“‘What to do with the rest of our lives?’ is now the question.” Music Box has debuted a new trailer for the film The Brand New Testament from Belgium, directed by filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael who last made Mr. Nobody. His new film is religious parody about a man in Brussels who is apparently God – as played by Benoît Poelvoorde. He lives with his family and the story focuses on his ten-year-old daughter Ea, played by Pili Groyne, who decides to text everyone in the world with their date of death. The full cast includes Catherine Deneuve, François Damiens, Yolande Moreau, Laura Verlinden and Serge Larivière. There’s some really wacky scenes in this, but I like the concept and it seems like a totally one-of-a-kind film. ›››
Time to meet the Shinjuku Swan. A full Japanese trailer has debuted for Sion Sono’s latest film, Shinjuku Swan II, a sequel to his first adaptation of a manga about an adult entertainment scout named Tatsuhiko Shiratori. Sion Sono is one of Japan’s best directors working today, behind films like Love Exposure, Why Don’t You Play in Hell? and Tokyo Tribe, though this film series hasn’t picked up any US distribution yet. Shinjuku Swan II stars Gou Ayano, Alice Hirose, Kippei Shiina, Yusuke Iseya, Motoki Fukami, Nobuaki Kaneko, Yu Yamada, Hideo Nakano, as well as Tadanobu Asano as the rival scout CEO that Tatsuhiko goes up against. This looks like some of Sono’s most commercial work, but might still be fun. ›››
Digital Foundry has posted its analysis of the PlayStation 4 Pro version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim‘s new remastered version, the Special Edition. While the game benefits from a higher resolution (native 4K), it looks like the frame rate takes a small hit as a result of the increased visual fidelity.
According to Digital Foundry, scenes that use “alpha-heavy effects” can lead to frame rate dips, where it falls below the 30 FPS target. “In like-for-like situations, the PS4 Pro game sees a 2-3 FPS deficit, resulting in more noticeable stutter compared to the title running on the standard PS4 console,” the site reported. “The base PS4 performance isn’t impacted to the same degree, with only a few 1-3 FPS drops cropping up on occasion across a general run of play.”
What this amounts to is an overall experience that “doesn’t feel quite as smooth when running at 4K,” according to the site. For the most part, the PS4 Pro version of the Special Edition maintains the 30 FPS target, but Digital Foundry says it’s too bad because the PS4 Pro helps the game look better in other areas.
Also in the analysis, Digital Foundry said it found that Skyrim Special Edition for PS4 Pro doesn’t do much else in terms of visual enhancements beyond the improved resolution. Things like shadow quality and general effects are “identical” to the standard PS4 Pro, though foliage draw distance is improved.
“This leads to plants and tufts of grass getting steamed in more quickly than on the standard PS4, with these objects visible at longer range,” it said. “It’s a subtle difference that doesn’t immediately stand out during gameplay, but does add an extra layer of refinement to the presentation that’s nice to see.”
For people playing Skyrim Special Edition on a PS4 Pro with a 1080p TV, the game uses a “super-sampled” image where it’s rendered at 4K and then downsampled to 1080p.
“Given that Skyrim Special Edition already has very clean image quality when displayed on a stock PS4 the upgrade here isn’t as dramatic as we’d see in titles using a less aggressive anti-aliasing solution,” Digital Foundry explained.
Digital Foundry’s full analysis is stuffed with interesting insight–read it here.
A notice on Nintendo’s Japanese website appears to confirm that Wii U production, as rumored, is ending in Japan soon. Kotaku discovered that a statement on the site reads, 近日生産終了予定 (kinjitsu seisan shuuryou yotei), which the site translated to, “Production is scheduled to end soon.”
One of the incentives for preordering Dishonored 2 was that you could play a day early. With Dishonored 2’s official release date being November 11, the game unlocks today for preorder buyers.
Bethesda also gave away copies of Dishonored: Definitive Edition for people who preordered Dishonored 2, so preorder buyers can play that game as well.
In other news about the game, it’s been confirmed that there will be a 9 GB day one patch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One that improves things like load times, texture streaming, audio mixing, frame rate, and shadow quality. The update also contains numerous bug fixes.
It’s a big day for Sony, as the company launches its much-anticipated PlayStation 4 Pro console today, November 10. The $400 console is a more powerful version of the existing PS4.
Not only that, but it represents something of a new move for the industry in that it’s considered a mid-generation hardware upgrade instead of a new console generation. Sony will continue to sell the regular PS4. Additionally, games and accessories for the PS4 work on the PS4 Pro.
“PS4 Pro is not the start of a new generation, nor is it a console that is going to blur the lines between generations,” system designer Mark Cerny said.
“The launch of PS4 Pro marks the first time ever that PlayStation is introducing an upgraded console in the midst of a platform’s lifecycle,” Sony Interactive Entertainment president Shawn Layden said in a statement today. “PS4 Pro caters to our fans who embrace innovation and want to enjoy the advancements in visuals made possible by the latest imaging technology. The development community is already taking advantage of the boosted power within PS4 Pro, and we’re eager to see how their creative efforts continue to make PlayStation the best place to play.”
In GameSpot’s PS4 Pro review, Jimmy Thang said the “PS4 Pro is priced fairly, offers a plethora of features, and is the most powerful console you can buy today.” However, he noted that the upgrade is only recommended to those with a TV that can make use of the consoles extra horsepower.
“If you already have a PS4, however, I wouldn’t make the upgrade unless you have a 4K HDR TV and the extra cash lying around,” he said. “Graphics enthusiasts may appreciate the improved anti-aliasing and more vibrant colors, but the differences likely won’t blow most people away.”
For its part, Microsoft is working on a new Xbox console called Project Scorpio. It’s scheduled to come out in holiday 2017 and is described as the “most powerful console ever made.”
[Updated November 10 with one more game, Skate 3, which is rumored to launch soon]
The Xbox One‘s backwards compatibility feature, introduced in November 2015, lets you play Xbox 360 games on the new console. But what games are available? We’ve now rounded them all up–and we’ll continue to update this post as new games are made available.
Skate 3 could be the next game to support backwards compatibility on Xbox One.
Publisher EA and platform holder Microsoft haven’t yet officially announced its inclusion in the backwards compatibility program, but the Xbox 360 dashboard seems to have confirmed it a little early.
Skate 3 has also been discounted on the Xbox store. The game is currently available for $9.99/£7.49 for Xbox Live Gold subscribers.
“We know its a key game and are on it. I’m confident in getting it out to XB1 customers, just can’t give you a date yet, sorry … I’m with everyone on this, franchise reinvented skate control in gaming, really want to get it done, we’ll get there.”
Skate 3 is very popular among Let’s Play creators, in large part due to its unpredictable physics engine. Just watch the video below to see the unexpected comedy that can arise in the game.
On November 8, Microsoft confirmed Operation Flashpoint: Red River are both now playable on Xbox One. Like with all other backwards compatible titles, if you already own these you’ll be able to download it or install it from a disc and begin playing.
EA Access costs $5 per month or $30 per year and offers discounts and early access to upcoming games in addition to its library of free Vault games. You can see a list of games in the EA Access free game vault here.
A version of EA Access is also available for for PC under the name “Origin Access.” It has its own lineup of free games, which you can see here.
The Black Friday shopping bonanza will be here in just a few more weeks. Now, retailer Best Buy has posted its 48-page Black Friday 2016 ad, revealing lots and lots of solid gaming deals.
Go to Best Buy’s Black Friday 2016 landing page to see all the deals. You can use the site’s filter tool to see only video game deals. These offers are good November 24-26.
Keep checking back with GameSpot in the days and weeks ahead for more on the best Black Friday gaming deals. For now, check out the stories below to see what other retailers are offering.
The X-Men movie universe could be getting a reboot. It has been reported that, following Wolverine star Hugh Jackman’s departure after next year’s Logan, Fox is looking to reset the franchise.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio faces a number of issues with the lucrative superhero series. As well as Jackman’s exit, the contracts for key stars Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and Nicholas Hoult have all ended. As the site notes, renewing them will be a costly exercise for Fox. In addition, this summer’s X-Men: Apocalypse saw a drop in box office receipts compared to its predecessors.
THR’s sources state that the franchise will be “reconfigured,” and that producer/writer Simon Kinberg is already working on a new script. Bryan Singer, who directed four of the movies in the series, is not expected to return.
