samurai Gunn 2 is also coming to Switch in early 2019, continuing the original title's lightning-fast brawler gameplay across a medieval metropolis.
The World Next Door puts you into the shoes of a rebellious teenage girl trapped in a magical parallel world. You'll have to navigate a branching tree of dialogue between battles, and if you play your cards right you'll develop close friendships with the colorful cast of anime-like characters you'll meet on your journey to get back home. The World Next Door is also coming early 2019. Both King of the Hat and Untitled Goose Game will be coming out around the same time too. The former is a king of the hill style game where you have to crush your opponents hats to score points. The latter is a goofy goose simulator.
Epic has rolled out another update for Fortnite. The 5.30 content update is now available on all platforms--PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile--and it introduces a new item and limited-time mode to Battle Royale, while Save the World receives a new hero and Horde Challenge to take on.
On the Battle Royale side, the recently teased Shockwave Grenade has been added to the ever-expanding weapons list. The Shockwave Grenade is an Epic rarity item that can be found in Supply Drops, Vending Machines, llamas, and chests, and when used, it launches players a huge distance. Those who've been knocked back by the Shockwave Grenade won't take any fall damage, but they'll destroy any structure they fly through.
The new content update also marks the start of another LTM: the returning Solid Gold mode. This time around, Solid Gold is playable in standard and 50v50 iterations, and as before, the only weapons and items that spawn in this mode are of the Legendary variety.
On the Save the World front, Epic is introducing a new hero: Mythic Bladestorm Enforcer Ninja. It will be available from the Event Store beginning tomorrow, August 29, at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET and features the new Bladestorm subclass. Players can also unlock Redline Ramirez, a Legendary variant of the Raider, by completing the new Week 4 Horde Challenge.
You can find the full patch notes for the 5.30 content update on the official Fortnite website. Additionally, Epic has rolled out a client update to "improve stability." The update is available now for most platforms, but the developer says the Switch patch will follow "a little bit later" as it will also include matchmaking improvements for that console.
Alongside the release of a new update, the talk of the town in Fortnite over the past few days has obviously been the appearance of a mysterious giant purple cube. This almighty being (all hail cube) is covered in hieroglyphic symbols, shoots purple lightning, and is slowly moving somewhere, so the fascination with it is understandable. However, a few hours before the cube exploded onto the scene, a significant change happened to Fortnite's challenges that shakes up the weekly formula in a positive way.
New challenges are released roughly every Thursday, resulting in a deluge of Battle Pass owners hopping on and bombarding a particular location because a new challenge is situated there. It can be a bit of a mess at times, particularly when you're trying to complete the challenge that revolves around simply opening chests. This sounds easy enough, but when you've got around 30 or 40 people descending on somewhere like Fatal Fields trying to do the same thing, it turns into a mad dash just to open a single chest before unceremoniously dying. This is repetitive, frustrating, and makes you question whether it's all worth it for another dance emote or fancy skin (spoiler: it always is).
However, Epic surprised us last week by finally altering the way chest-centric challenges work. Now it's a multi-step "treasure hunt" of sorts that scatters the challenge across multiple locations. Instead of this hectic scamper to open a chest before anyone else can, the player base is spread out across the map depending on which step of the challenge they're currently on. I managed to open all five chests in five different matches with little issue. I wasn't immediately dying because someone else shot me in the back after finding a chest first; I could actually have a proper game of Fortnite, opening a chest to tick it off the list, before running off to complete other challenges/die somewhere else. This is a marked improvement over previous weeks, and sits in stark contrast to the old formula of landing in the same place and dying over and over again like Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow.
[The new challenge] sits in stark contrast to the old formula of landing in the same place and dying over and over again like Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow
I understand this isn't some groundbreaking change, but it removes a lot of the monotony from Fortnite's weekly challenges, and has an effect on the overall composition of matches as well. With the player base spread out, the flow of games is a lot smoother, with a higher likelihood of encountering combat opportunities no matter where you are on the map. It's a practical change and gives me hope Epic has a few more changes in store for Fortnite's weekly challenges.
Season 5 has already seen some interesting activities, from using ATKs and trolleys to hop through rings of fire, to the recent time trials that challenged people's building and traversal skills (complete with an 8-bit remix of the old Fortnite theme). These challenges offer a welcome change of pace, and there's always excitement in the air each Thursday as we wait to see if Epic has something similarly unconventional up its sleeve. We're essentially paying for the privilege to compete in these challenges, right? Might as well make them fun.
While the shark thriller The Meg defied initial box office predictions, it is still a high-budget, high-concept studio movie of the type that frequently makes a box office splash. The real break-out movie of the month is Crazy Rich Asians, the modestly-budgeted romantic comedy which has maintained its hold of the top of the US box office chart in its second week of release, with very little audience fall-off.
Crazy Rich Asians dropped just 5.7% from last week, to make a hugely impressive $24.8 million over its second three-day weekend. To date, it has made $76 million in the US, and Box Office Mojo suggests that it could finish its run having grossed more than $150 million domestically, from a production budget of just $30 million.
The Meg held second place, and made $12.8 million, which brings its US total to $105 million. The week's highest new entry was the R-rated puppet comedyThe Happytime Murders. This movie has been met with largely negative reviews and made only $9 million despite playing on over 3,200 screens.
The week's only other new entry was the sci-fi adventure movie A.X.L, which made just $2.9 million and barely scraped into the Top 10. The rest of chart sees many of the month's releases remain steady--Mission Impossible: Fallout and Disney's Christopher Robin stay in place at No.4 and No.6 respectively, while the action thriller Mile 22 slips to No.5. The adventure movie Alpha, Spike Lee's acclaimed BlackKklansman, and the horror movie Slender Man make up the rest of the chart.
You can see the full Top 10 list for the August 24-26 US box office below, as compiled by Box Office Mojo.
Fortnite's Week 7 challenges on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile, bringing the running tally of Season 5 challenges to a whopping 49. As usual, completing these will level your Battle Pass up and unlock Season 5 rewards, but there's an extra incentive to finish all of the challenges in a given week; doing so will check off a corresponding Road Trip challenge and net you a special loading screen that points to a secret Battle Star hidden around the island.
If you've managed to stay on top of all of the challenges to date and clear Week 7's batch of tasks, you'll unlock the loading screen pictured below. This one depicts a group of characters standing around in shock as another group--dressed in the Legendary Enforcer outfit you receive for completing seven Road Trip challenges--emerges from a Rift atop the motel sign.
The clue to the Battle Star's whereabouts is very subtle this time, but if you peer closely beneath the motel sign, you can see its faint silhouette sitting atop the far end of the brick wall. Head to the motel, which is located to the northwest of Lazy Links, at the start of the match and you'll find the Battle Star waiting about the brick wall just as on the loading screen. Collect it to level your Battle Pass up by one tier, bringing you another step closer to unlocking the Season 5 rewards.
If you need help locating the Battle Star, you can watch us pick it up in the video above. However, as usual, you will need to meet the aforementioned requirements in order to find it; you won't be able to simply go to its hiding spot and collect it unless you've completed seven weeks of challenges and unlocked the corresponding loading screen.
The latest set of weekly challenges arrived a little later than usual, shortly after Epic rolled out Fortnite's 5.30 update. Among them is a new kind of multi-step challenge that requires you to go to specific locations, open a treasure chest, and unlock the next step in the process. Another of Week 7's challenges tasks you with following the treasure map found in Dusty Divot. You can find guides on how to complete all of the missions in our Season 5 challenge roundup.
We're nearing the end of August, but the latest offering of free PlayStation Plus games remains available. As is the norm, these games will be available throughout the month of August, expiring on September 4, when they'll be replaced by a new batch of as-yet unrevealed games. Those newcomers should be announced on August 29.
First up on PlayStation 4 is Mafia III, the open-world crime game set in New Bordeaux, a New Orleans-like city from the civil rights era. You take on the role of Lincoln Clay, a Vietnam vet who comes back into town to get revenge for the death of the family who took him in. PS4 also offers Dead by Daylight, a competitive 4v1 horror game that matches four survivor characters against one relentless killer.
PlayStation 3 offers the action-RPG Bound by Flame, along with Serious Sam 3: BFE. On Vita, you can get Draw Slasher and the Warhammer 40K game Space Hulk. As a bonus, a couple more games are on-tap for an extended period. The PSVR horror game Here They Lie is available until October 2 and the quiz game Knowledge is Power is up until November 6.
PS3 and Vita owners have less than a year to continue reaping the benefits of PlayStation Plus. Starting on March 8, 2019, those two platforms will phase out of the service and only PlayStation 4 games will be offered from that point onward.
Fans eager to test the historical accuracy of Battlefield V won't have to wait much longer, as EA's announced the game's open beta start date. Battlefield V's open beta is scheduled to start at the beginning of September, with those who pre-order or are members of Origin Access Premier, Origin Access Basic, or EA Access getting two whole days to play before everyone else.
Battlefield V's open beta will kick off on September 4 for those who pre-order and/or are subscribers of EA's services, while everyone else will get access to it on September 6 on all platforms. The open beta will feature the new Rotterdam map for Conquest, as well as the Arctic Fjord map for both Conquest and Grand Operations. Pre-loading the open beta starts on September 3.
According to the press release, the Rotterdam map will put players in "a battle fought throughout the streets of Holland where the game's dynamic physicality and destruction will be on full display." Grand Operations makes its Battlefield V debut and is "a multiplayer experience across multiple maps and modes that takes players through a powerful narrative journey inspired by historical events," as stated in the press release. In addition to the new map and mode, a five-part Tides of War chapter--an ever-evolving journey through World War II featuring a new story every few months--will be available during the open beta, and those that complete it will receive an exclusive in-game Dog Tag when the game launches.
EA DICE recently dropped a new trailer for Battlefield V ahead of Gamescom 2018. The trailer, called Devastation of Rotterdam, shows an amalgam of cutscenes and gameplay footage. Toward the end of the trailer, we get a potential tease of Battlefield V's new Battle Royale mode, which was announced during E3 2018. We expect to see more Battlefield V footage during Gamescom and hopefully learn more about this new Battle Royale mode. Nvidia also partnered with EA DICE and used Battlefield V to showcase the newly-announced RTX video cards.
Those who pre-order Battlefield V will not only get early access to the open beta but will also be able to play the full game three days ahead of its release, on October 16. Origin Access Premier members on PC can play the full game on October 11, while Origin Access Basic members on PC and EA Access members on Xbox One get access to the Play First Trial on the same day.
Battlefield V will be available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on October 19, 2018.
Bethesda always said the $200 Fallout 76 Power Armor edition was a very limited edition, and now the company has responded to concerns about the short supply. Bethesda marketing boss Pete Hines said the company is ordering "as many as possible" but it won't be enough for everyone, as the premium edition is sold out on Bethesda's website.
"We are making as many as possible and made all of them available," Hines said on Twitter. There's no way to make any more."
In another tweet, he added: "They're not quick or easy to make. We got as many lines making them as possible in order to get them finished and assembled in time for launch. I'm sorry if you didn't get one."
His comments come from the very real concerns among some that people snapped up the Power Armor edition in hopes of re-selling it on the grey market for a higher price. Hines did not address that concern specifically, but it's an issue pretty much every company that makes things people want has to face.
The Fallout 76 Power Armor edition was announced at E3 2018 in June. The headline item is a working, wearable T-51 helmet that includes a headlamp and voice modulation device. The Power Armor edition also includes a glow-in-the-dark physical map of the game's six regions of West Virginia; you also get in-game content and access to the upcoming beta.
Fallout 76 launches in November for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC; the beta begins in October, and it'll be available first on Xbox One. Unlike previous games in the series, Fallout 76 is an always-online, multiplayer-focused game.
The Nintendo Direct-style presentation that preceded Gamescom brought with it word on a trio of new Switch games that all released that very day. A new stream, this one from Nintendo of America, only had one such game, but it's a stellar one: Into the Breach.
Originally launched earlier this year on PC, Into the Breach is the latest title from Subset Games, the developer of the acclaimed FTL. The game is now available on the Eshop for $15/£11.39.
Into the Breach is a turn-based strategy game where you control three giant mechs tasked with defending an area from monsters. What makes it unique is the level of transparency with everything about the upcoming turn: You know precisely what order enemies are going to move in, what they're going to do, and how much damage they will inflict. Likewise, you know the effects of your own actions; there's nothing random about how much damage you'll do, for instance. Combined with the ability to physically move units and enemies around (letting you knock enemies off the map or cause them to attack each other), it all makes for an extremely satisfying experience unlike anything else.
Given its turn-based nature, this should make for a perfect fit on Switch. The game itself is terrific, as detailed in our Into the Breach review. "There is so much strategic joy in seeing the potential destruction a swarm of giant monsters is about to unleash on a city, then quickly staging and executing elaborate counter maneuvers to ruin the party," Edmond Tran wrote. "Into The Breach's focus on foresight makes its turn-based encounters an action-packed, risk-free puzzle, and the remarkable diversity of playstyles afforded by unique units keeps each new run interesting."
While this might be the only just-revealed Switch game to come out right away, Nintendo also announced numerous other indie titles and exclusives on the way. Among other things, Hyper Light Drifter for Switch will include some new items, while the system is also getting Samurai Gunn 2, a cool-looking action game called Bullet Age, and Untitled Goose Game.
InXile Entertainment has partnered with Nintendo to release Wasteland 2: Director's Cut on Switch. Originally releasing in 2014, Wasteland 2 is a post apocalyptic RPG available for PC. Director's Cut--already available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC--adds a visual upgrade and numerous gameplay features.
"When I first showed a screenshot of Wasteland 2 running on the Nintendo Switch, it erupted into one of the largest social media reactions I have ever seen," said InXile Entertainment CEO Brian Fargo. "RPG fans are looking for new ways to experience old favorites, and Nintendo fans are looking for big, meaningful RPG experiences they can play anywhere they go. The game received a huge reaction last week at Gamescom, and it feels great to be this close to getting the game in fans' hands."
Although the Wasteland franchise takes place in a similar setting to the Fallout series--the original Wasteland went on to inspire the first Fallout--there are noticeable gameplay differences between Wasteland 2 and modern day Fallout titles. Wasteland 2 plays like early Fallout games, with a larger focus on squad building and tactical, turn-based combat.
Instead of creating one character, you'll start Wasteland 2 customizing four different party members. This allows you to have more than one specialization at the start. For example, you might make one character into a sniper, another into a medic, the third into a smooth-talking thief, and the final party member a soldier. Like Fallout, there are dozens of different skills, and you'll have to carefully balance them all amongst your team to ensure they survive their quest to discover the identity of a mysterious killer.
Back in 2014, we gave the game an 8/10. In our Wasteland 2 review, Daniel Starkey wrote, "In many ways ... Wasteland 2 represents everything about classic computer role-playing games that the modern iterations of Fallout aren't. Where Fallout 3 gives you an extreme amount of general latitude, Wasteland 2 focuses on the narrative minutiae and tangible consequences of your individual actions. Where Fallout 3 tries to craft a broad world that feels whole, Wasteland 2 loosely strings together several locations with hidden connections, with secrets waiting to be discovered and picked over. And where Fallout masterfully uses comedy to lambast the ludicrous tone of paranoia surrounding Cold War America, Wasteland 2 attacks the natural arrogance of the individual. It forces us to confront the painful truth of our own blind self-righteousness, and shows us how childish our own grand plans truly are."
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut comes to Switch on September 13. The game is now available to add to your Nintendo Eshop wishlist if you want a notification for when you can purchase it.
Push Me Pull You developer House House has announced a release window for its latest project: Untitled Goose Game. The humorous puzzle game will launch for PC and Mac in early 2019, and now the developer has confirmed it will also arrive for Nintendo Switch during that same time frame.
Untitled Goose Game puts players in the roll of a mean goose that wreaks all manner of trouble on unsuspecting NPCs. The game gives you a "to-do" list of tasks to complete, and you'll need to manipulate objects around the environment to figure out how to clear each objective. One, for instance, is to enter a garden, but the gate is closed. You need to pick up a nearby radio with your beak to get the groundskeeper's attention, then slip in when he opens the gate to investigate.
Alongside the release window announcement, publisher Panic has shared a new trailer for Untitled Goose Game. The video, which you can watch above, showcases the kinds of mischief you'll be able to cause in the game. A new website and Steam listing for Untitled Goose Game have also just launched.
We got our first look at Untitled Goose Game back in 2017. The developer shared a three-minute clip of pre-alpha gameplay, showing the goose harassing the aforementioned groundskeeper, getting him wet, stealing his keys and carrots, and finally holding a little picnic for itself by the lake.
PAX West attendees will have a chance to go hands-on with Untitled Goose Game. Panic will have an "early version" of the game--along with the "near-final" Switch build of Firewatch--on display at its booth. Untitled Goose Game will also be playable at Nintendo's booth. Additionally, Panic will have a variety of Untitled Goose Game t-shirts and socks for sale in limited quantities. You can take a look at the t-shirt designs above.
A new sale on Xbox One and Xbox 360 games has appeared on the Microsoft Store. It's the regular weekly sale, which resets every Monday night, but this week has some particularly good deals--just note that you'll need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to access some of the discounts. Without further ado, let's take a look at some of the sale's best deals you can get between now and September 3.
The Xbox 360 game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 just became backwards compatible on Xbox One this week, and it's on sale for $15 / £19. Unravel 2, a puzzle-platformer starring toys made out of yarn, is one of the more recent releases in the sale. It's down to $15 / £14 this week. If you'd prefer retro platformers, you can pick up Mega Man Legacy Collection, which contains games 1-6, for just $6 / £5. Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 has games 7-10 and is on sale for $12 / £7. Or, if you want to go all in, you can pick up a bundle containing both for $15 / £10.
Another bundle that offers a whole lot of bang for your buck is the Forza Motorsport 7 & Forza Horizon 3 bundle, which is on sale for $50 / £39. That package will give you a good sense of what Microsoft's premier racing series is all about before Forza Horizon 4 launches on October 2.
You can get into stylish battles against demons in Devil May Cry HD Collection for $21 / £18, or fight zombies in Dead Rising 4 for $24 / £30. Speaking of zombies, the remastered versions of Resident Evil and the prequel Resident Evil 0 are discounted to $8 / £6 each this week.
You can find more of our picks below, or hop over to the Microsoft Store to see the full list of deals.
Cyberpunk 2077 was easily the most talked about game of this year's E3. Its trailer reveal during the Microsoft Press Conference showed off many of the vibrant and equally grim locales in the game, and developer CD Projekt Red subsequently wowed attendees with a private gameplay demo that ran almost an hour. It showed that same demo again at Gamescom, and finally, at long last, it's revealed that to the public.
Now that everyone is able to get a taste of what Cyberpunk 2077 is all about, we're looking back at some of what we learned about the games over the past few months. 2077 is based on the original Cyberpunk 2020 pen and paper RPG, and creator Mike Pondsmith has been a regular collaborator with CD Projekt Red on the new game. Back at E3, we were able to talk with him about the development of the game, his work with the Witcher devs, and just how much effort goes into bringing Cyberpunk 2077 to life.
Can you talk about the collaborative process of working with CD Projekt Red on fleshing out the fiction of Cyberpunk for 2077?
Mike Pondsmith: Well, to be honest, it was actually pretty simple because of part of my job. I'm there to tell people what makes the world in the books work. What makes the original pen and paper work. Things we learned about it, styles, to reinforce the ideas that are really valuable about it, for example, people commented in the various reaction videos, people have seen beyond the trailer, but they've actually seen the play.
How dense things are, and that's because Night City is basically a major character in the world and they nailed it. They nailed that whole sense that the city itself, it doesn't just sleep, it comes, it beats you up, it robs you, it takes your money. So, part of my job is to make sure people are able to see that, I'm there on call, kind of like a walking encyclopedia, when people not only need to know the facts that would be in any of the dozens and dozens of cyberpunk wikis out there, but they need to know what the 'feel' is. They need to know what was important. So, that's part of my job.
I love it because I get involved with the art teams, I get involved with the animation teams, I get involved with the vehicle teams, the weapons teams, everybody in the group, and it's a huge group now, is there to talk to and exchange ideas and it's more than just you approve it. It becomes, "Okay, so how does this work, what do you think about it." It's been very inclusive, which I really have enjoyed.
From the trailer, you can tell that the game has very colorful and vibrant look. Usually when you think of the Cyberpunk genre, it tends to have a darker aesthetic. This game in particular feels like a clear change from that.
And that was actually intentional from the beginning of the original cyberpunk. Don't get me wrong. My favorite movie is Blade Runner. I have five different versions of Blade Runner, and more Blade Runner stuff than I could shake a stick at, but sometimes you need to have it not just be wet, rainy, cold and totally oppressive, because there isn't new ground for your characters to go to. There's not new ground for people to explore.
Cyberpunk 2020 creator Mike Pondsmith.
It's funny, people occasionally realize that I set Night City in what was effectively Bay Area California years ago. That was deliberate. I wanted a place where sometimes you have oppressive fog and half light. Sometimes it was bright and sunny, sometimes it was rainy and miserable. I wanted that variability because a real world has variability. If somebody were to ask me what my favorite time in Night City is, it's basically around six or seven o'clock when the sun is almost down, the lights are coming out and you see all the neon and I'm looking at my 234 floor apartment and going, "Okay, get my stuff, let's go out."
You need to have a lot of variation to make a real world. You don't necessarily have to have that in a Blade Runner, because you're only taking basically a small slice of what's happened day to day in that world. I also think that you need to vary it and change it up a bit because otherwise, people get what they expect and when people get what they expect, they tune it out. They go, "Oh yeah, another cyberpunk thing."
From the beginning, the RPG has been designed as part cyberpunk classic, part rock and roll fable, part hell raising, ass kicking crazy. It's a lot of things. All of them are valid. It's not one thing, one genre, otherwise we could do one book and we could all go home. When I wrote the original books, that was the idea, was I wanted to show a lot of different facets. I had to. I had to, because I was saying in another interview, when I look at Blade Runner, but I look at it and go--the hero of Blade Runner is Roy Batty.
Weirdly enough, Deckert is, he's a protag, but you don't want to be Deckert, because Deckert gets kicked around and he does not ever win against the system, but at the end of it, Batty--even though he dies--he wins on his own terms. He isn't gunned down like a dog. He wins his humanity. He is basically, what I believe, an archetypical cyberpunk character, you pick what you believe and you stand for it.
Do you feel like CD Projekt Red brought a lot to the table in helping you flesh out the fiction of Cyberpunk 2020?
Oh yeah. CD's incredibly collaborative and I love it because they come and go, "Hey, we want to do this," and I'll go, "Hey, that's insane, I never thought of that before, yeah, what the heck." There are so many I can't even count, but it's really great when I go over to Warsaw and we're walking around the studio and somebody say, "We're going to be doing this," and I'm going, "Hmm. Okay, that's really pretty slick. How about if we also did that?" "Yeah, that's pretty good." We throw stuff back and forth.
I love the fact that they do dense stuff. When we first were checking them out to see whether we wanted to go with them as a licensee, we got a copy of Witcher. This is Witcher 2 and I went, "Damn, this is really good." One of my jobs at Microsoft was basically dealing with external studios, so I was pretty aware of what to look for and I went, "These guys really have their stuff together." Then, we saw Witcher 3 and it was like, "Oh my God. This is really on that master class level." It impacted us so much that my son and other members of the company came to me when CD PR was looking for somebody to do a Witcher table top, they said, "You know anybody?" I said, "We don't do fantasy," and they said, "No, we're doing this." They put together a pitch.
My son went, put together a pitch, went to CD PR during one of our meetings over cyberpunk and said, "I want to do Witcher, and this is how we'll do it." That speaks of a lot of exciting world and character that people want to interact with.
One thing that was surprising to see was that the game is a first-person experience, which is a big change from CD Projekt Red's last games. Do you feel the change to first-person was a necessary thing for Cyberpunk?
This is where I put my designer hat on, and I get to put on both my table and my video game designer hat, both. This is why it's important. The one thing is the state of the character, the interfaces they use, the drugs they take, the way they deal with their implants--it's all very, very internal to the head of the character, and if you step out of that out [into a third-person view] it becomes a busy hub that you're tracking. On another technical level, the world is massively immersive and if you're stepped back from that into a third person avatar dummy, you are not really part a part of it.
I'll give you an example. I went and walked over at one point to another character's car and as I was walking, somebody that I never actually saw in the crowd, makes a comment and they're talking about some problem they're having with their girlfriend, and it was peripheral, it was in my hearing. I didn't see the person and I really was interested in this story that was going on. I wanted to know more about this. My belief is that third person, has a lot of good places. In this particular case, I think first-person was best because it could provide more than just the immersion, it could provide the tools for you to perceive the world and make decisions that were proper within that world. If I have 360 view, I see everything and I know where the bad guys are coming from all the time, it is kind of a shooter where we're setting up the targets.
If I am immersed in it, then I'm having to take split second decisions that feel real because in real life, you don't know what those guys, 300 feet away are doing. If one pulls out a gun, you have to make a decision. You. That's important if you're going to be immersed in a world and particularly when you're dealing with a game that is so heavily role playing driven as this game is.
It's been so long since the last trailer was released. What's it like seeing the game, which is based on your original material, come to life in such a big way?
Probably seeing the actual play session that you guys have seen now in the internal sessions. Seeing that and going, "Damn, yeah, okay," and mainly because what I saw in there was all the potential. It wasn't just, "Wow that's a really cool gun, wow, that's a really good army jacket, yeah I really like V and it's a great character. It was also seeing all the potential ways you could go with that story and with those characters. That was amazing. It was sort of like saying, "Okay, they got it," I'm watching somebody else's cyberpunk game right now and they're running a pretty damn good game that I want to be playing in.
From Software rose to prominence with Dark Souls and Bloodborne, but the studio's newest title, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, is a marked departure from its previous works. The game still retains the unforgiving difficulty and deep combat system that have become From Software's hallmarks, but it trades the established worlds of Dark Souls and Bloodborne for an entirely original one based on feudal Japan. However, it seems Sekiro wasn't always intended to be a new IP.
Speaking to Games Industry, From Software community manager Yasuhiro Kitao revealed that Sekiro was originally planned as a new installment of Tenchu, the studio's long-dormant stealth-action ninja series. "When we originally set out to create something different from Dark Souls and our previous titles, we thought it would be interesting to make a Japanese themed game. So from that we started going in the direction of the shinobi and ninja, and of course Tenchu was an IP with that history; that was the original impetus for this project," Kitao explained.
According to Kitao, From Software approached "a number of companies" with the project, and Activision was immediately on board. As the two studios worked together, the project eventually grew beyond its Tenchu roots and into its own original title. "[A]s we developed and as we partnered with Activision, and started building it together, it started becoming its own thing and the game we wanted to make was no longer just Tenchu, so it really evolved into its own thing," Kitao said.
In addition to its Japanese-inspired setting, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice diverges from Dark Souls and Bloodborne by introducing a resurrection mechanic; when you fall in battle, you're able to use a limited number of life tokens to instantly revive. Your protagonist also has a prosthetic arm that can be outfitted with a shuriken, axe, and other kinds of weapons.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 22, 2019. The game will release in both standard and collector's editions; the latter includes a steelbook case, shinobi statue, art book, replica coins, and other bonus items. You can learn more in our Sekiro pre-order guide.
August is coming to a close, and it's the start of September. With the start of the new month, Netflix is dropping a ton of new seasons of television shows, original programming, and plenty of movies for US subscribers to keep you busy in front of your TV. Saturday, September 1 will be a big day, as Netflix is putting 30 new movies on its service, many of which are classics.
Starting off the week is the release of Season 2 of the NBC comedy The Good Place. It's the only non-Netflix original TV series to be released this week. Speaking of originals, the dark dramatic series Ozark returns for a second Season on August 31. In it, Jason Bateman plays a financial adviser who movies from Chicago to the Ozarks of Missouri and has to launder money for a drug kingpin. Additionally, there's more of the athletic competition series Ultimate Beastmaster and the first season of the adult animated series Paradise PD debuts. The new series comes from the creators of Comedy Central's Brickleberry and follows a new police recruit who is tasked with taking down the drug problem in his town.
As far as new movies go, September 1 is when they all drop this week. Among the releases are the classic Bill Murray comedy Groundhog Day, where a man relives the same day over and over again. There's also The Breakfast Club. In this John Hughes classic, a group of high school students from different walks of life have to serve detention together on a Saturday afternoon. Other notable mentions are Scarface, Sisters, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.
The full list of this week's releases from Netflix are below. Additionally, if you're looking for more streaming service releases, check out what's coming to Netflix in September, as well as what Hulu and Amazon Prime Video have coming this month.
August 28
The Good Place: Season 2
August 29
Inequality for All
August 31
Inside the Criminal Mind-- Netflix Original
Ozark: Season 2-- Netflix Original
Paradise PD-- Netflix Original
The Comedy Lineup: Part 2-- Netflix Original
The Laws of Thermodynamics-- Netflix Original Film
Ultimate Beastmaster: Survival of the Fittest-- Netflix Original
Cyberpunk 2077's impressive demo from E3 2018 generated tons of buzz for the game, but it wasn't shown to the public. That same demo again popped up at Gamescom, and with that event now concluded, CD Projekt Red is finally showing gameplay off to the public. Now that you should have a better idea of what the game is all about, we're reviewing some of what we've learned over the past couple months.
Night City, the setting of the game, is shown extensively in the demo, but there's much more to it than what we see the game's protagonist, v, visit. A pamphlet handed out to those who saw the demo at E3 revealed some additional details about the game's setting and how you'll interact with it. We learned that Night City, which your character V lives in, is divided into six districts, with each of them representing a different aspect of the game's cyberpunk aesthetic. Here's what we learned about each:
City Center: Night City's biggest pride, this is the heart of corporations, the cluster of neon, and the quintessence of luxury.
Watson: A unique mix of Asian cultures, it is a fallen corporate giant now populated by immigrants, hiding various bazaars and markets in a tangle of narrow alleyways.
Westbrook: Featuring tourist-oriented Japantown, it is a place for the wealthy who like to work hard and play hard.
Heywood: Living in one of the neighborhoods of the predominantly Latino area means you successfully managed to climb the social ladder -- it's a massive suburban housing district, with an underlying gang problem.
Pacifica: On the other end of the spectrum, this is the most dangerous part of town, abandoned and overrun by gang activity. Separated from the rest of the city, it's a place of immense poverty.
Santo Domingo: All of Night City is powered from here, with its countless power plants and industrial factories, stuck in an endless cycle of modernization.
Another reveal from the demo's pamphlet is that Cyberpunk 2077 will have vertical exploration, and that it will play a major role in gameplay. "For example, V's apartment from the demo is located in a megabuilding with multiple floors," it reads. "Each floor is home to many NPCs, secrets and potential quests." We also learned that players will be able to explore the city by car and motorcycle, and vehicle combat (with destructible cars) will be possible in the game.
Cyberpunk 2077 takes place in a massive urban environment encompassing different warring factions. There are apparently no load times, meaning you'll be able to freely explore the city both on foot and in your vehicle, even engaging in high-speed shootouts on freeways, tightly packed streets, and alleys--leading to some of the more unsavory parts of town.
Onimusha: Warlords is the game that officially kicked off the Onimusha series, spawning many sequels to the fantasy action game. Now, the PS2/PC game is returning in remastered form, and will release on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC at the start of the new year. You can get a look at the new version of the game in the announcement trailer above.
The action game, first released in 2001, follows samurai Samanosuke Akechi and ninja Kaede as they fight to rescue Princess Yuki. Set in feudal Japan, the two must save Yuki from mysterious demons that have invaded her castle while uncovering the fiends' plot. Players wield katanas and other weapons as Samanosuke and Kaede battle their way to the castle.
The game is receiving a high-definition graphics overhaul of its characters, environments, and cinematics, and Capcom is adding widescreen support as well that allows for quick changing between widescreen and classic display modes. The studio is also adding support for analog sticks to boost movement accuracy during combat. Unlike the original Onimusha: Warlords, Easy Mode will now be available from the start of the game (whereas you had to fail a battle several times before it would unlock in the 2001 version). Lastly, a new soundtrack is being added to the game after the original game's composer was found to be using a ghostwriter (and possibly even faked being deaf).
Onimusha: Warlords HD will release on all systems on January 15, 2019 and will cost $20. In North America, you can already pre-order a physical copy of the game, with a digital pre-order coming soon. Players in Europe will be able to buy the digital version only.
After months of anticipation, CD Projekt Red has finally shared the first gameplay footage of Cyberpunk 2077. The developer's mysterious Twitch livestream, which kicked off earlier in the day and cryptically broadcast lines of code being typed out on a screen for several hours, concluded with an extended look at the upcoming open-world sci-fi RPG, and it was certainly impressive.
The footage on display during the stream was taken from the same gameplay demo CD Projekt Red showcased to press at E3 and Gamescom 2018. The demo begins with V, your customized protagonist, traveling to a gang hideout with her ally Jackie to locate a missing cyborg. That mission quickly escalates into a firefight with the gang members, showing off Cyberpunk 2077's RPG-rooted take on gunplay. Later in the demo, V is given a quest to acquire a drone, which takes her and Jackie into the compound of the Maelstrom gang. Perhaps most impressive, the footage also provides a much closer look at Night City, the sprawling and richly detailed futuristic metropolis that serves as the game's setting.
"What we're releasing today was recorded from a game deep in development," game director Adam Badowski said in a message accompanying the release. "Since many of the assets and mechanics in the current version of Cyberpunk 2077 are most likely to be modified, we initially decided to show this gameplay only to media. Elements like gunplay (both in terms of visuals and how RPG stats influence it), netrunning, car physics, or the game's UI--everything's pretty much still in the playtest phase and we felt uneasy about publicly committing to any particular design. Animation glitches, work-in-progress character facial expressions, early versions of locations--all this made us hesitant to release what you're about to see.
"However, we are also well aware that many of you want to see what the media saw. Although this is probably not the same game you'll see on your screen when we launch, we still decided to share this 48-minute video with you. This is how Cyberpunk 2077 looks today. Let us know what you think!"
Despite being announced several years ago, Cyberpunk 2077 wasn't formally unveiled until E3 2018 this past June, when CD Projekt Red shared the first cinematic trailer for the game during Microsoft's E3 press conference. The developer also showcased nearly an hour of gameplay footage to press during a behind-close-doors demo at the convention, which was so impressive in its scope and detail that it solidified Cyberpunk as one of our four favorite games from the show.
"The E3 2018 demo for Cyberpunk 2077 was overwhelming with all its detail, but it did give us the impression that there was a large world with all sorts of systems to explore and mess with," GameSpot's Alessandro Fillari wrote in reaction to the demo. "The setting and some gameplay ideas are certainly a big departure for CD Projekt Red, but it also has a number of cool and visually stunning details that show off an incredibly rich world to jump head-first into."
CD Projekt Red would give fans another glimpse at Cyberpunk 2077 at Gamescom last week. During the convention, the developer released a handful of new screenshots that showed off some characters and environments from the game. The studio also shared several pieces of Cyberpunk 2077 concept art that contained a hidden link to another image that displays the phrase "more than meets the eye."
Cyberpunk 2077 is in development for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. CD Projekt Red hasn't announced a release date just yet, but the developer says the game is already playable from start to finish--although it still doesn't have all of its assets, nor have all of its bugs been addressed yet.
We got a chance to speak with Cyberpunk 2077 producer Richard Borzymowski at Gamescom. During our interview, Borzymowski discussed how the studio was able to switch gears from the fantasy universe of its other notable video game franchise, The Witcher, to the sci-fi world of Cyberpunk. He also talked more about the move from the third-person perspective of its previous RPGs to Cyberpunk's first-person viewpoint.
The release of Destiny 2's biggest DLC expansion yet, Forsaken, is right around the corner, and to get players pumped for the game's next chapter, Bungie has released a new launch trailer. It features a funeral of sorts for one of Destiny's most prominent characters, as well as the return of another--Uldren Sov--who serves as the primary antagonist in Forsaken.
Bungie's new video starts out by capping off what we've seen previously, where Cayde-6 fights off countless foes before his Ghost is destroyed. That leads to Sov, whom you might remember as the Queen of the Reef's brother, killing Cayde. From there, we see Ikora Rey holding a funeral for Cayde and swearing to avenge him, while Zavala is unwilling to risk anyone's life.
It's at that point we see what is maybe the most significant bit of the trailer, when a Titan vows to hunt down Sov himself. This would appear to be a character standing in for the Guardian that you play as; if that's true, that marks the first time you actually speak in Destiny 2. Until this point, your Ghost did all the talking.
From there, we see your character and Petra Venj (a Queen loyalist) strike a deal with a portly Fallen to help track down Sov. He, meanwhile, burns down the throne room of the Reef and rambles about various things.
All in all, it's an exciting look at the new expansion, if only because your motivation--hunting down Cayde's killer--is as clear and impactful as can be.
Coinciding with this release is that of the new 2.0 update. This is a major patch, overhauling weapon slots, ammo, and much more about the game to get it ready for the DLC.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate arrives for Nintendo Switch this December, and we learned earlier this month that Nintendo will release a limited edition bundle of the game in Europe. The company has now confirmed it will likewise offer a special edition of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the US, but this one will come with a different assortment of contents.
Nintendo has updated the official Smash Bros. website with the first images of the US Super Smash Bros. Ultimate special edition. Unlike the European equivalent, the US bundle comes with a copy of the game housed in a black steelbook case with a fiery Smash Bros. logo emblazoned on the center. Additionally, the bundle includes a Smash Bros.-themed Switch Pro Controller, which features white grips and a white Smash Bros. logo on the face. You can take a look at images of both below.
The US special edition will release on the same date as the standard version of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: December 7. It retails for $140; as of this writing, it's only available to pre-order from Best Buy and GameStop. The Smash-themed Switch Pro Controller can be purchased separately for $75 and is likewise available to pre-order from Best Buy and GameStop.
Europe's special edition packs likewise launches on December 7. It retails for £90 and, along with a copy of the game, packs in a GameCube controller plus the adapter needed to use it on Switch in a big collector's box. Both the adapter and a new line of GameCube controllers will also be available for purchase separately later this year. Those who already own the adapter released alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will be able to use that with Switch.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate features the largest selection of playable characters and stages to date, with more than 70 fighters and 103 stages. Nintendo hosted a special Direct presentation dedicated to the game earlier in August, during which it revealed five more playable characters, including Simon and Richter Belmont from Castlevania and King K. Rool from Donkey Kong Country. You can read more about the game in our roundup of everything we know about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate so far.
The 1986 movie Big Trouble In Little China is a classic adventure tale of a truck driver who finds himself in a battle in San Francisco's Chinatown against a seemingly immortal sorcerer. So when Dwayne Johnson was set to star in Big Trouble In Little China, fans of the original were cautious, as it wasn't a movie that needed a remake. Luckily, the new movie will be a sequel of sorts.
The Big Trouble sequel is still in the early days of pre-production--even though the movie was first announced in 2015. There is no release date and only Dwayne Johnson is attached as a cast member. However Hiram Garcia, producer of the upcoming film and president of production at Seven Bucks Productions--which Johnson is a co-CEO of--opened up about the plans for the movie.
"There's a lot of things going on with [Big Trouble in Little China]," Garcia told Collider. "We are in the process of developing that, and let me tell you, the idea is not to actually remake Big Trouble in Little China. You can't remake a classic like that, so what we're planning to do is we're going to continue the story. We're going to continue the universe of Big Trouble in Little China.
"Everything that happened in the original exists and is standalone and I think there's only one person that could ever play Jack Burton, so Dwayne would never try and play that character. So we are just having a lot of fun. We're actually in a really great space with the story that we've cracked. But yeah, no remake. It is a continuation, and we are deep into development on that as well, and I think you'll start hearing some things about that probably soon."
Without a doubt, Kurt Russell is Jack Burton, and no matter how charismatic and fun Dwayne Johnson is, fans would just be comparing him to Russell's original performance. Reboots can be hit or miss--more times miss--and continuations are the better route to go. Both Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Ocean's Eight lived in the worlds of the originals and both were great continuations to the originals without taking away from them. So here's to hoping this new Big Trouble movie can capture the spirit of the sequel.
For those looking for more Big Trouble in Little China, comic book publisher Boom! Studios released a direct sequel to the movie, back in 2015. The comic--written by John Carpenter and Eric Powell and drawn by Brian Churilla--follows the adventures of Jack Burton right after the events of the feature film. Followers of Lo Pan seek revenge on Burton and his friend Wang for the destruction of their master.
The Pokemon series is one of the longest-running animated shows on television, spanning more than 1,000 episodes and 20 movies to date, and now you'll be able to relive nearly the entire saga on Twitch. The Pokemon Company is partnering with the streaming service for a massive Pokemon marathon, which kicks off next week, on August 27, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. [Update: The marathon has begun--you can watch it below.]
This certainly isn't the first television show marathon Twitch has broadcast, but the service says it's the "single longest programmatic viewing event" in its history. The stream will air as a series of smaller marathons over the next several months and into 2019, encompassing 932 episodes from 19 seasons of the TV series beginning with the original Indigo League, as well as 16 Pokemon movies.
The Pokemon marathon will be broadcast on the TwitchPresents channel. According to the official Pokemon website, 10-16 Pokemon episodes will air Mondays through Thursdays, with encores of those episodes running on Fridays and Saturdays. A different Pokemon movie will also be broadcast every Sunday. You can find the schedule for the first nine seasons of the series below.
In addition to watching the series, you'll be able to interact with the stream thanks to the Pokemon Badge Collector Twitch Extension. Those with a Twitch account will see "catachable" Pokemon appear during the broadcast, which they'll be able to click on and add to their collection. The Extension will also feature a leaderboard, and the rarer the Pokemon you capture, the more points you'll receive.
The Pokemon Company recently announced the series' latest film, The Power of Us, will receive a limited theatrical release this fall. The film will appear in select theaters on November 24, 26, and 28, with one final showing following on December 1. The Power of Us is set in a town that reveres Lugia and marks the debut of the brand-new Mythical Pokemon Zeraora.
Pokemon the Series Twitch Marathon Schedule
August 27 -- Pokemon: Indigo League (Season 1)
September 3 -- Pokemon: Adventures in the Orange Islands (Season 2)
September 10 -- Pokemon: The Johto Journeys (Season 3)
September 17 -- Pokemon: Johto League Champions (Season 4)
September 24 -- Pokemon: Master Quest (Season 5)
October 1 -- Pokemon Advanced (Season 6)
October 8 -- Pokemon: Advanced Challenge (Season 7)
The first trailer for True Detective Season 3 is here. HBO's detective anthology series returns in January next year, and this first promo certainly looks like the makers are trying to recapture the intensity of the first season after a disappointing Season 2.
The trailer doesn't really give much away, but it shows that, like Season 1, the show will be set across multiple time periods. Oscar-winning star Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Luke Cage, House of Cards) plays a cop named Wayne Hays who must uncover a mystery that spans several decades in the sprawling landscape of the Ozarks. It looks dark, weird, and gripping--check the trailer out above.
True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto has written the entire season, with Deadwood creator David Milch lending a hand. The cast also includes Ray Fisher (Justice League), Carmen Ejogo (Alien: Covenant), Scoot McNairy (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), and Stephen Dorff (Blade).
While Season 1 of True Detective was one of 2014's most talked-about TV shows, Season 2 was a disappointment in terms of both viewing figures and critical reaction. It was unclear if there would be a third season for some time, and three years will have past since Season 2 by the time the new one premieres.
In a recent interview with Indiewire, Pizzolatto spoke about the striking setting for Season 3 and explained that the surroundings were vital to the season's story. "The mystery of the deep woods," he said. "The fog over the mountains. The rivers. The water. The sense of scale when you get out to some of this nature. Also, what the buildings say about the lives behind them. I feel like people will see it as an extension of character, something that embodies characters' emotional journeys while influencing those journeys."
"Sometimes we found things that seem to come straight out of the imagination, like this particular house that I don't want to go into it too much because of spoilers, but once we found it we couldn't believe it existed. It was almost exactly what I had written, and it needed to be very specific."
PS4 owners will be the first to have a chance to try Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode thanks to an exclusive private beta session, but PC and Xbox One players won't have to wait too long for their opportunity. Activision has announced it will hold a beta session for the two other platforms later that same week.
The second Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout beta will kick off on Xbox One on September 14, a few days after the PS4-exclusive session is scheduled to begin. As with the Black Ops 4 private multiplayer beta held earlier this month, the Blackout beta will only be open to those who've pre-ordered a copy of the game.
PC players who've also pre-ordered any edition of Black Ops 4 will likewise be able to jump into the private Blackout beta on September 14, beginning at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. The test will then open up to everyone else who has a Battle.net account 24 hours later, regardless of whether or not they've reserved the title.
Activision hasn't shared many details as to what players could expect from the Blackout beta, but the publisher confirmed there will be three different options to play it: solos, duos, and four-player groups called quads. Activision also provided a very a brief glimpse at Blackout in Black Ops 4's latest trailer, which to date remains the only footage it has shown off of the mode.
Blackout is Call of Duty's rendition of the increasingly popular battle royale genre. Developer Treyarch first announced the mode at E3 this past June. According to the studio, Blackout features the largest map it has ever created and draws heavily from previous Black Ops games. Players will also be able to commandeer ground, air, and sea vehicles in the mode, although it remains unclear exactly how many players Blackout will support.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12. Beyond Blackout, the game will launch with several new and returning multiplayer modes, as well as an expanded Zombies experience. However, this year's installment won't feature a traditional single-player campaign, but rather a series of solo missions that focus on each of the game's Specialist characters.
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