Category: Gamespot

Halo Wars 2 launches today (for some) on Xbox One and PC, but for those who haven’t already got their hands on it, what is the game like, and how does it compare to the original Halo Wars, which we awarded a 6.5 back in 2009?

The game has definitely changed after the recent open beta, says publisher Microsoft. To see what the game looks like now, take a look at its launch trailer here.

GameSpot’s review is up now, meanwhile. Critic Kallie Plagge called the game “a very light RTS experience geared toward Halo veterans,” and said “it runs out of steam quickly.” To find out more, you can read our full Halo Wars 2 review, or check out the roundup below.

For a wider view on Halo Wars 2’s critical reception, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

• Game: Halo Wars 2
• Platform: Xbox One, PC
• Developer: Creative Assembly, 343 Industries
• Release: February 21, February 17 for Ultimate Edition owners
• Price: US $60 / £40 / AU $100

GameSpot — 6/10

“Halo Wars 2 carries forth enough of the series’ beloved elements to make any fan of Halo feel right at home at first, but not in the long run. It’s palatable for those used to the FPS games, taking inspiration from favorite missions and putting a strategic spin on them; but just when things become more challenging and actually interesting, it runs out of steam.” — Kallie Plagge [Full review]

Polygon — 8/10

“I couldn’t tell you why, from a business perspective, Halo Wars 2 exists. It doesn’t seem like the kind of project that will yield blockbuster returns for anyone involved. It doesn’t move the RTS genre forward. But it does make for an accessible RTS that doesn’t feel stupid in the process, and it serves as a reminder of how well Halo’s world and fiction lends itself to spaces outside of the first person shooter, even if it can’t quite shake its franchise avoidance of meaningful denouement.” — Arthur Gies [Full review]

The Guardian — 4/5

“So has Microsoft pulled off the double whammy of pleasing both Halo and RTS fans? Apparently so. This is a game that can sit proudly in the Halo canon and also call itself a true, albeit hybrid, RTS. It’s instinctive to play, exciting to watch and packs in some genuinely new ideas that deserve exploring. And if you still can’t get past the inevitable compromises and unfamiliar UI, there’s always the PC version.” — Mike Anderiesz [Full review]

GamesRadar+ — 3/5

“Finding a compromise between designing an RTS for consoles and PC isn’t easy (hence so few developers have tried it). Halo Wars 2, however, isn’t a compromise, it’s a console RTS ported to PC. Its competent but simple mechanics are wrapped around a good story that caters mainly to fans of the Halo universe.

Creative Assembly deserves props for the relentlessly zany Blitz mode, which throws up a curious vision for a direction that RTS could take in the future. I just wish that some of the creativity that went into making this genuinely fresh mode somehow permeated through the rest of the game.” — Robert Zak [Full review]

Wired — 8/10

“While Halo Wars 2 doesn’t feel as weighty or as deliciously dramatic as its FPS cousins, it does offer a tactical distraction for adventurous fans. It’s not just a tagline on the box–there’s actual real-time strategy here, it’s well made, and it’s on console. Such a trifecta doesn’t come along often, and when it’s spearheaded by Master Chief and company, all the Grunts would do well to take notice.” — Mitch Wallace [Full review]

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Oscar winning actor Denzel Washington has been in a lot of films over the course of his career. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week, Washington said he’s seen on all of them. But can he remember specific lines from them? That’s the test that Kimmel put to Washington for a new segement of “Did I Say That?” In the video, random people at a farmer’s market read lines from movies that Washington has been in and he has to say if it was a line he actually said in the movie.

We won’t spoil the results for you, but Washington doesn’t exactly ace the test.

Things don’t go great for Washington out of the gate. The first quote he’s given is, “From out of the ground we were taken for the dust we are, and to the dust we shall return.”

“Nah, I never said that,” Washington said (via Variety).

Moments later, it’s shown that Washington said this in the 2010 movie The Book of Eli. Why didn’t he remember? “That’s because I’m in character and I don’t remember everything,” he said.

The video also contains quotes from the movies Malcom X, Training Day, and Washington’s very first movie, 1981’s Carbon Copy.

Washington earned a Best Actor nomination for his leading role in Fences. The 89th Academy Awards, which are hosted by Kimmel, air on February 26.

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Microsoft’s E3 2017 plans are coming into focus. After coming that its annual briefing is moving to Sunday for this year’s event, Microsoft has now confirmed that its FanFest event is coming back.

Xbox marketing manager Aaron Greenberg revealed this on Twitter.

Specifics about this year’s show have not been made available, but Greenberg says fans can stay tuned for “more details to come soon.”

Microsoft’s FanFest event, which has been held at E3, Gamescom, and other events around the world, is a community-focused gathering. Its goal is to celebrate the fans with special events and opportunities.

Microsoft’s E3 2017 briefing is slated for Sunday, June 11, starting at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. There will be some State of Decay 2 news and more details on Project Scorpio, but outside of that, we don’t know what Microsoft will show.

What are you hoping to see from Microsoft at E3 this year? Let us know in the comments below!

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Activision has teased some kind of announcement about its Crash Bandicoot series.

Writing on Twitter, the publisher said a “big” announcement about the franchise will be made today, February 16. The company tweeted the video below, which seems to suggest a release date for something may be what the news is teasing; take a look at the video for yourself:

There is nothing else to go on at this time. If it is indeed a release date reveal, it could be for the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which is confirmed for 2017 but doesn’t have a specific date yet.

A PlayStation 4 game, the N. Sane Trilogy includes the first three games in the franchise: Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped. They were all originally made by Naughty Dog, though Activision’s Vicarious Visions is making the PS4 game.

Vicarious Visions used the original games’ level geometry, but the gameplay is rebuilt from scratch. Some new features for the updated versions include a unified checkpoint and save system (including manual and auto-saving), as well as a unified menu system. There will also time trials available for each game. You can read this developer blog post to learn more about the N. Sane Trilogy.

We’ll report back later today with all the news as it’s announced.

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Dean Hall, who created the popular zombie game DayZ, is gearing up to announce a new game. Eurogamer reports that Hall will bring this unannounced game to the London-based show EGX Rezzed, where attendees can go hands on with it. Additionally, Hall will host a panel during the show where he will discuss the project and his New Zealand-based studio RocketWerkz.

RocketWerkz is not an average studio when it comes to structure and benefits. Hall recently told RadioNZ that he gives his 40 employees unlimited leave and that his salary is only 10 percent more than the highest-paid staffer. Additionally, RocketWerkz has a profit-sharing scheme and reportedly no middle management. Hall will probably discuss this business philosophy during his EGZ Rezzed talk.

EGX Rezzed runs March 30 through Sunday, April 1. BioShock designer Ken Levine will provide the opening keynote speech to kick off the show.

According to RadioNZ, RocketWerkz has five games in development, including a VR title called Out of Ammo for HTC Vive. Another is the mysterious-looking Ion, which was revealed at E3 2015.

Last year, Hall teased some kind of intriguing-sounding multiplayer game, which could be the project that will be shown at EGX Rezzed.

As for DayZ, the game remains an Early Access title on Steam, where it’s sold over 3 million copies. A PlayStation 4 edition is on the way, but don’t expect it anytime soon.

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Pro basketball game NBA 2K17 and the soccer-with-cars game Rocket League will be free to play this weekend on Xbox One. As part of the latest “Multiplayer All-Access” event, Microsoft is letting everyone download and play those games as much as they want beginning today, February 16, and running until Sunday, February 19.

Additionally, Microsoft has dropped the Xbox Live Gold requirement for online features during this period; this applies to Xbox One and Xbox 360. Here is the video Microsoft released announcing the promo (as spotted by Eurogamer):

Both Rocket League ($15) and NBA 2K17 ($39) are currently on sale on Xbox Live, so you can pick them up on the cheap after the free weekend if you want.

GameSpot enjoyed Rocket League and NBA 2K17; you can read our reviews below.

• Rocket League
• NBA 2K17

In other news about the games, Rocket League recently passed 26 million users, while the NBA announced a partnership with Take-Two for an NBA 2K pro gaming league.

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Sniper Elite 4 is out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC–but how do the consoles fare when running Rebellion’s latest marksman sim?

Well according to Digital Foundry, the two consoles and Sony’s upgraded hardware, PS4 Pro, perform quite differently. The site says that while PS4 Pro’s frame rate is unlocked and mostly hangs around the 45-55 FPS region, the regular PS4 and Xbox One don’t quite reach the same heights.

The standard PS4’s frame rate is mostly contained within the 30-40 FPS marks, but Xbox One’s can’t get above 30. Sniper Elite 4 is capped at 30 on Xbox One, but Microsoft’s console frequently dips below that mark, and even into the high teens in particularly demanding scenes.

All three consoles render at 1080p, says Digital Foundry–including the PS4 Pro at max settings, even when connected to a 4K TV. Otherwise, the three consoles broadly look the same, save for reduced texture pop-in on PS4 Pro. Check out Digital Foundry’s full video above.

Developer Rebellion detailed Sniper Elite 4’s PS4 Pro support earlier in February. The company said Sony’s upgraded console would deliver an “enhanced frame rate, improved lighting, and faster loading times.” Rebellion also revealed details about its game’s season pass details–get the lowdown here.

In our Sniper Elite 4 review, we called the game “a natural progression for the series,” which is now “living up to its long-standing potential.” If you’re curious about other critics’ thoughts on the sniping game, check out this review roundup.

Alternatively, take a look at our complete list of every PS4 Pro game that is and isn’t getting an upgrade patch.

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The upcoming Kong: Skull Island is not just the latest appearance from cinema’s most famous giant ape. It is also the second part of an ongoing monster movie franchise that kicked off with 2014’s Godzilla. A new clip has been released, and it contains a direct reference to Godzilla‘s Project Monarch. Check it out below, via Yahoo Movies:

Last week, this amazing Japanese poster for Skull Island was revealed. It follows a stylish Apocalypse Now-inspired poster that was issued for the film’s US IMAX release.

Kong: Skull Island is released on March 10, 2017. It stars Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, John C Reilly, Corey Hawkins, and John Goodman.

In a recent interview with GamesRadar, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts revealed that he had a simple rule for the monstrous inhabitants of Skull Island. “The first mandate for me was ‘No dinosaurs,’” he said. “Jurassic World owns that as far as I’m concerned, and Peter Jackson’s version [of King Kong] did such a great job with that V-Rex fight.”

The director went on to explain that his inspiration for the creatures was in fact Japanese animation. “[Hayao] Miyazaki, Princess Mononoke, and in a weird way Pokemon were odd reference points,” he said. “Because I wanted these things to have a spirituality to them and an essence to them, and I wanted all of them to simultaneously be gorgeous and terrifying.”

The next part of Legendary’s big monster universe will be Godzilla: King of Monsters, which is expected in 2019. Last month, Krampus director Michael Dougherty was confirmed as director, with Stranger Things break-out star Millie Bobby Brown also reported to be part of the cast.

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