Editor's note: This review evaluates Grounded based on its early access state. We plan on reviewing Grounded again once it gets a full release.
Think about your favourite survival games. Think back to how they launched. Think of their initial public showing. If your favourites are like mine, you'll notice a trend: None of them were very good when they first launched to the general public.
Subnautica had me on the edge of my seat at launch, but it ran terribly. Four years later and its 1.0 build was one of my favourite games in a year that included God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2. The Forest, similarly, launched a mere shadow of the terrifying adventure it would eventually become. No Man's Sky was near-universally criticised at launch, but it eventually reached its potential and went beyond. Grounded, from Obsidian Entertainment, is currently in the early part of the aforementioned Early Access phase, and is lacking in many respects. But, like the games mentioned above, it has what feels like the potential to grow into something much, much greater.
Editor's note: This review evaluates Grounded based on its early access state. We plan on reviewing Grounded again once it gets a full release.
Think about your favourite survival games. Think back to how they launched. Think of their initial public showing. If your favourites are like mine, you'll notice a trend: None of them were very good when they first launched to the general public.
Subnautica had me on the edge of my seat at launch, but it ran terribly. Four years later and its 1.0 build was one of my favourite games in a year that included God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2. The Forest, similarly, launched a mere shadow of the terrifying adventure it would eventually become. No Man's Sky was near-universally criticised at launch, but it eventually reached its potential and went beyond. Grounded, from Obsidian Entertainment, is currently in the early part of the aforementioned Early Access phase, and is lacking in many respects. But, like the games mentioned above, it has what feels like the potential to grow into something much, much greater.
In this week’s episode of the TouchArcade Show we dive straight into some reader emails, and I want to thank everyone who wrote into our show this week to give us their thoughts on the Great Banter Debate and just to say hello. And speaking of reader feedback, we’ve added a new feature to this week’s post in the form of Show Notes down below the podcast links, so you can see the articles that we’re discussing during the show. Not really sure why we weren’t just doing that anyway, but I digress. After we hit all the big mobile gaming topics of the week, we finish things off with some discussion of last week’s Xbox event and the future of next gen consoles.
Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!
As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.
This week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show is sponsored by Soda Dungeon 2:
In Soda Dungeon 2, a new pixel-art dungeon-crawler, the Dark Lord has locked legendary goodies up in his castle behind an endless horde of monsters. You’ll need to hire brave soda-loving adventurers to loot the dungeon for you or die trying.
Sit back and enjoy a clever storyline, tons of stuff to upgrade, crafting, and more!
Soda Dungeon 2 is available right now on iOS, Android, and Steam.
There’s just something about dogfighting in space that lends itself to video games. From the earliest days, piloting a space ship and blasting down aliens, or asteroids, or other enemy ships has been a common theme for video games, and the genre really reached a new level when 3D gaming started to take hold. Imagine a first-person perspective right from the cockpit of your very own cool spaceship as you fly through space battling against all manor of cool enemies. These dreams were realized with games like X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter which put you right in the cockpit of iconic ships from the Star Wars universe. That game also served as inspiration for a new space fighting game called Interloper($5.99) from Anchorite Games, which arrived in the App Store this week.
Sweet cockpit view in a bad ass spaceship? Check. Tons of cool weaponry to blast bad guys with? Check. Huge space stations? Massive explosions and particle effects galore? Check to all that. Interloper delivers an action-packed space shooting experience that’s incredibly easy on the eyes and filled with jaw-dropping moments, and it does all this in a package that has been expertly crafted for mobile. The game can be played in portrait or landscape orientations, switching on the fly, and you can easily play one-handed with just your thumb. It’s a perfect candidate for when you feel like pulling out your iPhone and killing just a few minutes of free time.
The structure of Interloper is also geared towards mobile play. It’s a roguelike game, so levels and enemies are randomly generated each time you play and it’s set up with wave-based progression. You can continue going through waves as long as you’re able to survive, earning better and better rewards the further you get, but also risking losing it all should you perish before making it back to your base. You can equip your ship with a ton of different weapons and special items, and Interloper has the addicting quality of looting games like Diablo or Borderlands. You want to constantly unlock new stuff, mess with your ship’s loadout, and then head out to do it all over again. And again, and again.
There’s just something so satisfying about playing Interloper. The action is so intense it’s constantly bringing a smile to my face, and the controls that were built with the touchscreen in mind make it a joy to play. I also love the roguelike structure of the game, which reminds me of some of my favorite non-3D roguelike shooters like Sterdenn or Black Paradox. The sole developer Matt Purchase of Anchorite Games is also extremely active in our forums and has been quick to respond to bug reports and feedback, and I can see Interloper only getting better going forward. The final cherry on top is that this is a fully premium game priced at just $5.99 with no ads, IAP, or other BS to get in the way. So if you enjoy space shooters and appreciate impressive graphics and a good challenge, be sure to give Interloper a shot.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' second summer update has arrived, and it adds a handful of new features to the game, including a weekly summer fireworks festival, the ability to fall on your face, and save backups. You'll need to have a paid Nintendo Switch Online subscription to take advantage of the latter, and it works a little bit differently than the typical cloud saves offered through the service. If you're unsure how the process works, here's how to back up your Animal Crossing save data.
How To Back Up Your Save Data
After installing New Horizons' 1.4.0 update, you'll see Backups - Not Set beneath the Settings option in the lower lefthand corner of the title screen. Press the Minus button to access the Settings menu, then select Island Backup from the list of options that Tom Nook presents you to begin the backup process.
Once Island Backup has been selected, Nook will emphasize that this backup function is only intended to be used if your Nintendo Switch is lost or has been damaged. He'll then present you with options to Enable island backup or Listen to explanation. Select the former to enable save backups; select the latter to learn more about the process and its requirements.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' second summer update has arrived, and it adds a handful of new features to the game, including a weekly summer fireworks festival, the ability to fall on your face, and save backups. You'll need to have a paid Nintendo Switch Online subscription to take advantage of the latter, and it works a little bit differently than the typical cloud saves offered through the service. If you're unsure how the process works, here's how to back up your Animal Crossing save data.
How To Back Up Your Save Data
After installing New Horizons' 1.4.0 update, you'll see Backups - Not Set beneath the Settings option in the lower lefthand corner of the title screen. Press the Minus button to access the Settings menu, then select Island Backup from the list of options that Tom Nook presents you to begin the backup process.
Once Island Backup has been selected, Nook will emphasize that this backup function is only intended to be used if your Nintendo Switch is lost or has been damaged. He'll then present you with options to Enable island backup or Listen to explanation. Select the former to enable save backups; select the latter to learn more about the process and its requirements.
Obsidian Entertainment's new title, Grounded, will seem a lot like other survival games at first blush--even though it's Honey, I Shrunk The Kids-like setting puts it at a super-small scale compared to titles like Minecraft or The Forest. Like those games, you still need to drink water and eat food to stay alive, construct shelters to keep from getting overwhelmed by indigenous life, and craft equipment to help you keep alive and thrive in your new surroundings.
Though Grounded has a lot in common with other games in the genre, its shrunken approach to the survival genre means it has quite a few of its own quirks. From how you'll uncover crafting recipes, to the creatures keen on eating you that live in the backyard, there are plenty of nuances to understand. Here's a quick rundown of 10 key tips that'll help you adjust to life in the lawn.
1. Pick Up Everything And Analyze It
One of the first things you'll come across when you start a game of Grounded is a strange little science facility called a Field Station. This is your first inkling that there's something bigger going on here than a weird dream. Inside every Field Station is an item called an Analyzer--something that's extremely useful.
With rumors swirling that Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is up for sale, gaming giant Electronic Arts has commented about its general approach toward buying studios. As part of the company's latest earnings briefing, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen--who controls the company's money--said EA is "more interested than ever" in buying studios. He refused to comment specifically on Warner Bros. but he pointed out that EA--as one of the biggest gaming companies on the planet--is usually in the mix when studios get put up for sale.
"It is very rare that we don't get a chance to look at anything that is up for sale," Jorgensen said. "You can imagine ... people call us and say we're thinking about selling the business or we're thinking about selling ourselves. We are a place that a lot of people want to come as a long-term home if they decide to sell the business. We get to look at almost everything."
Jorgensen said he "can't comment on any specific acquisition," but he pointed out that EA's acquisitions in the past have come from long-standing partnerships. EA isn't necessarily interested in snapping up a studio to get its portfolio of games--instead, it wants to invest in talent. All of this sure sounds like EA is not going after Warner Bros.
Check out the official launch trailer for Fight Crab, a 3D action game where you take control of a crab, and fight off other giant enemy crabs. Fight Crab is out now on PC.
from GameSpot - All Content https://ift.tt/3hQqpg2
Grindstone, an Apple Arcade launch title that remains exclusive to the service, has just received a major update full of new content. The Daily Grind update adds a new daily mode, as well as 50 new levels and more.
The new mode is a daily challenge with leaderboards, so you can log in every day and try to dominate. It's designed with long-term players in mind. You'll be able to access the new Shrine of Greed and fight your way through four levels to reach a high score.
The new levels introduced bring the game up to 230 levels total, and they can be unlocked with Grindstones. They'll likely be trickier than what was available in the base game. There's also new items to unlock, with a new Pickaxe and Goldrush Garb to nab.
Grindstone, an Apple Arcade launch title that remains exclusive to the service, has just received a major update full of new content. The Daily Grind update adds a new daily mode, as well as 50 new levels and more.
The new mode is a daily challenge with leaderboards, so you can log in every day and try to dominate. It's designed with long-term players in mind. You'll be able to access the new Shrine of Greed and fight your way through four levels to reach a high score.
The new levels introduced bring the game up to 230 levels total, and they can be unlocked with Grindstones. They'll likely be trickier than what was available in the base game. There's also new items to unlock, with a new Pickaxe and Goldrush Garb to nab.
Jeff Minter has been delivering strange, unique games since the early 80s, and that trend is going to continue on August 12 with the release of Moose Life. The game, which now has a Steam page with a release date (as picked up on by Eurogamer), is an arcade shooter with VR support.
The game continues on with the style of gameplay Minter pioneered with 1994's Tempest 2000, meaning that it's another tube-style shooter made to feel like older Vectrex arcade games.
"Moose Life is the latest step on our journey into euphoric trance," the Steam page reads. "Created in the style of an 80s arcade game, but in fully immersive 3D/VR. You'll feel like you are inside the mind of Eugene Jarvis himself."
The first Halo Infinite campaign footage was released during the July 23 Xbox Games Showcase, and people commented that the graphics left something to be desired. In a new blog post, developer 343 Industries responded to the concerns, stating that the company is trying to make a more "classic"-looking game, while also acknowledging the studio still has work to do to make Halo Infinite look better before launch. The blog post also touched on how Halo Infinite will approach microtransactions.
Regarding the graphics, 343 said there are multiple issues at play here, including the overall art style and the visual fidelity. For the art style, 343 is moving back to the "legacy" look of the original Halo trilogy. The company said it's doing this based on the feedback surrounding Halo 4, Halo 5, and Halo Wars 2, which had more modern-looking graphics.
"With Halo Infinite, we're returning to a more 'classic' art style which was a key message going back to the very first reveal that garnered enthusiastic and positive responses," 343 said. "This translates to a more vibrant palette, 'cleaner' models and objects with less 'noise,' though it doesn't mean less detail. While we appreciate this may not be everyone's personal preference, we stand by this decision and are happy to see it resonating with so many fans around the world."
Jeff Minter has been delivering strange, unique games since the early 80s, and that trend is going to continue on August 12 with the release of Moose Life. The game, which now has a Steam page with a release date (as picked up on by Eurogamer), is an arcade shooter with VR support.
The game continues on with the style of gameplay Minter pioneered with 1994's Tempest 2000, meaning that it's another tube-style shooter made to feel like older Vectrex arcade games.
"Moose Life is the latest step on our journey into euphoric trance," the Steam page reads. "Created in the style of an 80s arcade game, but in fully immersive 3D/VR. You'll feel like you are inside the mind of Eugene Jarvis himself."
The first Halo Infinite campaign footage was released during the July 23 Xbox Games Showcase, and people commented that the graphics left something to be desired. In a new blog post, developer 343 Industries responded to the concerns, stating that the company is trying to make a more "classic"-looking game, while also acknowledging the studio still has work to do to make Halo Infinite look better before launch. The blog post also touched on how Halo Infinite will approach microtransactions.
Regarding the graphics, 343 said there are multiple issues at play here, including the overall art style and the visual fidelity. For the art style, 343 is moving back to the "legacy" look of the original Halo trilogy. The company said it's doing this based on the feedback surrounding Halo 4, Halo 5, and Halo Wars 2, which had more modern-looking graphics.
"With Halo Infinite, we're returning to a more 'classic' art style which was a key message going back to the very first reveal that garnered enthusiastic and positive responses," 343 said. "This translates to a more vibrant palette, 'cleaner' models and objects with less 'noise,' though it doesn't mean less detail. While we appreciate this may not be everyone's personal preference, we stand by this decision and are happy to see it resonating with so many fans around the world."
Amy Adams has signed on for a new film with a wild premise. Deadline is reporting that Adams is attached to star in and produce a film adapted from the upcoming Rachel Yoder novel Nightbitch (that name could change for the cinema release), which will be released through Annapurna Pictures.
The book is a dark comedy about a mother who used to work as an artist, but is now a stay-at-home mother. For one reason or another, the woman believes that she is turning into a dog--hence the name.
Yoder is adapting her own book for the screen, and will serve as executive producer along with Megan Ellison, Sammy Scher, and Sue Naegle. Stacy O'Neil will also produce.
The book is due to be published in Summer 2021, so it's a while away yet. It's not the only Amy Adams adaptation on the horizon, either--she recently wrapped on The Woman in the Window, a Joe Wright (Atonement) adaptation of the popular A. J. Finn book.
Adams has been nominated for six Oscars (Junebug, Doubt, The Fighter, The Master, American Hustle, Vice), but has never won. Her time is surely coming.
Grand Theft Auto V has announced this week's bonuses, discounts, and Lucky Spin prize car, and if you're a fan of Survival Series of Arena War you're in luck. These modes will pay out higher than usual this week, so they're worth jumping into if you need more GTA$.
The Horde Mode-style Survival Series is paying out double rewards all week long, so you'll be rewarded for enduring at a better rate than usual. Arena War, the game's large-scale destruction derby-style mode, is paying out double RP and GTA$, but it's also giving players triple Arena Points this week.
By competing, you can also get 50% off the Apocalypse variant for any vehicles that can be used in this mode.
The Lucky Wheel at the Diamond Casino and Resort can win you a Dinka Sugoi this week, a hatchback without quite as much oomph as some of the game's other cars, but still a classy little vehicle. Of course, you'll have to rely on luck to land it.
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted down a measure that would have prevented the military from recruiting on platforms like Twitch. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed the amendment after the US Army was caught running fake giveaways that would give viewers information to recruiters among other controversies.
The measure would have prevented the military from using video games, esports, and livestreaming services for recruitment, according to Vice. Several branches of the military, including the US Army and Navy, maintain their own esports teams and Twitch channels. The US Army recently paused their recruitment efforts on Twitch after facing backlash.
Numerous controversies regarding the military's Twitch presence have occurred over the past month. The US Army and the US Navy have been banning viewers who ask or talk about war crimes, which is potentially a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech since the organizations are extensions of the federal government. Twitch recently stopped the US Army from promoting the aforementioned giveaways that would give viewers information to recruiters.
Just about 4 years ago developer Sky Ship Studios set out to create a digital version of the popular table top game Gloom from designer Keith Baker and Atlas Games. They ran a successful crowdfunding campaign during the summer of 2016 and then, about two years later, the digital version of Gloom was released on Steam. Hooray! But the story doesn’t end there, because part of the promise from the crowdfunding campaign was to also bring digital versions of Gloom to both iOS and Android. Well as you probably know, these types of things always take longer than you think they will, and so nearly two years after the Steam launch of Gloom the iOS and Android versions have officially launched to the public this week. Gloom for everybody!
But wait, what the heck is Gloom, anyway? Well as I said previously, it was originally a physical card game designed by Keith Baker and published by Atlas Games back in 2004. Its premise is… well, it’s pretty gloomy, to be honest. Each player takes control of one family in the form of 5 character cards and then is dealt a hand of 5 playable cards. The overall goal is to play cards that have a negative impact on your own family in the hopes that enough negative impact will eventually kill them. That’s… not nice. At the same time, you’re trying to play cards with positive impacts on the family members of your opponents so that they don’t have a chance to die off. Once a player’s entire family has perished the game is over, and the player whose family has the highest negative number is declared the winner. If you consider having the saddest family in the world winning, that is.
Yes, the entire premise behind Gloom is rather macabre but it’s done in a way that’s humorous, however dark that humor may be. One of the really unique aspects about Gloom is how the players are encouraged to expand the storytelling element of the gloomy events that take place during a game. So if you play a card where one of your family members gets attacked by wolves, embellish on that event and describe it in detail to the other players. This is also where Gloom: Digital Edition is able to shine in ways the physical game can’t. All the family members from the 5 available families in the game are fully voice acted and animated, giving additional personality to these characters and enhancing whatever stories you can conjure up. Gloom on mobile also features some haunting background music that sets the mood of the game perfectly.
Gloom: Digital Edition for mobile can be purchased for $6.99 and you also have the option of buying the Unhappy Homes DLC expansion pack for $2.99 if you want to add additional elements to the game. Gloom is designed for 2-4 players and the digital version features solo play against AI bots as well as online multiplayer for up to 4 players. You can find out more by visiting the Gloom: Digital Edition website as well as the Sky Ship Studios website, and you can also follow along with Sky Ship on Twitter and Facebook. Gloom: Digital Edition is available on the App Store for iOS here as well as the Google Play Store for Android here, and you can find even more discussion about the game in our forums.
Sponsored Content
This article is sponsored content written by TouchArcade and published on behalf of Sky Ship Studios to promote the launch of their mobile card game Gloom: Digital Edition. For questions or comments, please email ads@toucharcade.com
Amy Adams has signed on for a new film with a wild premise. Deadline is reporting that Adams is attached to star in and produce a film adapted from the upcoming Rachel Yoder novel Nightbitch (that name could change for the cinema release), which will be released through Annapurna Pictures.
The book is a dark comedy about a mother who used to work as an artist, but is now a stay-at-home mother. For one reason or another, the woman believes that she is turning into a dog--hence the name.
Yoder is adapting her own book for the screen, and will serve as executive producer along with Megan Ellison, Sammy Scher, and Sue Naegle. Stacy O'Neil will also produce.
The book is due to be published in Summer 2021, so it's a while away yet. It's not the only Amy Adams adaptation on the horizon, either--she recently wrapped on The Woman in the Window, a Joe Wright (Atonement) adaptation of the popular A. J. Finn book.
Adams has been nominated for six Oscars (Junebug, Doubt, The Fighter, The Master, American Hustle, Vice), but has never won. Her time is surely coming.
from GameSpot - All Content https://ift.tt/2Xazcle
Grand Theft Auto V has announced this week's bonuses, discounts, and Lucky Spin prize car, and if you're a fan of Survival Series of Arena War you're in luck. These modes will pay out higher than usual this week, so they're worth jumping into if you need more GTA$.
The Horde Mode-style Survival Series is paying out double rewards all week long, so you'll be rewarded for enduring at a better rate than usual. Arena War, the game's large-scale destruction derby-style mode, is paying out double RP and GTA$, but it's also giving players triple Arena Points this week.
By competing, you can also get 50% off the Apocalypse variant for any vehicles that can be used in this mode.
The Lucky Wheel at the Diamond Casino and Resort can win you a Dinka Sugoi this week, a hatchback without quite as much oomph as some of the game's other cars, but still a classy little vehicle. Of course, you'll have to rely on luck to land it.
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted down a measure that would have prevented the military from recruiting on platforms like Twitch. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed the amendment after the US Army was caught running fake giveaways that would give viewers information to recruiters among other controversies.
The measure would have prevented the military from using video games, esports, and livestreaming services for recruitment, according to Vice. Several branches of the military, including the US Army and Navy, maintain their own esports teams and Twitch channels. The US Army recently paused their recruitment efforts on Twitch after facing backlash.
Numerous controversies regarding the military's Twitch presence have occurred over the past month. The US Army and the US Navy have been banning viewers who ask or talk about war crimes, which is potentially a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech since the organizations are extensions of the federal government. Twitch recently stopped the US Army from promoting the aforementioned giveaways that would give viewers information to recruiters.
Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red has warned users about beta scams related to the much-anticipated role-playing game. Writing on Twitter, the Polish studio said it's aware that bad actors are trying to scam people with fake emails containing codes for a Cyberpunk 2077 beta.
"If you recently received an email claiming to be granting you beta access to Cyberpunk 2077, it's not from us," CD Projekt Red said. "Unfortunately, there have been more of these being sent out over the past few weeks. When we contact you via email, it'll always come from @ cdprojektred com address."
The studio further advised people to stay vigilant about any third-party emails they see claiming to have information about Cyberpunk 2077.
In the news today, Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries responds to backlash, COD Modern Warfare and Warzone Season 5 is coming next week, and Hyper Scape prepares to launch on console and PC very soon.
The global pandemic is keeping people staying home and looking for things to do. Gaming, in particular, has enjoyed a huge uptick in play time--and spending--due to the virus. Electronic Arts has now put that increase into perspective with hard data.
EA posted total revenue of $1.46 billion for the period, while the company made a profit of $365 million. The overwhelming majority of EA's revenue for the quarter--$1.1 billion--came from microtransactions, which are called "live services."
Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red has warned users about beta scams related to the much-anticipated role-playing game. Writing on Twitter, the Polish studio said it's aware that bad actors are trying to scam people with fake emails containing codes for a Cyberpunk 2077 beta.
"If you recently received an email claiming to be granting you beta access to Cyberpunk 2077, it's not from us," CD Projekt Red said. "Unfortunately, there have been more of these being sent out over the past few weeks. When we contact you via email, it'll always come from @ cdprojektred com address."
The studio further advised people to stay vigilant about any third-party emails they see claiming to have information about Cyberpunk 2077.
In the news today, Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries responds to backlash, COD Modern Warfare and Warzone Season 5 is coming next week, and Hyper Scape prepares to launch on console and PC very soon.
from GameSpot - All Content https://ift.tt/3gaHktg
The global pandemic is keeping people staying home and looking for things to do. Gaming, in particular, has enjoyed a huge uptick in play time--and spending--due to the virus. Electronic Arts has now put that increase into perspective with hard data.
EA posted total revenue of $1.46 billion for the period, while the company made a profit of $365 million. The overwhelming majority of EA's revenue for the quarter--$1.1 billion--came from microtransactions, which are called "live services."
Star Wars: A Solo Story director Ron Howard has confirmed there are no plans for a sequel, while he also cleared up some confusion about his potential involvement in The Phantom Menace.
Appearing on the Radio Andy show, Howard bluntly said, "There is no sequel planned now" for Solo.
He also reflected on his journey with the movie. Less than a year before release, Howard was brought in to direct Solo after Disney fired the original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
STALKER 2 is coming to Xbox Series X in 2021 as a console exclusive, and it's aiming to do things that would not be possible on current console hardware. According to the game's Xbox store page, it's going to aim for a very high frame rate.
The page promises that STALKER 2, which will skip Xbox One, was designed to take advantage of the Series X. The text on the page hints at what's possible on the system, and specifically mentions a 120 FPS goal.
"Games built using the Xbox Series X development kit are designed to take advantage of the unique capabilities of the Xbox Series X," the page reads. "They will showcase unparalleled load-times, visuals, responsiveness, and frame rates up to 120 FPS."
Star Wars: A Solo Story director Ron Howard has confirmed there are no plans for a sequel, while he also cleared up some confusion about his potential involvement in The Phantom Menace.
Appearing on the Radio Andy show, Howard bluntly said, "There is no sequel planned now" for Solo.
He also reflected on his journey with the movie. Less than a year before release, Howard was brought in to direct Solo after Disney fired the original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
STALKER 2 is coming to Xbox Series X in 2021 as a console exclusive, and it's aiming to do things that would not be possible on current console hardware. According to the game's Xbox store page, it's going to aim for a very high frame rate.
The page promises that STALKER 2, which will skip Xbox One, was designed to take advantage of the Series X. The text on the page hints at what's possible on the system, and specifically mentions a 120 FPS goal.
"Games built using the Xbox Series X development kit are designed to take advantage of the unique capabilities of the Xbox Series X," the page reads. "They will showcase unparalleled load-times, visuals, responsiveness, and frame rates up to 120 FPS."
Vampire: the Masquerade - Shadows of New York is the second Vampire: The Masquerade visual novel, following on from 2019's Coteries of New York, and it's coming to Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC soon. Developer Draw Distance has released some new details about the game, giving us some insight into what to expect and what it'll do differently from its predecessor.
Players will be cast as Julia, a member of the Lasombra vampire clan, and part of the Camarilla faction. She's looking for a way to rise up the ranks in vampire society, and finds it when the Anarch Baron of New York reaches his "final death"--which plunges Julia into trying to solve a crime that the game's Steam page describes as "unsolvable".
The game will feature two different endings depending on the choices the player makes, and is promising a "more personal, and darker story" than what Coteries offered. It will also feature more illustrations than that game did, complete with animations. The soundtrack is being composed by the Polish artist Resina.
Shadows of New York is a standalone game, although there is some crossover with characters from the previous game. The press release specifically mentions Agathon, D'Angelo, Hope, and Tamika returning, along with Sheriff Qadir Al-Asmai.
2K's soon-to-release golf game, PGA Tour 2K21, will feature a total of 15 real-life courses, and now all of them have been confirmed.
The list includes some very famous real-world courses, including TPC Scottsdale, which is the site of the fan-favorite Waste Management Phoenix Open every year. TPC River Highlands is also on the list, and it's one of the more popular courses among golfers. Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California is also included in PGA Tour 2K21, alongside TPC Boston, TPC Deere Run, and TPC Louisiana, among others. You can see the full list below.
Developer HB Studios worked with Terra Imaging to create the courses and make them as true-to-life as possible. HB Studios had access to drone footage and other datapoints that helped the studio create courses that are accurate "down to one centimetre of accuracy," 2K said.
UPDATE: Update 1.4.0 is available now, meaning that all the content mentioned below is now available in the game. If the update does not download automatically, press "+" on the game icon from your Switch menu and pick "software update", then "Via the Internet".
Upon starting up the game, you'll find two letters in your inbox with attachments--one from Nintendo with a fireworks-show wall, and one from Luna with Luna's Bed. This is the bed you'll be able to access dreams from.
Happy dreaming.
The original story follows.
The second summer update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is launching this week, bringing with it a new festive fireworks event during August, the ability to visit other islands through dreams, and some limited but welcome save backup support.
Vampire: the Masquerade - Shadows of New York is the second Vampire: The Masquerade visual novel, following on from 2019's Coteries of New York, and it's coming to Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC soon. Developer Draw Distance has released some new details about the game, giving us some insight into what to expect and what it'll do differently from its predecessor.
Players will be cast as Julia, a member of the Lasombra vampire clan, and part of the Camarilla faction. She's looking for a way to rise up the ranks in vampire society, and finds it when the Anarch Baron of New York reaches his "final death"--which plunges Julia into trying to solve a crime that the game's Steam page describes as "unsolvable".
The game will feature two different endings depending on the choices the player makes, and is promising a "more personal, and darker story" than what Coteries offered. It will also feature more illustrations than that game did, complete with animations. The soundtrack is being composed by the Polish artist Resina.
Shadows of New York is a standalone game, although there is some crossover with characters from the previous game. The press release specifically mentions Agathon, D'Angelo, Hope, and Tamika returning, along with Sheriff Qadir Al-Asmai.
2K's soon-to-release golf game, PGA Tour 2K21, will feature a total of 15 real-life courses, and now all of them have been confirmed.
The list includes some very famous real-world courses, including TPC Scottsdale, which is the site of the fan-favorite Waste Management Phoenix Open every year. TPC River Highlands is also on the list, and it's one of the more popular courses among golfers. Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California is also included in PGA Tour 2K21, alongside TPC Boston, TPC Deere Run, and TPC Louisiana, among others. You can see the full list below.
Developer HB Studios worked with Terra Imaging to create the courses and make them as true-to-life as possible. HB Studios had access to drone footage and other datapoints that helped the studio create courses that are accurate "down to one centimetre of accuracy," 2K said.
UPDATE: Update 1.4.0 is available now, meaning that all the content mentioned below is now available in the game. If the update does not download automatically, press "+" on the game icon from your Switch menu and pick "software update", then "Via the Internet".
Upon starting up the game, you'll find two letters in your inbox with attachments--one from Nintendo with a fireworks-show wall, and one from Luna with Luna's Bed. This is the bed you'll be able to access dreams from.
Happy dreaming.
The original story follows.
The second summer update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is launching this week, bringing with it a new festive fireworks event during August, the ability to visit other islands through dreams, and some limited but welcome save backup support.
Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes recently hit Kickstarter, and it looks extremely promising--it's the spirtual successor to Suikoden, which is a beloved series. Not surprisingly, the campaign achieved its initial goal within hours, hitting the console release stretch goal very fast. In fact, it's been such a huge success that Kickstarter is struggling to keep up.
In the latest update on the game's Kickstarter page, developer Rabbit & Bear Studios has celebrated the game's success, which has been strong enough to cause page crashes. "The first 24 hours of our campaign have been pretty crazy," the post reads. "Many of you probably noticed that during the opening hours of the campaign, Kickstarter crashed multiple times."
The post says that "the spirit and love of our fans" caused the crash, and to make up for it, to the Kickstarter campaign has been given an extra day, so there will be more time to pledge towards the project and reach higher stretch goals.
We contacted Kickstarter to confirm that, yes, it was the success of Eiyuden Chronicles that led to this issue.
Now, Halo Infinite's narrative experience director Dan Chosich has commented further on the fan reaction to Halo Infinite. He said on Twitter that he understands what it feels like to be let down after getting hyped about something. He wants fans to know that their concerns are "not falling on deaf ears."
"I've been in your shoes. I know what it's like to have expectations built + feel let down," Chosich said. "I want you to know your voice matters + is heard. You're not falling on deaf ears. I always want to live up to the legacy that Bungie pioneered. I personally care a lot about honoring that."
Earlier this month we told you about a cool looking upcoming game called Gun Rounds from developer Blabberf that looked to answer the question of “What if Downwell was turn-based?" Well, that’s not totally true, as by nature Downwell is a frantic shooter that probably wouldn’t work too well turn-based. However, many of the main traits of Downwell were inspirations for Gun Rounds, like how there are multiple different worlds with different enemies in each, or how you can come across a shopkeeper offering 3 different upgrades for you to buy. Also, the visual style and music are homages to Downwell’s cool pixel art and limited color palette. The actual meat of the game though is the turn-based shootouts, and not falling down a well and blasting everything in sight as in Downwell. You can get a pretty good idea of what Gun Rounds is “shooting" for (heh) in this brand new mobile trailer.
Gun Rounds actually launched on desktop a few months ago over on Itch.io and the comments from players over there have been extremely positive so far. All seem to agree that this is a really clever concept executed really well. But Blabberf has said that Gun Rounds was always envisioned as a mobile game first and foremost, much like Downwell, and I think a mobile screen is where the game will shine the brightest. Anyway, as of today Gun Rounds is now available for pre-order on the iOS App Store at a price of $2.99. The release date isn’t far off, it’s coming out this Sunday August 2nd, but since that’s kind of an odd day for a mobile game release then pre-ordering means you won’t accidentally forget about grabbing it while you’re off doing Sunday things. If you’re on the Android side of the fence, well, old Blabberf made a goof and released the game on the Google Play Store early on accident, so it’s actually available right this minute. It’s not that often Android gets games ahead of iOS so gloat about it while you can, and the rest of us should look forward to Gun Rounds arriving this weekend.
Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes recently hit Kickstarter, and it looks extremely promising--it's the spirtual successor to Suikoden, which is a beloved series. Not surprisingly, the campaign achieved its initial goal within hours, hitting the console release stretch goal very fast. In fact, it's been such a huge success that Kickstarter is struggling to keep up.
In the latest update on the game's Kickstarter page, developer Rabbit & Bear Studios has celebrated the game's success, which has been strong enough to cause page crashes. "The first 24 hours of our campaign have been pretty crazy," the post reads. "Many of you probably noticed that during the opening hours of the campaign, Kickstarter crashed multiple times."
The post says that "the spirit and love of our fans" caused the crash, and to make up for it, to the Kickstarter campaign has been given an extra day, so there will be more time to pledge towards the project and reach higher stretch goals.
We contacted Kickstarter to confirm that, yes, it was the success of Eiyuden Chronicles that led to this issue.
Now, Halo Infinite's narrative experience director Dan Chosich has commented further on the fan reaction to Halo Infinite. He said on Twitter that he understands what it feels like to be let down after getting hyped about something. He wants fans to know that their concerns are "not falling on deaf ears."
"I've been in your shoes. I know what it's like to have expectations built + feel let down," Chosich said. "I want you to know your voice matters + is heard. You're not falling on deaf ears. I always want to live up to the legacy that Bungie pioneered. I personally care a lot about honoring that."
Actor Karl Urban has revealed that he had a secret cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Speaking to Digital Spy, Urban confirmed he played a Stormtropper in the sci-fi film and did some voicework, and revealed how his involvement in the movie came to be.
"I had the good fortune to go and visit JJ Abrams while he was shooting The Rise of Skywalker. While I was there, he put me in a Stormtrooper uniform and we had a really fun day on set. It's been one of my life-long goals to be a Stormtrooper, so I can tick that off now," Urban said.
You can see Urban in his Stormtrooper costume in a scene on Kylo Ren's ship. Urban also utters the line "Knights of Ren," as Kylo Ren walks down a hallway past two Stromtroopers--Urban played one of them.
Microsoft has released a new update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection that addresses some issues related to the newly updated challenge system that came to the game with Halo 3's release for PC earlier this month.
Specifically, the update--which is out now for PC and Xbox One--fixes an issue where challenge progress would not carry across PC and Xbox One. The patch also fixes a problem that showed challenge progress as being non-existent or lagging behind what it should be. You can see the full patch notes below.
Developer 343 Industries also announced that it's changing how you can unlock the Acrophobia skull. Initially, players needed to complete certain objectives in a set amount of time to unlock it, but now all you need to do is simply log in to the game before Halo 3: ODST launches on PC later this year. The same is true to unlock the Alliance nameplate--just log in and it's yours.
Actor Karl Urban has revealed that he had a secret cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Speaking to Digital Spy, Urban confirmed he played a Stormtropper in the sci-fi film and did some voicework, and revealed how his involvement in the movie came to be.
"I had the good fortune to go and visit JJ Abrams while he was shooting The Rise of Skywalker. While I was there, he put me in a Stormtrooper uniform and we had a really fun day on set. It's been one of my life-long goals to be a Stormtrooper, so I can tick that off now," Urban said.
You can see Urban in his Stormtrooper costume in a scene on Kylo Ren's ship. Urban also utters the line "Knights of Ren," as Kylo Ren walks down a hallway past two Stromtroopers--Urban played one of them.
Microsoft has released a new update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection that addresses some issues related to the newly updated challenge system that came to the game with Halo 3's release for PC earlier this month.
Specifically, the update--which is out now for PC and Xbox One--fixes an issue where challenge progress would not carry across PC and Xbox One. The patch also fixes a problem that showed challenge progress as being non-existent or lagging behind what it should be. You can see the full patch notes below.
Developer 343 Industries also announced that it's changing how you can unlock the Acrophobia skull. Initially, players needed to complete certain objectives in a set amount of time to unlock it, but now all you need to do is simply log in to the game before Halo 3: ODST launches on PC later this year. The same is true to unlock the Alliance nameplate--just log in and it's yours.
Like other battle royale game before it, Ubisoft's Hyper Scape has been targeted by hackers and cheaters. In a forum post, Ubisoft said its own data, and the feedback from the community, has shown that cheaters and hackers are "popping up more and more" in the game.
Ubisoft is treating the issue with the "highest priority," and the company has now outlined some of its plans to thwart the offending players.
Hyper Scape uses the BattlEye technology for anti-cheat. Ubisoft said it has "direct lines of communication" with the developers of the anti-cheat tools to help find and remove bad actors.
A new report from Bloomberg Businessweek has some new details on a King Arthur game that was in the works at Ubisoft Quebec led by former Dragon Age boss Mike Laidlaw. The game was said to have been canceled because chief creative officer Serge Hascoet--who recently left Ubisoft amid workplace allegations--did not like the setting.
The report says the untitled King Arthur game was a "big-budget adventure involving stories of King Arthur and his Round Table in a sword-and-sorcery fantasy world full of knights and legends." The game was said to be in development under the codename Avalon.
The game featured a "cooperative multiplayer world" that was likened in the report to the Monster Hunter series. Developer Jordan Mychal Lemos said on Twitter that he worked on the project twice for short periods of time. "I loved the narrative of the game and we had a super strong writing team early on. The entire team was great and driven by passion which was then crushed by Serge."
Fable for Xbox Series X was announced during the company's July showcase, and while the game is still a long way off we're starting to get a clearer picture of the team working on it. Fable is being developed by Forza Horizon studio Playground Games, and they've brought in some new talent for the game.
Video Games Chronicle has dived deep into the current team working on Fable, and has found that there are numerous industry veterans at the studio right now, working on the iconic RPG series. Notably, an earlier report from the site that much of the Batman: Arkham Knight writing team is now working on Fable has turned out to be accurate.
The game's narrative director is Martin Lancaster, who was the lead scriptwriter for Arkham Knight. Craig Owens, also a former script writer for Batman developer Rocksteady, has joined Playground too. The cinematic director, Mark Tan, is also a veteran of Rocksteady.
Like other battle royale game before it, Ubisoft's Hyper Scape has been targeted by hackers and cheaters. In a forum post, Ubisoft said its own data, and the feedback from the community, has shown that cheaters and hackers are "popping up more and more" in the game.
Ubisoft is treating the issue with the "highest priority," and the company has now outlined some of its plans to thwart the offending players.
Hyper Scape uses the BattlEye technology for anti-cheat. Ubisoft said it has "direct lines of communication" with the developers of the anti-cheat tools to help find and remove bad actors.
Dreams, Media Molecule's creation tool/game, can be used to create games, assets, and videos--and it's such a powerful tool that a major musician has used it to craft her new video. Noah Cyrus has worked with the developer and community to create a video for her song July, and it's a pretty strong effort.
The video, below, is artistic and cinematic, showing the creation of a world around a crying statue of a huddled woman. It looks very professional, and holds up against the (very different) live-action video for the song.
The track, July, comes from the artist's EP The End of Everything. You can watch the Dreams video for it below.
A new report from Bloomberg Businessweek has some new details on a King Arthur game that was in the works at Ubisoft Quebec led by former Dragon Age boss Mike Laidlaw. The game was said to have been canceled because chief creative officer Serge Hascoet--who recently left Ubisoft amid workplace allegations--did not like the setting.
The report says the untitled King Arthur game was a "big-budget adventure involving stories of King Arthur and his Round Table in a sword-and-sorcery fantasy world full of knights and legends." The game was said to be in development under the codename Avalon.
The game featured a "cooperative multiplayer world" that was likened in the report to the Monster Hunter series. Developer Jordan Mychal Lemos said on Twitter that he worked on the project twice for short periods of time. "I loved the narrative of the game and we had a super strong writing team early on. The entire team was great and driven by passion which was then crushed by Serge."
Dreams, Media Molecule's creation tool/game, can be used to create games, assets, and videos--and it's such a powerful tool that a major musician has used it to craft her new video. Noah Cyrus has worked with the developer and community to create a video for her song July, and it's a pretty strong effort.
The video, below, is artistic and cinematic, showing the creation of a world around a crying statue of a huddled woman. It looks very professional, and holds up against the (very different) live-action video for the song.
The track, July, comes from the artist's EP The End of Everything. You can watch the Dreams video for it below.
In Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, there's a cutscene that only triggers if your server achieves total nuclear disarmament--that is, no one on your gaming platform has or is developing any nuclear weapons on their Forward Operating Base. It's a cutscene that requires global cooperation to unlock--and now, five years later, one group of players has managed it.
Reddit user LoneQuacker highlighted the achievement, posting the cutscene that played for PS3 players when total disarmament was achieved. The video, posted by user "Steff", is "brought to you by anti nuke gang," according to its video description.
You can watch the cutscene below, and see if it stirs up any feelings of hope inside you. "I thought this day would never come," Kiefer Sutherland's Snake intones early in the cutscene. At this point, neither did we.
The cutscene has actually triggered once before in the PC version of the game, but this should not have been the case, as the prerequisite was not met. The PS3 version of the game would have a much smaller install base than most other versions--the PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions far outpaced the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, sales-wise.
The Phantom Pain would ultimately be the final Metal Gear Solid game from series creator Hideo Kojima. His latest game, Death Stranding, recently released on PC after a 2019 launch on PS4.
Halo Infinite releases later this year for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC, and Razer has announced that it plans to bring a number of licensed products and peripherals to those platforms. The Halo Infinite-themed accessories are planned for a September release, but unfortunately, Razer hasn't revealed any of them as of yet. When reached for comment, Razer said that its previous Gears 5 line is a good example of what to expect from the upcoming Halo Infinite series.
Looking at Razer's Gears 5 collaboration, the company created Gears of War-themed keyboards, mice, headsets, and mousepads. Of course, as we said, it's not confirmed those are the same types of products that will receive the Halo Infinite branding. We'll report back when we learn more.
Halo Infinite's first gameplay footage was revealed during the recent Xbox Series X showcase. It received some ire from fans for looking flat in some ways--it even produced a 343 Studios-approved meme called Craig. Microsoft addressed the concerns about Halo Infinite, saying its graphics will get "better and better" leading up to the game's launch. Unfortunately, we don't have an official release date, as it's launching alongside the Series X.
In Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, there's a cutscene that only triggers if your server achieves total nuclear disarmament--that is, no one on your gaming platform has or is developing any nuclear weapons on their Forward Operating Base. It's a cutscene that requires global cooperation to unlock--and now, five years later, one group of players has managed it.
Reddit user LoneQuacker highlighted the achievement, posting the cutscene that played for PS3 players when total disarmament was achieved. The video, posted by user "Steff", is "brought to you by anti nuke gang," according to its video description.
You can watch the cutscene below, and see if it stirs up any feelings of hope inside you. "I thought this day would never come," Kiefer Sutherland's Snake intones early in the cutscene. At this point, neither did we.
The cutscene has actually triggered once before in the PC version of the game, but this should not have been the case, as the prerequisite was not met. The PS3 version of the game would have a much smaller install base than most other versions--the PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions far outpaced the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, sales-wise.
The Phantom Pain would ultimately be the final Metal Gear Solid game from series creator Hideo Kojima. His latest game, Death Stranding, recently released on PC after a 2019 launch on PS4.
from GameSpot - All Content https://ift.tt/3hLWsO9
With the impending launch of Xbox Series X and PS5 this holiday season and the surrounding buzz likely to dominate industry talk for the foreseeable future, August seems like a calm before the storm. However, that doesn't mean there's nothing noteworthy coming out in August. There's actually several exciting new games on the horizon, one of which is a PC port of former PS4-exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn (See what I did there?). You can also expect games like Madden NFL Football 21, Wasteland 3, A Total War Saga: Troy, and much more.
To give you a proper look at what games are coming out for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch, we've rounded up all the biggest ones of August 2020 below. For a wider look at the titles still to come this year, look at our list of game release dates in 2020. Otherwise, check this article often for the latest during this month, as we'll be sure to update it with more new release dates that get announced.
Horizon Zero Dawn (PC) -- August 7
In what still seems like a surprising move, Sony is finally bringing some of its biggest games to PC. While Death Stranding launched on PC in July, Horizon Zero Dawn is the first that Sony is personally bringing to the platform. Originally released exclusively for PS4, the upcoming port is sports numerous graphical enhancements, including ultra-wide support, an unlocked frame rate, improved foliage physics, and enhanced reflection details. There's also graphical options for further optimization, controller remapping, and an in-game benchmarking tool. If you're keen to try Horizon Zero Dawn on PC, then be sure to grab it on Steam and the Epic Games Store when it launches August 7.
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles are launching this holiday, and many might be wondering which one to buy. Valve boss Gabe Newell has now chimed in with his own thoughts on the matter. If he had to choose (which he doesn't because he is a billionaire), Newell would go with the Xbox Series X, he said on a recent TV show in New Zealand.
"I don't have a stake in that race. Obviously we do most of our development on personal computers. But of the two, I would definitely go with an Xbox," Newell told The Project. He did not elaborate on why he thinks Xbox is better than PlayStation, however.
You can watch the clip below. Newell initially came to New Zealand in early 2020 for a 10-day vacation, but he became stuck in the country due to the global pandemic. As a thank you for the kindness and generosity of the people of New Zealand, Newell is paying for a giant party in Auckland called "We Love Aotearoa," which is to be held on August 15.
Halo Infinite releases later this year for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC, and Razer has announced that it plans to bring a number of licensed products and peripherals to those platforms. The Halo Infinite-themed accessories are planned for a September release, but unfortunately, Razer hasn't revealed any of them as of yet. When reached for comment, Razer said that its previous Gears 5 line is a good example of what to expect from the upcoming Halo Infinite series.
Looking at Razer's Gears 5 collaboration, the company created Gears of War-themed keyboards, mice, headsets, and mousepads. Of course, as we said, it's not confirmed those are the same types of products that will receive the Halo Infinite branding. We'll report back when we learn more.
Halo Infinite's first gameplay footage was revealed during the recent Xbox Series X showcase. It received some ire from fans for looking flat in some ways--it even produced a 343 Studios-approved meme called Craig. Microsoft addressed the concerns about Halo Infinite, saying its graphics will get "better and better" leading up to the game's launch. Unfortunately, we don't have an official release date, as it's launching alongside the Series X.
