Gaming - Page 805

PS4's time exclusivity content in Red Dead Redemption 2 actually has a tangible affect on gameplay and isn't just cosmetic.

Shortly after Red Dead Redemption 2 was announced we knew the game would favor PS4 with early content. At the time (and shortly before today) I was sure this would simply be cosmetic items that change your in-game appearance, but this isn't the case. Sony today revealed the fruits of their marketing deal with Rockstar, detailing the extras PS4 owners will enjoy in both singleplayer and the game's multiplayer mode.

The only extra that doesn't seem to affect anything is the Grizzlies Law Outfit, which may be entirely cosmetic. But remember RDR2's clothing actually matters, i.a. Arthur needs to wear coats in colder climes, etc. The other three--a speedy horse, a saddle that boosts horse health and stamina, and a fast-shooting revolver--have a direct in-game advantage in Red Dead Online multiplayer component.

It appears Baldur's Gate 3 is in development, but the RPG masters at Larian Studios won't be making it.

The rumor mill has been quite active lately, and this time it's churned out reports that the well-known RPG experts at Larian Studios is making a new Baldur's Gate game. Larian has acquired the Baldur's Gate license, the rumors say, and active dev on a third chapter is underway.

Sadly this isn't the case. A rep told WCCFTech that Larian isn't working on Baldur's Gate 3 and are instead continuing work on its long-running Divinity franchise. This makes sense considering Larian owns the Divinity IP, which is a fan-favorite among gamers. Larian is also making a mysterious new project codenamed Gustav.

Nintendo's future lies beyond gaming, and it plans to branch out more to other entertainment experiences like movies, shows, and more.

As Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime says, the Japanese company is more than just gaming--it's just part of the bigger picture. It's true Nintendo is mostly known for icons like Link and Mario, proving gaming is the starting point to a more broad reach among consumers. But other mediums like movies, theme parks, and maybe even TV shows are a gateway to even wider mass market appeal. You see, it's all about engagement: not just engagement in games, but more importantly outside of them as well. Nintendo wants to engage consumers in their brand even further with entertainment that's not just limited to gaming or a games console like the Switch--Nintendo is crossing into the real-world to excite people.

At this year's Geekwire Summit, Fils-Aime touched on how gaming is cornerstone of its business and how the company is moving beyond this scope. "It's about Mario, Zelda, Pokemon-all these wonderful intellectual properties...how we leverage these across a variety of entertainment platforms is how we're looking to grow the company."

A brand new character trailer has been released ahead of the launch of Bandai Namco's Soulcalibur VI. The trailer reveals the physical spirit embodiment of Souls Edge, Inferno.

Jumping into a little back story about Inferno for those that don't know. Inferno is the spirit within Souls Edge which is the central antagonist in the entire Souls series. When Souls Edge was originally forged it was just an ordinary sword, after numerous years of use the sword was bathed in blood and hatred which resulted in it gaining a wicked evil demonic soul, called Inferno.

Since the characters within Soulcalibur are after the power of Souls Edge, Inferno poses the mind of whatever character wields the blade. This means that Inferno is the "true form of Souls Edge" and the polar opposite of Soul Calibur, the sword created to combat Soul Edge. If you happened to miss the reveal trailers for Raphael, Cervantes, Tira, Maxi, Taki, Siegfried and Geralt definitely catch up on those. The release date for Soulcalibur VI is on October 19th, the title is going to release on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

President of Nintendo America has come forward during the GeekWire Summit 2018 and discussed the shortcoming of the Wii U and how Nintendo improved upon them with the Nintendo Switch.

During Fils-Aime's speech the President of Nintendo talked about how successful the Nintendo Switch has been since release and how the company listened to consumers after the release of Wii U. Just looking towards sheer numbers now, Nintendo launched the Wii U in 2012, six years after the launch of the Wii. At the time the Wii had sold 100 million units globally, the Wii U only came in at 13.56 million which did not even come close to the same amount of success.

Fils-Aime talks about what changes were made with the transition Wii U to the Nintendo Switch so this massive sales gap wouldn't happen again. "We had launched the Wii U, following on the heels of the Wii, which had sold 100 million units globally. The Wii U did not have that same level of success. But what we heard from consumers is that the proposition of a tablet that they could experience gameplay [with], coupled with the ability to play games on the big screen TV, was really compelling."

TaleWorlds Entertainment have released a new developers blog regarding their coming next installment in the Mount & Blade series, Mount & Blade: Bannerlord. The developers blog address the new improvements made in the coming title and what players should expect with 'Kingdom Management.'

If you are a fan of the Mount & Blade series you are no doubt looking forward to the release of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. Luckily, developers TaleWorlds have released a brand new developers blog which gives some insight into what to expect from the new title. According to the blog post, the developers have improved the fluidity between the early to mid to late game experience.

As players climb the ranks and plunder in experience, wealth and prestige a brand new screen has been implemented to track your successes. Within this screen players will be able to jump between four tabs: Clans, Fiefs, Policies and Armies. Within each of these tabs is all the respective information needed for players to make well informed decisions to further both their progress as well as their kingdom. At the moment there is no official release date for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord but as soon as there is one announced we will be sure to update you.

SEGA and Creative Assembly, the developers and publishers of Total War: Warhammer II have brought fans some sweet deals on the Warhammer franchise in celebration of the new upcoming DLC for Total War: Warhammer II.

Leading up to the release of the coming 'Curse of The Vampire Cost' DLC for Total War: Warhammer II, both SEGA and Creative Assembly have decided to bring gamers some massive discounts for Warhammer franchise. Looking towards Steam now, we have the first Total War: Warhammer game listed for $59.99 but over the course of the weekend the title will be discounted by a massive 75%, bringing it down to just $14.99.

If you already own Total War: Warhammer and are looking towards getting the sequel, now might just be the time to do it. Total War: Warhammer II is originally listed for $67.99 but this weekend it will be discounted by 33%, making the total price $45.55. It should also be noted that each of the DLC's for Total War: Warhammer are discounted by 25%. The DLC's for Total War: Warhammer II The Queen & The Crone is discounted by 25% and the Curse of the Vampire Coast is discounted by 10%. If you are interested in checking out the sales and picking up one of the titles, visit the official Steam listing here.

Remedy's new game Control gives players lots to look forward to, including a uniquely dynamic sandbox playground.

One of the most interesting things about Control is its glitchy look and feel. In the oldest house in America, things are quite off: the environments constantly shift into madcap disarray, reminding one of an M.C. Escher painting gone wild. One is reminded of Twin Peaks, Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and other themes and tropes all thrown into a blender and spiced up with Remedy's original flair. The walls shimmer and morph, the ground turns sideways, and players can manipulate physics and reality itself using powers acquired on their supernatural journey.

Nintendo is currently developing a new Switch system for release in 2019, The Wall Street Journal reports, and it may be a successor to the 3DS handheld.

Playing games on-the-go is a major selling point of Nintendo's Switch handheld-console hybrid. The console, whose marketing promised users can "play with anyone, anywhere" by combining functionalities of a 3DS and Wii U, has sold 19.76 million units worldwide as of June 30 and shows no signs of stopping. As a result Nintendo has consolidated its handheld and dedicated gaming branches into one to plan for the unified system's future, which may include a revised handheld-only option to phase out its 3DS line.

Nintendo plans to launch a refreshed Switch system in 2019, likely during the company's Fiscal Year 2020 ending March 31, 2020. Key sources have told WSJ's Takashi Mochizuki that the system may have upgrades over the current model's 720p LCD screen. But this might not be the only change. Industry analysts predict that Nintendo will release a handheld-only Switch Mini option in 2019 aimed specifically at younger demographics.

Nintendo has been rumored for a while now to refresh the hardware inside of the super-popular Switch handheld, and now the Wall Street Journal is putting its weight behind a new rumor.

The outlet is reporting that updated hardware is on its way into a refreshed Switch, something Nintendo is planning for 2019. We should expect an improved LCD screen, beefed up internals in a refreshed SoC (smaller node) and more. Nintendo could include a bigger or improved battery, make it weigh less, and tweak a few little things here and there and keep everyone happy without making it a full successor to the Switch.

There is always room for improvement and that's something Nintendo will take seriously into the Switch, because when you think of the Nintendo 3DS and then the follow through with the 3DS XL, 3DS/XL, then the 2DS and 2DS XL you can see where Nintendo could take the Switch.

We are only a couple months out from the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and ahead of the games launch Best Buy has announced a select amount of stores that will feature the titles midnight release.

At the beginning of September, I reported on Best Buy holding some in-store events at select locations across America for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. These events included tournaments for which players could join in on and test their luck in before the game officially launches this December. Best Buy has updated their website again but this time they have provided fans with an option to check whether a Best Buy store near them will be holding a midnight release for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

According to the Best Buy website, players can search their location within their provided search box to check whether they will be able to pick up the newest edition of Super Smash Bros. at midnight. To find out whether there is store near you, visit the Best Buy search box here and scroll halfway down the page. In other news about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, check out the supposed 108 stages here.

Ahead of the games launch tomorrow, Ubisoft has released a brand new trailer for Assassin's Creed Odyssey, tempting future players to defy their fate in the newest release in the franchise.

If you didn't pick up the Gold Edition or the Ultimate Edition for Assassin's Creed Odyssey then you are waiting for the game to officially release tomorrow. Players that picked up the Gold/UItimate Editions already had the game available to them on October 2nd, so those players most likely have jumped head first into the storyline to carve their own fate into.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is releasing on October 5th on the PS4, Xbox One and PC. For further information regarding the title, visit the official Assassin's Creed website here. In other news about Assassin's Creed Odyssey, if you happened to miss the detailed breakdown on each of the purchasing options available for the title and are thinking about picking it up but not sure what one to get, check out that article here.

Activision Blizzard has announced that their co-founder and now ex-President Mike Morhaime has stepped down from his position, taking his place is World of Warcraft producer J. Allen Brack.

Morhaime who helped push some of Blizzard's most loved titles such as World of Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft and Overwatch has decided to step down from his position as president and become a strategic adviser for the company. Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard spoke out about the companys position change: "J. has been with Blizzard for over 12 years leading the World of Warcraft team, and it takes vision, creativity and unwavering commitment to excellence to sustain a community of players the way J. has for over a decade."

J. Allen Brack, now President of Blizzard Entertainment said "I am incredibly honored and humbled to serve as Blizzard's next president, and to lead one of the best entertainment companies in the world, thanks to the passion and dedication of our player community and employees. Blizzard was founded on the promise of making great games, and I plan to continue this fierce commitment to quality, our community, and our purpose. I couldn't be more excited about what's next given the strength of our pipeline."

The new Surf 'n' Turf DLC for Overcooked 2 has brought the beach to the kitchen, are you a game enough to delve straight into the anarchy?

Developed and published by Ghost Town Games and Team 17, the new Surf 'n' Turf DLC adds a whole 12 new kitchens to the game. Included within these kitchen is some brand new ways for players to create some dishes, some of the new additions include: blenders, new chefs, new recipes, water guns, swimming pools and new obstacles.

Players should notice that each of the new maps that are seen throughout the DLC have been completely re-skinned and fit the new beach theme. It should also be noted that some new beach foods have also been added to fit this theme, we now have kebabs and players will be required to use the bellows to grill them.

KFC is the last company I'd expect to enter the world of esports but here we are: the chicken giant has an official Twitter account under 'KFC Gaming' based in the UK and seems to be ramping up for the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

The official KFC Gaming account tweeted "Player One has entered the game. KFC x Gaming, a match made in heaven. Just a taste of what's to come, something BIG is coming...". Mysterious, but obvious. The official KFC Gaming account explains on its Twitter profile that "Your chicken wing man for all those Victory Royales, it's going to be Finger Lickin' Good!"

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches soon and will feature a battle royale game mode known as Blackout, which is perfect timing it seems for KFC to enter the esports market, especially with how viral Fortnite has been. KFC wants to be the "chicken wing man for all those Victory Royales", so you know some Fortnite Battle Royale games will be played by KFC Gaming.

Blizzcon 2018 is right around the corner with Blizzard teasing something Diablo related for the show, but they kept specifics under wraps for now. We don't know what to expect at all, but a tease of Diablo 4 could bring the house down.

Blizzard has a bunch of 'What's Next' segments during Blizzcon 2018, with one of them being titled 'Diablo: What's Next'. We're also going to find out what's coming up for both Overwatch and World of Warcraft, but something Diablo related could be huge. The Diablo: What's Next segment is the first segment after the opening ceremony, and in previous years the developer has unveiled big announcements after the opening ceremony.

Rewinding the clock back to Blizzcon 2015 where Blizzard boss Jeff Kaplan took the stage to tell the world the developer was moving into first-person shooters, and the announcement of Overwatch happened. Blizzard handled Hearthstone's Gadgetzan expansion after the opening keynote to Blizzcon 2016. Diablo hasn't had any new announcements during Blizzcon for a few years now, but we know that the official Twitter account for Diablo teased "we have multiple Diablo projects in the works", something that was tweeted out just before Gamescom a few weeks ago.

Although Rockstar Games has a marketing deal with Sony, Red Dead Redemption 2 should run best on Microsoft's higher-end Xbox One X console--possibly so well that the huge open-world Western will hit native 4K resolution on the system.

Red Dead Redemption 2's raucous gun-slinging frontier adventure will run at native 4K without any dynamic resolution scaling or checkerboard rendering mechanisms in place, according to a recent Tweet from Xbox France.

This actually might be possible given RDR2 was built from the ground up for consoles, and it's highly likely that Rockstar will optimize both the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X's full power to impressive results. Everything we've seen so far shows advanced lighting, more dynamic physics systems, stellar animation, and seamless blending of cinematic and gameplay sequences.

Cyberpunk 2077 is gearing up for its impending release on all platforms, and Warner Bros. will be a big part of the game's launch.

Although CD Projekt RED says Cyberpunk 2077 is still deep in development, the devs have secured promotional plans for the massively ambitious sci-fi shooter. The company today announced that Warner Bros. Interactive will handle all distribution and promotion of Cyberpunk 2077 in North America, including advertising as well as retail availability. This suggests that the game may be farther along than we thought, lending credence to the possibility of a 2019 release.

Remember that distributing and publishing aren't the same thing. CDPR will still publish Cyberpunk 2077, and Warner Bros. will put the physical PS4, Xbox One and PC boxes on North American store shelves. Also remember that Warner Bros. distributed The Witcher 3 in NA as well, proving the two companies have a strong relationship and understanding of the market.

WB Games is producing a visceral and immersive RPG set in the Harry Potter universe, leaked footage shows.

The Harry Potter game everyone's always wanted is apparently in development, and features third-person action via explosive spellcasting, mature death sequences, roving exploration across Hogwarts, and even dynamic environmental effects that can be manipulated by magic. There also appear to be boss fights against hulking monstrosities.

The footage was captured from a market research screening, and the user says it'll feature RPG elements like character creation, different classes, and choice between light and dark paths. Sources tell BBC's Lizio Mzimba that the Harry Potter game might be called Magic Awakened, and more games could be in development.

Renowned Witcher series writer Andrzej Sapowski is demanding more money from CD Projekt RED, and will go ahead with a copyright suit if an "amicable agreement" is not met.

CD Projekt RED has already purchased rights to adapt the Witcher universe as games, but series creator and author Andrzej Sapowski wants more royalty payments. How much more? Sapowski's lawyers sent a notice to CDPR demanding $16.1 million, or 6% of profits gained from the Witcher games, arguing that the contract both parties signed was only for the first Witcher game--not Witchers 2 & 3 as well as Gwent and Thronebreaker.

The legal team's case also surrounds precedent that an author or creator can demand more royalties if a product makes a lot more than the original contract agreement's amount. Sapowski's lawyers say they've amassed a "pool of evidence" and will go ahead with a copyright suit if the studio doesn't come to an "amicable agreement."