Sony is “certainly aware” that fans would like to see the Crash Bandicoot series return, according to SCEE CEO Jim Ryan. He made the comment in an interview with OPM UK(via PSU), but unfortunately, didn’t say more.
“Um…we’re certainly aware of the considerable affection–even reverence–in which the mighty Crash is held. But nothing to update at this stage in that area,” he explained (via VideoGamer.com).
Recently, Sony confirmed that the Crash Bandicoot rights remained with Activision. The Call of Duty company said in 2013 that it “continue[s] to explore ways in which we could bring the beloved series back to life,” though nothing has been announced.
The latest title to bear the jorts-wearing Bandicoot’s name was mobile game Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2 in 2010.
As for why Crash is back in the news now, check out this spoiler-filled post. You can also check out this story to see a roundup of some of the big teases Sony has made about a possible Crash revival.
Would you be interested in a new Crash game? Let us know in the comments below!
While the Marvel Studios debut of Spider-Man got much of the attention during the build-up to Captain America: Civil War, the first appearance of Black Panther has since proved just as impressive. Creed director Ryan Coogler is on board to helm the standalone Black Panther movie, which will star Chadwick Boseman as the superpowered King of Wakanda. It has now been rumoured that Star Wars: The Force Awakens star John Boyega may be joining the cast.
In terms of resolution, the PS4 edition runs at native 1920×1080 (1080p), while the Xbox One comes in below that, at 1600×900 (900p). The site mentioned that for its tests, it had the latest patch applied and enabled temporal anti-aliasing, though this apparently has no impact on performance.
As for frame rate, the Xbox One edition of The Revolution held the advantage, though both platforms struggled somewhat, according to the analysis. Starting with the very first cutscene, the Xbox One edition performs by an average of 3fps better, which also extends to gameplay.
Both editions of The Revolution come in at around 20-25fps for the game’s main Elmtree zone, with the Xbox One performing better generally. Digital Foundry also mentioned that the PS4 version features instances of tearing in some cases, while the Xbox One edition does not.
For indoor shootout sequences, however, The Revolution reportedly runs smoothly, achieving a consistent 30fps.
Outside of resolution and frame rate, The Revolution’s auto-save system is proving to be problematic, causing the game to freeze for up to ten seconds at a time, according to Digital Foundry.
“This wouldn’t be such a nuisance, except these checkpoints occur so frequently; whether it’s after buying a new gun, accepting a new mission, or simply moving to a new area,” the site said.
As for the PC edition of The Revolution, Digital Foundry said early tests show that this is the best version, provided your system is capable enough. The site will post a full performance analysis of the PC edition later.
“Its substantial story campaign is impressively rich and its shooting can be tense and fun, but half-baked stealth, an unfulfilling story, and a vast menagerie of technical inadequacies drag the overall experience into disappointing mediocrity,” critic Scott Butterworth said in his review.
The world of Bethesda’s celebrated open-world RPG Fallout 4 continues to grow today. The game’s third paid expansion, Far Harbor, is out now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
It’s included with Fallout 4’s $50 DLC pass or can be purchased by itself for $25.
The expansion is set in a post-apocalyptic version of Maine’s Bar Harbor. It represents the largest landmass that Bethesda has ever created for a piece of add-on content. Players can expect new quests, weapons, creatures, and more. Check out some concept art in the galley above.
“Far Harbor will take you on a journey that’s a far cry from the Commonwealth,” Bethesda said.
To get a closer look at the content and to hear directly from the Bethesda designers who made it, check out the video above. You can also see some screenshots of the expansion in the gallery below.
Looking ahead, Fallout 4 mods are coming to Xbox One this month, while PS4 players will get them in June. Additionally, Bethesda has told fans to “stay tuned” for more information about further add-ons coming later this year.
Are you planning to jump back into Fallout 4 today to check out the new expansion? Let us know in the comments below.
Speaking during Take-Two’s earnings call, CEO Strauss Zelnick said Rockstar will not release a new game in the current fiscal year, which runs April 1, 2016 through March 31, 2017. That means the earliest a new Rockstar title might be released is April 2017, though of course the games may be announced sooner.
Earlier in the call, CFO Lanie Goldstein mentioned that Take-Two is expecting a 75/25 revenue split between its 2K Games and Rockstar Games labels for the current fiscal year, which suggested no Rockstar release.
As for what Take-Two might mean by “soon” for the announcement of Rockstar’s new games, Zelnick recently teased that the company had big plans for E3 2016. It is possible one of the new games is a sequel to Red Dead Redemption, a franchise that Take-Two has labeled “permanent.”
Take-Two president Karl Slatoff mentioned during the earnings call that the company is also working on new IP to further diversity its portfolio, though it is not known if one of Rockstar’s new games is a new IP.
For more on Take-Two’s latest earnings briefing, check out the stories below.
Hideo Kojima has discussed his recent travels to various video game developers around the world, explaining that he is searching for an engine to develop his new studio’s first game.
Speaking in an interview at the Nordic Game in Malmo, Kojima said he believes developing games using internally developed tools is preferable, but noted that adopting third-party technology eliminates the time investment required to build an internal engine.
Image credit: Forbes
“I think it’s better to use internal tools to make games,” he said. “But for my first title we are going to use a third-party engine because we want to release it to the people who are waiting. The reason why I’m travelling around the world is because I am looking for [an engine] to use.”
Most recently, Kojima visited DICE, the studio behind Battlefield and Mirror’s Edge, which builds its games on its internally developed Frostbite Engine. Prior to this he met with Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream and Sucker Punch Productions, the team behind the Infamous series, among others.
“So I may conclude that the game creation is to use the magic to this real world with the use of the latest technology,” he said. “Or to say, to make the dream of the people in this real world come true by magic. But just having technology doesn’t mean you can make magic.
“What I’ve learned the most in this trip: start up the new studio, hire the staff to work with, find the office, construct organization, work on the latest technology, and step into the challenge of creating the new magic.”
Although very little has been revealed about his new game, Kojima has discussed the project in vague terms. According to the Metal Gear creator, it may not seem all that remarkable when it is announced, but people will understand it better when they play it.
The title will also appeal to fans of AAA action experiences like Uncharted.
“It’s an amazing game,” he said. “While not to say that it’s open-world, users who enjoy today’s AAA games (The Division and Uncharted, etc) will be able to easily enjoy it.
Reddit user blackfire561 has taken a selection of scenes from Return to Arkham trailer and found the corresponding shots in the original versions of Asylum and City. This has provided a good look at what rebuilding the games on Unreal Engine 4 has achieved. A few of the images can be found above, but the full set is here.
Click image to view in full screen gallery
Both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were developed using Unreal Engine 3, but Chinese company Virtuous opted to use the latest version of Epic’s game engine for its remasters.
In addition to the base games, players receive all Game of the Year extras and downloadable content in Return to Arkham. Overall, Warner Bros. said players can expect “improved graphics” and “upgraded models, environments, lighting, effects, and shaders.”
Return to Arkham launches on July 26 and will cost $50/€50/£40.
The first two Batman Arkham games gained near-unanimous praise in reviews. GameSpot’s Arkham Asylum review said “everything about this game–the impressive visuals, stirring soundtrack, superb voice acting, fiendish puzzles, hard-hitting combat–feels like it has been lovingly crafted by a development team that’s both knowledgeable and passionate about the source material.”
Arkham City was also rated highly: “From the speedy exhilaration of soaring high above the streets to the atmospheric thrill of discovering long-forgotten secrets in the tunnels below Gotham, this is an unforgettable adventure that will keep you coming back to the cape and cowl long after you’ve seen the credits roll.”
The long-awaited film adaptation of Stephen King’s fantasy classic The Dark Tower is finally in production. Earlier this week, on-set images of star Idris Elba were revealed, and now King himself has spoken about what fans can expect from the movie.
While the author does suggest that the book’s famous opening lines will kick off the film, audiences should expect a few changes along the way. “I expect that the movie will start where the books start,” he told the EW Podcast. “Y’know, ‘The man in black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed.’ I think that nails it right in place for people. I’ve been pretty insistent on that, and I think everyone’s onboard with it.”
However, King went on to explain that from that point, the movie will deviate from the book. He stated: “It starts sort of in medias res, in the middle of the story, instead of at the beginning, which may upset some of the fans a little bit. But they will get behind it, because it is the story.”
Whether or not King means the middle of the first part of the eight-book series, or during the events of a later book, is unknown. However, BMD suggests that the latter might be true, as previous casting announcements have included characters that don’t appear until further on in the series.
The movie stars Elba as gunslinger Roland Deschain, while Matthew McConaughey will play Walter Padick, aka the Man in Black, the demonic sorcerer who is the story’s central villain. It is directed by Nikolaj Arcel, who previously helmed the Oscar-nominated A Royal Affair.
The Dark Tower encompasses eight novels, written between 1982 and 2012. The books blend classic western themes with horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.
The film is set to be released on February 23, 2017, and there are plans for this movie to be the first of an ongoing franchise.
Hideo Kojima has discussed the decision to continue making AAA games at his newly founded studio, instead of smaller, indie experiences. According to the Metal Gear creator, the decision was influenced by what fans expected of him.
Speaking at the Nordic Game event in Sweden, Kojima explained that he initially intended to make a smaller game, but decided not to after heeding the advice of some friends.
“While meeting friends and acquaintances around the world, they said everybody expects me to make a big title, so I changed direction. So, the first game coming from me will be big.”
He went on to say his current ambition is to “make a big title with a small team.”
“Although I can’t say when,” he continued, “I will release it as soon as possible.”
After leaving Konami, Kojima announced he was partnering with Sony to release his next game as a PlayStation 4 console exclusive. The game, which still has not been officially unveiled or detailed, will also be released on PC.
Kojima has discussed the project in vague terms, saying it may not seem all that remarkable when it is announced, but people will understand it better when they play it. It will also appeal to fans of AAA action games like Uncharted, in particular.
“It’s an amazing game,” he said. “While not to say that it’s open-world, users who enjoy today’s AAA games (The Division and Uncharted, etc) will be able to easily enjoy it.
Some were invited to see the ride early, including the team at California Coaster Kings, which has a report up that shows off some new images and offers more details on the ride (via Eurogamer).
As announced previously, the attraction–which was produced in partnership with EA and BioWare–boasts the “world’s largest and highest definition LED screen.”
Here is what California Coaster Kings had to say about it:
“The visuals are both carefully constructed and brilliantly high definition. The LED technology accomplished a crispness pixels could never hope to. In addition, the fact that Electronic Arts and BioWare developed and animated every frame from the ground up makes it not only as authentic as the games, but also gives the Mass Effect universe a new entry and welcome expansion.”
The site added that audio is also top-notch, with a surround sound system that features 70 speakers throughout the theater. The attraction also includes cameos from popular Mass Effect characters such as Garrus, Grunt, and Commander Shepard–and their voices were done by the original actors apparently.
As for the action itself, you sit in a seat (no restraint) and embark on a “holographic journey.” There is also a live actor who provides details about what you’re seeing and more.
“To have a real person interact with a digital effects makes them much more tangible,” the site said. “To have a bridge between the two worlds really goes a long way as far as immersion.”
California’s Great America is located in Santa Clara, California. All the details about park hours and pricing can be found on the park’s website.
Mass Effect isn’t the only video game to get its own theme park ride. Plants vs. Zombies, another EA franchise, is getting its own “intra-active 3D game experience” at Carowinds theme park in Charlotte, North Carolina.
