Gaming - Page 674

Square Enix is remastering everything in Final Fantasy VII, including the game's cover art.

Final Fantasy VII's cover art is just as immortal as the game. It's instantly recognizable and entirely iconic, summing up an entire console generation in a single image. Now after 22 years, Square Enix has revamped the cover art for a Tokyo Game Show 2019 tease and breathed new life into our expectations.

The FFVII Remaster won't just have enhanced graphics and visuals--it's been built from the ground up with Square Enix's potent Luminous Engine for modern hardware. The Remaster sports a fully new action-based combat system that blends Devil May Cry-style hacking and slashing with strategic finesse. The classic elements are still in like materia, skills, and the story arc follows the same beats, but the gameplay is dramatically different.

Two of the best Star Wars games are getting re-released on modern platforms, but they might not be remasters.

Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy are both coming to Nintendo Switch and PS4, but not at once. Jedi Outcast will launch on September 24 on both Switch and PS4, with the complete and chaotic Force-blasting singleplayer experience intact. There's no exact mention of remastered graphics but the released screenshots look pretty crisp, so we could expect some upscaling from the original Xbox versions. Aspyr, who ported Civilization VI and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel on Mac, is handling development of both games.

Jedi Academy is due out in 2020 and will include full online multiplayer support. Both games will also gyro motion controls on Switch.

Gears of War 5's microtransactions aren't entirely cosmetic. Gamers can purchase XP boosts with premium currency that affect gameplay.

As with most major developers and publishers, The Coalition made big noise about Gears 5's microtransactions being 100% cosmetic. Except that's technically not the case. Gears 5 is a clear example of Microsoft's live service-first focus, complete with lots of grinding, unlockables, and engagement-driven events. The glue that holds Gears 5 together is Iron, a currency that's earned in-game from supply drops and events. It's also purchasable with real money.

Iron is used to unlock things like skins and costumes. It's also used to buy XP boosts that last up to 30 days at a time, and have a pretty substantial effect on your earn rates. Here's how The Coalition explains boosts on the Gears 5 website:

Even Kojima himself isn't sure what Death Stranding actually is. We're right there with you, HK.

Death Stranding is a weird game. We've been told it's an action-based game with open-world exploration, and that its singular aim is to connect and bind people together. It'll have online multiplayer with a kind of unique shared world that you can interact with and change for others. It's a tale of a broken reality where two dimensions layer on top of one another like oil on water--the tainted Death Stranding limbo on top, and the real-world below. Death Stranding uses babies as batteries, lets you pee on the ground for magical outcomes, has a character that dies every 21 minutes, and the world is stalked by shadowy monstrosities. But this info only brings more questions...and even Kojima himself doesn't have all the answers.

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Hideo Kojima said Death Stranding's overall scope, themes, and feel are still perplexing, as demonstrated in the Lynchian-Kubrick cinematic presentation mingled with interactive gaming.

SNES games are now on the Switch, and Nintendo is selling a special $30 wireless SNES controller with some additions.

Nintendo's plan with retro games is unique. First it sold games a la carte on its Virtual Console service for $5, $8, and $10 a pop, then it sold impossibly hard-to-get mini consoles for $60 and $80, now it's packing classic games into its cheap $5 a month Switch Online service.

The gameplan moving is clearly set around giving options. Don't own a Switch? Buy a mini console. Own a Switch? Buy into the cheap Switch Online and get NES and SNES games. It's a win-win method of monetizing nostalgia, especially when you also re-sell wireless retro controllers.

EA made it into the Guinness Book of World Records 2020 for all the wrong reasons.

In 2017, the big Battlefront II lootbox kerfuffle was etched into the annals of gaming history. The controversy, which saw Battlefront II as an egregious pay-to-win scheme full of grinding and tedium, changed the industry. It sent a shockwave through the billion-dollar lootbox market, causing many publishers to switch to cosmetic-only monetization, and even triggered massive scrutiny from worldwide regulators. In a way EA kind of changed everything for the better...but that doesn't make the most recent world record sting any less.

EA's infamous "pride and accomplishments" Reddit is now part of the Guinness Book of World Records as the most-downvoted Reddit comment of all time. The comment currently has 683,000 downvotes. It's not the kind of thing you want to be known for in any industry...let alone an entertainment one. The record was found in the 2020 edition and gamers passed around the news across Reddit, message boards, and various social media outlets for a good reminder of how oblivious some devs can be.

A newly published Nintendo patent shows foldable and even bending Switch JoyCon controllers.

Nintendo could be experimenting with all kinds of JoyCon permutations, including foldable and more ergonomic Switch controllers. The patent, which was recently made public, highlights what could be a new evolution to the JoyCons.

The documents show a myriad of configurations, but the most interesting show the top analog stick portion angled forward for better positioning, somewhat akin to the original Wii Nunchuk or Valve's Knuckles. Right now the controllers are stiff and unyielding, but the patents show JoyCons that fold slightly or even outright bend on a set curve.

Although it was teased at last year's The Game Awards, the next Dragon Age game is only in pre-production phases of development.

Today BioWare confirmed two major things: It's working on multiple new projects at once, and that Dragon Age 4 is far from ready. In fact, the next big RPG is not even close to being ready. It's only in pre-production right now.

In a recent update, BioWare general manager Casey Hudson confirmed the game is a long ways away. "I can say however that one of our projects has a large and growing team in Edmonton working through pre-production, and based on the progress I'm seeing, I can confirm that indeed the Dread Wolf rises," Hudson said.

BioWare confirms it's working on multiple big projects at once, which is what got the developer into deep trouble in the first place.

BioWare's team has a big morale problem that's led to a lot of internal suffering. Developers are submitted to intense crunch to get projects like Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Anthem finished. The latter two suffered immensely from this hard push and were lampooned by gamers and critics alike. BioWare devs say depression, anxiety, and mental and physical fatigue are all endemic to the studio, with poor planning, communication, and execution the major culprits. BioWare is simply doing too much too fast. Now they're adrift in the same turbulent waters in the same boat.

Although BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson pledges to help fix these issues, today he confirmed the studio is working on numerous big AAA games at once. These projects include Dragon Age 4 and unspecific unannounced games, one of which is likely set in the Mass Effect franchise.

Following the inclusion of SNES games, Nintendo confirms it will no longer release three new classic games a month.

SNES games on Switch are finally here, they're free for Switch Online subscribers, and the games are damn good. But there's a catch. Nintendo has no plans to just rapidly give away old-school games in its cheap $5 a month Switch Online subscription. The old three SNES/NES games a month cadence is over. Instead of the agonizing drip-feed of games, Nintendo delivered a fusillade of classics all at once (Netflix binging vs weekly episodes).

New games are coming to both platforms, Nintendo says, but gamers won't ever known when. They'll now be added sporadically with no set timeline. "New games will be added after launch, but those releases will not adhere to a regular schedule," a Nintendo rep told Vooks.net.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is coming to Switch, but PC players can import their saves.

As Nintendo embraces the Switch's destiny as a re-release machine, a ton of existing and yesteryear games are coming to the platform. Some surprises like beloved RPG Divinity: Original Sin 2 are making the jump, complete with an interesting feature that should be bog standard for all cross-plat ports: cross-saves. The wizards at Larian let PC and Switch players freely import and export their saves at will, and Switch saves are compatible with PC and vice-versa.

"For players who wish to continue their adventures on the go, Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition features first-of-its-kind cross-saves between Nintendo Switch systems and Steam on PC, which means players can upload and download their save files to continue playing on the go," reads a press release announcement.

Gears 5 is right around the corner (my 8K benchmarks have just finished, expect that over the weekend) but now it has been revealed that Gears 5 is the latest AAA game to have in-game inclusivity for LGBTQPIA+ gamers.

The game has a playable female protagonist, which is a first for the Gears franchise, but it also packs a bunch of Pride flags that represents the various LGBTQPIA+ identities in the gaming community.

Twitter user @ashiinu spotted the 19 Pride flags in Gears 5, with the Pride flags being in-game banners that can be styled to your multiplayer character load out.

Unreal Engine 4.23 has been released, with Epic Games adding in the Chaos physics and destruction system into the new version of UE. A recap on what the Chaos High-Performance Physics and Destruction System is capable of:

Epic Games explains that Chaos lets "users can achieve cinematic-quality visuals in real-time in scenes with massive-scale levels of destruction and unprecedented artist control over content creation".

I hope this means the next wave of games feature an incredible amount of realistic destruction and use of physics, now that it is injected directly into Unreal Engine. Another big improvement is the introduction of ray tracing which took place in Unreal Engine 4.22, and is now improved in UE 4.23.

The Nintendo Switch is apparently getting its own Wii Fit-style peripheral that makes working out into a game.

Remember Wii Fit? The Switch is getting its own hardware that essentially makes a game out of fitness...but it looks a lot more wacky and ridiculous than the Wii Fit. Today Nintendo teased what could be the Switch Fit, a new very barebones kit that includes a leg strap holster and a tension wheel.

The idea is simple: JoyCons are slotted in both the wheel and the holster for gyroscopic tracking and simulating various exercises. We see everything from Yoga to static stretches, ab workouts, tricep kickbacks, flutter kicks, hip adductor squeezes, chest squeezing, glute bridges, and a bunch of really silly variations of warm-up static runs. Ultimately it won't replace traditional exercise, but it makes it into a fun family-friendly experience with mini-games.

Nintendo launches 20 SNES games on Switch Online today, all 100% free for subscribers.

It's finally happening. SNES games are coming to the Switch's cheap $5 a month Switch Online subscription, and they won't cost anything extra. We originally thought SNES would be sold as part of an upgraded Switch Online tier, but Nintendo confirmed they're 100% free for all subscribers. We're happy to be wrong about this one.

The games, which include great SNES classics like Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Zelda A Link to the Past, Star Fox, F-Zero, and Super EDF, will be wrapped up in a separate 100MB download on the eShop. The games support awesome additions like save states, online play with other Switch Online members, cloud saves, and multiple screen display settings.

Dying Light 2 aims to one-up the original in every way, including overall world size, dynamic scope, and game-shifting consequences.

Today Techland outlined a bit more of Dying Light 2's expansive features and content, confirming the sequel's massive new open world dwarf the first game by four-fold. "Dying Light 2's game world will be four times bigger than the whole game world before," Techland Chief Technology Officer Pawel Rohleder told NVIDIA.

Rohleder goes on to expound on Dying Light 2's choice-driven system that has a direct impact on the world itself. You're no longer a part of the world, but an agent of change that molds the environments, maps, factions and overall societies with your actions.

One of my favorite games of all time is coming to the Nintendo Switch, with the Japanese giant announcing the news during its recent Nintendo Direct and Blizzard announcing it on the official Overwatch Twitter account:

We knew it was coming from the near non-stop leaks and rumors about Overwatch arriving to mobile on the Nintendo Switch, but now it is confirmed. Overwatch isn't the most graphically demanding game either, so it should match the lower-end specs of the Switch compared to something like The Witcher 3 which doesn't run so great on Nintendo's mobile console.

The Nintendo Switch version of Overwatch is a little special, as it has motion controls -- compared to the controller/keyboard and mouse setups of the console and PC versions of the game. Not only that, but you'll get a super bonus Widowmaker skin if you pre-order the game as well as 3 months of Nintendo Switch Online.

Square Enix has something big to show off for the continuously expanding world of real-time ray tracing games and technology, with its subsidiary studio Luminous Productions showing off a new ray tracing tech demo titled Back Stage. Check it out:

Back Stage was powered by a single NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics card, and is powered by the Luminous Engine that powered Final Fantasy XV. Square Enix added in most NVIDIA GameWorks bits and pieces including VXAO, HairWorks, ShadowLibs, and Turf Effects.

Takeshi Aramaki, Studio Head of Luminous Productions, explained: "Back Stage is a showcase demo of our work to answer the question, 'How can you use ray tracing in a next generation game?'"

Acer is making its ridiculous Thronos gaming chair a little cheaper, with the company unveiling at IFA 2019 its new Predator Thronos Air -- a less motorized version that only costs $13,999.

The cheaper gaming chair drops the automatic motorized monitor arm with a manually adjustable one, but Acer will still support up to three gaming displays inside of the gaming haven. There's still an adjustable keyboard and mouse tray, as well as a foot rest to keep your tootsies up.

Dropping $14,000 on the Acer Predator Thronos Air doesn't even include a gaming PC, headset, webcam, and all the rest of the gear you'll need. So if you were spending $14K on this, then you're going to want to deck it out with a high-end gaming PC too, right? Try $20K total.

Dave Bautista wants to play Marcus Fenix in the new Gears of War movie, but instead he'll star in Coalition's upcoming Gears 5.

Today wrestling alum and Guardians of the Galaxy actor Dave Bautista confirmed he'll be a playable character in Gears of War 5, leading to much fanfare across the Xbox userbase. The Coalition says they tapped parts of Bautista's The Animal WWE persona as inspiration for his in-game character, and made custom armor specced right from the games. The team also gives strong hopes that the ex-bodybuilder could play Marcus in the upcoming film.

"Adding Batista to Gears 5, we started with the fantasy of 'Batista as Marcus,' putting Batista into Marcus' armor, and starting with Marcus' script. Then we added elements of "The Animal" Batista into his voice performance and onto his look by adding his signature Hollywood shades to his character. Batista was great in the booth and I can't wait for Gears and Batista fans alike to stomp some Swarm as The Animal," The Coalition's Rod Ferguson said.