It’s becoming increasingly common for big Hollywood movies to be released internationally ahead of the US. The upcoming Marvel film Doctor Strange was already set to open in the UK a week before its domestic debut, and now British fans can see it even sooner.
As reported by Den of Geek, the UK release of the movie has shifted from Friday, October 28 to Tuesday, October 25. This means it will open a full 10 days ahead of the US, where it debuts on November 4.
Doctor Strange stars Benedict Cumberbatch as mystical sorcerer Stephen Strange, and also features Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, and Rachel McAdams. It is directed by Sinister‘s Scott Derrickson.
Last week a new promo for the movie was released by Marvel, featuring cast interviews and new footage from the film. Check it out below:
In a recent interview with Gamesradar, Derrickson explained that the film wouldn’t provide a scientific explanation for Strange’s incredible powers. “It’s not something that’s easy to define,” he said. “As magic should be. Magic should be mysterious.
“There’s mystery to magic and there’s mystery to the tone of the movie. Mystery is a good thing”.
Instead, he said, “All I can say is that [the Fallout 4 PS4 mod program is] undergoing an evaluation process and as soon as it’s done, and we have more info, we’re gonna let everyone know.”
The interviewer jumped in to suggest that Hines’ comment implies that it’s Sony that is holding things up. Hines didn’t give anything away here, but stressed that Bethesda remains committed to delivering the mod program on PS4, even if it takes some time.
“It’s definitely not that we’ve decided not to do it, we absolutely, positively want to get PS4 mods out as fast as humanly possible,” he explained.
Fallout 4 mods made their console debut on Xbox One in May. Mods are created on PC and then published to Bethesda.net, where Xbox One players can download them. The same setup is likely to be in place for the eventual PS4 release.
Also in the Metro interview, Hines was asked if Bethesda will have an E3 showcase in 2017. He said the company “probably” will due to a number of projects it has in the works that would fill the time.
“Knowing what I know, I think we would probably do another one next year,” he teased.
BioWare could be revealing something during Sony’s PlayStation Meeting today, if a series of Twitter teases from developers at the studio are any indication.
The first of these comes from Alistair McNally, head of design and art at BioWare’s Edmonton, Montreal, and Austin studios.
“Really, REALLY excited for the Sony PlayStation press conference tomorrow. Some surprises are in store I expect,” he said, adding, “Also it’s probably about time I changed my twitter avatar image and background.” McNally then changed these to be Dragon Age related artwork.
Responding to excitement from Twitter user BioFan, Mac Walters, who is creative director at BioWare, seemed to suggest fans of the studio should watch the PlayStation Meeting.
I love your commitment to ambiguity and I wholeheartedly support it… But stay tuned. Just in case. https://t.co/4HkbQzQxec
Of course, all this teasing could amount to nothing, but on August 31 EA Studios boss Patrick Soderlund said BioWare will discuss its new IP relatively soon.
“We’ve been very open about the fact that BioWare is working on a new IP, and we’ll get to talk about that in the not too distant future,” he explained. “We have other teams working on new IP as well. I think it’s about a balance, right? Making sure that we continue to push what great looks like for Battlefield or FIFA or Madden–or Star Wars, for that matter–while continuing to invest in something new.”
The new IP is in development at BIoWare’s Edmonton studio, which is also working on the Mass Effect: Andromeda. It was officially announced in September 2012 and, at the time, BioWare said the game was being built from the ground up running on “new gaming technology,” likely referring to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, which had not yet been released at the time.
In early August, Soderlund also said we’ll get a first-look at Mass Effect: Andromeda gameplay “in the not too distant future,” responding to queries about the lack of new footage E3 and Gamescom this year. New Mass Effect: Andromeda footage could also be a possibility.
McNally’s choice of new display picture and background on Twitter, however, could be a hint that the announcement, if it happens, may be related to Dragon Age. The last game in the series was Dragon Age: Inquisition, which was released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A Game of the Year Edition including all post-launch DLC was also released.
You can currently pick up the controller for only $45. It normally sells for $65. In fact, the store has discounted a few other DualShock 4 controllers to that price, including the glacier white and wave blue models. Best Buy’s website here to select the color you want (via Slickdeals).
“Bask in the glory of Columbia!” 2K said in the video’s description. The video kicks off with some narration by Elizabeth, who delivers the line, “We swim in different oceans but land on the same shore.”
All single-player DLC is included for the three games, while The Collection also comes with a video series featuring commentary from director Ken Levine and lead artist Shawn Robertson.
As announced previously, BioShock and BioShock 2 are being remastered for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, while Infinite is only getting a remastered version for consoles. The Collection for PC does include Infinite, but this will be the regular, non-remastered version that is likely on par with the PC version that is already available.
PC players may also be able to get The Collection free. Read this post to find out if you’re eligible.
The Collection launches on September 13 for all platforms. The compilation is being developed by Blind Squirrel Games, which collaborated with Irrational Games in the past for Infinite.
Ark: Survival Evolved developer Studio Wildcard has responded to the criticisms of Scorched Earth, the dinosaur game’s first paid expansion. Studio Wildcard announced this add-on last week, stating it was a “completely finished, polished” expansion for Ark, which itself is an unfinished game. Not everyone was happy with the fact that Studio Wildcard was putting out “finished” content for an unfinished game.
In the wake of this, Ark’s reviews on Steam took a hit. While the overall user review rating is “mostly positive,” the recent review tab shows a “mostly negative” score.
“Our original vision for Ark always included the creation of expansion Arks, along with the infrastructure and technical systems to transfer data dynamically between live Arks,” the developer said. “We determined that it is more sound to iterate on these systems during Early Access than after retail launch, given the significant risks involved if we didn’t ‘get it right.’
“While that meant unveiling the first expansion early, it also means an easier time integrating further post-launch Expansions into the Ark network. We understand that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and we appreciate the enjoyment people seem to be getting out of this initial view of how Expansion Arks can work. Now that we have the systems in place to support them, we can ensure minimal integration issues with subsequent releases after Ark: Survival Evolved itself has launched.”
The game is now available for 40 percent off on PC and Xbox One, though this deal ends soon. The Scorched Earth expansion launched last Thursday, September 1, and can be purchased for $20.
Scorched Earth’s new map features seven desert-themed biomes, including dunes, high desert, mountains, canyons, badlands, oasis, and a dragon trench. Each region as its own unique resources and ecosystems, too.
There are more than 50 new items included with Scorched Earth, including new outfits and structures, as well as new shelter in the form of tents. Also new to the game are whips, boomerangs, and flamethrowers, among other things.
As for the new creatures, Scorched Earth has all manner of beasts, including the camel-like Morellatops and the aforementioned Wyvern. There is also what’s called a Death Worm featured in the expansion. Some of the new creatures can be tamed and ridden.
Scorched Earth also adds a new boss creature in the form of a deadly Manticore. Additionally, players will need to survive electrical storms and sand storms, and must also avoid heatstroke.
Additionally, the Xbox One version was updated recently to include, among other things, a graphical improvement that saw the native resolution boosted to 720p. The UI rose to 1080p. This update also adds the player-made Primitive+ mod, which itself has more than 100 new items. Additionally, the patch introduces two creatures, the Pelagornis and the Allosaurus, while it also brings fishing to the game with a fishing mechanic and a rod.
EA has released six trailers for Respawn’s Titanfall 2, showing off the new Titans that players will be able to call in to fight by their side. This time around, each of the mechs have distinct styles, unique weapons, and special abilities.
Northstar is described as “a sniper who can fly…a master of both flight and precision kills.” Legion uses “an assortment of ballistic abilities focusing on defense and control.” Ronin “loves getting up close with it’s samurai vibe” and uses his Phase Shift ability to give him an “in and out” style of gameplay.
Next up is Tone, who is equipped to lay waste to enemies “efficiently and explosively.” Ion, meanwhile, uses energy management abilities to shift between three weapons systems. It’s equipped with a “devastating laser core that melts everything in its way.” Finally, Scorch, as the name suggests, “manipulates fire as its primary source of defensive and offensive abilities.
See them all in action below.
EA has said it believes Titanfall 2 will perform better than its predecessor. According to the company’s chief financial officer, Blake Jorgensen, this is due to the increase number of people with current-gen consoles and the game’s multiplatform launch. Unlike the first Titanfall, which was exclusive to Microsoft platforms, the sequel will be available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
“Titanfall 2’s single-player is crafted to dive deeper into the Titanfall universe, exploring the unique bonds between Pilot and Titan, and taking full advantage of the movement and combat, to deliver a feeling a feeling of being unstoppable together,” EA’s Devin Bennett previously said said.
With the October launch of Sony’s PlayStation VR device coming up, PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida has now spoken up to say he’s not sure what level of demand there will be for the headset. That said, he drew a parallel to the original PlayStation console when talking about the device’s level of “disruption.”
“To be honest, we don’t know what demand will be,” Yoshida told Bloomberg. “In terms of disruption, this is the most since PS1 and perhaps even greater than that.”
In June, PlayStation executive Andrew House told fans to expect PlayStation VR shortages. He also said basically the same thing as Yoshida about not being able to model demand very well.
“Virtual reality is a medium that’s in its infancy. With such a nascent, very new form of storytelling, it’s difficult to predict what user uptake is going to be,” House said at the time.
Analysts cited in the Bloomberg report said Sony could sell at least 1.5 million PlayStation VR devices in 2016 alone, which would be ahead of Oculus Rift and HTC Vive despite launching months later. The analysts said sales of PlayStation VR devices could reach 3 million in 2017, citing the device’s “attractive pricing” relative to the competition, as well as exclusive games.
PlayStation VR will launch on October 13. As detailed previously, the device, which requires PlayStation 4 and a PlayStation Camera, starts at $400 for the headset alone. You can also buy a bundle that comes with the headset, two PlayStation Move controllers, a PlayStation Camera, and the PlayStation Worlds game for $500.
YouTube user Links-Tech has uploaded videos in which the PS4 Slim is completely disassembled, providing a good look at how Sony has managed to pack all its hardware into the new slimmer form. The first video is a high-speed teardown, but those that want to see it in real-time can watch the second video below it.
As mentioned previously, the PlayStation Meeting is scheduled for September 7 at 3 PM ET and will be held at the PlayStation Theater in New York. Although Sony still hasn’t confirmed what it will be showing, at this point the PS4 Slim seems certain.
Sony may also show off the PlayStation Neo, which it first confirmed the existence of prior to E3 in June. Although details on Neo are still scant, it is believed the console will “sit alongside and complement the standard PS4,” as both PS4 and Neo will play the same games, but at different specs. Sony previously said it will take a “small but manageable” amount of effort for developers to get games working on both versions of the PS4.
