Square Enix finally released a new Final Fantasy VII remake trailer during Sony's State of Play presentation on Thursday. While light on new details, the video did give us another look at how the highly anticipated PS4 remake is shaping up, and now the publisher has shared a few more tidbits about the game.
Following the State of Play broadcast, Square Enix sent out a Japanese press release about the new Final Fantasy VII remake trailer. According to Siliconera, the press release reaffirms that the remake will be a "multi-part production," and that more information about the game will be revealed in June, presumably during Square Enix's E3 press conference.
The Final Fantasy VII remake was first announced during Sony's E3 2015 press conference, but since then, details about the game have been scarce. One aspect that Square Enix did confirm soon after the game's reveal, however, was that it would be released in installments. The company further elaborated on this remark, clarifying the remake would be made up of multiple, full-sized games instead of a series of smaller episodes.
"It will essentially be a full scale game for each part of the multi-part series," producer Yoshinori Kitase told Game Informer in 2016, likening the production to Final Fantasy XIII. "In XIII, each installment told the story from a different angle. It was kind of like approaching an unknown territory in a sense.
"Whereas with Final Fantasy VII Remake, we already have a preexisting story, so it wouldn't really make sense if that isn't encompassed in a multi-part series... So if we're just looking at each of these parts, one part should be on par with the scale of one Final Fantasy XIII game."
Following Thursday's presentation, the official Final Fantasy Twitter account shared a message from Final Fantasy VII remake director Tetsuya Nomura, reiterating that more details about the game are on the way soon. "Most of the plans are already in place in the run up to launch, so please bear with us a little longer until we can release more information next month," the message read.
The Final Fantasy VII remake is still without a release date, but it looks like the publisher is gearing up to finally pull back the curtain on the game. Square Enix's E3 press conference takes place on Monday, June 10, at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET--the time slot Sony's E3 briefing traditionally occupies. Of course, the company isn't using that slot this year, as it announced back in November that it is skipping E3 2019.
The weekend is shaping up to be a good one for gamers. In addition to Steam's free PC game offerings, you can also save money on dozens of PS4 games in the PlayStation Store this weekend. The flash sale just went live, so you can go take a look at all the deals available.
Several EA sports titles are considerably cheaper, such as Madden NFL 19 for $15, and FIFA 19 and NHL 19 for $18 each. Guacamelee 2's Complete edition is notably on sale for $13.79, and fans of Quantic Dream games may want to snag the Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls bundle selling for $20.
As "flash sale" implies, these deals won't stick around long--they'll be available now through Monday, May 13, at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET. So grab the games you want--and while you're at it, check out the rest of this week's best PS4 deals.
Marvel Studios disrupted its decade-long tradition of including a post-credits teaser for its next movie for the first time in Avenger: Endgame. Rather than getting a glimpse into whatever the MCU had waiting in the wings, fans sat through Endgame's credits to be treated only to the Marvel Studios logo and the clang-clang-clang sound effect of Tony Stark's hammer forging his Iron Man armor. No "The Avengers will return" message, no playful post-battle dinner break, just the slightest nod to the origins of the franchise to send audiences on their way.
It was the right choice, according to GameSpot's Mat Elfring, who wrote, "Aside from the fact that this all brings a natural conclusion to the Infinity Saga, even though Spider-Man: Far From Home ends Phase 3 now, we don't need to see what comes next because we get great resolutions during the final moments of the movie. We don't need to be hyped up for the next movie because the focus at the end of Endgame should be on where our favorite heroes end up before the credits roll."
Except, that won't be the case for much longer. According to Deadline, starting this weekend the new Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer will now take the place of the solemn post-credits void. Released earlier this week complete with a "spoiler warning" given by Peter Parker himself, Tom Holland, the trailer sets up a few interesting things in the MCU--a multiverse, for one, and the fall out of a post-Tony Stark world, for another. It also provided us with a more in depth look at Jake Gyllenhaal's new potential villain, Quentin Beck aka Mysterio.
Before the movie, Holland's message will play--not as a spoiler warning for Endgame, but as a reminder to "stick around after the movie" for a preview of Far From Home.
Spider-Man: Far From Home hits theaters on July 2.
Epic Games has announced it's hosting a Fortnite party just after E3 2019. The two-day event will start on June 15 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Though not officially tied to E3, it is relatively close to the Los Angeles Convention Center and takes place just a couple days after E3--and its press conferences--end. If you're already going to the industry event you may want to stay a couple days to relax and party.
The event will kick off with a Creative tournament on June 15 featuring celebrities and streamers. That tourney will include a new player-made game designed just for the event. Then on June 16, the event will host the Celebrity Pro-Am. Planned attendees include Ninja, Brendon Urie from Panic! At The Disco, Dillon Francis, KittyPlays, Cray and Jordan Fisher.
Pre-sale registration through Ticketmaster is now open, which will register you as a "Verified Fan" and gain you access to the sale period. That will put you in the pool to be notified about the ticket sales, to begin later. Battlepass pre-sale tickets will begin on Saturday, May 11 at 10 AM PT through Monday, May 13. Then Verified Fan pre-sales will begin on Wednesday, May 15 at 10 AM PT and run through Thursday, May 16. General public sales will begin the next day.
Tickets for the event will start at $35, and includes both days of events and tournaments along with other themed Fortnite activities like ziplining and Fortnite Mini Golf. You can even eat at Durr Burger, Pizza Pete's, and Sofdeez Ice Cream Shop.
In the game proper, Fortnite Season 9 has just kicked off with a new futuristic theme. You can see the new skins and goodies and what's changed for this season, and check out our challenge guide to unlock all the loot. There also appears to be another movie-themed mode on the way, after a leak of a John Wick update.
After a very long Wrestlemania, it's been nice to have a little break between PPVs. However, we're just days away from WWE's next event, Money in the Bank. Superstars from Raw and Smackdown will compete in a multitude of matches building from stories that took place on the two WWE programs, whose brand split is decreasing in importance.
The latest major show from WWE will feature two matches in which multiple competitors all trying to reach a championship contract in a gold briefcase at the top of the ladder. And while the focus of this PPV will be that match, there is a whole lot more going on at the show.
Something fantastic happening at this show is that a WWE superstar will be competing in two one-on-one matches, and to the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that's ever happened for a woman in the company at a PPV. That woman is Becky Lynch who will be defending both her Raw Women's Championship and Smackdown Women's Championships in two matches during the evening. There are a few other titles on the line during the evening, and a cage match which should be a lot of fun as The Miz and Shane McMahon continue their rivalry.
When and Where
This year's Money in the Bank (MITB) PPV will take place on Sunday, May 25 at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Here are the show times:
4 PM PT
6 PM C
7 PM ET
12 AM BST (May 20)
9 AM AET (May 20)
Like all major WWE events, there will be a Kickoff Show, which will begin one hour prior. There will be at least one match on the Kickoff, but as of this writing, it has not been announced yet.
How to Watch
If you're looking to watch the Kickoff Show for MITB, you can catch it live on WWE's YouTube page, which begins one hour before--at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET / 11 PM BST--the main card. As for the PPV, you can buy it through your local cable or satellite provider and purchase the show, or you can get it--and the Kickoff Show--through the WWE Network, which costs $10 a month. However, WWE will let new subscribers enjoy the streaming service for one month for free, so in theory
Money in the Bank Match Card:
Although it's a little more than a week away, there are already 10 matches on the card, as of this writing. We are relatively sure the Intercontinental Championship will not be defended at MITB, as current champion Finn Bálor is already involved in the ladder match. In addition, there have been no announcements for any matches involving the tag team championships (Raw, Smackdown, and Women's). Considering this is already a stacked card, we're hoping there isn't a lot more added.
Tony Nese (c) to battle Ariya Daivari (Cruiserweight Championship)
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio (United States Championship)
Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Andrade, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, Finn Bálor, Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, Mustafa Ali, and Randy Orton
Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Ember Moon, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Alexa Bliss, Bayley, Natalya, Naomi, and Carmella
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lacey Evans (Raw Women's Championship)
The Miz vs. Shane McMahon (Steel Cage Match)
Roman Reigns vs. Elias
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Kevin Owens (WWE Championship)
Seth Rollins (c) vs. AJ Styles (Universal Championship)
Becky Lynch (c) vs Charlotte Flair (Smackdown Women's Championship)
Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, May 19 for live coverage and a review of the PPV. For more on MITB, check out every contract winner in WWE history.
Rage 2 will allow you to get a little help from your friends--or at least, your viewers. When the game launches next week, a Twitch extension will allow viewers to help out when the wasteland puts you into a tight spot, or just add some more flavor to the game world.
If you die in the game, viewers can help by playing the defibrillation mini-game to bring you back to life and impact your health total. If enough people participate, they could even bring you back to life with full health. The other application of the extension will pull viewer names for the other participants in an in-game race.
"We have integrated the Twitch extension into our game to try to encourage streaming," id studio director Tim Willits told GameSpot. "Open world games are not really streamed as much as you would think. But we feel that with both the nature of the gameplay of Rage 2, and some of the fun stuff that we added in, we're hoping to draw some more streamers."
Willits commented that we may see more extensions added after launch, as well as rewards for those who view the game and participate in the streams with the extensions.
"Yes sir," he said, in response to the addition of more extension functionality. "We'll also have some drops. We're working on the drops for people who participate, and that will be like weapons skins, wing stick skins, stuff like that. Like I talked about before we just wanted to see what people are gravitating towards, and if we find that streamers are enjoying streaming the game, we'll definitely try to add some of those in with some of our live updates. If it takes off we're going to chase as much as we can. If we can get viewers to participate more, and I do believe this is actually the future of gaming to have viewers participate more in the experience."
Willits also said that the studio's approach to extensions was partially influenced by his experience with Quake Champions. He expects that having some elements of randomness introduced by the game and extension should draw in more viewers than a usual open-world action game.
"You have the whole intro is a great time for streamers to talk about their strategy, and to talk about how they work with their teams, and they jump in," he said. "So games need a little bit of downtime, for lack of a better word, that allows people to talk, and to kind of slow the pace down a little bit, so they can explain to the viewers what they're doing. And this action that's different from watching the same thing over and over again.
"Like normal classic linear first-person games, you know once you watch someone play it once, you're done. So hopefully with the randomness of Rage 2 and some kind of fun extensions--they're not super overly complex extensions--but they should be fun enough to draw some people in."
Rage 2 launches on May 14 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Check out our pre-order guide for more details.
Rage 2 is adding a few special Twitch extensions that will let viewers participate in the action, with more with more potentially on the way for Rage 2. Tim Willits, studio director at id Software, indicated there could also be more to come for other games, based on how this trial run goes.
Asked if id Software games going forward will use Twitch extensions, Willits joked about "the big elephant in the room"--presumably referring to Doom Eternal. "Yes, we're definitely looking at all things like that," he told GameSpot. "But we'll see how it goes for Rage 2."
In fact, Willits thinks that more seamless and open participation between players and viewers is going to become an ongoing trend in the years to come. This echoes similar comments from Google about its new Stadia platform--which is notably getting Doom Eternal.
"That's really the ultimate goal in these types of things," he said. "And I believe looking at the industry, and even looking at how we approach games and game design, you know game developers will look more at how the game is streamed, what streamers can do, and then how those viewers can participate. So I think we've scratched the surface and you'll see a lot more of that in the coming years."
In the case of Rage 2, the extension has two functions at launch: to allow viewers to revive you through a defibrillation mini-game, and to place viewer names as opponents in the post-apocalyptic races. Willits did say the studio is planning to develop more Twitch extension functionality post-launch, and that it will be watching player and streamer trends to see what kinds of functions could be built. He also said that viewers who participate will get some drops in their own games like weapon skins.
Rage 2 launches on May 14 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Check out our pre-order guide for more details.
Destiny 2 got a surprise new mission with its last patch, Update 2.2.2, and with it, a new Exotic weapon: Outbreak Perfected, a new version of the Destiny 1 pulse rifle Outbreak Prime. Getting the gun is a bit of a struggle, though (we created an Outbreak Prime guide to help you out), so if you're itching for Exotics but can't get through the mission, good news: Xur's back for a limited time, with a new Exotic inventory.
Head to the Tower to find Xur and his latest offerings. You'll find him in the Hangar, parked behind the Dead Orbit area up on a catwalk. Turn left from the door and head to the back of the area where you'll see some stairs; climb them and you'll run right up to Xur.
You can snag The Colony from Xur this week, an Exotic grenade launcher that's almost irritatingly effective in the Crucible. It fires Insectoid Robot Grenades that run along the ground, tracking targets and blowing them up--a perfect fire-and-forget Power weapon. For armor, Xur has Young Ahamkara Spine for Hunters, a set of Exotic gauntlets that increase the duration and blast radius of your Tripmine Grenades, and give you grenade energy when you make ability kills. Warlocks can grab the Eye of Another World helmet, which increases the regeneration speed of your grenade, melee, and Rift abilities, while also highlighting priority targets. Finally, for Titans, there's the Mask of the Quiet One helmet. It gives you ability energy when you take damage and regenerates your health when you make kills while critically wounded.
Here are all the Exotics Xur offers this week and what they'll cost you:
The Colony (Exotic grenade launcher) -- 29 Legendary Shards
Mask of the Quiet One (Exotic Titan helmet) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Young Ahamkara Spine (Exotic Hunter gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Eye of Another World (Exotic Warlock helmet) -- 23 Legendary Shards
If nothing Xur has strikes your fancy, you can also purchase a Fated Engram from Xur. Thanks to a recent update, Fated Engrams can now dish out Exotics from the Forsaken expansion, as well as from the original Year One group (but not from the Black Armory or the Jokers Wild expansions). Grabbing one of the engrams gives you a random Exotic that you don't already have--if you can afford it. Fated Engrams will run you 97 Legendary Shards, and you can only get one per account each week. Xur also offers the Five of Swords challenge card for free, which allows you to add difficulty modifiers that increase your score in Nightfall runs.
Finally, if you haven't completed your crop of Invitation of the Nine weekly bounties, you can snag one from Xur. Completing these gives you a Powerful gear drop, as well as a bit of story about the Nine and the Drifter, along with a new Lore entry that fills in the history of the Emissary of the Nine. As usual, you'll have to clear out a mess of enemies of various types, and complete a Strike. Stick to the planet mentioned in the bounty to kill the enemies you need, as they don't always count if you kill them in other places. Be sure to finish the bounty by Thursday's daily reset, or you won't be able to grab a fresh bounty from Xur on Friday.
The Detective Pikachu movie is absolutely bursting with callbacks to the various Pokemon video games and TV shows. Everywhere you look in the film, there are Pokemon milling around, and that's to say nothing of the things like signs, T-shirts, and other things floating through the background. All in all, we found some 30 Easter eggs--but the movie also has quite a few pop culture references mixed in as well.
One big and easy to miss Easter egg pops up early in the movie, when protagonist Tim Goodman visits the apartment of his father, Detective Harry Goodman, after his death. The place is in the state Harry left it, and Tim even finds the TV still on. He rolls his eyes and makes a comment about his dad's love for old detective movies, before moving on to find the Pokemon-themed bedroom his dad set up for him when he was a kid.
The movie comes off as some random black-and-white film noir offering, but it's actually not. What's playing on Harry's TV is not a real movie at all--it's a clip from the beloved 1990 John Hughes family comedy, Home Alone.
In that movie, when young Kevin McCallister finds himself alone in his house, he eats ridiculous ice cream sundaes of his own devising and puts on an R-rated black-and-white movie. The movie is "Angels With Filthy Souls," the same thing Tim finds on the TV at Harry's.
The thing is, "Angels With Filthy Souls" is not a real movie. It's just one scene and was created specifically for Home Alone. It also gave birth to the iconic line, "Keep the change, ya filthy animal." Director Rob Letterman told FreshFiction.tv's Courtney Howard the movie's use on Harry's TV was originally a placeholder, but the filmmakers never found anything that could beat it--so eventually, they looked into licensing the fake film instead of trying to get a real one, and it made it into the Detective Pikachu final cut.
Still, the inclusion of "Angels With Filthy Souls" means one of two things are true: First, Harry's TV could be playing Home Alone (and, possibly, Harry is a fan of that movie, like literally every human), which means Home Alone is a movie in the universe of Pokemon. Or second, in the Pokemon world, "Angels With Filthy Souls" is a real movie, just like in Home Alone--which means that Tim Goodman and Pikachu share a universe with Kevin McCallister and the Wet Bandits.
There's no better way to kick off a weekend than with free games, and this week Humble has stepped up with a great giveaway: Age of Wonders III. The turn-based strategy game is free to claim and keep right now--all you have to do is sign up for Humble Bundle's newsletter. The deal ends tomorrow, May 11, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET or while supplies last, so hurry over to Humble and claim your copy now.
Note that the free download will be provided in the form of a Steam key, so you must have a free Steam account to redeem.
The game earned a 7/10 in GameSpot's Age of Wonders III review for its enjoyable tactical combat, streamlined empire management, and balanced randomization.
"Age of Wonders III is a well-crafted strategy game that doesn't let itself get bogged down in needless busywork. It pushes your focus onto its strongest suit, the battlefield, while keeping everything else in the background," wrote critic Maxwell McGee. "Some smart elements of randomness help keep you on your toes after multiple sessions, though you will find several go-to strategies still apply regardless of the sort of army you lead. Age of Wonders III is the welcome return of a long-absent strategy series and a tactically rewarding game."
And while we're on the subject of free Steam games: Heads-up that Conan Exiles is free to play this weekend through Sunday to celebrate the game's one-year anniversary. The open-world survival game just received a huge free update that added two brand-new dungeons, a new feat, total revamp of several locations and enemies, new items (both lootable and craftable), various UI fixes, and more. Plus, new DLC, The Riddle of Steel, is now available with a range of items and cosmetics inspired by the 1982 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The base game is 50% off until May 20, so there's no better time to dive into Conan and check out all the new changes.
Last year, before its big debut at Bethesda's E3 press conference, Rage 2 was outed by a large leak from Walmart Canada. Bethesda took those lemons and made lemonade by essentially acknowledging the leak was legit and making jokes about it. Now as it prepares for release, it's immortalizing the leak with a special giveaway.
A tweet from Rage 2 account announced that for the one-year anniversary of the Walmart Canada leak, it's giving away some specially stylized Xbox One controllers. The controllers are essentially a printout of the leak itself, showing the game page with Bethesda's wise-cracking notes, along with the pink anarchy symbol. You can enter to win a controller by following and retweeting the Rage 2 account.
Of course, it's no coincidence that this promotion is also coming just as the game itself is on the way. It releases next Tuesday, May 14, and Bethesda recently announced PC system specs and other technical details for the two console versions.
A separate giveaway, with a similar entry structure, recently gave away a custom Rage 2 "Dreamcast." It's actually a custom-built PC inside a Dreamcast shell, but it does actually play Rage 2. The game is also leaning into nostalgic references with NBA Jam announcer Tim Kitzrow commentary available as a pre-order bonus.
The Matrix was one of most successful and influential action movies of the '90s, and while the sequels didn't live up to their predecessors, the series looks set to return to the screen. There have been rumors of a Matrix reboot since 2017, but now John Wick director Chad Stahelski has stated that Lilly and Lana Wachowski, who created the series, will be involved.
Stahelski worked on all three Matrix movies as a stuntman and stunt coordinator, and he has been involved with several other Wachowski projects. In an interview with Yahoo Movies UK to promote the upcoming release of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Stahelski revealed that the Wachowskis will be returning to the sci-fi series.
"I'm super happy that the Wachowskis are not just doing a Matrix, but they're expanding what we all loved," he said. "And if it's anywhere near the level of what they've already done, it wouldn't take more than a call to go, 'Hey, we want you to be a stunt guy' and I would probably go and get hit by a car. [But] if they wanted help, I would absolutely put down whatever I was doing to help them."
While Stahelski seems sure that the Wachowskis will be working on a new Matrix film, he did admit that he wasn't sure if they would be directing. "I'm not sure of the overall," he said. "I'm not sure if Lana is [directing]."
The first Matrix was released in 1999. It starred Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne and grossed more than $463 million worldwide. The sequels--The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions--were not as popular with critics but were still very successful, making $742 million and $427 million worldwide respectively.
Pokemon Sword and Shield might have already been announced, but we now know there's another new Pokemon game on the way from DeNA. The Japanese developer, which has partnered with Nintendo on a number of smartphone games before this, says it plans to launch a new mobile Pokemon game in the coming months.
"[We] plan to launch a new and exciting smartphone game this fiscal year based on the globally popular Pokemon franchise in partnership with The Pokemon Company," DeNA stated in its latest financial report. "More details, such as information about the game and launch timing, will be announced later." The current fiscal year ends on March 31, 2020, so we can expect the game to launch before then.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are also due to launch in the next few months: no release date has been announced, but they're scheduled to be released in 2019. We might learn more during Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct presentation, which kicks off on June 11 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST (2 AM AET on June 12).
Mortal Kombat 11 players recently received a thank you make-good gift of in-game currency across almost all platforms, and now Nintendo Switch has joined them. The latest patch for the Switch version adds the Community Thank You gift alongside a series of other balance fixes and other tweaks.
Most importantly, if you own the Switch version you'll want to log on soon to claim the currency bundle. It will award you 500,000 Koins, 500 Hearts, 1,000 Souls, and 1,000 Time Crystals. That last currency is the premium type, equaling about $10, or enough for two of the premium skins. The other rewards are used to unlock chests in the Krypt. The bundle is only available for a limited time, so you'll need to claim it by May 20, 2019 at 6 AM PST / 9 AM ET / 2 PM BST.
Those changes come alongside a huge host of improvements to the Towers of Time, which was commonly cited as a weak point in early reviews and player impressions. It tweaks the modifiers and difficulty curve, increases Koin rewards, and adjusts cooldowns and difficulty options. All of it is aimed at making the Towers less of a grind. You can read more about it in the full patch notes posted on Reddit.
"MK11 isn't just a sequel for series fans and NetherRealm devotees, it's a gateway into the realm of fighting games for anyone who has a passing interest in watching ruthless warriors beat each other silly," Edmond Tran wrote in GameSpot's review. "Streamlined mechanics keep the act of fighting furiously exciting no matter what your skill level, and comprehensive tutorials encourage you to dig into the nitty-gritty. There's a diverse roster of interesting characters and playstyles, and the story mode is an entertaining romp. The randomization of Krypt rewards and the odd issue with the game's always-online nature can occasionally chip away at your patience, but Mortal Kombat 11 absolutely hits where it matters."
Ghost Recon Breakpoint is to skip Steam in favor of an Epic Games Store-exclusive release, publisher Ubisoft says. The game will also come to Ubisoft's proprietary Uplay store, but will otherwise not be available digitally from alternative sources on PC.
The company confirmed the news to PCGamesN, but did not give a reason why it had decided to withhold Breakpoint from a Steam launch. Ubisoft's two most recent games, Anno 1800 and The Division 2, have also skipped Steam in favor of the Epic Store. GameSpot has contacted Ubisoft to ask why the company has made this decision.
A possible explanation is that Epic takes a much smaller share of revenue than Valve does on Steam, making the former an attractive proposition for developers and publishers. On the other hand, Steam has a significant install base and has been around for much longer, meaning it possesses features the Epic Store does not, including cloud saves, achievements, and more.
Sony has announced a new PlayStation 4 model--and it looks pretty slick. The "Days of Play" edition was announced during Sony's State of Play video broadcast this week.
The console features the Triangle, Circle, X, and Square logos on the side of the system, which features a steel-grey look with a matching DualShock 4 controller. It's a 1 TB system for the newer, slimmed down model. Pricing wasn't announced, but it's expected the system will cost in the area of $300 USD if it's in line with the standard PS4 base model.
Sony also released a limited-edition Days of Play PS4 system last year that had more of an eye-catching design. The new console will presumably go on sale in June alongside the start of the Days of Play event. Days of Play is Sony's annual PlayStation celebration where the company offers lots of deals on games and hardware.
He told Collider that he thought about making Pikachu sound like a "hardened" detective from Brooklyn to make him sound like what people might recognize as a detective's voice. But the movie producers told him, "Just do Ryan Reynolds," and that was that.
We've seen Detective Pikachu, and Reynolds definitely nailed it in regards to his voice-acting performance as Pikachu. He is charismatic, silly, and emotional where it suits, and the end result is Reynolds' performance being one of the strongest elements of the film.
Also in the interview, Reynolds talked about a potential Detective Pikachu sequel. He said, "The sequel doesn't even have to have detective pikachu in it. The Pokemon universe is pretty friggin expansive. They could do a lot of stuff. I would love to do it again. I had so much fun."
Reviews are relatively positive, though critics appear to agree that fans of the franchise will get more out of it. GameSpot's review concluded that against all odds, live-action Pokemon works.
The popular free-to-play Nintendo Switch game Tetris 99 is expanding. A new paid DLC, Big Block, is available today, and it adds multiple offline modes and more.
The $10 Big Block DLC adds the following modes:
CPU Battle -- Lets you play offline against 98 CPU opponents.
Marathon -- Clear as many lines as you can.
The #Tetris99 Big Block DLC is available on Nintendo eShop for $9.99 and adds offline modes! Battle 98 bots in CPU Battle, and survive in Marathon mode to clear the most lines possible! Stay tuned for more on additional upcoming game modes. https://t.co/t6cp0KnJLTpic.twitter.com/VKvai3xRCe
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 10, 2019
These modes are playable offline, and that's notable because the main Tetris 99 experience is an online-only game. It also means that you no longer need to have a Nintendo Switch Online membership to play Tetris 99 (if you buy the $10 DLC).
Nintendo also announced more details on the next Maximum Cup online event for Tetris 99. Maximus Cup 3 begins May 17, and just like the previous ones, you get points for the matches you play regardless of how you finish. Those who get 100 points or more will receive a new theme modeled after the original Game Boy. The event runs until May 19 at 11:59 PM PT.
Nintendo teased that it will announce even more new modes for Tetris 99 at a later date.
Tetris 99 has been very successful. Just this week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa talked about how the game has "helped maintain Nintendo Switch engagement" and also get more people to sign up for Nintendo Switch Online.
Sony's State of Play event today had a lot of news, including the reveal of a PlayStation 4 edition of the third-person adventure game where you play as a Sugar Glider possum. The game is called Away: The Survival Series, and developer Breaking Walls says it's inspired by nature documentaries. Previously, the game was only announced for PC.
It's not easy being a possum close to the bottom of the food chain, but it gets worse: a cataclysmic storm is coming. As that's happening, you will zip around the world using the possum's elastic skin to glide around environments like forests, caverns, and swamps. In addition to gliding, the little Sugar Glider can run quickly and dodge, which comes in useful when evading a stinging scorpion. Check out the new trailer below.
The music in Away was composed by Mike Raznick, who worked on the acclaimed nature documentaries Life and Planet Earth II.
Away is in development for PC and Xbox One, but a release date hasn't been announced at this stage. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
The enormous scale of Monster Hunter World is set to grow even bigger this year with the release of Iceborne. Releasing on September 6 for the PS4 and Xbox One, with the PC release coming later this winter, you'll be able to explore the new region of Hoarfrost Reach, revealing new challenges and gear to craft. Though this new expansion is intended for new players, Capcom has plans to make its launch a great entry point for new players. To celebrate the launch of Monster Hunter World's expansion, players who haven't had the chance to dive into the game will be able to purchase the Master Edition of the game, which features all existing content along with the Iceborne expansion. At launch, this edition of the game will cost $60.
During Capcom's Monster Hunter livestream, the developer detailed what to expect from Iceborne, and how much there is to find in the new expansion. For fans who've already spent hundreds of hours hunting and crafting new gear, you'll be able to buy the expansion separately for $40 MSRP. There's also a special deluxe edition of Iceborne, which includes special items and gear, including a new Yukumo armor set and additional items for your hunter.
Iceborne features a massive amount of new content to uncover. In addition to new challenges to tackle, there's also a suite of new upgrades and gadgets to use, including a new grappling hook and modifiers to existing gear. Moreover, there's also a suite of new monsters to battle, such as the brute wyvern Banbaro and the new elite monster Velkana.
In our review of 2018's Monster Hunter World, Ginny Woo gave the game a 9/10 and stated:
"Ever since the title was first announced, it was clear that Capcom was gunning for something grander than Monster Hunter Generations. It has succeeded, and this is likely the biggest and best that the franchise has ever been. It's not just the comparative depth of the narrative; it also boasts almost seamless integration between combat systems that were previously incomprehensible for amateurs. The Monster Hunter formula has definitely honed its claws, and all the above factors play their part in making Monster Hunter World a meaningful evolution for the series at large."
Be sure to check out our more detailed breakdown of Iceborne following Capcom's livestream, along with some of the highlights from Sony's recent State Of Play.
It's been a big week for Monster Hunter World. Not long after Capcom announced the game had reached 12 million copies shipped (making it the publisher's best-selling game ever) and revealed the next major expansion, the publisher has announced a free trial version of the game is now available on PlayStation 4.
The trial, which isn't available on Xbox One or PC, lets you play up to the Tobi-Kadachi assignment quest at Hunter Rank 4. Players can create a Hunter and Palico companion and play everything up until that point; online play and access to the Spring Blossom Fest event is also included in the free trial version.
Progress from the free trial carries forward to the full version, which is on sale right now for $20 USD on both PS4 and Xbox One. The PS4 trial is available only for a limited time; it ends on May 20.
Capcom also announced that Monster Hunter World is adding a new, more challenging event called the Arch-Tempered Nergigante Event Quest on May 11. "This quest has been a long time coming, and for good reason. The development team worked really hard to make this a special challenge; one that will remind you of when you first fought Nergigante during one of our Beta tests, or perhaps even the first time fighting him in the game," Capcom said.
The quest will be available on PS4 and Xbox One on May 11, with the PC edition coming later. PC content tends to release later, as we see once again recently when the Witcher 3 content finally debuted for World's computer version.
Monster Hunter World's new expansion, Iceborne, launches on September 6 for PS4 and Xbox One; it will be sold as standalone DLC or as part of a Master Edition bundle with the base game. The PC version is coming this winter. The expansion adds a cold new island to explore and more monsters to face off against. Check out the new gameplay trailer embedded above.
Be sure to check out our more detailed breakdown of Iceborne following Capcom's livestream, along with some of the highlights from Sony's recent State Of Play.
Of course, with a new Battle Pass comes a new assortment of challenges to complete, and Week 1's missions are now live on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. Completing these will level your Battle Pass up and, in turn, unlock the aforementioned Season 9 rewards. That's not all you can get by completing challenges, however.
Just as in previous seasons, there's a secondary set of missions to complete called Utopia challenges. These are Season 9's equivalent of last season's Discovery challenges, and they can only be completing by finishing all seven challenges from a given week. If you manage to do that, you'll unlock a special loading screen that features a subtle clue pointing you to a free Battle Star (which levels your Battle Pass up by one tier) or Banner (which can be used as a profile icon) hidden somewhere around the island.
Complete all of the challenges from one week in Season 9 and you'll unlock the loading screen pictured below. This time, the clue is fairly easy to spot. Look at the minigun and you'll see a set of coordinates written onto the side of the weapon: I5, I6, J5, and J6. This is where you'll need to go to find the free Battle Star.
The area where the coordinates converge is just south of Lonely Lodge; you can see its exact location marked on the map below. Make your way to the area and the Battle Star will appear. Collect it as you would any other item in the game, then finish the match and you'll level your Battle Pass up by one full tier. If you need more help locating the Battle Star, we walk you through where it can be found in the video at the top of this guide.
If you're familiar with how Season 8's Discovery challenges worked, you'll know there are a few caveats to keep in mind before you can find Season 9's Utopia challenge rewards. Most importantly, this particular Battle Star won't appear in the game unless you've complete one full week's set of challenges and unlocked the loading screen pictured above, which means you can't simply go to the right area and pick it up unless you've completed all the necessary steps.
If you need help finishing any of this season's challenges, you can find tips in our complete Fortnite Season 9 challenges guide. We'll continue to update the guide as the season rolls on, so be sure to check back each week for the latest tips and walkthroughs. You can also see everything that's new this season in Fortnite's 9.0 update patch notes.
Another Xbox 360 game is joining Xbox One's growing backwards compatible library. The latest addition is the Hitman HD Pack. The game will be playable on Microsoft's current-gen console as of today, May 9, Major Nelson announced on Twitter.
If you still own a physical copy of Hitman HD Pack, you can pop the disc into your Xbox One to initiate a download and begin playing on the console. If you're interested in picking it up, the game is also available for purchase from the system's digital store for $25.
During the May State of Play stream, PlayStation announced Predator: Hunting Grounds. The game is scheduled to release in 2020. The announcement was accompanied by a trailer, which is embedded above.
An online asymmetric shooter game, Predator: Hunting Grounds sees a group of players take on the titular hunter, who's also controlled by a player. The game is being developed by Illfonic, the same studio behind Friday the 13th: The Game, and Fox is assisting. A new trailer for the game showcases some soldiers sneaking their way through a dense jungle, as the Predator--hidden with its cloaking technology--watches them from the tree tops.
"As the Fireteam attempt to carry out paramilitary missions--annihilating bad guys and recovering important items--the Predator will be closing in, using its advanced vision mode to track and ambush its prey," Illfonic CEO Charles Brungardt wrote in a PlayStation blog post. Brungardt added that Predator: Hunting Grounds is "still pretty early in development" so it will probably be some time before we get a gameplay reveal.
Predator: Hunting Grounds wasn't the only game announced during the State of Play stream. PlayStation also revealed Riverbond, a four-player couch co-op hack and slash game, is coming to PS4 this summer. Another new game, Away: The Survival Series, got a trailer as well. Away is a third-person adventure game that has you control a Sugar Glider that must find its way to safety after a series of natural disasters.
Despite being announced in 2015, Final Fantasy VII hasn't had much of a spotlight, with very few details and trailers being provided over the past four years. The new trailer seems to showcase the bombing mission sequence that takes place right at the game's start, and also reveals the remake's revamped battle system and some of the voices for its characters.
We finally have new details about Capcom's upcoming Iceborne expansion for Monster Hunter World. During Sony's recent State of Play, the publisher revealed the newest trailer for what's to come with the expansive game. Capcom followed up with their own livestream as well, revealing more details about what to expect with Iceborne and how MHW will change upon its release. In addition to seeing some new monsters and locations from the expansion, which will bring the hunters to a new region on the expansive island that has its own secrets to uncover. Iceborne is set to launch on September 6 for PS4 and Xbox One. Unfortunately, the PC release will launch sometime after in the winter.
Though Monster Hunter World has seen a steady flow of new content since its debut, this marks the first time the game will have a proper expansion. If you already own Monster Hunter World, you can upgrade to the expansion once it's released. However, if you haven't had the chance to dive into the game just yet, then you can buy the new edition of MHW in September, which includes the full game, its many updates, and the new expansion with Iceborne.
The new area you'll travel to is called the Hoarfrost Reach, a new region on the massive island from the core game. Snow plays a big part into the core gameplay, which also ties into the existing temperature mechanics from the main game. If you find yourself walking in heavy snow, then your character's movement will become significantly slower. To combat the cold effects, you can find herbs to boost your stamina and attributes. You can even find a hot springs, which will greatly improve your character's status.
Iceborne will also include a whole suite of new monsters. During the livestream, the developers showed off Banbaro, an early brute wyvern that tends to use the environment to its advantage. Another new monster is the Beotodus, Iceborne's first large-scale monster you'll encounter. This particular beast will bury itself beneath the snow and strike from below. These two monsters, in particular, are incredibly hostile towards one another, which will result in some brutal fights between the two. Some monsters from previous games will also make a return in Iceborne, including Freedom Unite's Nargacuga.
There's also some new upgrades to existing Hunter gadget. The Slinger has been upgraded with the use of a new Clutch Claw, allowing you to freely grapple and mantle enemies. Another upgraded gadget is the Power Shot, which can improve the flinch rate on monsters. Some of these modified gadgets can be used in mid-combo, and even during evades.
Along with new monsters and quests, there will be all new gear and upgrades for your character to collect. This expansion is looking to be a sizeable update to an already massive game. Iceborne also introduces a new rank called Master Rank, which is similar to the G-Rank from previous games. The big bad of Iceborne is the new elder dragon Velkana, who's you got to see in the trailer.
In our review of Monster Hunter World, Ginny Woo gave the game a 9/10:
"Ever since the title was first announced, it was clear that Capcom was gunning for something grander than Monster Hunter Generations. It has succeeded, and this is likely the biggest and best that the franchise has ever been. It's not just the comparative depth of the narrative; it also boasts almost seamless integration between combat systems that were previously incomprehensible for amateurs. The Monster Hunter formula has definitely honed its claws, and all the above factors play their part in making Monster Hunter World a meaningful evolution for the series at large."
For more on Monster Hunter World, be sure to check out
Sony capped off its latest State of Play presentation with a new trailer for Square Enix's highly anticipated Final Fantasy VII remake. This marks the first new footage we've seen of the game in quite some time, but it offers a tantalizing look at how the remake is shaping up.
The trailer, which you can watch above, shows off what appears to be footage from the early portion of the game. We see Cloud and other members of AVALANCHE infiltrating a plant as part of the famous bombing mission sequence. The video also gives us a quick glimpse at the game's revamped battle system. Despite its fairly brief duration, the trailer ends with a promise that more details will come in June, presumably as part of Square Enix's E3 press conference, which takes place on Monday, June 10, at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET.
Following the presentation, the official Final Fantasy Twitter account shared a message from Final Fantasy VII remake director Tetsuya Nomura, reaffirming that fans won't have to wait much longer for more info about the game. "Most of the plans are already in place in the run up to launch, so please bear with us a little longer until we can release more information next month," the message read.
The Final Fantasy VII remake was first announced during Sony's E3 2015 presentation, although since then, details about the game have been scarce. Nomura was directing the game concurrently with another long-awaited title, Kingdom Hearts III, although the developer claimed that directing them both made his life easier. Kingdom Hearts III finally launched earlier this year, although the Final Fantasy VII remake is still without a release date.
Sony's latest State of Play presentation was only roughly 10 minutes long, although it game us a look at quite a few games during that time. Along with new footage of the MediEvil remake, the presentation revealed new details about Monster Hunter World's Iceborne expansion and showed off a new Predator game from Friday the 13th developer IllFonic.
The Russo brothers, the directors of Avengers: Endgame, have revealed yet another moment they cut from the finished film in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Apparently, Thor had a very near miss with Valkyrie during his final scenes where he attempted to go in for a kiss.
Anthony Russo explained, "He had this beat with Valkyrie where she puts her arm on his shoulder and he sort of starts to lean in for a kiss. She goes, 'What are you doing?' Thor is confused. "'Oh, I thought that touch…' and she was like, 'No, that was, like, a goodbye tap I was giving you."
He went on to elaborate that the scene itself was mostly improvised--and very funny--but was cut for the sake of time because they "wanted to keep things tight" in the final version of the movie. Endgame's runtime was just over three hours, making it easily the longest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie (although length has generally not been a major complaint about the film).
This is the second deleted scene the Russos have revealed, following the confirmation that actor Katherine Langford had been cast to play the adult version of Tony Stark's five-year-old daughter, Morgan. Apparently in that scene, Tony was going to visit the adult version of his daughter in the "metaphysical waystation" after his snap--the same way Thanos visited baby Gamora after his. Unlike the moment with Thor and Valkyrie, which was trimmed for time, that particular beat was trimmed for clarity after confusing test audiences.
Now that Endgame is out there in the wild and we're left just counting down the days until its home release, which will inevitably bring a whole slew of new deleted scenes and bonus footage. We may not have an official date for that just yet, but we do know that it will be streamed exclusively on the Disney+ platform on on December 11. And if you're eager to see what you might have missed in theaters, check out our roundup of Avengers: Endgame Easter eggs and references.
A new entry in the Ghost Recon series is on the way this year. Ubisoft officially revealed Ghost Recon Breakpoint during a world premiere presentation on Thursday. The game is slated to launch for PS4, Xbox One, and PC this October, but some players will have a chance to go hands-on with it a little early thanks to an upcoming beta.
Those who pre-order any edition of Ghost Recon Breakpoint will receive access to the game's beta test. Ubisoft hasn't yet announced when the beta will take place, only stating that it will occur "closer to launch," but this will likely be most fans' first chance to try the game's numerous new mechanics out ahead of its release.
Breakpoint will launch in standard, Gold, Ultimate, and Wolves Collector's editions. In addition to beta access, those who pre-order any edition will receive a Sentinel Corp. pack that includes exclusive gear, while those who spring for the Gold, Ultimate, or Collector's versions will get access to the full game three days early and an assortment of other goodies. You can read more details on those in our Ghost Recon Breakpoint pre-order guide.
Breakpoint is a sequel to 2017's Ghost Recon: Wildlands. The game sends players to Auroa, a fictional island in the Pacific, to investigate the military tech corporation Skell Technology after the company has gone radio silent. However, players quickly discover the island has been taken over by a military group known as the Wolves, led by former Ghost Cole D. Walker, who is portrayed by actor Jon Bernthal and appeared in Wildland's recent Operation Oracle update.
New in Breakpoint are stealth and survival elements; players will be able to cover themselves in mud to avoid detection and will need to treat any wounds they sustain. The game also features distinct character classes that will determine what perks and abilities you'll use. Ubisoft says four classes will be available at launch, with more to come later. Solo, co-op, and PvP modes will all also be available right at launch.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint releases on October 4. We recently had a chance to go hands-on with the game and thought it was promising and concerning. Despite its prevalent military themes, however, Ubisoft insists the game isn't making political statements.
Following a classic Ubisoft leak, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint was announced at a reveal event today and is scheduled to release October 4 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A sequel to Ghost Recon: Wildlands, the open-world game is described as a "story-driven four-player experience" and will feature Major Cole D. Walker, a rogue special ops soldier with an army of weaponized drones at his disposal. Walker is voiced by actor Jon Bernthal.
More info about Ghost Recon Breakpoint is still being revealed, but in the meantime, the game is already available for pre-order. If you were a fan of Wildlands and know you'll be picking up Breakpoint, here's what we know about the available pre-order bonuses and its various editions, including the Wolves Collector's edition. Note that this story is still being updated as more retailers open pre-orders.
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint pre-order bonuses
Pre-order Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and you'll receive the Sentinel Corp Pack, which includes the Hammer MK.2 vehicle, the Sentinel MK.2 heavy outfit, and the Valor assault rifle. Those who pre-order are also guaranteed beta access.
My Best Buy members will receive $10 reward credit when pre-ordering the game.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint standard edition
The standard edition will include the base game and any applicable pre-order bonuses. The PC version of the game will be limited to the Epic Games Store and, of course, Ubisoft's Uplay store.
The fanciest edition of Ghost Recon Breakpoint is the Wolves Collector's edition, a Ubisoft Store exclusive that includes in-game bonus content and some physical collectibles. The Wolves Collector's edition comes with the following:
Everything offered in Steelbook Ultimate edition
24 cm collectible figurine of Cole D. Walker
Exclusive steelbook metal case
Confidential file containing three lithographs
Game soundtrack
Walker's dog tag
Waterproof map of Aurora
As usual with these types of collector's editions, it's very likely the Wolves Collector's edition will sell out soon, so don't wait to pre-order if you're interested in owning it.
In the past, Ubisoft has received criticism for not tackling the political issues its games touch upon, and while the newly announced title Ghost Recon Breakpoint features some heavily political topics, it seems the company's stance remains unchanged.
Breakpoint's story focuses on a silicon valley genius who develops advanced AI and drones to help humanity and save American lives. The tech giant and its drone army are hijacked by a group of rogue US soldiers, and the game's reveal stream states the drones assassinate an election candidate. Despite all this, lead developer Sebastien Le Prestre says Ubisoft isn't trying to make any particular point.
"We're creating a game here, we're not trying to make political statements in our games," he told GameSpot. "We've rooted ourselves in reality, and you'll get what you get out of your playthrough--everybody will get something different out of their experience. The story might make you see different situations, but we're not trying to guide anybody or to make any sorts of statements. It's a 'What if?' scenario, it's Tom Clancy, it's purely fictional."
Community developer Laura Cordrey elaborated by telling us Ubisoft is "always inspired by what's happening around us, and it's always our goal to stay authentic ... but the story does remain fictional."
Many Ubisoft games touch on political topics, such as The Division 2's defence of the White House in Washington DC or Far Cry 5's disaffected, ostracized community and Donald Trump references. However, Ubisoft executives have previously described engaging in politics in video games as "bad for business."
As for the new Ghost Recon game itself, check out our hands-on impressions and thoughts on why Breakpoint is both promising and concerning. It's coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 4.
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