Here’s something unexpected and cool-sounding. According to a leak, THQ Nordic is working on an original post-apocalyptic open-world action RPG called Biomutant that appears to star a Rocket Raccoon-looking furry creature and a grasshopper.
The game was leaked by way of an advertisement for it in the German trade magazine GamesMarkt. You can see a shot from the magazine below, via Twitter user Tino Hahn.
Biomutant is coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC in 2018, according to the ad, which also shows that the main character can fly on a dragon and drive a boat. The game is in development at independent Swedish studio Experiment 101, according to Kotaku.
With the official release of Ark: Survival Evolved coming up soon, lead designer Jeremy Stieglitz has been busy responding to fan questions on Twitter. Two topics that recently came up were the Xbox One X and potential cross-play support between Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
On the subject of the Xbox One X’s horsepower, Stieglitz said Ark can run at the equivalent of “Medium” or “High” settings on PC. It can run at 1080p/60fps (Medium) or 1440p/30fps (High), and it sounds like developer Studio Wildcard may offer an option to switch between them.
On Xbox One X, ARK runs at 1440p 30 FPS, with settings approximately equivalent to “PC High”
And speaking about cross-play between Xbox One and PS4, Stieglitz said Studio Wildcard has this up and running internally, and the issue now is Sony will not allow cross-play (via NeoGAF).
At E3, PlayStation executive Jim Ryan said one reason why Sony isn’t allowing cross-play between PS4 and Xbox One is because the company is concerned about the safety of its users. If Sony allowed PSN to connect to an outside network like Xbox Live, Sony would not be able to fully control the experience. This could potentially put its users, in particular children, at risk, Ryan said.
We have it working internally, but currently Sony won’t allow it 🙁
Ark’s official release date is August 29 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Keep checking back with GameSpot, as we’ll have more on the game in the lead-up to release.
Uncharted is being made into a movie, with Stranger Things and Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy attached to direct, with Spider-Man actor Tom Holland playing a young Nathan Drake. Now, Levy has discussed the film in more detail, saying he and writer Joe Carnahan are trying to make “an Indiana Jones-type” franchise for the audience who didn’t grow up with Indiana Jones.
“For me, it was the fact that the game is awesome–the spirit of the game, with its action set pieces, its imaginative settings, and above all the kind of rogue swagger of Nathan. Those are things that I think make for a great movie,” Levy told Nerdist, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.
The Uncharted movie won’t be a direct adaptation of any of the games, which is probably for the best, as Levy acknowledged this can be a troubling and difficult route to take. Levy had an “aha” moment for the story when speaking with Holland.
“He kind of put it really succinctly in saying, if we do the origin of Drake–Tom Holland as younger Drake–that is something that we haven’t seen as the plot of game 1, 2, 3, 4,” Levy said. “We’ve seen a snippet of an origin of Sully and Drake meeting in the past, but here’s maybe an opportunity to do a treasure-hunting action movie with attitude, with a protagonist and chapter of the protagonist’s life that you can’t get for free at home by just playing the game.”
The Uncharted series is know for its huge set pieces, and overall you can expect the film to attempt to embody the “spirit and the tone and the attitude” of the game series, Levy said.
There has been some controversy over the Uncharted movie. After a script was completed, game developer Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann later denied a comment from Carnahan suggesting the developer was happy with the movie. Druckmann said Naughty Dog had not seen the script and that he wished Carnahan would “stop implying that he has our support.”
The next Uncharted game, The Lost Legacy, comes out on PS4 on August 22. Unlike the mainline series, The Lost Legacy stars Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross in a story involving the Tusk of Ganesh. GameSpot’s review scored the game a 9/10.
Mass Effect: Andromeda developer BioWare has issued an update on the game, saying there are “no planned future patches for single-player or in-game story content.” The statement effectively confirms the studio will not make any more technical changes to the way the campaign runs. Additionally, it will not release any DLC to address some of the loose narrative threads that fans were hoping to see resolved.
Most notable among these unresolved plot points is the fate of the Quarian Ark, which BioWare has said will be explored in comics and novels, along with other stories set in the Andromeda galaxy.
“Early in development, we decided to focus Mass Effect: Andromeda’s story on the Pathfinder, the exploration of the Andromeda galaxy, and the conflict with the Archon,” reads a statement on the game’s official website.
“The game was designed to further expand on the Pathfinder’s journey through this new galaxy with story-based APEX multiplayer missions and we will continue to tell stories in the Andromeda Galaxy through our upcoming comics and novels, including the fate of the Quarian Ark.”
Mass Effect: Andromeda had a rocky launch, with a litany of bugs and graphics issues drawing heavy criticism from its players. In the months following, BioWare released patches to remedy many of these, the latest of which was on August 1. This, BioWare said, will be the last update for the campaign.
Looking ahead, BioWare’s said its “multiplayer team will provide details of their ongoing support and upcoming content, including new multiplayer missions, character kits, and what’s in store for N7 Day” in the coming weeks.
To prepare for an exciting weekend of wrestling in Brooklyn, New York for Summerslam and NXT TakeOver–WWE and 2K Games held a special pre-party celebrating the upcoming release of WWE 2K18. Focused on all the latest happenings in the wrestling world, the talent–including Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Braun Strowman, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Jinder Mahal, Bobby Roode, Dean Ambrose, and 2K18 cover star Seth Rollins–took the time to mingle and interact with those in attendance.
While this was a party, some wrestlers jumped at the opportunity to keep the spark in their rivalries going. Tag-team partners Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose confronted current Raw tag-team champions Sheamus and Cesaro, which ended in a tense altercation–chairs were flying and water bottles were thrown–with security having to separate both teams. Soon after, several wrestlers–including Snoop Dogg, who went by DJ Snoopadelic for the party and performed later in the evening–made it onto the red carpet to chat and pose for photos. GameSpot spoke with several wrestlers of the WWE about 2K18, how it’s developed over the years, and what they’re currently playing while on the road.
Kurt Angle, General Manager of Raw
GS: I had the opportunity to check out of the game, it seems to have focused more on emulating the style and presentation of the live shows. Are you with impressed with how detailed it is in replicating the real thing?
Kurt Angle: It seems like every year they get more and more of a feeling to real life with it. Every year, they manage to outdo themselves with the videogame. It’s really cool to be a part of it. If you would have asked me a few years ago that this was going to be a thing, then I would have said “no way in hell”. But here I am, you know doing the red carpet for it. It’s pretty amazing.
Since you’re the GM of Raw, you must have a lot of say when it comes to how your brand is presented in the game.
KA: I wish we did, man. But really, it all comes down to Vince McMahon and the creative team at WWE and also the team at 2K Games. It’s a collaborative effort, and they make the games look good.
Jinder Mahal, Current WWE Champion
What was it like seeing this iteration of the game for the first time? Were you pleased with how they presented you in game?
Jinder Mahal: It’s very impressive, I’ve seen myself in the game–I’ve got like the six-pack abs with the chiseled arms [he flexes], my masculinity was there–but the one thing that is missing is me on the cover with the WWE Universal Championship. That’s one thing they can improve.
So what exactly was the process like of actually getting you into the game? Were you involved in the motion-capture?
JM: So I just did the facial and body scanning, no mo-cap as that was done in L.A., but it’s just so cool to see yourself. You know, unlike action figures and other toys, videogames don’t really get old or worn out, so in a way you are like immortalized.
Are you able to play many games these days?
JM: I actually haven’t, and I haven’t been playing any since I was a kid, but I used to play Crash Bandicoot a lot and I’ve heard some amazing things about the new game that came out which is like a remaster?
Yeah, it’s a remaster of the first three games.
JM: Oh, it’s same ones? I’ll try them out, especially now that it looks better. That’s great, I definitely gotta try that out.
Alexa Bliss, Current WWE Raw Women’s Champion
From what you’ve seen of the game, are surprised to see how much of it as become so accurate to the real thing?
Alexa Bliss: Oh absolutely, Xavier Woods and Bayley were playing it backstage as AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe, and to see the graphics and how accurate everything is is just amazing. Even the signs in the back were super accurate, super detailed–games have come so far, and I think 2K has been at the forefront of that. I’ve been impressed with how they managed to bring it all together.
Do you play many games nowadays?
AB: I used to play videogames a lot. Growing up, my dad and I used to play Xbox and Playstation games all the time, but a game I did get recently was Crash Bandicoot. Which is a lot harder than I remembered, like way harder, it’s kinda crazy. But also, I did get a Nintendo Switch, which is also fun.
Are you liking the Switch so far?
AB: Yeah, I do love the Switch a lot. Seth Rollins was actually the one that talked me into getting one. Because I saw him playing it on a plane, and I was like what is that? And he said “Nintendo Switch, best thing ever”, and so I got one.
How do you find the time to play these games?
AB: It’s mostly just on planes nowadays, because we’re mostly on the go. When we’re not in the ring, meeting media, or going home, we’re just working out. But when you do get that free time to just unwind and decompress, I just play Mario Kart on the Switch.
Do you have another favorite that you’re playing on Switch?
AB: I did just get Zelda on the Switch. I heard so much about it, about how much time people wasted in it. Like they live on Zelda.
I know people that put in over two hundred hours in the game.
AB: Like seriously, it’s crazy. When I heard how many hours you can put into it, I was like “I’m gonna play other games first” before I try Zelda and then commit to that. So I’ve just started to get into that, and it’s been amazing.
Braun Strowman, Challenger for the WWE Universal Championship
Games have evolved a lot over the years, and now we have the next WWE looking more close to the real thing, and of course you’re in it. What’s your reaction to seeing yourself in a game like this?
BS: It blows my mind by what they’re capable of doing as far as animation and other stuff, and then to even turn it into a videogame–I remember the days of Pong, and Oregon Trail in elementary school, where you had to plug a floppy disk into a computer to turn it on. But now, you travel around and play with others around the globe along with your friends in game that looks so realistic. It’s awesome, technology is a cool thing. I did a lot 3D rendering work with the team, they had us go in this crazy booth where they take thousands of pictures of us from every angle, and they had use do all these crazy pictures of us with weird and strange facial expressions. And without a doubt, that’s why it turned out so well.
Dean Ambrose mentioned he wasn’t much of a gamer in recent years. Are you able to play much these days?
BS: I play here and there, not so much as the other guys. I’m more of a first-person shooter guy. I have a really short attention span, so it’s gotta be really good. The last game I got really into was Black Ops 3. What was that like two years ago? That shows you how much interest I have in games. I try to play with these guys, they set up stuff in the locker room–I’m terrible at them though, and they beat me up in them and that just makes me mad. And then I just want to smash the TV over their heads.
Bayley, Former WWE Raw Women’s Champion
Is there something in particular that’s impressed you about this game that you’ve seen?
B: I’ve seen only the short previews I saw backstage, and all the stuff they’re releasing online–I saw the SAnitY [NXT wrestling stable] entrance they released on Youtube, and every year they just impress me with what they can do. Just how much better it gets with entrances, and the actual guys’ look, the details of our faces. They really just get all the tiny details, like you’re inside the game. It’s just really cool.
Are you able to find the time to play anything? If so have you played anything good recently?
B: Yeah, I do. It can be tough to find the time, but I did just get the Crash Bandicoot trilogy re-release, like I was so good when I was a kid–but now I suck. I can’t even remember what to do with some of the obstacles in the game to collect the fruit–and I was always thought they were just apples, but they’re not. When I go home, I’m just gonna try to beat that again. Because I was so good when I was kid.
Samoa Joe, Challenger for the WWE Universal Championship
The WWE games have come a long way over the years. Can you talk about what you like most about the games in recent years?
SJ: I’m just really impressed with the technology that goes into these games. The way they’re able to skin these characters and present them in the game, along with just the building of the architecture themselves. Anything they do, it always ends up looking really, really nice. They did a hell of a job.
What’s the one game that you’ve been playing during your off time?
SJ: I’ve been playing a lot Fortnite lately. It’s really nice, when I get off the road, I just can just relax and play this. It’s got like the perfect balance to it, where I can just unwind and be technical at the same time. It’s great.
On that note, our interviews came to an end. Check out our gallery below for more pictures of the event, and to see who else swung by. And for more info on WWE 2K18, check back with GameSpot for more coverage of the game.
[UPDATE] EA has now officially released the Starfighter Assault trailer, following the leak earlier this week. A gameplay demo for the mode is expected at Gamescom next week.
The original story is below.
Ahead of an expected official reveal at Gamescom 2017 next week, a trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront II has leaked. It shows off the game’s space battles, one of the most anticipated elements of the sequel. What you’re seeing is not gameplay but was captured in-engine, so keep that in mind when looking at the impressive-looking footage.
Also, Yoda as a fighter pilot? This looks great.
You can find the video on the internet (via Eurogamer), and when the official version is released next week, we’ll post it on GameSpot.
Battlefront II’s space battles are being made by Burnout developer Criterion. Other EA-owned studios DICE and Motive are also working on the game. Unlike the 2015 original, Battlefront II has a campaign, which Motive is developing.
Battlefront II is scheduled to launch in November for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, with an open beta coming in October. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more.
It sure looks like the rumoured ReCore: Definitive Edition is indeed real. Following multiple leaks, the Microsoft Store posted a product page for the unannounced game, according to Gematsu.
According to the site, the product page–which no longer appears to be functional–said that the game would be available for Xbox One and PC on August 29, priced at $30.
The Definitive Edition will reportedly include a new “Eye of Obsidian” mission and T8-NK Corebot frame. The listing also reportedly said the game will have enhancements for Xbox One X, along with HDR support.
Earlier this week, ReCore’s official Twitter account said some kind of ReCore announcement is coming on August 20. This is the same day as Microsoft’s Gamescom briefing, so it could be that an announcement is made there.
The Xbox Gamescom briefing is also expected to bring news about Xbox One X pre-order information. The briefing begins at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET / 8 PM BST / 9 PM CEST. That comes out to 5 AM AEST on August 21 for people in Australia.
Ahead of an expected official reveal at Gamescom 2017 next week, a trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront II has leaked. It shows off the game’s space battles, one of the most anticipated elements of the sequel. What you’re seeing is not gameplay but was captured in-engine, so keep that in mind when looking at the impressive-looking footage.
Also, Yoda as a fighter pilot? This looks great.
You can find the video on the internet (via Eurogamer), and when the official version is released next week, we’ll post it on GameSpot.
Battlefront II’s space battles are being made by Burnout developer Criterion. Other EA-owned studios DICE and Motive are also working on the game. Unlike the 2015 original, Battlefront II has a campaign, which Motive is developing.
Battlefront II is scheduled to launch in November for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, with an open beta coming in October. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more.
The Imaginarium Studios has revealed its video game companion to the Planet of the Apes film franchise, Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier. The studio released the first trailer for the game, setting the stage for the bleak conflict that players will have to navigate.
Described as a “narrative-driven adventure game of conquest, betrayal, and survival,” Last Frontier is set between the events of the series’ two most recent films, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes. According to the press release, “When the fates of a tribe of apes and a band of human survivors intertwine, two worlds collide as their precarious existence hangs in the balance.”
Like the film series, Last Frontier blurs the line between the humans and apes. Players will be given the chance to understand both sides of the conflict by allowing them to play as both humans and apes during the course of the game. It will fall to them to navigate the tense relationship between the two species, as “every decision impacts the fragile balance between peace and war.” The game will also feature multiple endings.
We first learned about Last Frontier at New York Comic-Con last October. Actor and Imaginarium Studios founder Andy Serkis (who also performs motion capturing for the film character Caesar) teased that it would be a companion piece to War for the Planet of the Apes that “feels like an interactive movie.”
Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier is releasing for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Publisher FoxNet hasn’t announced an exact release date yet, but the game is slated to arrive sometime this fall.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life‘s western release date has been announced. The action game is coming to the west on March 20, 2018–just over a year after it originally launched in Japan.
In addition, publisher Sega revealed a special After Hours Premium Edition, which, for some reason, contains a lot of gear related to drinking. Included are two bar glasses, two coasters, two ice stones to chill your drink, and a collectible outer box–plus the game, of course. This special edition will cost US $90 / £80 / AU $130, while the standard version of the game will set you back US $60 / £50 / AU $90. Pre-orders and launch versions of the standard edition will also come with a free hardcover art book, which doubles as a disc holder.
Finally, a new trailer has been released for the PS4 exclusive, showing off some of the game’s crazy combat, its traversal… and cats. Lots of cats. Take a look above.
Yakuza 6 was first announced back in 2015 at Japan’s Tokyo Game Show. It launched for Japanese players in December 2016, but has so far not been available in the west.
The Yakuza series follows Kazuma Kiryu’s rise through the ranks of the Yakuza and his ongoing conflicts with rival factions of the crime family. The latest entry to come to the west was Yakuza 0, which we enjoyed here at GameSpot. Critic Peter Brown called it a “fascinating adventure” and awarded it an 8/10–you can read more in our full Yakuza 0 review. For more on Yakuza 6, meanwhile, check out some recent gameplay or a trailer.
