2019-07-12
There have been numerous reports over the past few months that Nintendo has been working on new iterations of its Switch console, including a handheld-focused model that would turn out to be the newly announced Switch Lite. That's not all; it looks like the standard Switch will also be getting a more low-key update that will see some of its internal components replaced though the exact impact of this move remains to be seen.As reported by The Verge, Nintendo has filed a Class II Permission Change request with the Federal Communications Commission to make changes to the existing Switch. According to the filing, the company is swapping the console's system-on-chip, NAND memory type, and CPU board. The filing doesn't go into more specifics than that, so it's unclear if these changes will have a noticeable impact on the system's performance. The model number is not changing, which may speak to the level of change we're seeing here. That said, these types of under-the-hood updates are not uncommon for game system manufacturers.As previously mentioned, Nintendo has announced a smaller, more affordable version of the Switch called the Switch Lite. The system will launch this September and is optimized for handheld use, meaning it doesn't feature detachable Joy-Con controllers and can't be docked and played on a television. It is also missing a kickstand, HD rumble, and an IR sensor, but it still supports Amiibo figures and has an estimated 20-30% better battery life than the base model. Another advantage it has over the standard Switch is a proper D-pad.The Switch Lite launches around the world on September 20, the same day The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake arrives. The system will be available in three colors at launch--yellow, turquoise, and grey--with a special edition Pokemon model following in November ahead of Pokemon Sword and Shield. In the US, the Switch Lite will retail for $200 USD.There have also been reports that Nintendo is working on a more powerful iteration of the Switch; however, the company has said there will be no other new Switch hardware this year besides the Lite. You can read more about the system in our roundup of everything we know about the Switch Lite. We also answer some of the most common questions about the console in our Switch Lite FAQ. Be sure to also check out our Switch Lite pre-order guide.Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
Out of nowhere, Nintendo announced a brand-new Switch model today--the Switch Lite. A smaller, less powerful system with fewer features and no ability to connect to the TV, the system is definitely aimed at reaching a new audience. Naturally, retailer GameStop is excited about it.Speaking with GameSpot, Chief Customer Officer Frank Hamlin offered his reaction to the system. "We're incredibly excited about it; I think it's a real opportunity to grow Switch penetration within a family," he explained."I think it's also a really good adjunct if you haven't gotten into the Switch yet as a way to get into the Switch ecosystem if you're presently playing on other systems," he said.GameStop is a market-leader in the United States for new hardware sales, so any new entrant is seemingly good news for the company. Hamlin also spoke to GameSpot about the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett, and we'll have more on that soon.While the Switch Lite was officially announced today, the system was rumoured for a long time. Before any of the rumours even started, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto talked about how the company's ambition was to drive Switch sales to a level of more than one per family.Nintendo wants the Switch "to be owned not just by every family, but by every single person," Miyamoto said. The new Switch Lite model appears to be connected to that ambition.The Switch Lite goes on sale in September. With its inability to connect to the TV, it's seemingly being positioned as purely a handheld system that appeals to a different audience.In addition to the Switch Lite, Nintendo is reportedly planning an update for the regular Switch system. However, it's unclear if the new version will be more powerful, as it is rumoured.Switch Lite's New D-Pad Won't Be Added To Joy-ConsNintendo Switch Lite Getting Pokemon Sword And Shield ModelNintendo Planning Switch Lite Transfer FeaturesNintendo Switch Lite Won't Use Joy-Cons, But Has One Big Controller ImprovementInfo from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
In addition to the standard fare like Team Deathmatch, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will feature a brand-new multiplayer mode called Gunfight. [Update: Gunfight has been officially showcased, and we even got to try out the interesting new mode for ourselves. In terms of the standard multiplayer experience, Activision plans to reveal Modern Warfare's multiplayer in August.]Developer Infinity Ward announced on Twitter that it will debut the new, "fast-paced" 2v2 mode during a livestream event on July 11. The event begins at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.We're excited to announce that @LEGIQN, @ProSyndicate, @TylerTeeP, and @CouRageJD will be streaming live from the studio to debut Gunfight, a new, fast-paced, 2v2 multiplayer mode in #ModernWarfare! Tune in tomorrow at 10am PST! — Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) July 10, 2019The first multiplayer screenshots for the new Modern Warfare were revealed at E3 2019 in June, however, Infinity Ward has yet to show any footage of the game's multiplayer element. Thankfully, that'll soon change with the forthcoming Gunfight reveal tomorrow.In addition to campaign and multiplayer, Modern Warfare will have a co-op mode in the form of Spec Ops. However, basically nothing is known about it at this stage.Modern Warfare, which is a soft reboot of the 2007 game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, launches on October 25 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. In a big change for the series, the game has no Season Pass.Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
[UPDATE: Millie Bobby Brown now says she has "no idea" if she'll be in The Eternals]With Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home out of the way, Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is over. Phase 4 of the MCU is expected to be revealed during either San Diego Comic-Con later this month or D23 soon after, and one of the movies in the mix is The Eternals. Now, a new report reveals who may star in it.Variety reports that Stranger Things and Godzilla actress Millie Bobby Brown is in the movie, alongside Oscar winner Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), and Richard Madden (Game of Thrones). The film is to be directed by Chloe Zhao (The Rider).Other MCU Phase 4 movies are expected to be Shang-Chi, which will be the first MCU movie with an Asian lead, along with Doctor Strange 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Black Panther 2, and Black Widow.The first Eternals comic was published in 1976 by late writer and artist, Jack Kirby (1917-1994). The Eternals, an offshoot of life created by an alien race called the Celestials, were established to protect the Earth from the Deviants, a dastardly project by the Celestials gone awry. 30 years later, eclectic writer Neil Gaiman gave the superheroes a facelift in 2006, bringing them and their universe to the modern era with a seven-issue miniseries that concluded in 2007.For lots more, check out GameSpot's rundown of everything we know about MCU Phase 4. You can also check out the video embedded above.Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
Final Fantasy VII Remake is confirmed to launch on March 3, 2020 for PlayStation 4, but is an Xbox One version also coming? Despite what you may have seen, it seems that it's not. Following an erroneous posting, Square Enix has reiterated it's only planned for launch on PS4.The Xbox Germany Facebook page recently posted a video that stated that the Final Fantasy VII Remake would release on Xbox One on March 3 alongside the PS4 edition. However, Xbox Germany's marketing communications and social lead Maxi Graff confirmed that it was only a mistake.The related materials with the March 3 date were removed right away, and Graff apologized for the mistake. Graff went on to say that the team will work to make sure this kind of slip-up doesn't happen again.Hey. We did an internal mistake in the Social Team. We took the video off immediately. Sorry, no announcement on our side. Big apologies for this. — Maxi Gräff 🤜🤛 (@GMaxee) July 10, 2019I am truly sorry if I hurt anybodies feelings. But be sure that this was not intended and just an honest mistake from a gaming loving human. Again: we will check our process on this to make sure this doesn´t happen again. — Maxi Gräff 🤜🤛 (@GMaxee) July 10, 2019It actually happened yes. In that video were multiple FF games and the remake happened to be in there by mistake from the editorial team where we didn´t check the exclusitivity on the specific one. We make sure this doesn´t happen again. — Maxi Gräff 🤜🤛 (@GMaxee) July 10, 2019Following this mistake, Square Enix issued a statement saying, "As previously announced, Final Fantasy VII Remake will be released for the PlayStation 4 on March 3 2020. We have no plans for other platforms."The Final Fantasy VII Remake is coming in March, which is a little while before the next-generation of consoles are believed to release in Holiday 2020. According to Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda, the Final Fantasy VII Remake is being designed to play on current- and next-generation hardware."I believe it is being developed so that it is going to be playable on both, so I'm not really concerned about that and I believe that the fans are also going to be able to enjoy it on both, including the next-generation of consoles."Square Enix's E3 2019 press conference brought a fresh look at the Final Fantasy VII Remake, with an extended trailer as well as an extended gameplay and combat demonstration. Square Enix also revealed the game will span two Blu-ray discs when it launches on PS4, and the publisher will offer an extravagant $330 collector's edition through its online store. The highly anticipated game will finally launch worldwide on March 3, 2020.Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
The developers of Away: The Survival Series--a game in which you play as a Sugar Glider--have released a free demo of sorts for the intriguing-looking adventure game. A "Gliding Prototype" is out now on PC, and it gives you a chance to go hands-on with the animal-based game.As its name suggests, the gliding demo has you ... gliding around as the Sugar Glider creature. You zip and zoom through the forest, canyons, and caverns in search of prey. The developers say they've also added some Easter eggs in the prototype that allow you to become other animals.You can find the Easter eggs in the "Exploration" mode from the end of the prototype. Go download the Away prototype here.Away: The Survival Series is in development at the Montreal-based studio Breaking Walls. Inspired by David Attenborough nature documentaries, you play as the cute little Sugar Glider in a world under siege from natural disaster and other animals. You're separated from your possum family early in the game, and you work tirelessly to become reunited.Breaking Walls also launched a Kickstarter campaign to help finish the game and add new features. So far it's raised almost $87,000 CAD, which is well above its $60,000 CAD goal. In passing $80,000 CAD, the developers are now adding the Stag Beetle and the Grasshopper as playable characters. If the campaign hits $125,000 CAD, the studio will add bigger playable animals in the form of the Fox and the Bear.The music in Away was composed by Mike Raznick, who worked on the acclaimed nature documentaries Life and Planet Earth II.Away is in development for PC and also PlayStation 4, but a release date hasn't been announced at this stage. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest. Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
Fortnite Season 9 has now reached tenth week, which means there's not long left before a new season arrives. It just so happens that there's a new batch of challenges in the game, so we've put together a quick overview of what needs to be done in Week 10. It includes a few that might prove tricky, such as tracking down the new Air Strike added in the latest patch. Others involve visiting public service announcements signs and harvest materials from certain locations you might not recognize, such as a Fork Knife or Umbrella or a Robot Factory. Here's the rundown on what's available.As always, there are two sets of challenges: one available to all players and the other exclusively for those with a premium Battle Pass. In the former category, players will need to use air strikes, dish out damage with a shotgun, and search a bunch of ammo boxes. If you've spent V-Bucks on a Battle Pass, you can also visit public service announcement signs in a few locations, collect resources, kill enemies at specific spots, and do damage with a pickaxe for extra Battle Stars. Take a look at the full list of challenges below.Fortnite Season 9, Week 10 ChallengesFreeUse an Air Strike in different matches (3) -- 5 Battle StarsDeal damage to opponents with Shotguns (500) -- 5 Battle StarsSearch Ammo Boxes in a single match (7) -- 10 Battle StarsPremiumVisit public service announcement signs in Neo Tilted, Pressure Plant, or Mega Mall (5) -- 5 Battle StarsStage 1/3: Collect Wood from a Pirate Ship or Viking Ship – 2 Battle Stars Stage 2/3: Collect Stone from a Fork Knife or Umbrella – 2 Battle StarsStage 3/3: Collect Metal from a Robot Factory – 1 Battle StarEliminate opponents in Pleasant Park or Paradise Palms (3) -- 10 Battle StarsDamage opponents with a pickaxe (200) -- 5 Battle StarsDeveloper Epic Games released a third content update for Fortnite patch 9.30 on July 10. It added one new item to Battle Royale mode and a handful of other content to Fortnite Creative and Save the World. The new item is the aforementioned Air Strike, a Legendary-tier throwable item that will call in a hail of missiles on other players. It just so happens that players will need to use this item to complete one of this week's challenges. The Air Strike can be found as floor loot or in chests, supply drops, vending machines, or llamas, and you can only carry a maximum of two at a time.With Season 10 likely just around the corner, you're running out of time to earn Season 9's various cosmetic unlocks. The best way to get them is to complete challenges the ones above and earn the Battle Stars required to level up your Battle Pass. Some rewards are available to all players, but most of them are reserved for those who spend the 950 V-Bucks on the Battle Pass.Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
Coming from Supermassive Games, The Dark Pictures is a new horror-adventure anthology series that serves as a spiritual successor to 2015's Until Dawn. Hosted by the enigmatic Curator, an omnipresent and unnerving narrator who consistently hints at the inevitably grim circumstances of each tale, your choices will decide the fate of each story's key players. The first episode of the series is called Man of Medan, and it focuses on a group of twenty-somethings who find themselves trapped on the high seas with a crew of pirates on board a haunted ship.The original Until Dawn was a notable success due to its way of reworking mostly tired horror film tropes and cliches into a choice-driven narrative that felt all your own. Whereas the previous game felt more like a self-aware Wes Craven-style take on the slasher sub-genre, The Dark Pictures feels more in line with horror-anthologies like Creepshow or Tales from the Crypt. These separate episodes are stand-alone in nature, yet are tangentially related in some way thanks to the ever-curious Curator. However, there's one significant change compared to Supermassive's previous game. In addition to the traditional solo story, you can now experience the plot with a friend online or in a Movie Night mode that allows for local play with two to five players.In Man of Medan's prologue, which is set during World War II, you and a friend take control of two GIs on shore-leave in the South Pacific. What follows is a grim encounter on their battleship with supernatural forces, setting the stage for the main cast of characters decades later. This cold open serves as an ominous intro to the spooky story, yet it's also an effective introduction for the pacing and approach to co-op play. Just like in Until Dawn, you'll control one character, engaging in dialog sequences and quick-time events. However, The Dark Pictures puts a greater focus on the perspective that each character has. So while you're focused on what your character is doing, your partner in the story will have their own interactions and events happening in the background.After our hands-on with the opening hours of Man of Medan, we also spoke with Supermassive Games executive producer Pete Samuels about the making of the game, and how Until Dawn's reception led to the decision to include multiplayer. According to the dev, including co-op play in their follow-up to Until Dawn felt like a natural evolution of their approach to the adventure genre."We already wanted a wide co-op element, but certainly [after] seeing the way people played Until Dawn in their groups as couch play, we would feel kinda stupid not to support it," said Samuels. "The co-op play we have in place was based on all the lessons that we learned from Until Dawn and how much we enjoyed making it. We wanted to go down that road, again, but change it up this time--make it different. We weren't sure how it was going to work either. So, we developed a prototype, just two characters, just a conversation, over a network with one player controlling the choices of each of the characters. And what we were trying to figure out was could we make the conversation feel natural, be dramatic, unbelievable, yet both players feel like they were influencing it, pushing it in a direction like in real life. As soon as we left that prototype, we knew we had something and we that we could build a game around it."Once the main cast of characters come into the story, things take a significant turn. Starting with the two brothers Alex and Brad, one a confident med school student and the other a timid introvert who's often called a nerd, you'll make several choices that will ripple throughout the plot. Choosing to spend more time with your brother over your girlfriend, or simply partaking in drinking beer can result in a noticeable change in tone and pace to some scenes. When more characters enter the picture, you and your partner will switch control over to others as the necessary story beats unfold, sometimes this means dealing with what's been set into motion by other characters.Just like Until Dawn, the overall writing and characterization of the characters can quickly descend into horror-film cliches and setups. The jock, the rich kid, and nerd archetypes are all present and accounted for, and the conflicts that often ensue when those three characters are in close proximities also occur. While that is mostly by design, which Until Dawn subverted by introducing some surprising character moments, The Dark Pictures tends to focus a lot on those cheesy encounters. In some cases it made me want to defy those expectations--which were to the detriment of my co-op partner. While several twists can catch you off-guard, the developers stated that each choice has a particular purpose, and it won't be possible to sabotage the story thanks to an unruly co-op partner."The biggest thing that helps protect us [from griefing] is that you only play the story with a friend, said the executive producer. "It's not matchmaking, and you're never going to play with someone you don't know. It has to be someone on your list of friends. We were very concerned that if people walked out of the story half-way through and didn't carry on and you couldn't find them again to finish the story, the one person is left hanging not knowing how that particular version of the story pans out. We've said before, but there's so much branching in the plot. There's much more than we've ever done."This first episode served to be a nice teaser for what's to come. What's interesting about this different approach to an adventure game is that the genre itself has traditionally been solitary. In the case of Until Dawn, you were in control of the story, and at the end of the day, the choices you made were your own. While that's still the case in The Dark Pictures, as you can still play solo, co-op adds in an unpredictable variable into the mix--which can result in several different permutations to the story. The narrative can go in several directions, and the developers stated that Man of Medan and the upcoming episodes in the Dark Pictures series feature more tangents and twists compared to Until Dawn.It'll be interesting to see how things play out in the full story when it releases on August 30. At the end of our demo, the choices made by my co-op partner and I led to certain members of the group being separated. Of course, a variety of different decisions could have resulted in the gang still being together, or with some not making it at all. That sense of anticipation is what Until Dawn reveled in, and The Dark Pictures can ratchet up that anxiety with the addition of another player, who may put their own self-interests first when it comes down to it.For more on The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan, check out Adam and Tamoor's breakdown of co-op and our full interview with the developers at Supermassive Games.Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
Supermassive Games' Until Dawn was somewhat of a sleeper hit. At launch, it garnered favorable reviews and built buzz as an interesting horror experience that offered a great deal of player choice and presented a story heavily inspired by slasher flicks. However, what really propelled its popularity and success was its uptake among the streaming community, who introduced an element of social play to a game that, in terms of its fundamental design, wasn't made to accommodate it. Interacting with chat or even inviting friends and family to gather around and contribute to the decision-making processes driving its story gave Until Dawn new life, and it's something that Supermassive Games paid close attention to for its follow-up title, Hidden Agenda, and now The Dark Pictures Anthology.Man of Medan, the first chapter in the studio's Dark Pictures anthology, is a product of the social play that emerged around Until Dawn. This time, multiplayer is at the core of the experience, and while going through its story in single-player is viable, connecting with another player and experiencing it together offers a new and interesting way to play. You can read our Man of Medan impressions to see we thought of the game after playing it at a recent preview event.Having had the opportunity to play a section of the game (read our Man of Medan preview impressions here), we spoke to Pete Samuels, Gareth Betts, and Tom Heaton, who are CEO of Supermassive Games, publishing producer at Bandai Namco, and game director of Man of Medan, respectively. The trio discuss how and why Supermassive Games decided to introduce multiplayer, the challenges it presents, and what it brings to the overall experience.What led you to focus on multiplayer for Man of Medan? After Until Dawn, a lot of people would probably expect more of the same.Pete Samuels: It was one of the very first things that we built. Genuinely. Four years ago, we finished Until Dawn. We were deciding what to do next. We wanted to move forward, we didn't want to just make something like it. And we did a few experiments in software. We had some theories about conversation trees, conversations between two playable characters and how much control could we give to the player. We can't give them total control, but how much control? How many choices do we need to give them so that they feel like they are driving a conversation?And those early prototypes were sometimes … you just get lucky with your very first prototypes because they worked so well. And we were sold on it at that point. Well, the interesting thing was then we were looking for a partner to work with and we spoke to other publishers and explained how building this thing was, how great it was going to be. It took us about a year to realize that we were just using the wrong words and we couldn't find the right words so then we went and spent six months building a demo. We built a 20-minute free-play demo. And we showed it to a bunch of people and only then did people really understand what we were coming from.Tom Heaton: To a large extent we have done exactly what you suggested. [The game is] fully playable in solo mode and has been designed as a solo single-player game right from the start. And we hope you'll have a great time playing [that way]. Until Dawn happened to launch about the same time streaming took off and people watching games on YouTube. We kind of caught the wave on that and it was really good for us. That was a major way that people found out about the game. One of the things we saw was people invented their own rules for how they're gonna play. And they got people around to play on a sofa and they played it together and made a party of it and they would shout out what people should do for the various choices. And they would pass the controller around.So that was the inspiration for Movie Night. We take that and just give them the tools to make that slightly better, so you can input any player's name and assign the characters yourself, and we'll prompt you and say, "Greg, it's your turn," and pass the control to you. So we think that was a way that people were already playing and we were just enabling a little bit more. It just came about because we were just saying, "Wouldn't it be great if I had a friend and they were in the story with me and they could control one of the other characters?"We got a small team to work on a very small demo. All it was, really, was walking around an area and have a conversation. We played it and well I just thought, "That's great, that's just got some really good fun in it." So that was the inspiration really and we thought, "Can we build a whole game around this and still be a really good single player?" And that's what we're trying to do.Was it difficult to get a deal locked down? Or did the success of Until Dawn help?Samuels: So, we were working for Sony, we worked with them for a long, long time, and on multiple things for them. And we built a relationship there. We were very keen to have our games played by a wider audience. And so that's why we went out to talk to independent publishers. And we were delighted when Bandai Namco demonstrated that they were as enthusiastic about our dream for The Dark Pictures as we were.Gareth Betts: Right. We were spoiled. We were offered something that was very unique and well-crafted. It far exceeds the branching that was previously displayed in Until Dawn. So, [we were] captivated by the immensity of it. Honestly. Great cast, great performances, some of the early performances we had the pleasure of listening to were just so well-crafted, so well-delivered, so believable that it just brings the experience to the fore. Added with that, we've got the multi-platform approach. Yeah, it's been a pleasure, I mean it really has been a pleasure working with Supermassive.How do you break down what you're actually doing here? Because for someone who may not have the insight you have, it looks like you've taken something like Until Dawn and just kind of added the option to choose a thing on the [second player] side, but there's clearly way more involved.Betts: It is tough. I genuinely think only experiencing the software of the game itself can properly communicate it. We have always had trouble with that, other than getting people to get hands-on. If I was to try, I'd say yes, there's much more to it than just putting the AI under second-player control. Because every choice needs to matter. Every choice needs to have an impact in some way. And quite often, what we do is, that one single choice can edge a character's personality a certain way and then another choice that you make will either start to correct that or take the traits in a different way. Which means that they will then have potentially different choices, different options that make more sense to the way that the player has driven that character.Because when you've got that happening simultaneously between two different characters, the branching can be immense. We have to find smart ways not to let it get completely out of hand. At the end of the day, we want to deliver a great experience that people can play one day. So, there has to be some containment of some kind. And that's been the challenge of designing for two players.And also, that both players have a great story and a story that makes sense. A story that drives that ... they can get immensely connected to even though they're seeing different things. That's the huge challenge, but again [we're] very, very delighted with the results and also with what we've learned in the process. We learned a huge amount in developing Until Dawn and some subsequent games and then we've moved onto multiplayer, which is a different mix altogether in the development of Man of Medan. We have learned so many things that we can put to use in the rest of the series.We're already producing a second game, which is well into development now. And I have a design of a third, a third and fourth, which are underway. So, yeah, very excited about the future and I hope we can just get better and better at it. That's the aim, it's not to make something and then just repeat it. It's to get better every time.How long do you expect the game is going to be in a single-player run?Betts: Four to five hours, in a single-player run.We played about an hour of it. How long does it take before it really leans into the supernatural stuff? Because like the hour and a half I played, it was like you get kind of a teaser of it.Samuel: I'm not going to comment on any content you haven't seen, but you ended with the big encounter with the ship in the middle of the ocean. And I tell you what, they're going to go in the ship and it's going to ramp up pretty quickly.How do you experience the branches in single-player?Betts: So some of it you'd see in the single-player and some of it you wouldn't. Where we can, we stagger them on the timeline so that you can play both. There are parts that you don't play, that you only see either in the two-player game or in the Curators Club, which is the pre-ordered bonus which we will be releasing to everybody at one point. So yeah, you can't possibly [see it all], so you see [some] of the content in single-player mode.When you've got two people playing Until Dawn, you play it multiple times, you see different branches of pathways. Whereas if you've got two people playing Man of Medan and relaying the information back and forth, does that mean that a lot of the ground's being covered and there's not as much reason to replay?Heaton: We know there's plenty of replayability. It's a very, very branching game. Once you've played all the way through in terms of story with your friends, then you can go back and dip into chapters and keep playing and explore some of the other branches, try and keep people alive, try and kill everyone, whatever you want to do with it. There are 69 deaths so you'd have to play the game seven or eight times to see who dies anyway.How do you maintain the atmosphere and tension with two players? Traditional thinking is with a second person nearby, you kind of diminish those elements somewhat.Samuels: Well, there's kind of three different ways that could work. So one is the two players are in the same space and they're in the same sort of interaction, so in the drama--and it might be a conversation--they're working on what to do and it can be quite intense. They're making decisions. Another is that you're in a space, but, you know, you don't necessarily do the same thing, you're exploring around, you can go to different places in that world. And then we've completely separated the events of the story, separate those kinds of moments.Does it affect how the scares work? To some extent, yes. But the groundwork is the same. We can't just do scares, we have to build tension, we have to get the players to a certain level of anxiety and raised emotional state. That's still true in one or two players. Yes, it might feel safer if you feel you've got another person around--but not always.One of the things that I found was really interesting, and only realized once I discussed it with my partner, was right at the start where you're walking through the ship and the kid runs by. I mentioned that and my partner had no clue about it. He didn't see the kid. How much do you play with that?Samuels: Well, we play a lot with that. In general your overall task is to get everyone out alive, because every character can live and every character can die and there's a shared thing that you have to do. But sometimes we kind of pit you against each other. We give you slightly different agendas or maybe you want to look out for your character and the other character is slightly in the way of that. What we have always done is give the player difficult choices and sometimes those choices are between your two characters. So it's not always simple. Sometimes it's, "No, no, don't do that. I don't want you to do that at all!"How do you approach synchronizing the pacing? If you're talking to your friend and your friend is having this amazing action sequence, but you've been separated and you're in another area just reading text, you'll get FOMO, right?Samuels: It is very difficult and we've developed some solutions that I don't really want to talk about in detail. It's a thing we have to be constantly aware of and we have to be very careful with and we've got it to work.So it won't be a situation where one person feels that they've got the short end of the stick?Samuels: It's a difficult problem. It's actually probably the biggest. There are some technical problems in there too, and in design terms, it is one of the hardest problems for two players. We want each player just to have a great experience and there's quite a lot of work we have to do to make that happen.What we don't know is how often people talk to each other on the headsets. We don't know if people will be communicating all the time and saying, "I'm doing this" or "I'm doing that." We have a suspicion that people will probably be quiet on the first time through. [And when they play again] they might talk to each other like, "Oh, last time I did this, why don't we try that."If you're given control of the character, are you always the person that will control that character from then on?Samuels: No. You don't own that character. You shift between different characters.That's some low-key troublemaking. If I've defined a character one way and then pass it on that person could take the character in another direction...Samuels: It's important that you know if you're gonna control the character, it's important that you know what they know. We have to make sure you understand and have little scenes with the essential information. We do a lot of testing, and some people have got a little bit possessive about characters. I think, especially in the first time you're playing, the aim is that you're caught up in the story and we always leave you in a cliffhanger and give you control of another character, and then you get back to this character again later and it kind of works. The story always flows forward, so we think it'll be okay.Does the game track the way one player is defining a character and shift the response options to lean towards that?Samuels: Sometimes, yeah. Usually, we want to get the choice of the player. So we have this whole trait system where every choice you make kinda defines a bit of your character and your traits. And the game uses that when it has to, when it's not a player controlled-character, to make decisions for that character. So you're still kind of influencing how that character steers through the game.I guess my thought was if the end result is both players were playing a character on opposite ends of the spectrum, the final impression they'd have of the character is this wacky person who's one way one minute and completely different a few scenes later.Samuels: He would always be Alex and true to his character. And what you're doing as a player is you're looking at the bits of his character that are not fully formed. Is he going to be the Alpha male, or is he not quite that? Is he a bit more sensitive to what other people think? You can't completely change him into someone else. He's always Alex.How can we expect the games to evolve as you move on to newer stories in the Dark Pictures anthology? Is this multiplayer aspect of the game going to be the core that defines the gameplay of the entire series, or are you going to come up with another mechanic or another way to approach the experience?Samuels: That's a very good question and we talk about it a lot. The core of the experience is a great story with great characters. Ways to play will be a solo story because a lot of people would really want to do that and enjoy it by themselves on their own, and they will be able to for everything we've got planned at the moment. They will [also] all have two player co-op. They'll all have Movie Night as a mode.We are looking at the timing of when we shift to introduce something fundamentally new. We're talking now what that might be for the fifth game--what are we going to add to that.The fifth game in this anthology series?Samuels: Yes.How many games are there in the series, do you know? Is there more than five?Betts: We're just going to keep going until somebody tells us to stop. We've got five at some point in development right now. One very early, because releasing two a year, they take more than six months to make. They each take a good couple of years from concept through to completion so we have to overlap. [We have to] get a different game director on each one and a different design team, so yeah, we will, at some point, mix it up with some new stuff, but part of what that will be based on what the community tells us. We'll build a community around it and people will tell us what they want different and we'll listen to that.In terms of release, it sounds like [it's] episodic. Can we expect pricing to follow the traditional model of episodic games too?Pete Samuels: All that is in discussion with Bandai Namco. They'll figure out how to best deliver it physically and digitally. But the stories aren't connected as such, so you don't need to have played the first one in order to fully understand what's happening. Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
Nintendo has announced the Switch Lite, a smaller and lighter model that lacks the TV docking mode. That makes this version of the Switch a dedicated handheld, similar to Nintendo's long legacy with the Game Boy, DS, and 3DS. Hardware revisions have become a regular practice for Nintendo's handheld systems, for a variety of reasons. To glean why, and what this might mean for the future of the Nintendo Switch, we can take a look back at Nintendo's history of hardware revisions.From Game Boy to 2DS LiteThe Game Boy, Nintendo's first dedicated handheld hardware (setting aside the Game & Watch), was followed by both the Game Boy Pocket and the Game Boy Color. The first was a revision to the form factor, while the second added color functionality lacking from the original and was backwards compatible with existing Game Boy games. The Game Boy Advance similarly was followed by the Game Boy Advance SP, which added a much-needed backlight, and the ultra-tiny Game Boy Micro.The clunky first iteration of the Nintendo DS was then followed by the much more popular DS Lite. Nintendo followed that with the DSi, targeted at the emerging online marketplace, and finally the DSi XL with larger screens.Nintendo's latest handheld system, the 3DS, has had the most hardware revisions of any system--in part because it split into a separate "2DS" line with its own iterations. The original 3DS was followed by the 2DS and a big-screen XL model. Confusingly, though, the system iterations also started branding themselves as "New." This left three more revisions: the New Nintendo 3DS, the New Nintendo 3DS XL and the New 2DS XL. The New 2DS is the latest iteration, though it notably ditches the flat system design of the original 2DS in favor of the clam-shell design of the other 3DS models.Better, Stronger, FasterThe rationales behind these various hardware revisions were numerous. Some, like the Game Boy Pocket and 3DS XL, were revisions to the overall form factor without many notable changes to functionality. Others were clearly designed to reach some degree of feedback or market demand, like the GBA SP's backlit screen or the DSi's online marketplace. And some, like the original 2DS, are built more heartily and budget-priced to appeal to families who may have younger players.Nintendo Switch And Switch Lite Comparison: Specs, Dimensions, Battery Life, And MoreNintendo Switch Lite Doesn't Use Joy-Cons, And Its Controller Features Some Big ChangesNintendo Has "No Plans" To Add Switch Lite's New D-Pad To Joy-ConsNintendo Planning Switch Lite Content Transfer FeaturesSwitch Lite Will Still Support AmiiboOne common factor remains the same throughout all of the revisions, though. By introducing a steady stream of revised hardware, Nintendo has been able to maintain or even increase sales while older models are starting to reach their saturation point. Whether by attracting repeat customers who want to trade up for new features, or expanding the market to new players, hardware revisions have consistently been a sales driver for Nintendo.Peaks and ValleysNiko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad responded to the Nintendo Switch Lite news on Twitter by publishing a pair of sales charts for DS and 3DS models. The first shows the original DS model peaking in its second year, and almost immediately becoming fully overtaken by the much more successful DS Lite. The Lite ruled the DS roost for three straight years, before becoming overtaken by the DSi. The DSi XL, by comparison, mostly kept pace with its non-XL version. In each case, we can see how the models begin to dip just as another lines up to replace it in the market, keeping the top-line sales of all units combined relatively consistent over a long period of time.Image credit: Niko PartnersThe 3DS shows a similar trajectory. Though the original model of 3DS was much more successful than the original DS, the 3DS XL helped supplement it just as it began to drop. In fact, thanks to a wider array of different models--six instead of four--the top-line sales on 3DS models remains even more consistent, though not reaching the high highs of the DS models.Image credit: Niko PartnersSwitch Lite And BeyondThe Nintendo Switch Lite is an unusual hardware revision, largely because it abandons a central part of the system's identity. The ability to "switch" between TV-docked and handheld modes was the main pitch for this console, to the point that it's even named after it. This makes the revision most closely analogous to the 2DS, which stripped out the 3D functionality of the 3DS. Also, the 2DS did not replace the former models like some hardware revisions, but began its own line. Nintendo hasn't given any indication that the Switch Lite signals a change to a portable-only future for the console, and a high-end model is still rumored to be on the way.It may also be similar to the 2DS in that it's smaller and looks more solid. A hands-on report claimed the controllers are less "creaky" since they can't detach. All this would seemingly make it a good fit for younger players. This is especially relevant as Pokemon Sword and Shield approaches, and it's no coincidence that Nintendo is putting out a special Switch Lite model to match.However, while Nintendo never admitted as such, the stripping out of 3D from the 2DS appeared like a tacit acknowledgement that its gamble on 3D hadn't panned out. The feature was widely regarded as inconsistent and Nintendo may have had research data that showed it going underused. It's difficult to say if the Switch Lite is a response to market trends. In a financial presentation from March 2018, Nintendo reported almost 30% of users playing primarily in handheld mode, as compared to less than 20% playing primarily in docked mode.Time To First Hardware Revision (Earliest Territory)Game Boy to Game Boy Pocket: 104 monthsNintendo DS to DS Lite: 16 monthsNintendo 3DS to 3DS XL: 17 monthsNintendo Switch to Switch Lite: 30 monthsIn terms of timing, the Nintendo Switch is now two years old. That puts this hardware revision slightly later in the Switch lifespan than the DS Lite and 3DS XL's first revisions. Switch sales were slightly down in the most recent fiscal quarter reporting, so like its predecessors, the Switch Lite appears primed to pick up the slack. If Nintendo continues its trends from prior generations, though, we're likely to see more revisions, possibly including one as early as next year, and then a steady stream of others following for nearly a decade. The original Nintendo Switch is reportedly getting a subtle update to some internal components as well.If the Switch Lite signals a 3DS/2DS split, the company could alternate between revisions to the portable-only "Lite" line and the main console hybrid line. Either way, don't expect this to be the last Nintendo Switch.Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
AMC's horror streaming service Shudder greatly increased its range of original and exclusive content over the past year, and one of its most anticipated upcoming shows is Creepshow. The anthology series will be based on the cult 1982 movie, which was written by Stephen King and directed by George Romero. It has now been announced that fans will be able to see a preview of the show at San Diego Comic-Con next week.Shudder confirmed that the Creepshow panel will take place on Friday, July 19 at 5.45pm in Room 6BCF at the San Diego Convention Center. There will be some big names at the panel, including showrunner and make-up effects pioneer Greg Nicotero, who is best known for his work on The Walking Dead, and King's son Joe Hill, who has written for the new show. In terms of cast members, expect to see Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), and genre icon Adrienne Barbeau, who starred in the original Creepshow as well as films like The Fog and Escape from New York.Shudder is yet to announce a premiere date for Creepshow. However, it has released details of the show's 12 stories, which will be be spread across six episodes. They include "The Finger," written by The Crow's David J. Schow, "The House of the Head," from Birdbox author Josh Malerman, and "Gray Matter," based on a Stephen King story.The Shudder panel isn't the only event that horror fans will want to check out at SDCC. On the night of Thursday, July 18, New Line Cinema will host ScareDiego, its annual horror event, which this year will showcase upcoming King movie adaptations It: Chapter 2 and Doctor Sleep.For more SDCC coverage on GameSpot, check out our guide to the convention's schedules, panels, and news.Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
Infinity Ward gave a first look at multiplayer in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with a livestream that revealed its new 2-on-2 Gunfight mode. More details about the competitive side of the game are on the way, and now we know when we can expect them--but it'll be a bit of a wait.A Modern Warfare multiplayer reveal is coming at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST on August 1 (3 AM AET on August 2). Infinity Ward will show off the game via livestream on its Twitch channel, twitch.tv/callofduty. There, you can expect to see more of Gunfight and get details about any other modes Modern Warfare is adding to the usual Call of Duty multiplayer suite. We're also expecting to hear more about one of the game's biggest new features: cross-play.Infinity Ward first revealed that cross-play was coming to Call of Duty when it announced that the game would be a reboot of 2007's Modern Warfare, but featuring a whole new story. It'll allow players on all Call of Duty platforms to play with and against each other in multiplayer matches--so regardless of whether you buy the game on PC, Xbox One, or PS4, you'll have the full CoD community available for multiplayer matches. Infinity Ward also announced it's doing away with the season pass structure for downloadable content with Modern Warfare, so all post-release multiplayer maps will be free to all players.Another aspect we're hoping to learn more about in August is Modern Warfare's progression system. Infinity Ward has said progression will carry across all modes in the game, meaning you'll be able to level up your weapons, unlock new Killstreaks, and work toward hitting Prestige while playing the game's single-player mode as well as in multiplayer. We don't have many details on how that all works yet, or how the modes are otherwise linked together, but Infinity Ward has said it wants Modern Warfare to feel more like one complete experience and less like several distinct games packaged together.Gunfight is the first new multiplayer mode we've heard about in Modern Warfare. It pits two teams of two players against each other in small maps, where they face each other in super-fast rounds. The first team to win six rounds takes the match, but you don't get the benefit of choosing your equipment loadout--each round sees everyone assigned the same set of guns. That means everyone is evenly matched, making for some intense, speedy bouts. Check out our hands-on impressions for more details.Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
Achievements and Trophies in games are nice and all, but when they're tied to specific story events, they can prove spoilery. PS4 thankfully allows developers to designate Trophies as "hidden," preventing you from accidentally finding out about anything you might not want to see. But what about once you're done and want to go Trophy hunting, or if you just don't care about spoilers in the first place? Your impulse might be to go searching online for a complete list of Trophies. Or you could, y'know, just reveal it on the system itself.Yeah, that's a thing. And people seem shocked by this bit of information.Just select a hidden Trophy, hit X to view its details screen, and you can hit the Square button to reveal the hidden information. Not only is this possible, but it's been a thing for years--it was first added in the PS4's 4.00 system update, way back in September 2016. It's possible that, for many, the news was lost, as it was around that time that the slim PS4 and PS4 Pro were both announced, and this update introduced HDR functionality to all PS4 systems, among other things. But even the PlayStation Blog post for the update made no mention of the Trophy feature. (It was, however, referenced in an earlier post, about a month before it was actually released.)Regardless, news of this feature has been making the rounds after a highly upvoted post on Reddit from user RockyB95 pointed out that they had only discovered it after years of owning a PS4. The PlayStation UK Twitter account then shared this, and it seems as if this useful tip was one that many people were unaware of.Wait, really? pic.twitter.com/v8wI1pkbF6 — Grub (@GruebberGrub) July 11, 2019What’s with the casual bomb of knowledge dude — Zachary (@zackman555) July 11, 2019pic.twitter.com/8TCJj7fHKw — Ikon74 🤡ðŸŒðŸ‘ŒðŸ¸ðŸ¶ðŸ¤¬ðŸ˜ 🤪🥴 (@carl7406) July 11, 2019It pays to read the full patch notes, apparently. What other tricks, PS4 or otherwise, can you think of that other people might not know? Let us know in the comments below.Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
Valve has announced a new featured section of its service called Steam Labs, which will give users a chance to test out different works-in-progress projects from the company and give feedback. To start with, the company is launching with three experiments, but more will be added later.The three launch experiments are Micro Trailers, the Interactive Recommender, and the Automated Show. Micro Trailers are (as you might expect) ultra-short six-second game trailers. The Interactive Recommender uses machine learning to recommend new games based on your top-played games. The Automated Show is a half-hour showcase of the latest Steam games, generated through Steam's algorithm.While the trailers and automated show are focused on showing video clips in one manner or another, the Interactive Recommender is personalized to each user. Valve boasts that the model is based on millions of Steam users, and you can filter results with a series of sliders. But in a bit of behind-the-scenes information, Valve also explained that it doesn't feed any data about the game into the system except for the release date. Instead, the machine learning will gather data on its own and pick out similarities, along with trends among buying habits with players who have similar gaming tastes. The new recommender won't replace current recommendations on Steam, as right now it's just in the Steam Labs phase.Valve says it welcomes feedback from users, including which Labs experiments are worth pursuing further and how to further develop them. It has also opened a dedicated Steam Labs page where you can see all of the current active experiments.Info from Gamespot.com
2019-07-12
Though Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is open now at California's Disneyland, it's without the crown jewel of the experience. The Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride was delayed earlier this year at both Disneyland and Florida's Walt Disney World Resort, and now opening dates have finally been announced for both versions of the attraction.In a new post on the Disney Parks blog, it's been revealed that Rise of the Resistance will first open in Disney World Resort's Hollywood Studios on December 5. That date just happens to be Walt Disney's birthday. "What better way to honor the ultimate storyteller than by introducing the most immersive and advanced attraction ever imagined in a Disney Park," the blog post reads.Those visiting California's take on Galaxy's Edge will have to wait a bit longer. Disneyland's Rise of the Resistance won't open until January 17, 2020. This is bound to be a disappointment for some, especially given that when the ride was originally delayed, it was with the note that the attraction would open later this year.Given the scope of the new ride, though, it's hard to blame the park's imagineers for wanting to make sure everything is perfect before opening it to the public. A description of the ride reads, "Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will blur the lines between fantasy and reality and will put guests in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance. Guests will be recruited to join Rey and General Organa at a secret base. Along the way, they will be captured by a First Order Star Destroyer. With the help of some heroes of the Resistance, they break out and must escape the Star Destroyer, protect the secret base, and stay one step ahead of Kylo Ren."For now, Galaxy's Edge remains open at Disneyland and will begin welcoming guests at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida on August 29. If you're planning to visit either park, GameSpot has all the information you'll need, from what you should eat and buy to a detailed breakdown of the entire land.Info from Gamespot.com