Category: Gamespot

WWE’s developmental brand, NXT, will be the focus for the collector’s edition of WWE 2K17, 2K Sports announced today.

In a conference call, Paul “Triple H” Levesque–the brain behind WWE’s NXT brand–and NXT superstar Shinsuke Nakamura revealed that the special edition of WWE 2K17, which is exclusive to PS4 and Xbox One, will be available for preorder on July 14 and cost $100.

Inside the box, the NXT Edition will contain the game, along with the NXT Enhancement Pack, which will consist of a 50 percent boost in points earned during MyCareer and three playable NXT superstars: Shinsuke Nakamura, Nia Jax, and Apollo Crews. Along with that will be a lithograph signed by Nakamura, an eight-inch Finn Balor figurine, a piece of authentic ring canvas from NXT: TakeOver: London, and the Goldberg pre-order pack.

2K Sports informed us that the NXT superstars will be available on launch day for those who purchase the NXT Edition for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The NXT Enhancement Pack–which includes the three stars–will be available for purchase later this year as downloadable content. PS3 and Xbox 360 players can purchase the NXT stars as DLC on launch day.

The NXT brand has been a breakout show for WWE. Before WWE stars appear on shows like Smackdown and Raw, the sports entertainers hone their craft on this developmental show. It’s gained a cult following over the years, and while Apollo Crews has already moved to the main roster, Nia Jax and Nakamura’s addition to the roster will surely please fans of the brand.

“To me, it’s about as in-depth to NXT as you can get,” explained Levesque. “For our hardcore fan base, our most passionate fans, that’s what they want. They want the ability to replicate the superstar’s career paths, as themselves or as that character. I think you’re going to see NXT become more and more a part of [the WWE 2K series] over the years.”

Levesque was asked about whether or the remaining Four Horsewomen–Bayley, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch–will be appearing in the game. Levesque stated that wouldn’t be revealed at this time, but fans should stay tuned for a future announcement. Horsewoman Sasha Banks was revealed as part of the roster during E3, along with John Cena and Ultimate Warrior.

WWE 2K17–which features Brock Lesnar on the cover–launches on October 11 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as well as last-gen systems. The NXT Edition can be preordered on July 14.

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It seems everyone is getting in on the Pokemon Go craze–from pizza places to the Westboro Baptist Church.

Now, Australia’s famous Sydney Opera House has announced it will host a Pokemon Go party this coming Monday, July 18. Hundreds are expected to attend, congregating at the site in hopes of catching elusive Pokemon.

The event’s Facebook page mentions that organizers will pay to lure Pokemon to the Opera House for two hours that day. The event runs from 12 PM – 2 PM local time on July 18.

“Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the game servers will stay alive, but we will continue to try to put lures out for this entire two-hour period,” the organizer said.

The Opera House also mentioned that this event is not being held in association with Pokemon Go developer Niantic Labs or The Pokemon Company. Soon, places will be able to pay to become sponsored Pokemon Go locations, but that is not the case for this event.

So far, 323 people have said they will attend the Pokemon Go party at the Opera House, while a further 910 have said they are “interested.”

Pokemon Go launched in the US last week and is now hitting the UK. It’s become a global phenomenon on a level not even Niantic might have imagined.

For more, check out GameSpot’s review.

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Pokemon Go is already a massive hit, and now it can claim the title of most popular mobile game in United States history. According to new data from SurveyMonkey, Pokemon Go reached just under 21 million daily active users this week, beating out Candy Crush‘s previous record of 20 million.

An important thing to note is that Candy Crush had 93 million total daily active users at its peak on a global basis, but this report is for the US only. Pokemon Go is not available everywhere yet–it was only just released in the UK today.

The SurveyMonkey data also posits that, if current growth rates continue (on Android), Pokemon Go is poised to pass Snapchat “within a couple of days.” Additionally, Pokemon Go might be able to overtake Google’s own Google Maps, which would be quite an achievement.

Another thing to bear in mind is that, despite the huge amount of hype around Pokemon Go, there is no guarantee that it will continue to perform.

“History hasn’t always been kind to games that generate tremendous hype,” it reported. “Back in 2012, Draw Something consumed the public consciousness for a few weeks before its user numbers dropped like a stone. Nintendo’s last mobile game, Miitomo, met a similar fate, finding early success that was ultimately unsustainable.”

Pokemon Go was not made by Nintendo, but instead Niantic Labs. The Google spinoff produced the title in collaboration with The Pokemon Company, which is partly owned by Nintendo. This may explain why Nintendo’s share price soared after the game’s release.

The game is free, but players can spend real money on microtransactions. According to a recent report, the game has already brought in more than $14 million. Additionally, sponsored locations, including possibly McDonald’s, are coming to the game.

Pokemon Go–which challenges players to catch Pokemon in the real world and also helps sell pizza–launched last week and has become a phenomenon on a level that Niantic might not have even imagined.

Recently, it was reported that in wake of the game’s huge success, Hollywood studios are scrambling to sign a deal for the Pokemon movie rights. In other news, two US Marines who were playing Pokemon Go helped catch an attempted murder suspect this week in California. Additionally, authorities in New York said Pokemon Go was partly to blame for a horrible-looking car crash.

For more on Pokemon Go, check out GameSpot’s review.

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Microsoft and Loot Crate have announced the Gears of War 4: Loot Crate Edition.

There are two options available. The $130 version includes a digital copy of Gears of War 4, as well as a number of physical goodies such as a replica “7 Lancer and “awesome COG-sanctioned swag.” A $75 version comes with a 4.5″ Lancer, but no game.

As with other Loot Crates, these are mysterious in nature. Delivered on a monthly basis, the crates come with a number of “exclusive” collectibles, as well as apparel and more. You don’t know exactly what you’re getting, and for some, that’s the appeal.

If you buy the version that comes with the game, Microsoft assures that your code to download Gears of War 4 will be delivered by the game’s release date, October 11. Gears of War 4 is an Xbox Play Anywhere title, so you can play across Xbox One and PC.

Additionally, as part of a limited-time offer, the digital version of Gears of War 4 also comes with backwards-compatible versions of Xbox 360 games such as Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3, and Gears of War: Judgment.

Head to Loot Crate’s Gears of War 4 page to learn more and place an order. Gears of War is not the first Microsoft franchise to offer a Loot Crate; a Halo version also exists.

In other Gears of War news, developer The Coalition has teased some special announcements and surprises for its panel at San Diego Comic-Con next week.

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Pokemon Go is a free-to-play game, but it does offer microtransactions–and those have reportedly been quite lucrative. Now, developer Niantic Labs has revealed another way the augmented reality game will pull in money: through sponsored PokeStops.

Niantic CEO John Hanke told The New York Times that the developer has already signed deals with some retail establishments to turn their businesses into sponsored Pokemon Go locations. The developer will announce sponsored locations “in the future.”

The New York Times mentions fast food restaurants and coffee shops as two examples of possible sponsored PokeStops. Given the huge popularity of Pokemon Go, it’s not hard to imagine retail establishments lining up for sign sponsorship deals to attract more customers.

Pokemon Go may also help small businesses. As people on NeoGAF discovered, it may be possible for retailers to use Pokemon Go’s “lures” to bring high-value creatures to their physical stores, in turn possibly bringing in more foot traffic. Some businesses are also reportedly offering discounts to people who align with certain Pokemon Go teams.

Pokemon Go launched last week and has since become a global phenomenon. On the business side, its release has added $9 billion to Nintendo’s market cap.

Recently, it was reported that in wake of the game’s huge success, Hollywood studios are scrambling to sign a deal for the Pokemon movie rights.

For more on Pokemon Go, check out GameSpot’s review.

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During his keynote address at the Develop Conference today, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima said he is sure his new PlayStation 4 and PC game, Death Stranding, will be the best title he’s ever made.

Speaking on stage alongside PS4 system architect Mark Cenry, Kojima said he is “very confident this will be my best work,” according to a report from DigitalSpy.

Kojima went on to say that, for his past games, he’s had to make compromises in some areas to get his projects out the door. This apparently won’t be the case with his new game.

“So far, when I’ve been making games, I’ve had to give up on something or at least compromise on something in order to get things done,” Kojima explained. “But this time, working with you [Mark Cerny] and you bringing the state of the art technologies, we will get around that [usual problem].

“I’m very confident that we’re working towards something completely new and that no one has seen so far. This will be my best work so far, I’m very confident about that.”

Kojima appeared on Sony’s E3 2016 stage last month to announce Death Stranding. The game will be released on console exclusively for PS4, though it’s also coming to PC.

While Death Stranding still remains very mysterious, Kojima has revealed some new information in the weeks following its announcement. For one, he said the reveal trailer–which is stuffed with clues–is “representative” of the final game. He also confirmed that the baby in the trailer is not a clone of the character played by The Walking Dead‘s Norman Reedus. You can read this post to find out more about what we know so far.

A release date for Death Stranding has not yet been announced, but don’t expect it soon. Recently, Kojima said, “Our game is still far from being released.”

For more, check out GameSpot’s breakdown of the Death Stranding trailer as well as our own interview with Kojima in which he reacts to Resident Evil 7 and tells us how his family wanted him to retire.

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