Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is the sequel to 2015's Rebel Galaxy, and it brings much more to the table. In addition to dogfights and cruising to the game's various radio stations, you can now do more at space stations. The game now features a main character, as opposed to the faceless, nameless pilot from the first game, and because of that, there is now a more fleshed-out dialogue system.
In fact, as you can see in this video, the character even reacts to things inside of her cockpit. She'll do finger guns when she's about to blow something up and even flip the bird from time to time. From what we saw at PAX West 2018, it seems to be a game that is brimming with even more personality than before.
Developer Double Damage Games also showed off the custom ship-painting feature, which allows players to import any image and use it as a stencil. Once you're done painting, you can even buy a 3D-printed model with that custom paint job.
Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is but one of the games we saw at Seattle's gaming convention, and you can check out the rest of them in our PAX West 2018 hub.
500 Crowns (can be used to purchase crates in-game that unlock new customization items for your character.)
50 winners will be emailed a code. Entry is open to United States residents only. No purchase necessary. Competition ends September 9, 2018 at 11:59 PM PDT.
About the game:
H1Z1: Battle Royale is a pure, fast-paced battle royale shooter re-imagined and built for console. Drop in to a massive map in search of weapons, ammo, vehicles and air drops to get a leg up on the competition and be the last one standing.
Year 3, Season 3 of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege kicks off soon with the release of Operation Grim Sky. While the expansion is already available to try out on the game's test server, Ubisoft has now revealed when it'll go live for all players on PS4, Xbox One, and PC: September 4.
Like previous Operations, Grim Sky introduces two new Operators to the game: Maverick and Clash. Both hail from different organizations and fall under different classes. Maverick is an Attacker from America who can use stun grenades and a blowtorch (and who has already been nerfed). Clash, meanwhile, is a Defender from Great Britain. She's the first Defender in the game to wield a shield, which also comes equipped with a taser.
In addition to the new Operators, Grim Sky makes a significant overhaul to Hereford Base, one of the game's first maps. Ubisoft says this is the first such map overhaul the development team has undertaken in Siege. Following the update, each floor of the base will a larger surface area and more destructible walls, and new staircases and hatches have been added to give players more options for moving around the map.
The Consulate map is also receiving a buff as part of the Operation Grim Sky update. These changes aren't as significant as the ones being applied to Hereford Base, but they'll nonetheless force you to tweak your strategies. The police line spawn point has been extended, while a wall has been moved near the gas station spawn point "to prevent spawn peeking and early kills." Ubisoft is also adding another bomb site to the map in Tellers and Archives.
Rounding out Operation Grim Sky are a range of balance tweaks and bug fixes. You can find the full patch notes for the update on the official Rainbow Six Siege website.
Video game development is a fluid process; things change all the time through development until launch and beyond. One thing that changed with the upcoming Spider-Man PS4 game due out next week was the size of puddles in one particular scene. This has led to claims that developer Insomniac Games in some way downgraded the game's graphics, and now the developer has spoken up to stress that there has been "no downgrade."
This issue picked up steam thanks in part to this popular Reddit post (via IGN) that shows more puddles in an older, E3 trailer for Spider-Man and fewer puddles in a newer video. Writing on Twitter, Insomniac confirmed that it changed the size of the puddles, but stressed, "There's no downgrade at all." Some believed that Insomniac had to scale back the graphics to meet performance demands, but it appears this is not the case.
It's just a change in the puddle size, there's no downgrade at all
Community manager James Stevenson said in his own tweet, "The puddles being moved had nothing to do with performance." Then why remove them? "Pretty sure it was a design / art / usability reason thing," Stevenson explained. "Definitely wasn't performance, as we have spots with tons of puddles in the game with no performance issue.
Other Spider-Man fans have criticised the look of Peter Parker's suit in newer trailers. It may look different, Stevenson conceded, but that's because Insomniac is using different, better technology today than it did at the start of development. Importantly, the suit is meant to look good while Peter Parker is swinging from building to building.
"Bright sunlight causes concrete to blow out and look bright. Plus our post effects ( DOF and motion blur tech in particular) are way better in 2018, which causes stuff to be blurrier when pulled like that, but that's because it's supposed to look good IN MOTION," he said.
GameSpot's Spider-Man PS4 review will go live on September 4, a few days before the game launches on September 7. While the game isn't even out yet, Insomniac has announced the first DLC expansion will be released on October 23.
To celebrate Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate coming to Nintendo Switch on August 28, 2018, we're giving away 10 copies of the game and 1 Nintendo Switch!
One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive a Nintendo Switch, plus a copy of the game, and nine (9) runner-ups will receive the game on Nintendo Switch.
Entry is open to United States residents only. Competition ends September 9, 2018 at 11:59 PM PDT.
About the game:
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is the follow-up to Monster Hunter Generations, and marks the Monster Hunter series' debut on Nintendo Switch as an exclusive. Hunters can face off against the largest roster of unique monsters in any Monster Hunter game to date. Players take on the role of a brave hunter challenging larger than life beasts that yield valuable resources used for crafting unique weapons and equipment. Accept hundreds of quests solo or with friends in this nostalgic look back at the series' beginnings and evolutions. Along the hunter's journey, players must defend each of the game's four villages from major threats known as the Fated Four, plus an even more dangerous new Elder Dragon. This game features a blend of classic gameplay and unique new twists, brand new explorable areas and monsters, plus returning fan-favorites like the lightning fast Zinogre and the stealthy long-tailed Nargacuga. Fans will be able to play in tabletop mode or in handheld mode on-the-go with up to three other hunters locally or online when it releases on August 28, 2018.
If you were hopingThe Predator would be equal parts vicious gore and jokes about vicious gore, the final trailer for the film is going to make you very happy. This red band trailer doesn't skimp on the gore or laughs as it sets up the premise of the film.
When a Predator invasion threatens the Earth, a team of misfit former soldiers are called upon to somehow stop it--though, honestly, most of them will likely end up getting killed in the process. At least the audience will have fun along the way, if they like seeing Predators tear people in half or shoot spears through them like Scorpion in Mortal Kombat.
"They're large, they're fast, and f***ing you up is their idea of tourism," a government agent played by Sterling K. Brown tells the team. What else is there to say?
The Predator is the latest in the movie franchise that spans all the way back to the original 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. With an impressive cast that includes Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Jane, Olivia Munn, and Boyd Holbrook, just to name a few, and writer/director Shane Black, it might also be the film that reinvigorates the franchise.
Thankfully, you won't have to wait long to find out. The Predator hits theaters on September 14. In the meantime, check out our look at how the Predator has evolved over 30 years and the history of the franchise.
Based on the two-and-half hours spent playing some late-game missions, Assassin's Creed Odyssey seems to be improving upon all the changes that Assassin's Creed Origins introduced to the tenured franchise. By better implementing player choice across every aspect of the game, whether it's in the skills you equip in combat or by the dialogue choices you use to respond to the game's hundreds of NPCs, Ubisoft is making it easier for you to put a little bit of yourself into every decision.
Ubisoft Quebec (Assassin's Creed Syndicate) is leading the charge for Odyssey. Interestingly enough, the studio shared in Ubisoft Montreal's ambitions to turn Assassin's Creed into an RPG before even knowing that's where they wanted to go with Origins. Though the team has had the desire to work on an Assassin's Creed RPG, it's been an endeavor that's challenged them for the better part of the last three years.
At a recent Gamescom event, we had the opportunity to chat with Odyssey creative director Jonathan Dumont. We discussed at length Ubisoft Quebec's philosophy behind its approach to story and combat, as well as Dumont's thoughts on why Assassin's Creed works as an RPG, why Odyssey takes place so far in the past, and what the now decade-old franchise means to him as a creator.
GameSpot: When Origins was first unveiled, one of the biggest changes was combat. What sort of influences did you bring to Odyssey when it came to improving that area?
Dumont: Yeah, it's interesting because I don't know if we have something that we looked at necessarily. We did want you to feel like you're more capable of overpowering enemies. As you grow the strength of Leonidas' spear [your protagonist's weapon and a first civ artifact], you want it to become stronger and stronger. You have base combat and then everything we put on top is to facilitate getting the upper hand over other NPCs. We also wanted that to be a player choice, so we tried to have freedom at the core of everything that we've added. But in this case, creating your playstyle, creating your class, we were thinking about [it] as, "How cool would it be to mix and match skills?" We wanted to allow players to say, "I want to do these four things in the game and that's it. And that's the way I want to play the game!"
We were looking at it more from a customization perspective instead of trying to enforce a certain way to play the game or unlock things in a certain order. Invest the points where you want them but map them like you want them and create your own playstyle. Because Assassin's Creed has been around over 10 years now, and we all play different. Some people just want to play stealth and others might want combat, so we want to make sure that your playstyle is the right playstyle for you and that the game allows you to play that way.
Was player creativity and freedom the core design tenants this time around?
Yeah, and it goes with the story too and how you role-play the character. It goes into picking your character at the start of the game. It's even present when you're recruiting your ship's crew. So how do you want to make it your own in Assassin's Creed Odyssey? Trying to make it feel like what I do as being a reflection of me and that the game offers more choices to do so was important for us in our push to make Assassin's Creed a full RPG.
What fueled the decision for the main character to have a weapon that's essentially a piece of Eden?
So, I played all the Assassin's Creed games. In most of them, you end up fighting a boss that has a piece of Eden, and I have always been intrigued by that. Why can't we see that from the start of the game? If you're going to implement that into a game set in the 1500s, it would be tough to introduce, but if you're going back 2,500 years and, in a setting, where it's [more] tied closely to the first civilization, it makes more sense. They're seen as gods still, so it fits within that setting and the traditional hero of that time, which is typically someone elevated by some power or chosen by the gods.
I always wanted to see what would happen if you could manipulate [a first civ artifact] and control one throughout an entire game. It's not usually present in our games, but with Odyssey I felt like [it's the] right time to try something a little bit outside our typical pillars.
I heard that both the Montreal and Quebec studios logically came to the conclusion that the RPG genre is where the series should go. How did that epiphany come about for the studio? And why do you think the RPG is where Assassin's Creed needs to go?
I think we spent a lot of time creating these huge open worlds and we wanted to give more incentives to explore it. We also prided ourselves in creating these credible worlds where you meet historical characters and dive into history, but we still wanted to explore it in a deeper fashion.
The RPG was a no-brainer for us and where we wanted to go with the series, which is funny because the Origins team felt the same way. We were looking at what they were building, and we were pretty much on board, so we took their code and decided that where we wanted to push further was the role-playing elements and combat customization. The RPG genre really opens our franchise to a much deeper and richer experience where you get involved and care more about what is going on than in the past.
Assassin's Creed has always been a historical fiction series closely grounded in real-world timelines, but it's intriguing to see how you're allowing players the choice to change how the story plays out a bit. Not only that, but you're also introducing these surreal elements fueled by mythology, like Medusa and the Minotaur. How do you balance these inclinations to introduce unearthly aspects while staying within the confines of reality?
Well there's two parts to that. Even though we have choices, we don't change history. Your story changes and some of the relationships you have with some characters will change, but history will follow its course and have the same conclusions you know from real life.
For what's mythological, these are small pockets out in the world. You won't see Medusa walking around or anything like that. The Greeks valued adventure, but they also had fears about adventure. The woods were dangerous so those are places you'd find the myths and legends because that's what they thought were there. In that sense, it's more of an interpretation of what they saw. But is it a simulation within a simulation via the first civ artifacts? You could ask: "Are they really seeing these things?" And some of these things will open up more as you play the game on some explanation. We don't answer all the questions, obviously because questions are interesting and are sometimes even more interesting than the answers.
But as an RPG, we wanted the player to take on bigger things. Mythology was the right choice for us in exploring that. As a whole, 99% of the world is grounded in reality. You'll get to go to see Athens and we made it just as the city was. You'll get to go to where the Oracle of Delphi was, and it looks just like what the place was. But then there's that 1% where we tapped into that first civ to allow some of these mythological elements to come out more. Typically, we do a scenario where a drug allows a character to see these things, but now we're trying to make it coexist a little bit more with the world.
What fueled this decision for this game to be pushed even further back into the AC historical timeline?
With the introduction of choice, we were looking for a setting that was culturally rich, that exposed a lot of values dealing with chaos and order, which I feel to be the thematic root of Assassin's Creed. We ultimately fell on Ancient Greece because they were asking questions, trying to find the truth. Everybody's a philosopher. There's conversations, dialogue. We wanted that to be sort of what's going on around the world because we're introducing choice into the franchise. If you meet Socrates, you talk to Socrates, you ask questions. You're looking for answers. You're trying to see what's good, what's bad, what's true, and what's false. So that is something that we felt that if you're going to introduce choice, we needed a setting like Greece to facilitate that.
I know you can't say much, but can you tell us a little bit about what the modern day storyline will look like this time around?
It's definitely a continuation of Layla's story, and it will evolve the story quite a bit. You'll get some character development in there. She's going to change and take an adventure that goes to places that you don't expect, which is an interesting way of looking at it. Layla was introduced in Origins, but now we're digging into what she's looking for.
I don't want to talk too much about it because when it comes to the present-day, some people like it, some don't. You know how it is.
Jonathan Dumont, Creative Director
I don't want to talk too much about it because when it comes to the present-day, some people like it, some don't. You know how it is. But the way we do it is if you want to dive a little bit more into it, you can still explore, and we have optional dialogue choices you can pick to ask more questions about what's going on. Or you can choose to get it pretty straightforward, but we do have a little bit more action thrown in as well to keep it engaging for those types of players too.
Assassin's Creed has been around for 10 years now. It now has a legacy. So I'm just curious: how do you approach working on a franchise that is so tenured? And for you as a creator, what does Assassin's Creed mean to you?
Assassin's Creed means something different to everybody, and people are interested in it for different things. Some are interested in more of the mechanics. Some are interested more in the lore. Some are interested in the history. Personally, I like the fact that it allows us to explore a part of history, and I like that it allows us to recreate a world that we can't go to see now. So we put a lot of effort into documenting and building those worlds.
But the coolest thing I get to experience while creating Assassin's Creed is that the series sort of reinvents itself depending on the setting. So, if you want to be true to the setting, you need to implement aspects that fit. In Odyssey's case, we have Hoplite warriors and we get to introduce large-scale battles because it's Greece and it's the middle of the Peloponnesian War. Depending on the setting there's decisions that we need to make about gameplay that depend on the character and the setting. I personally love the creative freedom that it gives us when we switch settings, since it allows us to try new things.
As a creator, it's really interesting because, yes, Assassin's Creed is a running franchise that goes on for a while and we do games one after the other. But man, they're really different when you look at each one. You go from the French Revolution to Industrial Revolution to Egypt to Greece. That's crazy! And that's really interesting in my opinion. And I think that's why it's a franchise that people love because they get to be carried somewhere new. And we try to cater to that and make the series a fun place to discover. So, in my opinion, it's those aspects that interests me most.
That's really what drives me into making another one. Because you learn quite a bit as you develop them. You learn while making it. We're not historians. We like history, but we surround ourselves with specialists. We surround ourselves with people that know more than we do. And that first year we sort of try to become experts in a field that's not our field. Our field is making games, telling stories. But really, it's like going back to school every time you start making a new Assassin's Creed, so there's a lot of growth I get to experience during the development process.
The follow-up to Rockstar Games' classic western game Red Dead Redemption is fast approaching. Set 12 years before the events of the original game, Red Dead Redemption 2 will explore an expansive region of the American wilderness, with Dutch Van der Linde's gang on the run from lawmen during the last years of the wild west. Experiencing Rockstar's take on the open-world western from a new perspective, you'll uncover the history of the Van Der Linde gang, which has a young John Marston in its thralls.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was surprisingly a no show at this year's E3, despite the game releasing in only a few months. Still, the recent trailers, screenshots, and info have given us plenty to talk about. Here's everything we know so far about Rockstar Games' upcoming open-world western.
How Can I Play RDR2?
Red Dead Redemption 2 is set for release on October 26 for PS4 and Xbox One. There are also plans for a collector's edition of the game called the Special Edition. Priced at $80, the package includes a copy of the game along with special missions, weapons and a physical map of the game world for players to own. There are also two additional packs for Red Dead Redemption 2 for premium prices, The Ultimate Edition and The Collector's Box--both priced at $100. While The Ultimate Edition has all items from the special edition--including additional DLC items to acquire--The Collector's Box does not include any digital items. Instead, it offers special playing cards, artwork, a bandit's bandana, a physical map of the game world, and a collector's coin in the set.
Though the original Red Dead Redemption never found its way to the PC, there's been some rumors that its sequel might. A mention of Red Dead Redemption 2's appearance on PC found its way online, but it has since been scrubbed.
Where Is RDR2 Set, And Is It A Prequel?
Set 12 years before the main events of the original game, the prequel focuses on the outlaw life of the Van der Linde gang, led by Red Dead Redemption's main antagonists. After a robbery in Blackwater (one of the original game's major towns) goes bad--the gang finds themselves on the run. Dutch, his right-hand man Arthur Morgan, and several members of the gang have to contend with a life on-the-run while confrontations with rival gangs and the law make their situation grow more desperate.
Rockstar also released a description of the plot:
America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him.
The First Reveal
Debuting on October 20, 2016, the first trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 was a bit of a mood piece that showcased many locales in the game, while also portraying the somber tone of the main narrative. In this trailer, we saw several towns and locales, many of which are teeming with life and activity--such as ranchers rustling up some cattle, huntsmen bringing back their haul, and a group of citizens hanging out in the general store.
Who Are We Playing As?
Though the central character of Red Dead Redemption, John Marston, plays some role in the story--the main protagonist of the prequel is Arthur Morgan. As Dutch's right-hand man and enforcer for the gang, he'll handle much of the daily duties of keeping the gang in-check--which includes a young and less-experienced John Marston. When it comes to keeping the gang and its community afloat, Morgan is quite handy with picking up various jobs to ensure everyone is well fed and in good spirits. But as the story progresses, he'll begin to question his own resolve for Dutch's way of life, and whether he still has a place in the gang.
The Second Trailer
On September 28, 2017, the second trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 debuted. In the new footage, we got to see more of Arthur Morgan and how ruthless he can be while on the job. During some of the story cutscenes, Morgan will use coercion and physical threats to collect money and information, all for the "benefit" of the community. For more info on this particular trailer, check out our detailed breakdown.
Who's In Dutch's Gang?
In Red Dead Redemption 2, we'll see Dutch's gang and its key players in their prime. While the original game had John hunt down and kill the remaining members of the gang, we'll see many of the familiar faces in relatively happier times. From the most recent trailer, we see Dutch Van der Linde, Arthur Morgan, Bill Williamson, Javier Esquela, Sadie Adler, Charles Smith, Micah Bell, Hosea Matthews, and of course John Marston in the roster. We'll also interact with other characters who would have a key role in the gang and in the lives of both Arthur Morgan and John Marston.
The Third Trailer
In the new footage released on May 2, we saw a deeper look into the game's narrative and how the gang functions. Along with the familiar activities like hunting, heists, and side-quests with the region's citizens, rob trains and banks, and take in shows at theaters. For the most part, the trailer focuses on the many connections you'll have with the members of the gang, as well as how your choices will affect them. For more info on the third trailer, check out our detailed breakdown.
What's New In Red Dead Redemption 2?
While the sequel is largely in the same vein as its predecessor, focusing on exploration, hunting, shoot-outs, heists, and other side-activities where you'll interact with a number of unique characters--Red Dead Redemption 2 features a far more expansive world to dive into. We got our first good look at this world and how we'll be playing through in Read Dead Redemption 2's first gameplay trailer.
The honor system from the original game makes a return, but now with far more detailed tracking. Along with the average citizen, members of your community will react to how well or how poorly you treat them. As the lead enforcer, Morgan will have to handle a ton of responsibilities, such as resource gathering, procuring funds, and making sure everyone in the community is happy.
First Gameplay Trailer
On August 9, Rockstar unveiled Red Dead Redemption 2's first gameplay trailer. The new footage revealed that the core mechanics from the original game were still intact, but almost everything had received a facelift. Wildlife is smarter and lives within its own ecosystem. Arthur Morgan can interact with the people around him in ways John Marston never could. For more info on the first gameplay trailer, check out our detailed gameplay mechanics breakdown.
How Will Online Multiplayer Work?
Currently, Rockstar hasn't shared any info on how the online play will function. The original Red Dead Redemption featured online free-for-all and team deathmatch style gameplay in the open world, along with several co-op themed missions. While it's safe to assume that these sorts of missions will return, another long-lingering rumor is the appearance of a battle royale mode. In the coming months before its release, we should expect to hear more about what Red Dead Redemption II will have when it comes to online.
Other Info
The History Of Red Dead - A look back on the history of the Red Dead series. From the early days a Gunsmoke spiritual sequel, to Rockstar Games' next successful open word game.
After several years of waiting, Capcom has finally debuted its remake of classic survival-horror game Resident Evil 2. If you only watched its E3 2018 reveal trailer, chances are you have some questions regarding how it plays and how faithful it is to the 1998 original. There are still plenty of details that we don't know, but Capcom has at least offered some clarity on its most curious changes.
To ensure you're kept up to date on everything there is to know about Resident Evil 2 remake, we've compiled all the information we have on the game so far: how it came to be, why its camera is from the third-person over-the-shoulder perspective, its collector's edition, and more.
While not explicitly titled "Resident Evil 2 Remake," the game is in fact a total remake of the classic survival-horror game, and not a remastered version of the PS1 original with touched-up graphics--much in the same vein as 2002's Resident Evil remake. You once again control rookie cop Leon Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who must escape Raccoon City after its citizens are transformed into zombies by a virus two months after the events of the first Resident Evil.
The project came to be after Capcom producer Yoshiaki "H" Hirabayashi took to Facebook on July 30, 2015 to ask the Resident Evil community if they'd be interested in a remake. The request was met with enthusiastic support, which prompted Hirabayashi to pitch the idea to his boss sometime later. The result of the pitch meeting was confirmed the following August when the game was formally announced by Hirabayashi in a special message to fans.
How It Plays
The Resident Evil 2 remake plays from a third-person over-the-shoulder perspective, similar to Resident Evil 4. If you're worried this deviates too far from the original's fixed-camera system, don't let this get you down: the remake still emphasizes survival-horror above all else. You're not given the same amount of power that the more action-oriented games in the series offer you.
The new aiming style feels like a modernized version of the aiming from classic Resident Evil games that allows you to move and pick out where you want your shots to land.
This manifests itself in combat. When you aim, the cardinal markers on your reticle slowly move until they're closed in on the center, allowing you to fire a more precise shot. But when you move, the reticle resets and takes time to close in again. Shots take time to line up and you need to stand still to get them just right; you can't instantly fire from the hip and expect to hit your target. It's a small change, but it completely alters your sense of control. The new aiming style feels like a modernized version of the aiming from classic Resident Evil games that allows you to move and pick out where you want your shots to land.
Progression also remains largely the same as the original Resident Evil 2. You're still solving puzzles, tracking down keys, gathering resources, and putting them back into item boxes for later use. But there's more freedom to explore and discover secrets at your own pace and in varying orders--which is a welcome change of pace from the more constricted adventure game-like progression of the original. You're constantly investigating new pathways and gaining new items that might help you open up the way to your objective.
In the same way Resident Evil 7 felt like a classic Resident Evil game played from the first-person perspective, the Resident Evil 2 remake feels the same--but from an over-the-shoulder perspective.
Why The Third-Person Camera Perspective?
As stated, Resident Evil 2 remake will play from a third-person over-the-shoulder view. Hirabayashi told GameSpot that he and his team chose the perspective because they wanted the experience of playing the game to be "intimately terrifying in nature, to [have] up-close and personal zombie encounters that you can only get with that kind of view." He commented further that the perspective was also chosen to open up new possibilities for the series' classic puzzle-solving.
Based on our time spent playing the game at E3 2018, the third-person perspective plays well with the labyrinthian corridors of the police department, making exploration feel unsettling and claustrophobic. We're curious how it'll be effectively used in the latter portions of the game.
How Faithfully Does It Recreate The Original?
Currently, all we have to go in terms of judging the game's faithfulness is the Racoon City Police Department--the primary location of the first playable demo at E3. The remake appears to closely recreate many of the area's iconic rooms and corridors, while adding in new details to give it a more modern flair. Some rooms have been slightly rearranged, but the overall structure of the police station remains largely the same--at least from the first floor. Some areas are much darker than in the original too, forcing Leon to brandish a flashlight in order to safely navigate the environment. Also, there are no longer any loading screen doors, so say goodbye to your old-school escape techniques, zombies will now follow you from room to room whether you like it or not.
Leon is still the rookie cop with a heart of gold that we all remember, yet his naivety and sense of honor is reframed and more subtly reflected in his line delivery. Commanding officer Marvin Branagh appears to be a more substantial character who still warns Leon of the dangers ahead, but who seems to have a larger presence, remaining in the main hall after gifting you with a survival knife (and not a keycard).
Story events seem to be remixed as well. The beats we've seen so far are incredibly similar, with Leon reaching the police station, but the story progresses slightly differently. For example, you're forced to explore the Eastern side of the police station first before encountering Marvin, instead of meeting up with him first to unlock the doors to both the Western and Eastern sections.
How Will The Leon/Claire Campaigns Work?
One of the most unique aspects of the original Resident Evil 2 was how it separated its campaign; you had the option to start the game as either Leon or Claire. And depending on who you finished the campaign with, you could then start a new one from the other character's perspective. This closely tied into the Zapping System, where each of the two playable characters are confronted with different storylines and puzzles depending on the order you choose to play their scenarios. You had the option of starting the "A" scenario with either of the two protagonists and then completing their subsequent "B" scenario, resulting in a total of four different scenarios.
It appears that the remake won't use the Zapping System, but will instead offer a total of two completely separate campaigns starring Leon and Claire. It's unclear if your actions in either of the two campaigns will impact the other.
Will There Be VR Support?
Resident Evil 7 was one of the earliest big-budget games you could play entirely with a VR headset, so folks have been asking if Resident Evil 2 remake will receive the same treatment. Producers Tsuyoshi Kanda and Yoshiaki Hirabayashi confirmed that it was decided the game would not be playable in VR due to the third-person over-the-shoulder view.
Any Other Fancy New Features?
Similar to Resident Evil remake, whenever you're grabbed, you can instantly stab a zombie to push them away and avoid damage. Interestingly, your knife will remain in the body of the zombie until you pick it back up. We're curious what would happen if you left the knife in the zombie and carried on, as there also seem to be puzzles that involve using your knife. Are you forced to backtrack and retrieve it? Or are there multiple combat knives you can find? Time will tell.
As you explore the RPD, you'll get your hands on wooden boards that you can use to barricade doors and windows from zombies and other bioweapon threats. If the absence of loading screen doors hurts your sense of safety, then these new wooden boards can serve as a decent--albeit temporary--replacement.
Lastly, a gunpowder crafting mechanic is present, which allows you to create much-needed ammo from scratch. If it's anything like past games, you'll likely be relying on it to create the fancier ammo types needed to swiftly take down strong opponents.
New Screenshots
In time for GamesCom 2018, Capcom has released new screenshots showcasing Claire's campaign. Aside from the iconic heroine, you can get glimpses of Sherry Birkin, the mutated William Birkin, and the corrupt RPD Chief, Brian Irons.
What's In The Collector's Edition?
The collector's edition includes the already announced deluxe edition of the game, which is Resident Evil 2 with a special packaging design and an extra DLC pack. This includes two outfits for Leon and three for Claire, the Albert model of the Samurai Edge weapon, and a code to listen to the original music while playing the game, rather than the remaster's soundtrack.
The collector's edition also adds a 12-inch statue of Leon, a 32-page art book, a digital version of a 25-song soundtrack, and a Racoon City Police Department poster celebrating its conversion from museum to police station. It's all collected in an R.P.D. themed box. The collector's edition is a GameStop exclusive that can only be purchased in North American regions. It's priced at $200 in the U.S. and $240 in Canada.
What's The Release Date?
Resident Evil 2 remake will release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on January 25, 2019. That's not too far away, but gosh doesn't it just feel like an eternity?
We may be only in the middle of 2018, but there's already an exciting roster of games releasing in 2019. Highly-anticipated games like Anthem, Days Gone, and Kingdom Hearts III make up only a small number of what's ahead. And that's not to mention the all the big games recently revealed at E3, like Resident Evil 2 Remake, Gears 5, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which we can't wait to get our hands on. To help you keep track of all the games coming out next year, we've compiled a list of all the noteworthy release dates for the biggest ones confirmed to come out in 2019 so far.
More dates are sure to be confirmed as the year goes on, so be sure to check back often as we update this article with new additions or potential changes. But if you're looking for this year's release dates, you can also reference our feature on the game release dates of 2018.
Below you can find a list of the biggest games that don't have explicit release dates but are confirmed to release sometime in 2019. We'll be moving each of these games into the release date sections above as soon as official dates are announced.
Next week is shaping up to be a particularly busy one for Fortnite. Not only will it mark the start of the recently announced High Stakes event, developer Epic Games will also roll out Fortnite's new 5.40 patch, and it looks like it'll make some major changes to the popular battle royale game.
The studio outlined some of the incoming changes in a new developer update. First, the 5.40 patch is making some tweaks to the storm. Specifically, the edge of the storm will now deal damage to player structures "in the final phases" of the match. Epic says this change was made in an effort to "provide a little more dynamic gameplay" during the last stretch of the game.
Additionally, Epic has announced it is putting another weapon into the Vault with the 5.40 update. This time, the Revolver will be vaulted, effectively removing it from the game. "This is part of an initiative to keep the item pool feeling fresh and dynamic," Epic said. While that means players will no longer be able to find the weapon for the time being, Epic reiterates that it could always return to the game in the future.
Epic also teased that it is introducing a new "mobility item" as part of the 5.40 update, although the studio didn't provide any further details about it. Beyond that, Epic says it will increase the Remote Explosives rarity from Rare to Epic "to match its effectiveness," and it will tweak stack sizes for certain items when they drop, such as the Boogie Bomb. You can learn more about the 5.40 patch in Epic's developer update video.
Along with the 5.40 patch, Fortnite players have the aforementioned High Stakes event to look forward to next week. Epic hasn't shared many details about the event thus far, but it appears to be themed around gambling and heists and will encompass a new limited-time mode called Getaway, a new Wild Card skin, and a set of High Stakes challenges to complete.
After the amazing gaming year that was 2017, many wondered how well 2018 would turn out. Fortunately for everyone, it has been great. The first half of the year has yielded a wealth of fantastic games, and there's more on the horizon. Upcoming games for the rest of this 2018 include slew of hotly anticipated new games, like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man, and a whole lot more. To help you keep track of all the games coming out and what has already released, we've compiled a list of all the noteworthy release dates for the biggest ones confirmed to come out in 2018 so far.
Game release dates change all the time and new ones arrive every month. Be sure to bookmark this page, as we'll be updating this article with more release dates or any potential changes to any of the dates below. And if you're eager to figure out the release dates from games next year, you can also reference our feature on the game release dates of 2019.
Below you can find a list of the biggest games that don't have explicit release dates but are confirmed to release sometime this year. There are also games listed that we expect to launch in 2018. We'll be moving each of these games into the release date sections above as soon as official dates are announced.
When Sons of Anarchy ended in 2014, fans knew it wouldn't be the permanent end of this world infused with outlaw gangs, murder, mayhem, and a never-ending parade of custom motorcycles. Creator Kurt Sutter even teased future spin-offs and prequels to the series.
Now, nearly four years later, the first continuation of the franchise is ready for its debut. Mayans MC is set three years after the series finale of Sons of Anarchy and follows a chapter of the Latino gang first introduced on the original show. At its center is a member named Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes (JD Pardo). It's certainly not the same show, though. The location has moved south to the California border between the United States and Mexico and most of the faces, both in the club and otherwise, are new. Of course, that's not to say you won't see any characters from Sons of Anarchy make the jump toMayans MC.
The most notable is Marcus Alvarez (Emilio Rivera), the founder of the club and president of its Oakland chapter.
"Thank God for Emilio Rivera," showrunner Elgin James told GameSpot at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour. "If it wasn't for that dude, we wouldn't be here."
Still, just because faces from Sons of Anarchy could make their presence felt doesn't mean Mayans is a retread of the original. "What's really interesting is it's actually Kurt who asked [us to] the police that line," he said. "We're so in love with the mythology, and we're so in love with the world. While realizing that we have to stick our flag in the ground as a new show, we're also just such fans of what happened in the past."
Still, as much as they love the original show, there was one rule Sutter insisted on from the beginning. "The mythology couldn't be messed with," James admitted. "Like whatever happened with Sons, whatever happened there, there's no changing that. We couldn't do anything that would in any way have an effect on that universe."
Given that the series deals extensively with flashbacks to prior years, some of which will undoubtedly feature characters from Sons of Anarchy, that may prove to be a tricky line to walk. It's an important one, though, as Mayans MC strives to stand out from its predecessor.
One major change is the lack of a strong matriarch character. In Sons of Anarchy, Gemma Teller Morrow (Katey Sagal) essentially served as a mother to the entire club, though she was a twisted and vindictive one at times.
Mayans, too, featured a woman at the head of the Reyes family in its original pilot. However, after reshoots changed several details about the show, that character is now deceased. According to James, having that presence missing from the show and family makes for a more interesting story to tell.
"By removing that, we created this huge vacuum in a beautiful way," he said of the remaining members of the Reyes family. "We have these three men just clumsily trying to communicate with each other."
Another major difference is EZ himself. On Sons, Jax was introduced as the vice president of his club. In that position of power, his words carried a lot of weight with his brothers. The same can't be said of EZ, who is a mere prospect in the Mayans club, working to become a full member.
"There's nothing more American than for someone who starts as a bar back here in the Beverly Hilton and then in ten years owns a Beverly Hilton," James continued. "You know, that's the American dream. So that's what we're gonna have with our prospect. He's the lowest of the low and he's got quite a climb for him."
And it's a climb filled with twists and turns. After all, this isn't the life EZ imagined for himself. He at one point had a promising life ahead of him, but after several years in jail, he's simply trying to put the pieces of his life together. Thanks to his brother, that includes joining the Mayans MC.
"It's about being stuck between two worlds," James explained. "That's something we really wanted to do. Like EZ doesn't belong there, but he's from there. You know? We're actually on the border stuck between two worlds. He's not a club member, but he is."
The showrunner continued, "It's not the death of the American dream. But it's definitely the death of an American dream. And we're gonna get to see that and then realize that now he's gonna go on to the most American of dreams, which is the dream of becoming an outlaw."
Whether that dream is fully attainable, though, remains to be seen. Mayans MC premieres Tuesday, September 4, at 9 PM ET on FX.
A new month is nearly upon us, and The Pokemon Company is continuing its Year of Legendary Pokemon campaign with another pair of free Legendaries for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. During September, players will be able to claim one of the two Eon Pokemon from Ruby and Sapphire, Latios and Latias, but as usual, the way to get your hands on them will vary by region.
Once again, those who live in the US will need to go to a participating retailer to pick up a free download code for the Legendaries. This time, the code will be distributed at Best Buy stores around the country from September 2-29. Players in Europe and Australia, meanwhile, will be able to download the Legendaries directly from the Nintendo Network between September 1-23.
As usual, the Pokemon you receive will depend on which version you're playing. You can claim the Legendaries in any seventh-generation Pokemon game, but there's an added incentive to redeem them in the Ultra titles; not only will the Legendaries come at higher levels and know different moves, they'll be equipped with a Gold Bottle Cap, a rare item that can be exchanged to Hyper Train a Pokemon. You can see their movesets and other details below.
Pokemon Ultra Sun
Latias -- Level 100 (w/Gold Bottle Cap)
Mist Ball
Psychic
Draco Meteor
Tailwind
Pokemon Sun
Latias -- Level 60
Mist Ball
Dragon Pulse
Psycho Shift
Wish
Pokemon Ultra Moon
Latios -- Level 100 (w/Gold Bottle Cap)
Luster Purge
Psychic
Draco Meteor
Tailwind
Pokemon Moon
Latios -- Level 60
Luster Purge
Dragon Pulse
Psycho Shift
Dragon Breath
To get the Legendary, select Mystery Gift from the main menu and choose the option to receive your gift with a code/password. Enter the download code you picked up and the Pokemon will be downloaded into your game. (Players in Europe and Australia, meanwhile, will simply need to select the option to receive their gift via the internet.) Once those steps have been completed, you'll be able to pick your Legendary up from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center around Alola.
You also still have time to redeem your download code for August's free Legendaries, Groudon and Kyogre. If you still haven't picked one up, however, you're out of luck, as codes for the Ruby and Sapphire cover monsters were only being given away from GameStop stores until August 26. You can see all of the other free Pokemon available for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon right now in our roundup.
Activision has announced Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will introduce cosmetic variations of the base firearms called signature weapons. Two of the signature weapons can be unlocked before Black Ops 4 even releases, but you'll need to complete in-game challenges to get the rest.
Signature weapons do not provide any in-game benefits over the base weapons. Instead, they act as bragging rights. Most signatures are locked behind specific challenges that will test your skill in different ways. Completing different challenges nets you additional rewards, with the Mastercraft variant being the final and most difficult design for all signature weapons. If you run into another player with a Mastercraft version of a signature weapon, you'll have a better idea of just how skilled they are and how much time they've invested into Black Ops 4.
Two of the signature weapons can be unlocked without completing any in-game challenges. If you pre-order Black Ops 4's Digital Deluxe, Digital Deluxe Enhanced, Pro, or Mystery Box Editions you'll get a MX-9 signature weapon on day one that wraps the SMG in a golden eagle design. The Divinity Strife Pistol Signature Weapon can be unlocked day one by pre-ordering Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 from GameStop. One of Black Ops 4's other signature variants of the Strife pistol, the Divine Justice, can only be unlocked by completing in-game challenges with the Divinity. So if you want a heads start on the Divine Justice, you better pre-order Black Ops 4 from GameStop to get the Divinity.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches on October 12 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The beta for the game's battle royale mode, titled Blackout, starts on September 10 for PS4 and September 14 for Xbox One and PC.
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. [Update: After Week 7 challenges introduced the new stage-based approach to chest objectives, Week 8 has gone back to the old style of chest quests. That's disappointing, but you can still read about why it would be wise for Epic to adopt the newer style permanently below.]
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.
Capcom's popular monster hunting series arrived on Nintendo Switch this week with the worldwide release of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, an expanded port of 3DS's Monster Hunter Generations. If you've already sunk a considerable amount of time into the 3DS version and don't want to start over, you can transfer your progress to the Switch game and carry on with the same hunter. Doing so is a fairly straightforward process, but there are quite a few steps you'll need to follow, which is why we've put together this handy guide to help you along.
To transfer your 3DS save data to the new Switch game, you'll first need to install the Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate Save Data Transfer App on 3DS. You can download the app for free from the 3DS Eshop or directly on Nintendo's website. Once that has been installed, launch the Save Data Transfer App, then choose the option to link your 3DS and Switch systems. This will generate a transfer password. Be advised that you'll need to have an internet connection in order to generate a password.
Once that step has been completed, the Save Data Transfer App will display a new option that says "show transfer password." Select this, then choose the Data Transfer option from the main menu of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate on Switch. Select the option to link your 3DS and Switch, then input the transfer password when prompted to establish a link between the consoles.
With those preliminary steps out of the way, you'll now be able to actually send your save data over to the Switch game. Return to the Sava Data Transfer App on 3DS. Click the "save data transfer" option, then choose to send your data when prompted. Back on Switch, select Data Transfer from Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate's main menu once again and choose the option to "receive save data." Your progress will then be carried over.
Once you've transferred your save file, you'll be able to use your same hunter and equipment in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate on Switch. While most of your data carries over, there are a small handful of exceptions, such as Hunters for Hire quest and Meownster Hunter expedition progress. You can read more about the process on the official Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate website.
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch. GameSpot awarded it a 7/10 in our Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate review and said, "Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate game is not for the faint of heart. It is a commitment, and it's not something that you genuinely play casually. You can sink dozens of hours into the game and still not get close to conquering the full set of monsters contained within. For those that are down for such an extraordinary adventure, there's more than enough here to thrill and delight."
Are you running out of things to watch on Amazon Prime? Well, September is almost here, and that means there is a whole slew of new TV shows, movies, and Prime Originals for you to binge in your free time. Here is what you have to look forward to in September.
For new movies coming to the service that you may have missed in theaters, September 29 marks the arrival of the horror movie Jigsaw, which is part of the gruesome Saw franchise. There is also Escape Plan 2--which wasn't in theaters--and while the movie's focus isn't on Sylvester Stallone as much as we'd thought it would be, it's still a solid action movie.
If you're looking something from the past, Amazon has a ton of movies you'll want to rewatch including Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, arriving on September 1. If you're getting ready a bit early for Halloween, there a few horror movies as well, including Pumpkinhead, Poltergeist II, the original The Amityville Horror, and the 1989 Adam Sandler movie Going Overboard, which may be the scariest of them all. Check out the complete list of everything coming to Amazon Prime in September below.
Everything Coming To Amazon Prime In September 2018
September 1
Asylum, Season 1
The Blue Rose, Season 1
The Broker's Man, Seasons 1-2
The Field of Blood, Seasons 1-2
Golden, Season 1
The Kevin Bishop Show, Season 2
London Irish, Season 1
The Palace, Season 1
Parents, Season 1
Rocket's Island, Seasons 1-3
Sam's Game, Season 1
Texas Rising, Season 1
The Triangle, Season 1
Trust, Season 1
Westside, Seasons 1-3
Wild at Heart, Seasons 1-8
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
A Field in England (2013)
A Good Woman (2006)
A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)
A Murder of Crows (1999)
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures (2010)
A Turtle's Tale 2: Sammy's Escape from Paradise (2012)
All You Can Eat Buddha (2017)
Bandits (2001)
Beowulf (2007)
Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
Blow Out (1981)
Bolero (1984)
Can't Stand Losing You: Surviving the Police (2012)
Hello Games founder Sean Murray has written a blog post on the No Man's Sky website that details the changes included in the game's newest update. The update is live across all platforms.
If you've completed the first space anomaly mission in No Man's Sky, then the next time you log in you'll receive a message to help specialist Polo and priest entity Nada explore a previously undetected corner of the universe. According to Murray, "The first chapter of Polo's research project examines a specific corner of the galaxy, where strange objects have begun spawning underground. Dedicated explorers who excavate and return them to the Space Anomaly will be rewarded with Quicksilver. Polo has constructed a new robotic companion to process this valuable substance into exclusive exotic collectables."
For this first week, Polo's robot will offer you the choice of six new base building parts, three decals, a new emote, and a new character customization. Your choice of rewards will expand in the coming weeks to over 50 different items, and you'll find new ways to earn Quicksilver too.
The Galactic Atlas, a website that launched in tandem with No Man's Sky Next, has new features based on what players answered in a survey. When you log into the Galactic Atlas, you can now see:
New regional hubs submitted by Next explorers, including official community links for those who would like to join, as well as Euclid portal addresses for explorers who would simply like to visit.
Discovery progress for all regional hubs, revealing how many bases have been claimed in each region, as well as how much space is yet to be discovered.
The names of the current leading explorers for each regional hub.
An indication of where the first community research mission is taking place within the galaxy.
The final batch of Atlas Rises POIs, completing this archive of memories.
No Man's Sky's Patch 1.58 is also officially live across Xbox One, PS4, and PC and it addresses most of the issues the Hello Games team has been handling with hot fixes since the Next update. The full patch notes can be found in the same blog post described above, but we've outlined them here as well.
No Man's Sky Patch 1.58
Added user permissions for multiplayer, on a per-save slot basis. Settings for visibility, damage + base editing can be customized to apply to all players, friends only, or no-one.
Improved the terrain edit saving system, reducing the chance of terrain regenerating. Further improvements to this system are in progress.
Improved the visuals of player starship trails.
Added archaeology missions to the available pool of missions from planetary NPCs.
Fixed an issue that could prevent players with very large save games from saving.
Fixed a number of issues that prevented save games from loading.
Fixed an issue that incorrectly synced information in multiplayer.
Fixed a number of issues that could cause mission markers to be attached to the wrong destination.
Fixed a number of issues around the refiner and general inventory systems. Improved the pick and drop system of inventory management.
Fixed an issue that caused visual glitches in clouds at higher resolutions.
Fixed occasional crash in geometry streaming when exiting planet atmosphere.
Fixed issue where cloud shadows would interfere with reflection rendering.
Improved consistency between tessellated and non-tessellated terrains.
Improved performance when leaving planets.
Various memory savings, improving overall stability.
Various performance optimizations.
Fixed an issue that could prevent players from going through black holes.
Fixed an issue where players were able to warp and get stuck on the other side of a portal.
Fixed an issue where players were able to enter their freighter base when it was not loaded in memory.
Fixed an issue where players could start their game in inappropriate systems when starting in multiplayer.
Fixed an issue that could cause vast numbers of Sentinel Drones to spawn.
Fixed an issue that prevented players with pre-NEXT saves from fully upgrading their Exosuit.
Fixed an issue where freighter crew would change race on warp.
Fixed an issue where player ships could spawn on the same landing pad in multiplayer.
Fixed a number of cases where freighter battles were not correctly synced in multiplayer.
Fixed an issue where players were not able to land on other player's freighters.
Fixed a number of issues affecting the interaction with captains of freighters not owned by the player.
Fixed an issue that caused expedition length, difficulty and rewards to scale incorrectly relative to the power of the player's fleet.
Fixed an issue that caused players to exit their ships / exocraft while tagging a marker.
Fixed an issue where ships landed on freighters to be labelled ON PLANET.
Fixed an issue that caused player ships to have incorrect information when viewed through the Analysis Visor.
Fixed an issue that could cause Sentinels to appear as undiscovered creatures when viewed through the Analysis Visor.
Fixed the axes used to calculate planet coordinates shown on the Analysis Visor.
Prevented players with freighters from warping other players in multiplayer to systems they would get stuck in.
Fixed an issue where the freighter dock lights were not correctly lit/unlit when a save was loaded on a freighter.
Sony has revealed the timed exclusive PS4 content included in the upcoming Forsaken expansion for Destiny 2. If you own Destiny 2 on PS4 and you buy Forsaken, you'll get access to a new armor set for each class, an Exotic weapon, a ship, and a Strike. This content will unlock for Xbox One and PC players sometime in Fall 2019.
Sony Interactive social media manager Justin Massongill detailed the PS4 exclusive content on the PlayStation Blog. In terms of armor sets, players will receive the Thorium Holt for Warlock, Red Moon Phantom for Hunter, and Mimetic Savior for Titan. All three have very muted default color schemes of black and silver, although Red Moon Phantom does have splashes of vibrant blue and red.
The new Exotic weapon, Wavesplitter, fires an energy beam that can be shot at three different power levels. Holding down the trigger increases the laser's size and damage output. Collecting an Orb of Light immediately powers the Wavesplitter to full strength, so keep that in mind if you add the firearm to your loadout.
The new ship is called the Great Beyond, which is described as such: "It comes from an undiscovered country from which no explorer has returned ... until now." The new Strike, titled Broodhold, pushes you to explore the furthest depths of the Tangled Shore to destroy a Hive infestation. The mission ends with a fight against the nightmarish Hive Brood Queen.
Destiny 2 is currently free on PS Plus if you want to pick up the game prior to Forsaken's launch on September 4. If you pre-order Forsaken--on any platform--you'll unlock a 24-hour trial of the new Gambit mode on September 1. In preparation for the new expansion, Bungie has already released an update which adds five huge changes to Destiny 2.
After Forsaken, Bungie has a whole year's worth of content planned out for Destiny 2, with two different paths depending on whether you're willing to pay.
It's no secret that there are plenty of people who aren't happy about the first-person perspective for Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt Red knows about it, and is looking into solutions to help people overcome their dislike for the first-person view. That being said, the developer isn't changing it. First-person is here to stay.
In an interview with DualShockers, CD Projekt Red quest designer Patrick Mills said the team is remaining firm in their decision. Mills added that CD Projekt Red is working on implementing features to help the "small number of people who can't play first-person for a variety of reasons."
CD Projekt Red's decision to keep the game first-person comes as no surprise. The developer has regularly discussed the freedom players will have in the upcoming RPG and how the perspective works with that freedom to create a more immersive experience.
The first public showcase of Cyberpunk 2077's gameplay is a 48-minute demo that covers how character mods and ability upgrades work, what it's like to explore the game's world, and what high-level combat abilities and boss battles look like. Outside of the demo, CD Projekt Red has been keeping most details about Cyberpunk 2077 close to the chest. The developer hasn't even hinted at when the release date might be.
Cyberpunk 2077 is scheduled to launch on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
Xbox has announced a limited edition Shadow of the Tomb Raider-themed Xbox One X console. There's only one in the world.
The console is being sold on Ebay, with all proceeds going to Best Friends, a national animal welfare organization. The starting price was $1000, but several bidders tripled that number within hours. The bidding period ends on September 5 at 6:00 AM PT / 9:00 AM ET. The Xbox One X comes with an accompanying controller as well as a digital copy of Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider concludes Square Enix's rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy. The game marks the darkest period of Lara's evolution. Her internal conflict will lead her to try and fix problems she shouldn't be trying to solve, making her into somewhat of a villain of her own story. But by the end, she'll experience the defining moment that transforms her into a legend.
Despite the darker tone, Shadow of the Tomb Raider plays a lot like 2013's Tomb Raider and 2015's Rise of the Tomb Raider, for better and for worse. You'll recognize the same moments of climbing and shooting from the previous two games, as well as the brutal punishments that Lara will have to endure, from heated firefights to devastating tsunamis. The game comes in four different editions, all of which are available for pre-order.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider launches on September 14 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
Forsaken, the next expansion for Destiny 2, arrives on September 4. Bungie has now revealed a new ViDoc (above) and the planned roadmap of DLC content that will come to Destiny 2 after Forsaken has arrived. There are two different paths of content depending on whether you want to spend more money on Destiny 2, which you can get for free right now with PS Plus.
Forsaken kicks off Destiny 2's fall season, which runs from September through November and is called Season of the Outlaw. On September 1, you can play Gambit as part of a 24-hour trial if you pre-order Forsaken. Forsaken officially launches three days later, and the expansion's raid, titled Last Wish, goes live on September 14. On September 18, Iron Banner returns and The Convergence map is added to the Crucible. The Breakthrough multiplayer mode comes to Crucible on September 25, along with some more maps. Festival of the Lost returns in October, but Bungie is promising a twist this time around. Continued updates and surprises will be patched into Destiny 2 throughout November.
From there, Destiny 2's roadmap splits. Each season will run three months long. What you get depends on whether you're willing to pay. All Destiny 2 players get add-ons from the free seasonal updates path. Paying for the annual pass unlocks a different string of exclusive content.
Starting in December 2018's Season of the Forge, everyone will have access to The Dawning event, as well as season rankings, the Iron Banner, new Crucible content, and new weapons--including the return of heavy machine guns. Annual pass holders get access to the Black Armory, which includes Light and Fury weapons, as well as the new Forges of the Chain activity, a Raid Lair, exotics, legendaries, and bonus rewards.
This pattern continues into Spring 2019's Season of the Drifter and Summer 2019's unnamed season, with new weapons and events unlocking for all players, and exotics, legendaries, and new activities to complete unlocking for annual pass holders. You can see the full roadmap on Bungie's blog. Bungie is keeping some of the information purposively vague for now in order to surprise Destiny 2's players down the line. In the meantime, see the big changes in Destiny 2's newest update.
Referred to as "starter pack" versions of the games, each bundle includes both the game and a colored strategy guide to help players. Nintendo hasn't revealed what's exactly inside the guide, so it could be as simple as a collection of tips for getting started or as complex as a series of maps to every collectible and in-game secret. The company hasn't revealed whether the Breath of the Wild or Splatoon 2 bundles include their respective title's DLC expansions either. We're following up with Nintendo PR in hopes of finding out.
Also on September 28, three new New Nintendo 2DS XL handhelds are launching, each for $150. The new handhelds come in purple and silver, black and turquoise, and orange and white. Each one comes with Mario Kart 7 preinstalled as well.
Nintendo also announced 22 new games coming to Switch over the next several months. The most surprising among them is Into the Breach. Previously a PC exclusive, this turn-based strategy game is one of our favorites from 2018, even scoring a 9/10 in our review. You can buy it right now for $15/£11.39 on the Nintendo Eshop.
The next major exclusive for the PlayStation 4 is almost here. Spider-Man launches on September 7, and plenty of people are excited to get their hands on Peter Parker's latest adventure. A few of us have been playing early copies of the game for the past week and compiling our impressions, but you'll have to wait a little longer before you can read them.
The embargo date for Spider-Man reviews is Tuesday, September 4 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET / 3 PM BST (that's midnight in Sydney). You'll have to wait until then for our final thoughts on the game. That gives you three days to quickly change your mind over whether or not you want to pre-order the game if you were waiting on our review. Insomniac Games has already let a few details about Spider-Man slip prior to the embargo date, such as the game taking 20 hours to beat and the first DLC expansion launching on October 23.
For more information, you can read up on everything we've covered concerning Spider-Man from previous trailers, gameplay demos, interviews, and stage presentations. Kallie flew to Los Angeles to get a hands-on demo playing as Mary Jane Watson, whose levels are something you should be looking forward to, as well as interview Spider-Man's creative director Bryan Intihar. Edmond played a demo of the opening hours and found a lot of mechanics that players will like about Spider-Man, while also noticing a few annoying details.
At this past E3, we all agreed that Spider-Man gets the feel of our favorite wall-crawler just right. We also got our first look at Spidey's new Sinister Six--which is composed of Electro, Scorpion, Vulture, Shocker, Rhino and (probably) Doctor Octopus--in a new gameplay trailer. At Comic-Con, Spider-Man's enemies were expanded to include a task force led by Silver Sable that's been ordered to hunt him down.
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.
Washbear Studio has announced that the developer's dinosaur-themed park tycoon simulation game, Parkasaurus, is entering Early Access. The title costs $20/€20.
Parkasaurus plays out like a goofy Jurassic Park where you're primarily responsible for designing the dinosaur exhibits and taking care of the needs of your customers. At the game's launch, you'll have access to 80 buildable items, four different employee types, and 24 dinosaurs. Washbear Studio has more planned.
Every dino begins life as an egg, which you must hatch and raise to adulthood. To help you keep track of every dinosaur under your care--and to add some creative flair--you can accessorize your assortment of reptiles with sunglasses, neckties, and beanies.
You have complete control of your park, from the biome systems to guest attractions. Visitors will leave reviews based on their time under your care, and it's up to you to decide whether you listen to their advice when building further park improvements. You do have to turn a profit to afford more expensive accessories or buildable items, so it's in your best interest to listen to what they have to say. If all else fails, you can cut your losses and unleash your hungry predators upon the populace. No customers, no complaints.
Parkasaurus is currently only scheduled for PC and comes to Steam Early Access on September 25. There is no planned console release.
It's not quite September yet, but Xbox Live Gold subscribers can already download the new Games with Gold for September 2018. The games are Prison Architect for Xbox One and Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars for Xbox 360 (also playable on Xbox One). The former is free through the end of September, while the latter is free through September 15.
As you can probably tell from the title, Prison Architect puts you in charge of a prison. You get to design the layout of the building and manage how the occupants are treated. You can aim to make your prison a pleasant place designed to rehabilitate the criminals within, or you can give into your darker urges and inspire things like arson, murders, and riots.
Also available for free between now and September 15 is Ubisoft's medieval brawler For Honor. This fall it's getting a free major update with a new faction and a castle siege mode, so be sure to pick it up if you haven't yet.
After Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars goes back to full price, you'll be able to get the 360 game Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World September 16-30. The other mid-month addition is the Xbox One game Livelock, which will be available September 16 - October 15.
And if you hurry, you can pick up August's remaining freebies before they go back to full price September 1. Forza Horizon 2 is still available for free (it will be delisted from the Xbox Store on September 30), as is Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.
Games With Gold: September 2018
Xbox One
Prison Architect (September 1-30)
For Honor (August 16-September 15)
Livelock (September 16-October 15)
Xbox 360
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (September 1-15)
Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World (September 16-30)
Insomniac Games community director James Stevenson has revealed PS4's Spider-Man takes about 20 hours to beat. Stevenson unveiled the number when answering an inquisitive player's question on Twitter.
It's worth noting that 20 hours is the average taken from multiple play testers. Stevenson wrote that 20 hours is about how long it takes for someone to beat Spider-Man on the default difficulty and only when completing some quests and activities. Those that do more will take "a lot longer." So the 20 hour mark is for the average player who's not looking to test themselves against the game's most challenging combat or complete every optional objective.
To provide a comparison, most of Insomniac's games are about 10 hours long. One of the more notable exceptions is 2014's Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive--just under 20 hours on the default difficulty if you only do some of the side missions and gather a few of the collectibles. So Spider-Man is much closer in length to Sunset Overdrive than Insomniac's other titles, like Resistance 3, Fuse, or 2016's Ratchet & Clank. If you were hoping to beat Spider-Man in a weekend so you could get back to chipping at your backlog, it seems totally plausible.
September is upon us--that wonderful month when so many of us begin our struggle of going back to school. On the bright side, Netflix is introducing a load of new movies, TV shows, and original series for when you have time for some weekend binge sessions. There's a lot of new stuff to look out for in the coming weeks, although we're losing quite a few movies and series as well. Here's the full rundown on what's new and leaving in September 2018.
The big addition in September is Black Panther, the Marvel superhero movie that took the world by storm this past February. If you happened to miss out on this celebration of African culture--which we described as "a top tier Marvel movie with all the humor, style, action, passion, and fun that the MCU has come to embody" in our Black Panther review--then now's your chance. Other film highlights coming in September are Groundhog Day, Scarface, Bruce Almighty, The Breakfast Club, Lilo & Stitch, The Emperor's New Groove, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Netflix exclusive Next Gen.
The list of new TV shows isn't as impressively large, but there are a few stellar options being added. Both Bojack Horseman and Stranger Things are getting new seasons. If you like staying appraised of everything going on in the MCU, Iron Fist is also returning another season.
If animation is your thing, new anime series Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan--about a rookie air force pilot who finds herself being chosen as the destined rider for an actual dragon--and animated series The Dragon Prince--which is created by the same folks behind Avatar: The Last Airbender--debut on Netflix this September.
Of the movies and TV shows being removed, Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are the two noticeable standouts. If you want to watch either movie again, do so soon before they're gone for good.
Arriving in September
September 1
Unforgiven
10,000 B.C.
Another Cinderella Story
Assassins
August Rush
Bruce Almighty
Delirium
Fair Game
Groundhog Day
King Kong
La Catedral del Mar
Martian Child
Monkey Twins
Mr. Sunshine
Nacho Libre
Pearl Harbor
Scarface
Sisters
Spider-Man 3
Stephanie
Summer Catch
Sydney White
The Ant Bully
The Breakfast Club
The Cider House Rules
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Keeping Hours
The River Wild
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
Two Weeks Notice
September 2
Lilo & Stitch
The Emperor's New Groove
Maynard
Quantico: Season 3
September 3
A Taiwanese Tale of Two Cities
September 4
Black Panther
September 5
Van Helsing: Season 2
Wentworth: Season 6
September 6
Once Upon a Time: Season 7
September 7
Atypical: Season 2
Cable Girls: Season 3
City of Joy
Click
First and Last
Iron Fist: Season 2
Next Gen
Sierra Burgess Is A Loser
Stretch Armstrong & the Flex Fighters: Season 2
The Most Assassinated Woman in the World
September 10
Call the Midwife: Series 7
September 11
Daniel Sloss: Live Shows
The Resistance Banker
September 12
Blacklist: Season 5
Life
On My Skin
September 14
American Vandal: Season 2
Bleach
Boca Juniors Confidential
BoJack Horseman: Season 5
Car Masters: Rust to Riches
Ingobernable: Season 2
Last Hope
Norm Macdonald has a Show
Super Monsters Monster Party: Songs
The Angel
The Dragon Prince
The Land of Steady Habits
The World's Most Extraordinary Homes: Season 2 Part A
September 15
Inside The Freemasons: Season 1
September 16
Role Models
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
September 17
The VVitch
September 18
American Horror Story: Cult
D.L. Hughley: Contrarian
September 21
Battlefish
Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan
Hilda
Maniac: Limited Series
Nappily Ever After
Quincy
The Good Cop
September 23
The Walking Dead: Season 8
September 25
A Wrinkle in Time
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
September 26
Norsemen: Season 2
The Hurricane Heist
September 28
Chef's Table: Volume 5
El Marginal: Season 2
Forest of Piano
Hold the Dark
Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father: Season 2
Lessons From A School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane
Lost Song
Made in Mexico
Reboot: The Guardian Code: Season 2
Skylanders Academy: Season 3
The 3rd Eye
Two Catalonias
September 30
Big Miracle
Last Call
Leaving in September
September 1
13 Going on 30
A Royal Night Out
Batman Begins
Casino
Dead Poets Society
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Exporting Raymond
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Ghostbusters
Hachi: A Dog's Tale
Hotel for Dogs
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
It Might Get Loud
Joyful Noise
Just Friends
Lockup: County Jails: Collection 1
Man on Wire
Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild
The Assets
The Bucket List
The Dark Knight
The Descent
The Descent: Part 2
September 2
Outsourced
Waffle Street
September 11
Rules of Engagement: Seasons 1 - 7
September 14
Pete's Dragon
September 15
A Star Is Born
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Bordertown
September 16
Are You Here
Jackass 3.5: The Unrated Movie
Moonrise Kingdom
September 24
Iris
September 28
The Imitation Game
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