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Dragon Age 4 may be revealed next month
BioWare is making a new Dragon Age game, and it could see a reveal--or at the very least an official stage confirmation--at The Game Awards 2018.
We've known BioWare is making a new Dragon Age game for a while now. Studio executive producer Mark Darrah teased the project back in 2016 and ever since then bits and pieces have ebbed into the sea of news. Thanks to this flow we actually know a fair bit about the new Dragon Age game.
But we may learn even more very, very soon. BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson says new info will be shared next month, leading us to believe Dragon Age 4 (or whatever it's called) could be formally revealed or at the very least officially confirmed during The Game Awards 2018.
Continue reading: Dragon Age 4 may be revealed next month (full post)
Obsidian's new RPG teased with Fallout, BioShock-like ads
Obsidian's new RPG has yet to be announced, but the devs give us a sampling of its unique visual style.
New banners on Obsidian Entertainment's official website offer a small look at its new RPG, namely its artistic flair. Sources told TweakTown in 2017 that the new RPG is based in a new IP, and aims to be Obsidian's answer to Fallout--which is only fitting given Fallout series creator Tim Cain is leading the project.
While these details have yet to be verified, the new fourth-wall breaking advertisements seem to align with our sources' info. The ads channel an older 1950's vintage Fallout- and BioShock-esque style, bringing to mind an age of sci-fi comics, nuclear families, and dreams of flying cars.
Continue reading: Obsidian's new RPG teased with Fallout, BioShock-like ads (full post)
PlayStation Classic specs revealed
Sony's new $100 PlayStation Classic packs enough power for optimum emulation, but the software throws off performance.
Retro mini consoles are all the rage these days and offer the likes of Sony and Nintendo ways to make a quick buck. These boxes are cheap to make and cash in on nostalgia, but unlike the NES and SNES Classic Editions, Sony's latest PlayStation mini actually has decent specifications for old-school emulation.
According to a teardown from Eurogamer, the micro-console features a MediaTek MT8167A SoC (the same used in Acer's 10-inch Iconia tablet) alongside 1GB of 1866MHz RAM.
Continue reading: PlayStation Classic specs revealed (full post)
Nintendo scraps controversial Creator's Program
Nintendo has decided to relax its vice grip on IP protection and give YouTubers, livestreamers, and content creators more flexibility on covering its games.
Nintendo is tired of letting its control issues get in the way of free press, exposure, and accessibility, and has now decided to kill off its strict Creator's Program. The company announced that the Creator's Program, which instilled strong regulations that content creators had to uphold lest they face channel strikes or even IP infringement, is shutting down in December 2018. The games-maker has replaced the draconian ruleset with a more creator-friendly set of guidelines (but there's still some similarities and red flags).
First off, Nintendo still wants its cut of advertisement revenue. Content creators can't monetize videos of Nintendo-copyrighted content unless the company says so, and whenever you earn any money from Nintendo Game Content (NGC) it goes to Nintendo first and you get to keep the rest. That part hasn't changed.
Continue reading: Nintendo scraps controversial Creator's Program (full post)
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden 'Farrow' trailer released
Funcom and The Bearded Ladies have debuted a new trailer for their coming title Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, titled 'Farrow reveal trailer.' Let's jump into the action below!
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a tactical strategy game that is much like XCOM, it takes aspects of exploration, stealth and critical thinking into a turn-based combat firefight. Players will be exploring a post-human world that features abandoned cities, crumbling highways, and overgrown countrysides.
The trailer also gives us a quick look at the team players will using, we have "A duck with an attitude problem and a boar with anger issues; these aren't your typical heroes. Get to know Dux, Bormin, Selma, and many other characters each with their own unique personality and deranged perspective on the world and their situation." For more information regarding Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, visit the official website here.
Continue reading: Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden 'Farrow' trailer released (full post)
Nintendo declines plans for Zelda: Skyward Sword Switch port
It appears that we will not be getting a Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Nintendo Switch port, Nintendo has just recently confirmed that they have "no plans" in the works.
Just a couple days ago, we heard about The Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma, talk about a Nintendo Switch port for Zelda: Skyward Sword. Despite Aonuma's tease at a Legend of Zelda concert in Osaka Japan, Nintendo have confirmed in a statement to Eurogamer that "At this time we have no plans to release The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword on Nintendo Switch."
Maybe now that Skyward Sword has been confirmed to be arriving anytime soon on the Nintendo Switch, we might see other Zelda titles such as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD or The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD considered? In my opinion, the more Zelda titles on the Switch the better. For more information regarding Zelda on the Nintendo Switch, check out the Breath of the Wild store listing on the Nintendo Switch website here.
Continue reading: Nintendo declines plans for Zelda: Skyward Sword Switch port (full post)
Why Kirby survives in Smash Bros. Ultimate 'World of Light'
After we saw the official Adventure Mode 'World of Light' trailer released for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, questions arose to why Kirby was chosen to survive Galeem. Smash Bros director, Masahiro Sakurai has given an explanation why.
Before jumping into the reasons why Kirby survived, if you haven't watched the World of Light trailer for Smash Ultimate check that out here and then return to this article. Jumping into the explanation now, Sakurai says that the reason for Kirby's survival is not because he was the original creator of the serious, but because from a game design perspective Kirby was simply the best choice for the role. Sakurai further explains why Kirby was chosen and the decision revolves around his Warp Star being able to defy physics.
"We needed a solid, convincing reason for why said character could outrun Galeem. All fighters possessing 'normal' abilities were immediately disqualified. Given that its assault enveloped the ends of the galaxy, only a vehicle that could defy the laws of physics would work. Even short-distance teleportation wouldn't be enough." Sakurai continues and says "Some of you may have forgotten, but Kirby's Warp Star has been able to, you know, warp since his very first game. That alone made him a pretty solid contender. The only other two fighters that could have survived would have been Bayonetta or Palutena. That said, Bayonetta's enemies from Purgatorio (a hellish other world) were turned into Spirits, so it wouldn't have made sense for her to escape. Other divine beings like Hades were also turned into Spirits, so there was no way Palutena could have survived, too."
Continue reading: Why Kirby survives in Smash Bros. Ultimate 'World of Light' (full post)
$250 million of Nintendo products sold in a five-day period
Nintendo have recently released their sales statistics for a five-day period running from Thanksgiving through until Cyber Monday. The Big N has hit new milestones by raking in a huge $250 million just within this time frame in product sales.
In a recent press release from Nintendo, the company details how they went over the course of Black Friday sales to Cyber Monday. According to the press release, the "Nintendo Switch set two new records from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday: It became the best-selling Nintendo console in U.S. history for that five-day period, surpassing even Wii system sales." This strong demand in Nintendo products pushed the company to sell more than $250 million dollars worth of Nintendo products within the five-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday.
According to Nintendo's internal sales figures, the Nintendo Switch sales grew a massive 115% when compared to the same time last year. "Lifetime sales of Nintendo Switch, which is entering only its second holiday season, have reached more than 8.2 million units." The sales data also reveals that 1 million first party titles sold during the period of Nov 22-26, this includes digital downloads as well. Nintendo also mentions the beast title that they haven't released yet, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Smash Ultimate is Nintendo's flagship title and will definitely be pushing the Switch unit sales even further than they already have gone. For more information, check out the official press release here.
Continue reading: $250 million of Nintendo products sold in a five-day period (full post)
Dragon Ball FighterZ: November update trailer released
Bandai Namco has scoped out the coming November update for Dragon Ball FighterZ. In celebration of the content update, a brand new trailer has been released onto the Bandai Namco Entertainment YouTube Channel.
Dragon Ball FighterZ players will soon be getting their hands-on a bunch of brand new content, the content that will be arriving within the free November update is; FighterZ Tournament with over 70 different tournament rules and the chase to acquire all Z Trophies. Players will also be able to enjoy all the Z Trophies in their very own "Z Trophy Room", within this room players can decorate their spaces with their most prized collectibles.
It addition to FighterZ Tournament updates, players will also be able to acquire more seasonal Z Capsules, christmas stamps, lobby avatars and outfits. The above trailer showcases all that I mentioned above within a very short a sharp minute. The Dragon Ball FighterZ November update will be arriving on PS4, Xbox One, PC and the Nintendo Switch. For more information regarding Dragon Ball FighterZ, visit the official Dragon Ball FighterZ website here.
Continue reading: Dragon Ball FighterZ: November update trailer released (full post)
Ashe is now in Overwatch competitive mode, and she's OP AF
If you've played Overwatch in the last 24 hours you'll have noticed that Blizzard has unleashed its latest character Ashe into competitive play, and she's so overpowered right now it's not funny. Pro tip: if someone throws Ashe's dynamite at you... RUN.
Ashe has been playable for weeks now but not in competitive play, a Blizzard standard for new Overwatch characters. Ashe is the latest in a slew of characters to play, and she's unbelievably powerful with a super-powerful ultimate. She can be great in tight situations, and flex out in long-ranged combat with her dynamite that can be thrown and spew fire onto surrounding players.
Ashe sports a semi-automatic rifle that fires quick shots, but you can also aim down the sights for more precise shots at picking enemies off in the distance. Her dynamite can be thrown as an explosive that blows up after a small delay, or right away if you - or someone else, shoots it. There's also DOT (damage over time) from the dynamite, as it engulfs enemies in flames. She also has her Coach Gun that blasts enemies away from her, and over ledges and cliffs in the right level, as well as throwing herself backwards to get out of a fight quickly.
Continue reading: Ashe is now in Overwatch competitive mode, and she's OP AF (full post)
Qualcomm Ventures sets aside $100 million for AI investments
Qualcomm Ventures has just announced a $100 million investment into the future of artificial intelligence, with the corporate venture capital arm of the Snapdragon giant putting the gauntlet down on AI.
While most other companies are working on AI that sits in the cloud, Qualcomm is getting things working closer to home: on-device AI. Qualcomm will be using its $100 million investment to give startups funding for on-device AI that runs on the actual device, whether it be a smartphone or a self-driving car, versus the cloud. The future of AI isn't in the cloud according to Qualcomm, but rather on-device AI.
Albert Wang, Qualcomm Investment Director, explained: "Today's AI processing is very computationally intensive. When you're talking to Alexa, nothing is processed on your device, it gets taken to the cloud and gets scrunched there. There are a few problems with that - performance deteriorates, it consumes a lot of bandwidth and there are privacy issues. Imagine you have an Alexa that is more private and user-friendly, you ask the questions and can get the answers instantly. It doesn't take the round trip all the way to the cloud".
Continue reading: Qualcomm Ventures sets aside $100 million for AI investments (full post)
Sprint and HTC team for a new 5G hotspot that lands in 2019
2019 will be the year of 5G taking over, with Qualcomm set to be the leader in 5G communications technology with its first Snapdragon X50 modem, something that will be going inside of the recently announced 5G hotspot by Sprint and HTC.
The two companies aren't saying much about the upcoming 5G hotspot other than it will be providing 1Gbps-class data speeds as well as normal 4G LTE connectivity, to multiple smartphones and other wireless-capable devices in (or out of) the house. Sprint is making the move with the 5G hotspot so that you can have super-fast speed to your devices through Wi-Fi before 5G is built into more and more phones in 2019 and beyond.
Sprint will have its 5G network up and running in multiple US cities in the first half of 2019, with just 9 cities confirmed so far. Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. are all confirmed so far. Sprint Chief Technology Officer Dr. John Saw said: "We're excited to continue building our 5G device portfolio and announce another way our customers can be among the first to experience Sprint 5G next year. This innovative product will allow customers on the go, at work or at home to enjoy Sprint 5G on multiple devices with incredibly fast connectivity for content sharing, mobile gaming, entertainment and so much more".
Continue reading: Sprint and HTC team for a new 5G hotspot that lands in 2019 (full post)
Bethesda SCREWS GAMERS over $200 version of Fallout 76
I don't even know what to say about Fallout 76 at this point, but I'm sure the upper management of Bethesda are blaming everyone under them because reasons. If you didn't think the situation could get any worse, strap yourself in.
Overnight a story broke out that the $200 version of Fallout 76 in the Power Armor Edition has been shipping in a worse state than the game. Bethesda promised in its own advertising that the Power Armor Edition was to include a military-style "canvas west tek duffel bag" which looked pretty cool, except gamers are now receiving their $200 bundles and it has been replaced with a crappy nylon bag.
This is what gamers are getting, with the first image showing the full bundle that Bethesda PROMISED gamers.
Continue reading: Bethesda SCREWS GAMERS over $200 version of Fallout 76 (full post)
No, Intel isn't hosting a conference for its GPU next month
Intel has more hype around its upcoming discrete GPU codenamed 'Arctic Sound' with fresh rumors hot off the press from DigiTimes saying that Intel will be hosting a conference in December to unveil its new GPU. Yeah, well, that's not happening.
I reached out to some industry sources to poke around and see what's going on, and it seems it will not be happening next month at all. Intel has previously said it will be launching its discrete GPU in 2020, so why would they be ready for a full detailing of the Arctic Sound architecture in late-2018? Previous rumors teased a reveal at CES 2019 but seemed to have fizzed out, as Intel is sticking to its 2020 release window.
Intel has secured most of the talent from AMD's own Radeon Technologies Group in the last year or so, with GPU architect Raja Koduri joining Intel as well as Radeon marketing legend Chris Hook just to name a few. These talented individuals have vast resources at their hands under Intel compared to the playing cards they had at AMD to fling around the room.
Continue reading: No, Intel isn't hosting a conference for its GPU next month (full post)
Obsidian reveals new RPG next week
After years of development, Obsidian is finally ready to reveal its next big new RPG.
Obsidian's new Fallout-esque RPG will be unveiled at The Game Awards 2018 showcase, Geoff Keighley today announced. The game will be part of the show's reveal lineup which includes 10 new world premiere announcements (a new Alien game called Blackout is likely too). While official details are light, sources told TweakTown in 2017 that the new RPG project would be led by Fallout creator Tim Cain and aims to be Obsidian's own unique answer to Fallout. The game should be the start of a new IP, sources said.
Although Obsidian Entertainment is now owned by Microsoft, its previous deal with Take-Two Interactive still stands. Obsidian signed a deal to publish its new RPG under Take-Two's new Private Division banner. We also know the new RPG is being built with Unreal Engine 4 instead of the studio's proprietary Onyx engine.
Continue reading: Obsidian reveals new RPG next week (full post)
Cowboy Bebop live-action series greenlit at Netflix
Cowboy Bebop will soon come to life (quite literally) on our television screens.
It's official: Netflix is adapting the stylish 90's anime Cowboy Bebop is being into a live-action series. "Guess it's time to announce that Cowboy Bebop, the live-action series, is heading to Netflix," the entertainment giant announced on Twitter. Casting for the renegade crew of Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed (and most importantly, Ein!) have yet to be revealed.
The show will run for 10 episodes and sees many of the original Cowboy Bebop alums returning, including Shinichiro Watanabe, who directed the anime and consults on the project, as well as various members of Sunrise Inc. Tomorrow Studios has been working on the live-action series for a year now but no release date has been announced.
Continue reading: Cowboy Bebop live-action series greenlit at Netflix (full post)
Lootboxes aren't gambling, ESA says
As the FTC holds a magnifying glass to lootboxes, the ESA doesn't think they're exploitative gambling mechanisms.
It seems everyone's weighing in lootboxes--worldwide governments, the FTC, the UK Gambling Commission--and they all want to know one thing: are they gambling? The Electronic Software Association recently weighed in on gaming's biggest microtransaction fad with a concrete "no," which isn't surprising as the group houses many of the publishers selling these billion-dollar digital boxes.
"Loot boxes are one way that players can enhance the experience that video games offer. Contrary to assertions, loot boxes are not gambling," the Electronic Software Association told Polygon. "They have no real-world value, players always receive something that enhances their experience, and they are entirely optional to purchase. They can enhance the experience for those who choose to use them, but have no impact on those who do not."
Continue reading: Lootboxes aren't gambling, ESA says (full post)
FTC to investigate lootboxes
As major world governments weigh in on lootboxes as gambling mechanisms, regulations may compromise the lucrative, flowing river of cash publishers like EA and Activision-Blizzard collect.
The Federal Trade Commission will soon investigate, evaluate, and scrutinize lootboxes in an effort to explore possible relation to gambling addiction and other socio-economic problems. FTC chairman Joseph Simons told Congress yesterday that an investigation into lootboxes would happen, and all commissioners support the initiative.
The industry's live service market may be regulated soon, and publishers need to start planning for a stricter microtransaction rulesets. This possible regulation is likely to affect free-to-play mobile games and console titles like Fortnite, and could tremendously disrupt the industry. Lootboxes and microtransactions are now more important to video game publishers than ever, and many rely heavily on recurring revenues gleaned from engagement monetization.
Red Dead Online microtransactions may be cosmetic-only
As we already knew, Red Dead Online will be monetized similar to Grand Theft Auto Online. But it may use cosmetic-only microtransactions instead of content that affects the game (for now, at least).
The Red Dead Online beta has revealed key info about its microtransactions. In an update post, Rockstar confirmed RDO would have a premium currency called "gold bars" that can be purchased with real money when it launches. Gold bars can be earned in-game during the beta, but can't yet be purchased with real cash. As Rockstar explains, this currency is used to unlock various cosmetics such as camp customization items and weapon flair:
"You may notice some areas of the in-game menus are not yet accessible or available during this early period of the Beta, such as the Red Dead Online in-game Store which will eventually open up to provide the option of purchasing gold bars to directly acquire cosmetic items like Camp decor, or a special style for your weapons," Rockstar wrote in an update post.
Continue reading: Red Dead Online microtransactions may be cosmetic-only (full post)
Ninja teases fans with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate content
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is releasing in a few days and extremely popular Twitch streamer Ninja seems to be teasing his audience with some future content from Nintendo's flagship title.
Richard Tyler Blevins or 'Ninja' is of course known for his extreme popularity on Twitch playing the game Fortnite, it appears now Ninja might be spending some time on Nintendo's soon to release Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The above Tweet from Ninja showcases a Donkey Kong gif that captioned "Hey fighting/smash community..." and "I got something cooking up for you."
From that Tweet I can only assume that Ninja is planning on some Smash Ultimate content either in the form of livestreams on the release date of the game or some editted videos of him enjoying the experience. Perhaps both? Either way, Ninja jumping on the Smash Ultimate hype train will certainly bring a large amount more attention to the game, and maybe even some players that wouldn't usually pick up a fighting game. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be releasing on December 7th, 2018. For more information visit the official Super Smash Bros. Ultimate website here.
Continue reading: Ninja teases fans with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate content (full post)






















