Halo 5: Forge is coming to PC very soon, letting you build maps and play custom games on your Windows 10 computer. Today, developer 343 Industries announced what sort of system you’ll need to run the game.
In a post on the Halo website, 343 Industries revealed the system requirements for the title. It’s fairly demanding–the studio recommends a GTX 970 graphics card and 12 GB of RAM. You can see the full breakdown of system requirements at the bottom of this article.
In addition, Halo 5: Guardians on Xbox One is getting a new DLC pack on September 8. Called Anvil’s Legacy, it adds a new Arena map and a new Warzone map, as well as new weapons and weapon attachments. You can read more about it here.
System Requirements
Minimum:
Operating system: Windows 10 Anniversary Edition, version 1607 or later
DirectX 12
CPU: Intel Core i5 at 2.3 Ghz or AMD equivalent
GPU: GeForce 650 Ti
VRAM: 2GB
RAM: 8GB
HDD: 40GB
Recommended (1080p at 60 frames per second):
Operating system: Windows 10 Anniversary Edition, version 1607 or later
DirectX 12
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570k at 3.4 Ghz or AMD equivalent
GPU: GeForce 970
VRAM: 4GB
RAM: 12GB
HDD: 40GB
Ultra (4K at 60 frames per second):
Operating system: Windows 10 Anniversary Edition, version 1607 or later
DirectX 12
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770k at 3.4 Ghz or AMD equivalent
No Man’s Sky has been out for a couple weeks now, and players have been busy naming countless plants, animals, and planets that they have discovered. However, it seems that naming things in the game might not be as permanent as many people thought: Some players are now reporting that their custom names for plants and animals are being erased.
In a post on the No Man’s Sky subreddit, user Dark_Nexis stated that when they went back to some of the planets they discovered early on in the game, all of their names for locations, creatures, and plants were gone.
Essentially, the planet had reverted back to its pre-discovery state. Although the planet and star system still listed Dark_Nexis as the discoverer and still retained their custom names, nothing else on the planet had kept its name.
Another user, Ultrasilvanus, corroborated the issue. Apparently, when they revisited past planets after several days, animal discoveries had reverted to being listed as “?????????” In addition, Ultrasilvanus did some sleuthing and determined that the discoveries were being erased in chronological order–that is, the oldest discoveries were disappearing first. This would suggest that there might be a max number of things that a player can name before they start being erased.
Developer Hello Games has not commented on this yet, but we’ve reached out to it and Sony for clarification about what’s happening. We’ll update this article with any new info we get.
No Man’s Sky is available on PS4 and PC, but it had quite a few issues after its launch. Hello Games is working hard on fixes for these problems, and new patches will arrive soon. Keep an eye on GameSpot for more news about No Man’s Sky in the coming weeks.
The creators of Netflix’s Stranger Things have revealed some of the video games that influenced the hit sci-fi show. Matt and Ross Duffer listed these off in a new interview with IGN, beginning with Silent Hill.
The show’s Upside Down area, which is an alternate reality of sorts, is influenced by the Konami horror game. “With all the fog and the forest dripping. Obviously we were really looking at that game for visualizing this other world, so that’s a big one,” Matt Duffer said. He added that people picked up on the Silent Hill reference the most.
Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic The Last of Us and From Software’s RPG Dark Souls series also influenced Stranger Things. Matt Duffer explains:
“I love [The Last of Us] and the storytelling in that game and a lot of the imagery. We’re huge, huge fans of the Dark Souls games, and there’s something about when you’re playing Dark Souls–immediately when you’re in that world, it was to do with the imagery, it has to do with the sound design, and you’re just immediately very uncomfortable and on edge. We wanted you to feel that way when you’re in the Upside Down.”
Matt Duffer went on to say that Stranger Things is likely influenced by even more video games, some of which he may not even be consciously aware of.
“I just know that we do play and have always played a lot of video games so I feel like there is a lot of that seeped into the show,” he explained.
The show itself even contains references to video games, as there is a Christmas morning sequence when a character thinks he’s getting a new Atari console.
12-year-old Millie Bobby Brown plays Stranger Things lead Eleven, while other child actors round out the group of teenagers who make up the show’s main cast. Wynona Ryder, Matthew Modine, and David Harbour also star in the program.
Captain America: Civil War is all about Cap and Iron Man’s differences coming to the surface and clashing over what superheroes should and shouldn’t be allowed to do. However, the Marvel movie would have had a completely different story if Robert Downey Jr. hadn’t joined the production, directors Joe and Anthony Russo told EW.
The Russo brothers talked to EW about how Downey Jr.’s original Marvel contract was fulfilled by the time work started on the third Captain America movie. Joe said, “[T]here was a period of time when we explored possibilities for Cap stories that did not include [Civil War].” Despite this, the idea for Civil War came about early and “it took over [the directors’] brains.”
Speaking of taking over brains, Anthony revealed that they were thinking of revolving the third act around the Madbomb, which is a device that makes people crazy, causing them to be much more aggressive.
“It didn’t have anything to do with Civil War, and if we couldn’t get Downey–in the very, very early conversations before we nailed him–somebody pitched the idea of a third-act that revolved around the Madbomb, which makes people crazy,” Anthony said. “It almost like zombifies them–but not literally.
“The charm of the Madbomb is that you turn hordes of people into berserkers. That was the physical challenge that Cap and company would have had to face.”
Joe added that there was a moral element to the Madbomb, in addition to the physical.
“The notion of the Madbomb would have been Cap having to fight civilians and how he would he handle that,” Joe said. “We were always trying to put him into these interesting moral conundrums because of his nature. That would have made a compelling third act because if civilians are the antagonists, how could he stop them without killing them?”
An emotional component was also present, as Captain America would have had to fight his superhero friends, who would have been taken over by the Madbomb as well.
“Somebody you know has turned into a zombie and now you have to fight them,” Anthony said.
But then Downey Jr. and Marvel Studios reached a deal, and everyone lived happily ever after. The end.
Captain America: Civil War hits digital HD, digital 3D, and Disney Movies Anywhere on September 2, while the Blu-ray, DVD, and On-demand versions arrive on September 13. You can see the full list of Blu-ray bonus material here or watch the Civil War gag reel that features forgotten lines and swearing.
Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa will perform at the Call of Duty XP 2016 event next week, Activision has announced. The duo are currently on the road together for what they’re calling the High Road Tour.
The performance is scheduled for Sunday, September 4, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The concert will serve as the send-off to Call of Duty XP, which wraps up that day.
This isn’t the first time Activision has signed big-name talent for a Call of Duty XP concert. For the inaugural event in 2011, Activision hired none other than Kanye West to perform. Additionally, the company booked Eminem and Jay-Z for E3 shows in the past. Also, Blizzard often hires major stars for its BlizzCon concerts; past performers included Blink 182, Tenacious D, and Ozzy Osbourne.
Call of Duty XP 2016 runs September 2-4. A “limited number” of tickets are being opened, including access to the concert with Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, though pricing was not announced. The Call of Duty XP website states that ticket prices start at $50.
Not only that, but attendees can play paintball on a real-world version of the iconic Black Ops Nuketown multiplayer map, while there is also an “intense” laser tag experience inspired by Zombies in Spaceland. Further, the finals of the $2 million Call of Duty World League Championship will run during the weekend.
If you can’t make it to the show in person, some of the events, including the World League Championship, will be broadcast live on Twitch and YouTube.
GameSpot will be in attendance at Call of Duty XP 2016 next weekend; check back soon for more.
One of the benefits of signing up for EA’s free Battlefield Insider service was early access to Battlefield 1‘s upcoming beta. It wasn’t specified how much sooner Insiders would get to play, but now we know.
Writing on Twitter, the Battlefield account revealed that Insiders can jump in one day early, starting on August 30 instead of August 31. The important thing to note is that you needed to have signed up for the Battlefield Insider program by August 21 and selected your platform of choice to get the early access code. This code will be delivered by email, but it doesn’t appear that EA has sent them out yet.
You may have to wait until next week to play Battlefield 1’s beta, but a beta for another EA-published game, Titanfall 2, kicks off later today. Check out this post to find out exactly when it starts and how to get in.
The Battlefield 1 beta begins on August 31 for everyone and sooner if you’re a Battlefield Insider. While you have to wait a little while longer to play, you can now listen to the shooter’s excellent theme music.
This actually isn’t the first time we’ve heard Battlefield 1’s theme music, as it also popped up in July when the game’s alpha was released for members of the press and others. At the time, it wasn’t clear if that was the song’s final form and we still don’t know if the newer video contains the final cut.
Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on Battlefield 1’s theme music and more.
The Battlefield 1 beta kicks off August 31 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Battlefield Insiders who signed up by August 21 will receive a code by email to play early, but it appears those haven’t gone out yet. We’ll bring you more news on Battlefield 1’s beta in the days ahead.
Battlefield 1’s full release is scheduled for October 21.
Nintendo is bringing its franchises and characters to Universal Studios theme parks in Florida and Japan. While these parks have yet to open and specific rides and attractions have not been announced, Nintendo sounds quite optimistic about what it can achieve.
“It’s a huge opportunity,” Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told Alist Daily. “What has been really gratifying for me is that the teams between Universal and Nintendo are working tremendously well together.”
Fils-Aime added that the team at Universal not only of course has expert knowledge of how to make a theme park, but they also “have a great affinity for [Nintendo’s] IP.”
“What this promises for the guest at the Universal Studios theme parks is something that’s really magical,” Fils-Aime teased.
In the interview, Fils-Aime specifically mentioned “immersive amusement interactive situations” with no talk about more traditional rides like rollercoasters. That may not be indicative of anything, however.
Fils-Aime also teased that the designers at Universal are making their newest attractions with full knowledge that riders are likely to have a smartphone with them. He teased that your phone may play some role in Nintendo’s attractions at the Universal parks.
“These theme park designers are considering that so many of their patrons have a smart device,” he said. “They’re thinking about what that means to the overall experience. I’m not going to share anything in this interview, but certainly the Universal team is aware of it. Certainly it is something that they are considering as they work with us to create this theme park experience.”
Nintendo and Universal have not announced any specific rides/attractions, but we would imagine there would have to be some form of real-world Mario Kart.
The official line is that these attractions will be “major” and make use of Nintendo’s “most famous characters and games.” Universal and Nintendo will create “spectacular, dedicated experiences based on Nintendo’s wildly popular games, characters, and worlds.” As of May 2015, Nintendo and Universal were still in the process of creating concepts.
According to a March 2016 report, around 40 billion yen ($351 million) is being invested into the Nintendo attractions at Universal Studios Japan. It was also mentioned that the size and scope of the Nintendo-Universal park arrangement is similar to the deal Universal made for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area, based on the Harry Potter series.
The Nintendo attractions at Universal Studios Japan are aiming to be completed by 2020, which is also the year the the Olympics comes to Tokyo. There is no word on when Universal Studios Florida might open its Nintendo attractions, however.
Nintendo’s partnership with Universal, which was announced in May 2015, aims to expand the reach of Nintendo’s characters and franchises. Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima has stressed how important that would be going forward. As a result of changes in the gaming landscape, fewer and fewer young people are finding out about Nintendo games through…games. Instead, they’re discovering Nintendo and its characters through things like officially licensed Mario toothbrushes.
Expect these kinds of licensing deals to continue and possibly increase, Kimishima said. Now that Nintendo sees itself as an entertainment company, the deal with Universal and other licensing arrangements makes a lot of sense. Nintendo’s licensing efforts could even extend to the big-screen.
A second person has died in a case apparently related to Pokemon Go and a motor vehicle in Japan. Japan Times reports that police told media today that a woman in her 20s died Thursday, two weeks after being hit by a car while riding her bicycle. The driver was apparently distracted by Pokemon Go.
“The driver, a worker in his 20s, told investigators he was looking away at the time of the collision as he was trying to charge his mobile phone,” The Japan Times reported. “The battery was almost dead, he said, because he had been playing the game.”
He was arrested on negligence claims and was later released. Now that the victim has died, authorities are looking into the case as one of “negligence resulting in death.”
The announcement of the woman’s death today comes just days after the National Police Agency announced on Wednesday the death of a woman in the city of Tokushima on Tuesday. Authorities said a Pokemon Go-playing driver struck two women, killing one and seriously injuring the other. The fatality was believed to be the first linked to Pokemon Go in the country.
According to Japan Times, official figures show there were 79 bicycle and car accidents in Japan linked to Pokemon Go since the game came out there on July 22. These cases have taken place across the country.
Before Pokemon Go’s launch in Japan last month, the country’s governmentreleased a flier that spelled out various warnings related to Pokemon Go.
Through in-game messaging, Pokemon Go itself warns players to be aware of their surroundings while playing the game. Pokemon Go encourages players to go out into the real world in search of Pokemon to catch, but playing behind the wheel is obviously a bad idea. A recent update introduced a prompt stressing that you should not play while driving a car.
Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, has discussed some of the mistakes the company made in launching the Wii U. Speaking in an interview with Alist, he said the lessons Nintendo learned will be implemented when launching the NX.
“Every time we launch a new platform, every time we launch a critical new game, we always learn. We always do our breakdown of what worked, what didn’t, and certainly we’ve done that with Wii U,” he explained.
A key area Fils-Aime highlighted was messaging, which he believes will help the audience understand what makes NX unique.
“One of the things that we have to do better when we launch the NX–we have to do a better job communicating the positioning for the product. We have to do a better job helping people to understand its uniqueness and what that means for the game playing experience.”
In terms of games, Fils-Aime touched on the frequency it releases new games at. One of the issues with the Wii U was the lack of regular, noteworthy game releases, especially from Nintendo itself.
“We have to do a better job from a software planning standpoint to have that continuous beat of great new games that are motivating more and more people to pick up the hardware and more and more people to pick up the software.
“Those are the critical lessons. And as I verbalize them, they’re really traditional lessons within the industry. You have to make sure people understand the concept, you have to make sure you’ve got a great library of games, and when you do that, you tend to do well.”
Nintendo’s next platform, codenamed NX, is set to launch in 2017, but Nintendo has not officially revealed details about it. Before his passing, company president Satoru Iwata called it a “brand new concept” for video game platforms.
It has also been reported that Nintendo will release a new Mario and Pokemon game for the NX within the six months after its launch, in addition to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WIld.
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