Gaming - Page 349

One talented modder has added Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael into Insomniac's new Spider-Man PC game, showing us what a new TMNT should look like.

Modder Chase aka Space_Dasher has done what hasn't been accomplished in 6 years: Effectively helped create a new TMNT game using custom skins. It's not a new game exactly...but the totally tubular turtles really do add a new layer of depth to the game.

The famous shell-shockers have been added into Insomniac's new Spider-Man game as a downloadable PC mod, effectively transforming Peter Parker's adventure into a highly acrobatic ninja romp befit of the old Eastman and Laird comics. It might sound weird to see Leonardo sling on webs and tie up enemies using spider-silk, but it's actually surprisingly fitting. It's kind of like the 90s crossover that we've always wanted--maybe in some alternate dimension the turtles got soaked in TGRI mutagen and bitten by a radioactive spider...

If Microsoft's Matt Booty can be believed, the new Perfect Dark game should mix spy thriller action with suave and sophisticated confidence.

We haven't seen much of the new Perfect Dark reboot from Microsoft's secretive games studio The Initiative. The game was formally announced in 2020 with a 2-minute trailer consisting mostly of flycam footage and not any actual gameplay sequences. But according to Microsoft, the game will take the best of the worlds of James Bond and The Bourne Identity, indicating a "super spy fantasy" that features a skilled Joanna Dark with an arsenal of slick and dangerous gadgets.

"We're rebooting the game very carefully. Some of those things don't age well, right? What's super cool about Perfect Dark and Joanna Dark is the super agent fantasy, the spy fantasy, the Borne Identity and James Bond kind of thing, that's always a cool meme that people want to lean into, but we have to make sure we bring it forward in the right way. So we're moving very carefully," Booty said at PAX West.

Ex-Arkane Studios head Raphael Colantonio never wanted to use the Prey series name for the 2017 shooter.

Prey 2017 was one of the best games I've played in recent memory. It was my favorite game of the year and with its mind-bending storyline, innovative mechanics, and incredible environments, it remains one of the most intriguing games of the PS4 console gen. But the game was never meant to be called Prey.

In a recent interview with the Game Maker's Notebook, Colantonio expressed frustration with Bethesda and gave a brief look at what it was like to work on the game behind the scenes. Bethesda gave Arkane a lot of freedoms to create something they wanted to make, but that freedom didn't extend to the game's name. Bethesda made Arkane call the game Prey despite having nothing to do with the fan-favorite shooter from 2006 with its weird alien sphincter doors and crazy portals.

Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass already has tremendous value with content. Now it's getting even more value through savings and discounts.

There's two ways to add value to a subscription service: Content and savings. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has become exponentially more valuable over time with the sheer volume of content that it offers (over 440 games to date, with more on the way), but now Microsoft is adding more icing on the cake with its new shared family subscription options.

Microsoft is rolling out its new Xbox Game Pass Friends and Family subscription tier that offers up to five people access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $22 a month. For reference, a normal Game Pass Ultimate subscription is $14.99 for one user, so upgrading seems like a no-brainer, especially if you have just one extra friend who's willing to chip in (let alone four). This new tier will tremendously benefit consumers and help onboard more subscribers, boost possible monetization and game sales, and overall inflate Microsoft's internally-tracked KPIs.

Call of Duty alum Glen Schofield confirms that his new studio, Striking Distance Studios, is currently working long hours and crunching in order to finish The Callisto Protocol.

In a few years' time, crunch has gone from normal standard operating procedure to a vilified, anti-worker practice. Companies like Rockstar Games and Naughty Dog have instituted major reforms that help reduce the overworking conditions for their employees. That isn't the same for indie developers, though, especially those who are on a tight schedule with a tight budget.

In a now-deleted Tweet, Glen Schofield recently confirmed that his dev team is crunching hard to get The Callisto Protocol ready for its December 2022 launch.

Paramount is bringing back its $8 billion dollar franchise, A new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game is currently in development

TMNT is back in the limelight. Paramount and Nickelodeon have released two big TMNT games in 2022--the excellent Shredder's Revenge, a beat-em-up throwback recreation of the immortalized 1990s arcade game, and the new Konami Cowabunga Collection, a mega-pack of old-school favorites featuring 13 TMNT games. Now a new big AAA game is in the works, too.

In a recent interview featured in the September issue of Toy World, Paramount's head of consumer products and experiences Lucy Dixon delivered the totally tubular announcement:

343 Industries cancelled Halo Infinite's couch co-op, but the mode is actually playable using a specific glitch.

Gamers have found ways to access unpublished Halo Infinite content, including Forge, which has been a modder's dream--people are sharing creations left and right including this awesome Toy Story map. Now Halo Infinite modders and players are playing local couch co-op in Halo Infinite's campaign...even though 343i had officially cancelled the mode.

Turns out this is an older glitch that involves some menu trickery. The performance seems pretty solid and users aren't reporting crashing or stuttering with combat/AI. Twitter user Halo Creations shared a quick tutorial on how to access couch co-op in Halo Infinite and it's actually pretty easy. This trick works on both Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.

Halo fans are objecting to 343 Industries' focus on competitive PVP, saying that Halo is and always should be a game that's fun and you can play with friends.

Yesterday 343i delivered a disappointing update to Halo fans: Halo Infinite's split-screen co-op has been cancelled, effectively cutting out a big portion of local play. Infinite is now the only Halo game not to feature split-screen campaign co-op. It does however support four-player split-screen multiplayer but only on the Xbox Series X/S. The Xbox One version is limited to just two players.

Comments made in the developer announcement video also ruffled some feathers, namely the messaging behind Halo being a competitive game first and foremost. Fans chimed in the video's comment section to voice their concerns, saying that Halo has really been more about sharing, camaraderie, and aloof fun rather than the white-knuckled high-stress esports action that influenced Infinite's development.

Today marks the 7th anniversary of the last mainline Metal Gear game to date, and Hideo Kojima's last Metal Gear game ever made. Now the renowned developer looks longingly back at the game's development.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain turns 7 today, and the gaming world is celebrating by sharing tons of art, screenshots, videos, and impressions on the sequel-turned-punctuation-mark. How does Kojima feel about this bittersweet anniversary? In a somewhat rare and candid Tweet, Hideo Kojima says he "misses everything" about Metal Gear Solid, which brings to mind the sad breakup between Kojima and Konami in 2015.

Recent reports indicate that Kojima and Konami are currently on talking terms, but don't expect Metal Gear Solid VI any time soon. Kojima won't be involved in future Konami games and Konami may not be willing to spend the tens of millions required to make an in-house AAA game like that any more.

Xbox's Phil Spencer confirms that Call of Duty will eventually leave PlayStation hardware, aligning with previous nebulous statements about the future of the franchise on competing hardware.

Call of Duty's time on PlayStation hardware is on a countdown clock. Microsoft has confirmed that Call of Duty's release guarantee on PlayStation has an expiration date.

"In January, we provided a signed agreement to Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation, with feature and content parity, for at least several more years beyond the current Sony contract, an offer that goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements," Microsoft's Phil Spencer told The Verge.

343 Industries has officially cancelled Halo Infinite's split-screen couch co-op mode so it can focus on the game's ailing live service model.

Halo Infinite isn't in good shape right now (but that might change with a big update on November 7 that includes Forge). Season 3 has been delayed by an entire quarter, being pushed back from its slated November launch to a March 7, 2023 release. Split-screen couch co-op has also been cancelled, meaning this will be the first Halo game not to allow people in the same household to play the campaign together on the same console.

343i says the reason for the cancellation is so it can focus on other things including a new list of priorities that are affecting the entire studio, Forge, and other new game modes like the oft-rumored Tatanka battle royale.

343 Industries confirms Halo Infinite's highly anticipated Forge mode will be coming in the next five months, and delivers updates on the mode's feature set.

We've previously reported that Halo Infinite's Forge mode is the largest creation tool that 343i has ever made. It's something special and features its very own scripting language. Modders have had access to Halo Infinite's Forge for quite some time, and one of them is even building a startlingly accurate rendition of Andy's room from Toy Story.

Now 343i finally has an update on what's on the horizon with Forge. Ske7ch and Joseph Staten underline just how powerful Infinite's Forge mode is and how it could transform gameplay with crazy new features. The devs are even making two new official new Halo Infinite maps in Forge.

Valve recently confirmed a new Steam Deck is in development, and that the system is multi-generational hardware. But it's not giving up on games any time soon either.

Valve is an interesting jack of all trades. The company not only runs the most popular PC gaming platform on the market, but it has released multiple iterations of new hardware including the innovative (but failed) PC-console Steam Machine hybrid, the innovative Index VR headset, controllers, and the PC-handheld Steam Deck hybrid. It also released Half-Life Alyx, it's first new game in many years. But Alyx won't be its last game; new projects are currently in development.

In a recent interview with Famitsu, Valve's Greg Coomer confirms that more Half-Life games are on the way and that new mystery titles are currently in the works behind Valve's steamy corridors. "We're not stopping making games at all. Valve has a lot of games in development. We will continue to release games," Coomer said.

Microsoft has once again talked down Call of Duty being removed from PlayStation or being exclusive to the Xbox platform amid public scrutiny from regulators.

Today the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (the CMA, basically the UK's version of the FTC) publicly aired its concerns on Microsoft's proposed buyout of Activision-Blizzard. The CMA says it believes the deal has a "realistic prospect of significant lessening of competition" in key gaming markets because of Microsoft's existing cloud framework, its games console platform and services like Xbox Game Pass, and that Call of Duty and Candy Crush are so powerful that their acquisition could affect competitors and rivals.

Now Microsoft has responded to this report with a public blog post of its own, affirming that Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation consoles. Spencer cites how Microsoft has been so open with Minecraft, however Minecraft hasn't released 8 separate premium games since 2014.

Following months of leaks and speculation, Ubisoft has officially announced the next Assassin's Creed game.

The reports were right: The next Assassin's Creed game is called Mirage. Ubisoft announced the game in a recent Tweet and also released a bit of concept/key art for Assassin's Creed Mirage. While no other details were outlined, the game will be revealed during its delayed Ubisoft Forward stream event on September 10 at 12PM PST/3PM EST.

Ubisoft's confirmation goes a long way, but the publisher isn't ready to announce other details about Assassin's Creed Mirage. According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who broke the news months back, the recent report got a few details wrong.

Microsoft's Phil Spencer has confirmed that major Activision-Blizzard franchises will cross over to Xbox Game Pass if the company's $68.7 billion buyout goes through.

We had previously said that Call of Duty, a $30 billion franchise, was the main reason Microsoft wanted to buy Activision-Blizzard. Then Phil Spencer indicated that mobile was a major reason for the buyout; Microsoft wants to make a larger splash in mobile, and Activision has done well with Call of Duty Mobile ($1.5 billion to date), Blizzard's latest Diablo Immortal (achieved $100 million faster than Fortnite), and the mega billion dollar sensation Candy Crush ($2.58 billion in 2021).

Microsoft's entire rationale is to acquire as much content as possible to bolster its services platform. Xbox is now a service-based ecosystem that bridges consoles, PCs, and mobile devices, but Microsoft wants to secure more franchises for consistent live expansion. With Game Pass being the most transformational subscription service for Xbox with multiple years of growth, it's no surprise that Microsoft wants to fortify Game Pass as much as possible. Hence why big Activision-Blizzard franchises would jump right onto Game Pass if the merger deal goes through.

Regulators in the UK haven't been convinced that Microsoft's buyout of Activision-Blizzard is good for competition, and require more information in order to make an informed decision.

The United Kingdom's Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA), which is basically the UK's version of the FTC, has requested more information on Microsoft's proposed $68.7 billion buyout of Activision-Blizzard. The CMA has publicly said that it has concerns that the deal could affect competition in the video games sphere, namely with gaming subscriptions, gaming consoles, and the emerging and fast-growing cloud market.

The CMA says that it has "identified a realistic prospect of significant lessening of competition in the UK, including gaming consoles, multi-game subscription services, and cloud gaming services."

IO Interactive's latest financial annual report may give hints on release timing for its new projects.

Hitman developer IO Interactive recently published its annual earnings report for the FY22 period on the Danish Central Business Register (CVR). While the numbers show IO is doing quite well with a boost in total revenues (538 million Danish krone, or about $72.7 million USD), there's a section that could give us a better idea on when the studio's next games will release.

The report specifically mentions how IO Interactive's earnings typically spike when the release a new game. In between the releases are major lulls in revenues as consumers move on to other games and IO starts working on a new project. This cycle of ups and downs is how the industry works for smaller independent studios like IO Interactive. The studio says the next lull will take place in FY24 and FY25, which could indicate that neither of IO's big new games will release until after March 2025 at the earliest (which is to be expected given their scale).

The reports were right: NetEase today announced it has purchased Quantic Dream.

It's official: NetEase has bought Quantic Dream. On paper, Quantic Dream is kind of an odd fit for a company like NetEase. The Chinese juggernaut NetEase makes billions of dollars every year from microtransaction-fueled free-to-play online games ($9.8 billion in 2021, to be exact), whereas Quantic Dream's games (Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls, Detroit Become Human, and the upcoming Star Wars Eclipse) are more premium and cinematic-driven experiences.

That being said, Quantic Dream is actually making a game with microtransactions, and it could be a free-to-play title. This would fold directly with NetEase's business model.

Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater are getting remastered, reports indicate.

Konami is re-connecting with fans in a big way. The publisher plans to revive dormant franchises like Castlevania, Silent Hill, and Metal Gear with new releases and remasters. Konami doesn't have the might of Kojima's old dev team to make a brand new big-budget Metal Gear so they're doing the next best thing: Re-releasing the old games with upgraded features.

Reports from Video Games Chronicle indicate that Konami is currently working with third-party developers like Virtuous on remastering the first three Metal Gear Solid games. The games, which have been re-released with HD upgrades in the past, will be all new remasters with performance and visual upgrades befit of modern hardware.